Game Awards 2016

The 2016 Game Awards were held in Los Angeles in the Microsoft Theater on December 1, 2016. Here are the winners.

Game of the Year

For a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.

• Doom (id Software/Bethesda)

• Inside (Playdead)

• Overwatch (Blizzard) - WINNER

• Titanfall 2 (Respawn/Electronic Arts)

• Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

BEST GAME DIRECTION

Recognizing a game studio for outstanding creative vision, game direction and design.

• Blizzard (for Overwatch) - WINNER

• Dice (for Battlefield 1)

• id Software (for Doom)

• Naughty Dog (for Uncharted 4: A Thief's End)

• Respawn (for Titanfall 2)

BEST NARRATIVE

For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.

• Firewatch (Campo Santo)

• Inside (Playdead)

• Mafia III (Hangar 13/2K)

• Oxenfree (Night School Studio)

• Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Naughty Dog/SIE) - WINNER

BEST ART DIRECTION

For outstanding creative and technical achievement in artistic design and animation.

• Abzu (Giant Squid/505)

• Firewatch (Campo Santo)

• Inside (Playdead) - WINNER

• Overwatch (Blizzard)

• Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Naughty Dog/SIE)

BEST MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN

For outstanding audio, inclusive of score, original song, licensed soundtrack and sound design.

• Battlefield 1 (DICE/EA)

• Doom (id/Bethesda) - WINNER

• Inside (Playdead)

• Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)

• Thumper (Drool)

BEST PERFORMANCE

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

• Alex Hernandez as Lincoln Clay, Mafia III

• Cissy Jones as Delilah, Firewatch

• Emily Rose as Elena, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

• Nolan North as Nathan Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - WINNER

• Rich Summer as Henry, Firewatch

• Troy Baker as Sam Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

GAMES FOR IMPACT

Honoring exemplary games that take on real-world issues and advocate for social change.

• 1979 Revolution (iNK Stories)

• Block’hood (Plethora Project/Devolver Digital)

• Orwell (Osmotic Studios/Surprise Attack)

• Sea Hero Quest (Glitchers)

• That Dragon, Cancer (Numinous Games) - WINNER

BEST INDEPENDENT GAME

For outstanding achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.

• Firewatch (Campo Santo)

• Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)

• Inside (Playdead) - WINNER

• Stardew Valley (ConcernedApe/Chucklefish Games)

• The Witness (Thelka, Inc.)

BEST MOBILE/HANDHELD

For the best game playable on mobile phones and dedicated gaming handhelds.

• Clash Royale (Supercell)

• Fire Emblem Fates (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)

• Monster Hunter Generations (Capcom)

• Pokemon Go (Niantic) - WINNER

• Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

BEST VR GAME

For the best game experience playable in virtual reality.

• Batman: Arkham VR (Rocksteady Studios/WBIE)

• EVE: Valkyrie (CCP Games)

• Job Simulator (Owlchemy Labs)

• Rez Infinite (Enhance Games) - WINNER

• Thumper (Drool)

BEST ACTION GAME

For the best game experience focused around first or third person combat.

• Battlefield 1 (DICE/EA)

• Doom (id Software/Bethesda Softworks) - WINNER

• Gears of War 4 (The Coalition/Microsoft Studios)

• Overwatch (Blizzard)

• Titanfall 2 (Respawn/EA)

BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE GAME

For the best game experience that combines combat with traversal and puzzle solving.

• Dishonored 2 (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks) - WINNER

• 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 RPG

The best game designed for rich player character customization and progression, both offline and online, including massively multiplayer.

• Dark Souls 3 (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco Entertainment)

• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (Eidos Montreal/Square-Enix)

• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt -- Blood and Wine (CD Projekt RED) - WINNER

• World of Warcraft: Legion (Blizzard)

• Xenoblade Chronicles X (Monolith Soft/Nintendo)

BEST FIGHTING GAME

For a game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.

• Killer Instinct Season 3 (Iron Galaxy Studios/Microsoft Studios)

• King of Fighters XIV (SNK/Atlus USA)

• Pokken Tournament (Bandai Namco Studios/The Pokemon Co.)

• Street Fighter V (Capcom) - WINNER

BEST STRATEGY GAME

Best game focused on real time or turn-based strategy.

• Civilization VI (Firaxis Games/2K) - WINNER

• 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 FAMILY GAME

Best game for family play, including toys-to-life, rhythm/music/dance, and other genres.

• Dragon Quest Builders (Square Enix)

• Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens (TT Fusion/WBIE)

• Pokemon Go (Niantic) - WINNER

• Ratchet & Clank (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

• Skylanders: Imaginators (Toy for Bob/Activision)

BEST SPORTS/RACING

For traditional and non-traditional sports and racing games.

• FIFA 17 (EA Canada/EA Sports)

• Forza Horizon 3 (Playground Games/Microsoft Studios) - WINNER

• MLB The Show 16 (SCE San Diego Studio/SIE)

• NBA 2K17 (Visual Concepts/2K Sports)

• Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 (PES Productions/Konami)

BEST MULTIPLAYER

For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences.

• Battlefield 1 (DICE/EA)

• Gears of War 4 (The Coalition/Microsoft Studios)

• Overcooked (Ghost Town Games/Team 17)

• Overwatch (Blizzard) - WINNER

• Titanfall 2 (Respawn/EA)

• Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME

An upcoming game that has shown significant ambition and promise in moving the gaming medium forward.

• God of War (Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

• Horizon: Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

• Mass Effect: Andromeda (Bioware/EA)

• Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)

• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo) - WINNER

TRENDING GAMER, PRESENTED BY INTEL

For a notable influencer, online streamer or media personality in 2016.

• AngryJoeShow

• Boogie2988 - WINNER

• Danny O'Dwyer

• JackSepticEye

• Lirik

BEST ESPORTS GAME

The Esports game that has shown creative and technical excellence in 2016 with the best gameplay, community support and content updates.

• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Valve)

• DOTA2 (Valve)

• League of Legends (Riot)

• Overwatch (Blizzard) - WINNER

• Street Fighter V (Capcom)