- Jake Essoe
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)