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  • Jake Essoe
    • Dec 3, 2016
    • 4 min read

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)