Gamescom has announced the nominees for this year’s Gamescom awards, featuring FromSoftware’s upcoming action-adventure title Elden Ring in several categories. Other notable nominees include Xbox exclusive Halo Infinite, as well as Age of Empires IV, Far Cry 6, and Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. There are a total of 15 categories this year, including those for Best Indie Game, Most Original Game, and the “Heart of Gaming” Award.
“But PlayStation Lifestyle,” you might ask, “how are they giving out awards for games that haven’t been released yet?” Similar to years’ past, the answer is in the submission requirements: the gamescom Awards are given to games “with a release date between the start of gamescom 2021…and gamescom 2022.” This means that nominated games—by definition—must be unreleased games unless they are in the “Best Ongoing Game” category. In addition to submitted nominations, gamescom 2021 will also host five categories highlighting noteworthy releases showcased at the event.
Interestingly, it’s also mandatory to provide a gameplay video of 10 minutes “to demonstrate game mechanics, sounds, camera angles, and graphics.” While Elden Ring got a short gameplay trailer back in June, it was nowhere near 10 minutes and could signal that FromSoftware may be planning to release a longer gameplay trailer soon.
Below is a list of all award categories and their respective nominees, selected by this year’s jury from all of the submissions:
gamescom Awards 2021 Nominees
- Best Microsoft Xbox Game
- Elden Ring, Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Far Cry 6, Ubisoft
- Halo Infinite, Microsoft
- Best Nintendo Switch Game
- Just Dance 2022, Ubisoft
- Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Ubisoft
- Best PC Game
- Age of Empires IV, Microsoft
- Elden Ring, Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Syberia: The World Before, astragon Entertainment
- Best Sony PlayStation Game
- Elden Ring, Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Tales of Arise, Bandai Namco Entertainment
- The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes, Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Best Action-Adventure Game
- Elden Ring, Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Ubisoft
- Syberia: The World Before, astragon Entertainment
- Best Action Game
- Far Cry 6, Ubisoft
- Halo Infinite, Microsoft
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction, Ubisoft
- Best Family Game
- Just Dance 2022, Ubisoft
- Run Prop, Run!, PlayTogether Studio
- Super Dungeon Maker, rokaplay
- Best Indie Game
- Dorfromantik, Toukana Interactive
- Inua, Arte France
- Lost in Random, Electronic Arts
- Best Role-Playing Game
- Elden Ring, Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Encased, Koch Media
- Tales of Arise, Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Best Simulation Game
- Climber: Sky is the Limit, Art Games Studio
- Farming Simulator 22, astragon Entertainment
- Best Sports Game
- Climber: Sky is the Limit, Art Games Studio
- FIFA 22, Electronic Arts
- Riders Republic, Ubisoft
- Best Strategy Game
- Age of Empires IV, Microsoft
- Company of Heroes 3, SEGA
- Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Ubisoft
- Best Multiplayer Game
- Halo Infinite, Microsoft
- Riders Republic, Ubisoft
- The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes, Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Best Ongoing Game
- Apex Legends, Electronic Arts
- Black Desert Online, Pearl Abyss Corp.
- Endzone – A World Apart: Prosperity, Assemble Entertainment
- Most Original Game
- Dice Legacy, Koch Media / DESTINYbit
- Riders Republic, Ubisoft
- tERRORbane, Whisper Interactive
