South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals has announced the winners for the eighth annual SXSW Gaming Awards, recognizing the most creative and influential titles, teams and individuals in the industry. This season crowned winners in 12 different categories recognizing the most innovative and influential titles, teams and individuals in the industry.
The winners were announced during the virtual SXSW Gaming Awards show produced in partnership with IGN and presented by Discord. The ceremony also highlighted exclusive segments of the creative process behind the games, the talent that influenced and advanced the culture of gaming in 2020, and previews of exciting upcoming projects.
This year’s SXSW Gaming Awards included 43 nominees across 12 different categories, with winners determined by a weighted total between staff and advisory board input and public voting.
2021 SXSW Gaming Awards Category Winners
Video Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.
Winner: Hades — Supergiant Games
Indie Game of the Year
Awarded to the indie game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct 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 exemplifies overall 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 exemplifies 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 challenges the “norm” of everyday gaming and offers a culturally innovative view of a game world, character, or gameplay.
Winner: Dreams — Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Excellence in Animation, Art, & Visual Achievement
Awarded to the game with the most well-designed and stunning 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 exemplifies artistic excellence in musical score and how it progresses 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 outstanding and impactful sound effects.
Winner: DOOM Eternal — id Software / Bethesda Softworks
Excellence in Technical Achievement
Awarded to the game that pushed the capabilities of technology and programming furthest or most effectively.
Winner: Microsoft Flight Simulator — Asobo Studio / Xbox Game Studios
