Ah, another year, another Game Awards show.

Taking place in Los Angeles and hosted by game journalist/television presenter Geoff Keighley, the Game Awards is an award ceremony to commemorate the yearly achievements of games that are able to accomplish high points for the video game industry.

With guest presenters — including game company presidents such as Phil Spencer and Reggie Fils-Aime, sports host Stephen A. Smith, film director Christopher Nolan, and even actor Tom Holland — as well as announcements/world premieres for new and existing games and music performances on stage, the event is a celebration that can certainly be for anyone who gives it a chance!

Despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, other than broadcasting the ceremony from different locations (London and Tokyo), there wasn’t much changed in comparison to previous years of the event. In fact, it brought additional ideas and paths that could be explored in the future such as giving an alternative to those who can’t attend the event in-person.

In the awards ceremony, there are different award categories that games are nominated for. Following is an overview of the categories (from bottom to top, corresponding with the Game Awards website of the 2020 Winners), giving a description of the criteria of each category according to the website, as well as each respective winner. There is also a count on the games with the most nominations/wins (90% of results/votes are determined by the judges, 10% are the audience).

Best Esports Team:

“Recognizing a specific Esports team (not the full organization) judged the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2020”

G2 Sports (League of Legends)

Best Esports Host:

“The best host or commentator of Esports events (both in-venue and/or broadcast) in 2020, irrespective of game or language”

Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere

Best Esports Game:

“For the game that has delivered the best overall Esports experience to players (inclusive of tournaments, community support and content updates), irrespective of genre or platform” 

League of Legends (Riot Games)

Best Esports Event:

“Recognizing an event (across single or multiple days) that delivered a best-of-class experience for participants and the broadcast audience”

League of Legends World Championship 2020

Best Esports Coach:

“The Esports coach judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2020”

Danny “Zonic” Sorensen (CSGO)

Best Esports Athlete:

“The esports athlete judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2020, irrespective of game” 

Heo “Showmaker” Su (League of Legends)

Best Debut Game:

“For the best debut game created by a new independent studio” 

Phasmophobia (Kinetic Games)

Content Creator of the Year:

“For a streamer or content creator who has made an important and positive impact on the community in 2020”

Valkyrae

Best Multiplayer:

“For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre or platform”

Among Us (Innersloth)

Best Sports/Racing:

 “For the best traditional and non-traditional sports and racing game”

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 (Vicarious Visions/Activision)

Best Sim/Strategy: 

“Best game focused on real time or turn-based simulation or strategy gameplay, irrespective of platform”

Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo/Xbox Game Studios)

Best Family:

“For the best game appropriate for family play, irrespective of genre or platform”

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo)

Best Fighting:

“For the best game designed primarily around head-to-head combat”

Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate (Netherrealm Studios/WB Games)

Best Role Playing:

“For the best game designed with rich player character customization and progression, including massively multiplayer experiences”

Final Fantasy VII Remake

Best Action/Adventure:

“For the best action/adventure game, combining combat with traversal and puzzle solving” 

The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog/SIE)

Best Action:

“For the best game in the action genre focused primarily on combat”

Hades (Supergiant Games) 

Innovation in Accessibility:

“Recognizing software and/or hardware that is pushing the medium forward by adding features, technology, and content to help games be played and enjoyed by an even wider audience” 

The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog/Sie)

Best VR/AR:

“For the best game experience playable in virtual or augmented reality, irrespective of platform” 

Half-Life Alyx (Valve)

Best Community Support:

“Recognizing a game for outstanding community support, transparency and responsiveness, inclusive of social media activity and game updates/patches”

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (Mediatonic/Devolver)

Best Mobile Game:

Among Us (Innersloth)

Best Indie:

“For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system” 

Hades (Supergiant Games)

Best Ongoing:

“Awarded to a game for outstanding development of ongoing content that evolves the player experience over time” 

No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)

Games For Impact:

“For a thought-provoking game with a pro-social meaning or message”

Tell Me Why (Dontnod Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios)

Best Performance:

“Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion, and/or performance capture”

Laura Bailey as “Abby” (The Last of Us Part II)

Best Audio Design:

“Recognizing the best in-game audio and sound design”

The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog/SIE)

Best Score and Music: 

“For outstanding music, inclusive of score, original song and/or licensed soundtrack”

Final Fantasy VII Remake (Composed by Nobuo Uematsu, Masashi Hamauzu and Mitsuto Suzuki)

Best Art Direction: 

“For outstanding creative and/or technical achievement in artistic design and animation” 

Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch/SIE)

Best Narrative:

“For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game”

The Last of Us Part II (Writers Neil Druckmann and Hailey Gross)

Best Game Direction:

“Awarded for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design” 

The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog/SIE)

Game of the Year:

“Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields” 

The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog/SIE)

Tally of Nominations

Tally of Award Winners

Sources:

https://thegameawards.com/nominees

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-game-awards-2020-still-moving-forward/1100-6481334/

https://www.cnet.com/news/the-game-awards-2020-every-result-winner-world-premiere-trailers-and-more/