The Game Awards mengumumkan daftar nominasi 2021 pada hari Selasa. Nominasi untuk Game of the Year termasuk Metroid Dread dari Nintendo dan Resident Evil Village dari CAPCOM. Nominasi lain dari waralaba game Jepang, atau dikembangkan atau diterbitkan oleh perusahaan Jepang atau anak perusahaan mereka di luar negeri, termasuk:
- Best Score and Music: NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… (Square Enix)
- Best Audio Design: Resident Evil Village (CAPCOM)
- Best Performance: Maggie Robertson as Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil (CAPCOM)
- Best Ongoing: Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
- Best Mobile Game: Fantasian (Mistwalker)
- Best Mobile Game: Pokémon Unite (The Pokémon Company)
- Best Community Support: Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
- Best VR: Resident Evil 4 (CAPCOM)
- Best Action/Adventure: Metroid Dread (Nintendo)
- Best Action/Adventure: Resident Evil Village (CAPCOM)
- Best Role Playing: Monster Hunter Rise (CAPCOM)
- Best Role Playing: Scarlet Nexus (Bandai Namco)
- Best Role Playing: Shin Megami Tensei V (Sega)
- Best Role Playing: Tales of Arise (Bandai Namco)
- Best Fighting: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles (Sega)
- Best Fighting: Guilty Gear -Strive- (Arc System Works)
- Best Fighting: Melty Blood: Type Lumina (Delightworks)
- Best Fighting: Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown (Sega)
- Best Family: Mario Party Superstars (Nintendo)
- Best Family: New Pokémon Snap (Nintendo)
- Best Family: Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury (Nintendo)
- Best Family: WarioWare: Get it Together! (Nintendo)
- Best Multiplayer: Monster Hunter Rise (CAPCOM)
- Most Aniticipated Game: Elden Ring (Bandai Namco)
- Most Aniticipated Game: The Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo)
Upacara penghargaan akan diadakan pada 9 Desember.
Tahun lalu, Final Fantasy VII Remake memenangkan Best Role Playing Game dan Best Score and Music. Animal Crossing: New Horizons memenangkan Game Keluarga Terbaik.