Every year, The Game Awards recognizes the creative and technical excellence in the video game industry. Tonight’s show brought together a mix of players, developers, and gaming culture to the forefront. Hosted by Geoff Keighley and featuring guest presenters like Brie Larson, Keanu Reeves, Christopher Nolan, Reggie Fils-Aime, Nolan North, and many others, the show was a tremendous celebration of all things gaming.
Shipping games in normal circumstances is a miracle and seeing so many amazing games ship this year is truly remarkable and we congratulate every developer that was nominated and won this year. Xbox was fortunate to be nominated across nine categories, including Best RPG, Best Sim/Strategy, Best Action/Adventure, and more. We’re also incredibly grateful to have Tell Me Why win the Games for Impact category and Microsoft Flight Simulator as Best Sim/Strategy.
Here’s a complete list of our nominees:
- Best Art Direction: Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- Best Score/Music: Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- Games for Impact: Tell Me Why – Winner
- Innovation in Accessibility: Grounded
- Best Action/Adventure: Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- Best RPG: Wasteland 3
- Best Family: Minecraft Dungeons
- Best Sim/Strategy: Gears Tactics and Microsoft Flight Simulator – Winner
- Most Anticipated: Halo Infinite
The Game Awards Announcements and Reveals
Perfect Dark Announced
This evening the team at The Initiative announced Perfect Dark which will re-imagine one of the best loved IPs from gaming history. The team is comprised of some of the most talented game makers from around the industry who share a passion for storytelling, world-building, and creating memorable game experiences. We can’t wait to share more in the future. Read more here.
Master Chief Arrives in Fortnite
As announced at The Game Awards, the Master Chief is the next figure from across realities to join the hunt in Season 5. Starting right now, suit up as the Chief in Fortnite and take on your next operation. The Master Chief Outfit arrives with the rest of the new Master Chief set — the next addition to Fortnite’s Gaming Legends series. Rep the UNSC with the UNSC Pelican Glider, a miniature Pelican carrier, the lil’ Warthog emote and display a holographic Elite skull with a trophy of the Chief’s exploits: The Battle Legend Back Bling. Read more here.
Microsoft Flight Simulator Coming to Xbox Series X|S Summer 2021
For the first time ever, aspiring pilots on console will take flight in this critically acclaimed simulation. As revealed during The Game Awards, Microsoft Flight Simulator will come to life on Xbox Series X|S this Summer. Simmers on Xbox Series X|S can expect the same level of depth as the PC version, allowing you to experience the most authentic and realistic flight simulator we’ve ever created. Read more here.
Cyberpunk 2077 Comes to Forza Horizon 4
Congratulations to our friends at CD Projekt Red for today’s launch of Cyberpunk 2077. We’re excited to announce that the dark future of Cyberpunk 2077 will also come to Forza Horizon 4 through one of Night City’s most iconic cars: the Quadra Turbo-R V-TECH. This powerhouse has been tearing through the streets of Night City in style like no other, and players can now bring this cult muscle car into Forza Horizon 4 across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows 10 PC. To unlock the Quadra Turbo-R V-TECH, players should look for an event on the map near Edinburgh called “_NIGHTCITY.EXE_.” This is a one-on-one race against the car where victory will then add it to player’s garages.
Celebrate The Game Awards with Discounts and Demos
In celebration of The Game Awards, we’re excited to bring to you The Game Awards Sale. Find games up to 67% off on some of the nominees from this and past years, Playable Demos of some of the ID@Xbox games that were considered, nominated, or will be showcasing at this event, and an Xbox Events page to help watch the event on the big day.
The Debut of Warhammer 40,000: Darktide Gameplay
Announced at the Xbox Games Showcase in July, fans got their first glimpse of Warhammer 40,000: Darktide gameplay. A visceral 4-player co-op action game set in the hive city of Tertium and brandishing Fatshark’s signature brutal melee combat, fans can expect to fight off hordes of enemies in this new Warhammer: 40,000 experience launching on Xbox Series X|S in 2021.
Among Us coming soon to Xbox Game Pass for PC
The team at Innersloth was excited to announce that they’re bringing one of the biggest gaming hits of 2020 to Xbox Game Pass for PC. With over a half billion players already, Among Us is an online, 4-10 multiplayer game that has you and your friends attempting to prepare your spaceship for departure with one (or more) Imposters onboard trying to sabotage the crews progress. Read more here.
Learn More About Our Nominees
From the creators of Ori and the Blind Forest – the acclaimed adventure game with more than 50 awards and nominations – comes the highly-anticipated sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Embark on an all-new adventure in a vast and exotic world where you’ll encounter towering enemies and challenging puzzles on your quest to discover Ori’s true destiny.
Tell Me Why is the latest narrative adventure game from Dontnod Entertainment, the studio behind the beloved franchise, Life Is Strange. In this intimate mystery, twins Tyler and Alyson Ronan use their special bond to unravel the memories of their loving but troubled childhood in beautiful small-town Alaska.
The world of Grounded is a vast, beautiful, and dangerous place – especially when you have been shrunken to the size of an ant. Explore, build, and survive together in this cooperative survival-adventure. Can you thrive alongside the hordes of giant insects, fighting to survive the perils of the backyard? Join the community and help shape the future of Grounded in Xbox Game Preview.
Wasteland 3 is a squad-based roleplaying game from inXile entertainment, featuring challenging tactical combat, hours of exploration, and a deep, reactive story full of twists, turns, and brutal ethical decisions. Play in single-player or co-op as you create a squad of up to six Rangers and customize them with perks and abilities geared to your playstyle. Saving Colorado isn’t going to be easy, but Arizona is counting on you, so… don’t screw it up.
Fight your way through an all-new action-adventure game, inspired by classic dungeon crawlers and set in the Minecraft universe! Brave the dungeons alone, or team up with friends! Up to four players can battle together through action-packed, treasure-stuffed, wildly varied levels – all in an epic quest to save the villagers and take down the evil Arch-Illager!
Gears Tactics is the fast-paced, turn-based strategy game set 12 years before the first Gears of War. Play as Gabe Diaz, recruiting, equipping, and commanding your squads on a desperate mission to hunt down the relentless and powerful leader of the Locust army: Ukkon, the evil mastermind who makes monsters. Experience the intensity of one of the most-acclaimed video game sagas in an exciting new way.
From light planes to wide-body jets, fly highly detailed and accurate aircraft in the next generation of Microsoft Flight Simulator. Test your piloting skills against the challenges of night flying, real-time atmospheric simulation, and live weather in a dynamic and living world. Create your flight plan to anywhere on the planet. The world is at your fingertips.
When all hope is lost and humanity’s fate hangs in the balance, the Master Chief is ready to confront the most ruthless foe he’s ever faced. Begin anew and step inside the armor of humanity’s greatest hero to experience an epic adventure and finally explore the scale of the Halo ring itself. Coming in Fall 2021.