One video games industry's biggest award shows of the year, The Game Awards 2016, came to a close last night, crowning some of this year's best titles with the recognition they deserve. Having been three years since the ceremony's initial debut, The Game Awards have grown in scale – now offering 25 awards across a varied range of categories.
This year's show also appeared to see an increased mindshare among gamers, not only for the awards themselves, but the announcements made as a part of the event. Trailers debuted for a range of titles, including Halo Wars 2, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Telltale's Guardians of the Galaxy and Hideo Kojima's latest project, Death Stranding.
Here's a closer look at the winners in each category of this year's show; and the nominees who didn't quite make it. Below each award category are the titles nominated to receive it, with winners outlined in bold.
GAME OF THE YEAR
- Overwatch (Blizzard)
- DOOM (id Software/Bethesda)
- Inside (Playdead)
- Titanfall 2 (Respawn/EA)
- Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
BEST STUDIO/GAME DIRECTION
- Blizzard (Overwatch)
- DICE (Battlefield 1)
- id Software (DOOM)
- Naughty Dog (Uncharted 4: A Thief's End)
- Respawn (Titanfall 2)
BEST NARRATIVE
- Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Naughty Dog/SIE)
- Firewatch (Campo Santo)
- Inside (Playdead)
- Mafia III (Hangar 13/2K)
- Oxenfree (Night School Studio)
BEST ART DIRECTION
- Inside (Playdead)
- Abzu (Giant Squid/505)
- Firewatch (Campo Santo)
- Overwatch (Blizzard)
- Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Naughty Dog/SIE)
BEST MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
- DOOM (id Software/Bethesda)
- Battlefield 1 (DICE/EA)
- Inside (Playdead)
- Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
- Thumper (Drool)
BEST PERFORMANCE
- Nolan North as Nathan Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
- Alex Hernandez as Lincoln Clay, Mafia III
- Cissy Jones as Delilah, Firewatch
- Emily Rose as Elena, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
- Rich Summer as Henry, Firewatch
- Troy Baker as Sam Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
GAMES FOR IMPACT AWARD
- That Dragon, Cancer (Numinous Games)
- 1979 Revolution (iNK Stories)
- Block'hood (Plethora Project/Devolver Digital)
- Orwell (Osmotic Studios/Surprise Attack)
- Sea Hero Quest (Glitchers)
BEST MOBILE/HANDHELD GAME
- Pokemon GO (Niantic)
- Clash Royale (Supercell)
- Fire Emblem Fates (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
- Monster Hunter Generations (Capcom)
- Severed (DrinkBox Studios)
BEST INDEPENDENT GAME
- Inside (Playdead)
- Firewatch (Campo Santo)
- Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
- Stared Valley (ConcernedApe/Chucklefish Games)
- The Witness (Thelma, Inc.)
BEST VR GAME
- Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
- Batman: Arkham VR (Rocksteady Studios/WBIE)
- EVE: Valkyrie (CCP Games)
- Job Simulator (Owlchemy Labs)
- Thumper (Drool)
BEST ACTION GAME
- DOOM (id Software, Bethesda)
- Battlefield 1 (DICE/EA)
- Gears of War 4 (The Coalition/Microsoft Studios)
- Overwatch (Blizzard)
- Titanfall 2 (Respawn/EA)
BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE GAME
- Dishonored 2 (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
- Hitman (IO Interactive/Square Enix)
- Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
- Ratchet & Clank (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
BEST ROLE PLAYING GAME
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine (CD Projekt RED)
- Dark Souls 3 (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco Entertainment)
- Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (Eidos Montreal/Square Enix)
- World of Warcraft: Legion (Blizzard)
- Xenoblade Chronicles X (Monolith Soft/Nintendo)
BEST FIGHTING GAME
- Street Fighter V (Capcom)
- Killer Instinct Season 3 (Iron Galaxy Studios/Microsoft Studios)
- King of Fighters XIV (SNK/Atlus USA)
- Pokken Tournament (Bandai Namco Studios/The Pokemon Co.)
BEST FAMILY GAME
- Pokemon GO (Niantic)
- Dragon Quest Builders (Square Enix)
- Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens (TT Fusion/WBIE)
- Ratchet & Clank (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Skylanders: Imaginators (Toy for Bob/Activision)
BEST STRATEGY GAME
- Civilization 6 (Firaxis Games/2K)
- Fire Emblem Fates (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
- The Banner Saga 2 (Stoic Studio/Versus Evil)
- Total War: Warhammer (Creative Assembly/Sega)
- XCOM 2 (Firaxis Games/2K)
BEST SPORTS/RACING GAME
- Forza Horizon 3 (Playground Games/Microsoft Studios)
- FIFA 17 (EA Canada/EA Sports)
- MLB The Show 16 (SCE San Diego Studio/SIE)
- NBA 2K17 (Visual Concepts/2K Sports)
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 (PES Productions/Konami)
BEST MULTIPLAYER GAME
- Overwatch (Blizzard)
- Battlefield 1 (DICE/EA)
- Gears of War 4 (The Coalition/Microsoft Studios)
- Overcooked (Ghost Town Games/Team 17)
- Titanfall 2 (Respawn/EA)
- Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
BEST ESPORTS PLAYER
- Coldzera – Marcelo David (SK Gaming, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)
- Faker – Lee Sang-hyeok (SK Telecom T1, League of Legends)
- ByuN – Hyun Woo (Starcraft 2)
- Infiltrator – Lee Seeon-woo (Team Razer, Street Fighter V)
- Hungrybox – Juan Debiedma (Team Liquid, Super Smash Bros.)
BEST ESPORTS TEAM
- Cloud 9
- SK Telecom T1 (League of Legends)
- Wings Gaming (DOTA 2)
- SK Gaming
- ROX Tigers (League of Legends)
BEST ESPORTS GAME
- Overwatch (Blizzard)
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Valve)
- DOTA2 (Valve)
- League of Legends (Riot)
- Street Fighter V (Capcom)
TRENDING GAMER
- Boogie2988
- AngryJoeShow
- Danny O'Dwyer
- JackSepticEye
- Lirik
MOST ANTICIPATED GAME
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo)
- God of War (Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Horizon: Zero Dawn (Guerilla Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Mass Effect: Andromeda (Bioware/EA)
- Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
What about you?
Do you agree with this year's results? Or would you have dethroned one of today's victors? Make sure to let us know in the comments section below!
