Declaring the winners for the eighth annual SXSW Gaming Awards, perceiving the most inventive and influential titles, teams, and people in the industry across 12 different categories.
The winners were declared during the virtual SXSW Gaming Awards show created in partnership with IGN and introduced by Discord. The ceremony additionally featured exclusive segments of the innovative process behind the games, the ability that affected and progressed the culture of gaming in 2020, and previews of exciting upcoming projects.
The current year’s SXSW Gaming Awards included 43 nominees across 12 different categories, with winners dictated by a weighted total between staff and advisory board input as well as public voting.
2021 SXSW Gaming Awards Category Winners
- Video game of the Year
Awarded to the game that epitomizes overall excellence and makes a particular gaming experience across all platforms and genres.
Winner: Hades — Supergiant Games
- Indie Game of the Year
Awarded to the indie game that epitomizes overall greatness and makes a particular gaming experience across all platforms and genres.
Winner: Deep Rock Galactic — Ghost Ship Games/Coffee Stain Publishing
- Tabletop Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that epitomizes generally excellence and ingenuity of any tabletop game in any genre.
Winner: The Search for Planet X — Renegade Game Studios/Foxtrot Games
- VR Game of the Year
Awarded to the VR game that embodies overall excellence in gameplay and design across any VR platform.
Winner: Half-Life: Alyx — Valve
- Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award
Awarded to the game that best difficulties the “norm” of everyday gaming and offers a culturally inventive perspective on a game world, character, or gameplay.
Winner: Dreams — Media Molecule/Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Excellence in Animation, Art, and Visual Achievement
Awarded to the game with the most well-designed and dazzling visuals, including animation effects and graphics.
Winner: Ghost of Tsushima — Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Excellence in Game Design
Awarded to the game with the best overall design concept, gameplay mechanics, and best execution.
Winner: Hades — Supergiant Games
- Excellence in Score
Awarded to the game that best embodies artistic excellence in the musical score and how it advances the narrative of the game.
Winner: Ori and the Will of the Wisps — Moon Studios/Xbox Game Studios
- Excellence in Multiplayer
Awarded to the game with the best player-to-player interaction experience.
Winner: Deep Rock Galactic — Ghost Ship Games/Coffee Stain Publishing
- Excellence in Narrative
Awarded to the game with the best storyline and dialogue.
Winner: The Last of Us Part II — Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Excellence in Audio Design
Awarded to the game with the most exceptional and significant sound effects.
Winner: DOOM Eternal — id Software/Bethesda Softworks
- Excellence in Technical Achievement
Awarded to the game that pushed the abilities of technology and programming farthest or most viably.
Winner: Microsoft Flight Simulator — Asobo Studio/Xbox Game Studios
