As the year comes to an end, the awards begin! The Game Awards 2021 has concluded, but many others are left to crown their best games of 2021. It Takes Two was deemed the Game of the Year by TGA 2021, and now others are ready to reveal their picks. Valve has its own, the Steam Awards, and they have now announced the list of nominees and the respective categories.
You can check out the entire list of games to vote for on the Steam Awards website, and the company will choose the finalist from each category. Fans will be able to cast their votes starting tomorrow, December 22nd from 10 am PST, 1 pm EST, or 6 pm GMT. Voting will end on January 3rd, 2022, at which point the winners will be announced. As is the norm, there are several specialist areas for each game.
One of these is the “Labor of Love”. This category is interesting as it does not look at just the games that have been released in the past year but also those that have been available for a while. The idea is to celebrate the love and work the developer has put into making the game a fun experience. Nominees for this category include games like Terraria, Rust, and No Man’s Sky. Valve has even listed their DOTA 2 under this category.
Then there is the “Better with Friends” category, dedicated to titles that work best when played with others. Examples of nominees for this section are Valheim and Back 4 Blood. Phasmophobia would have also made the cut had it been released this year.
In the “Most Innovative Gameplay” category, we have 12 Minutes, a title that was highly praised by none other than Hideo Kojima himself on release. While it has also gone down at the “Most Retired” game of the year, it provided players with an experience unlike any other that had been seen in the point-and-click adventure genre.
Here is the complete list of categories and their nominees for the Steam Awards,
Labor Of Love
- DOTA 2
- Terraria
- Rust
- No Man’s Sky
- Apex Legends
Better With Friends
- Valheim
- Back 4 Blood
- Halo Infinite
- It Takes Two
- Crab Game
Outstanding Visual Style
- Psychonauts 2
- Subnautica: Below Zero
- Little Nightmafres 2
- Bright Memory: Infinite
- Forza Horizon 5
Most Innovative Gameplay
- Inscryption
- 12 Minutes
- Moncage
- Deathloop
- Loop Hero
Best Game You Suck At
- World War Z: Aftermath
- Naraka: Bladepoint
- Nioh 2: Complete Edition
- Age of Empires 4
- Battlefield 2042
Best Soundtrack
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Nier Replicant
- Persona 5 Strikers
- Guilty Gear: Strive
- Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles
Outstanding Story-Rich Game
- Life is Strange: True Colors
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Resident Evil: Village
- Days Gone
- Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
Sit Back And Relax
- Unpacking
- Potion Craft
- Farming Simulator 22
- Townscaper
- Dorfromantik
If you’re interested in voting for your favorite game to get the gold, head on over to the Steam website tomorrow to cast your vote.
About Valve Software
Valve Corporation, also known as Valve Software, is an American video game developer, publisher, and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington. Valve is best known for the software distribution platform Steam, along with gaming franchises such as Half-Life, Counter-Strike, Portal, Day of Defeat, Team Fortress, Left 4 Dead, and Dota.
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