The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences has announced the nominees for the 25th annual DICE Awards, with the award ceremony slated to take place at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. Nominees are selected by members of the AIAS’s peer panels, stated to be made up of “the game industry’s most experienced and talented experts in their chosen fields.” Voting began yesterday, January 13, and this year’s event will be livestreamed by IGN.
Last year’s DICE Awards ceremony was completely virtual due to the ongoing pandemic and saw The Last of Us Part II starting the night in lead with 11 nominations. Despite this, it wasn’t the biggest winner of the night, with Supergiant Games taking five out of eight awards for Hades, including Game of the Year.
The 2022 nominees for Game of the Year include Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Deathloop, Inscryption, Returnal, and It Takes Two. Ratchet and Clank is starting off strong, nominated for nine different awards including those for Animation, Audio, and Game Design. Deathloop sits in second place with eight total nominations. Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker was nominated for Online Game of the Year, and with over 25 million active players, it seems like the award could be a blowout–Halo Infinite‘s online multiplayer, however, has also seen a large amount of success over the past few months.
See the complete list of nominees below:
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Deathloop
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Deathloop
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
Outstanding Achievement in Character
- Deathloop – Colt Vahn
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits – Kena
- Life is Strange: True Colors – Alex Chen
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Rivet
- Resident Evil Village – Lady Dimitrescu
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Psychonauts 2
- Returnal
Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design
- Forza Horizon 5
- Halo Infinite
- It Takes Two
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Returnal
Outstanding Achievement in Story
- Before Your Eyes
- Inscryption
- MARVEL’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Psychonauts 2
- The Forgotten City
Outstanding Technical Achievement
- Battlefield 2042
- Forza Horizon 5
- Moncage
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Returnal
Action Game of the Year
- Deathloop
- Halo Infinite
- Metroid Dread
- Returnal
- The Ascent
Adventure Game of the Year
- Death’s Door
- It Takes Two
- MARVEL’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Psychonauts 2
- Resident Evil Village
Family Game of the Year
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise
- Cozy Grove
- Mario Party Superstars
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Warioware: Get it Together
Fighting Game of the Year
- GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE-
- Melty Blood: Type Lumina
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
Racing Game of the Year
- F1 2021
- Forza Horizon 5
- Hot Wheels Unleashed
Role-Playing Game of the Year
- Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
- Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
- Shin Megami Tensei V
- Tales of Arise
- Wildermyth
Sports Game of the Year
- EA SPORTS FIFA 22
- Mario Golf: Super Rush
- NBA 2k22
- Riders Republic
- The Climb 2
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
- Age of Empires IV
- Gloomhaven
- Griftlands
- Inscryption
- Loop Hero
Immersive Reality Technical Achievement
- Lone Echo II
- Puzzling Places
- Resident Evil 4 VR
- Song in the Smoke
- YUKI
Immersive Reality Game of the Year
- Demeo
- I Expect You To Die 2
- Lone Echo II
- Resident Evil 4 VR
- Song in the Smoke
Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game
- Death’s Door
- Inscryption
- Loop Hero
- Sable
- Unpacking
Mobile Game of the Year
- Behind the Frame
- Fantasian
- League of Legends: Wild Rift
- Moncage
- Pokémon UNITE
Online Game of the Year
- Back 4 Blood
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
- Halo Infinite
- Knockout City
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
- Deathloop
- Inscryption
- It Takes Two
- Loop Hero
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
- Deathloop
- Inscryption
- It Takes Two
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- The Artful Escape
Game of the Year
- Deathloop
- Inscryption
- It Takes Two
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Returnal
