The results of the annual user voted Steam Awards have been revealed, with 2021 yielding some surprise winners amongst the favourites.
Each year, the gaming platform asks its users to vote for games in several categories, including Best Narrative. The big award, Game of the Year, was won by Resident Evil Village, which saw off strong competition from Valheim, New World, Forza Horizon 5, and the much-maligned Cyberpunk 2077.
VR Game of the Year went to Cooking Simulator VR, which batted off far more dark titles like Sniper Elite VR, I Expect You To Die 2, and Blair Witch VR Edition. Terraria received the Labour of Love award, used to recognise a game that might have been out for ages but remains well supported by its developers with new content.
The Better with Friends category (“there are some games out there that just aren’t the same when you play by yourself”) was won by the appropriately named It Takes Two. The Outstanding Visual Style award went to Forza Horizon 5, acknowledgement of its distinctive look that doesn’t necessarily aspire to real-world graphical fidelity.
Deathloop was given the Most Innovative Gameplay award, while Best Soundtrack went to Marvel’s Guardian of the Galaxy The Best Game You Suck At award (“this is the game that rewards persistence, and is not for the faint of heart. It’s the toughest game we’ve ever loved”) was won by the difficult Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition.
Cyperbpunk 2077 spent a lot of last year taking shots from critics but it triumphed in the Outstanding Story-Rich Game category, seeing off competition from Days Gone, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, and Resident Evil Village. The Sit Back and Relax award, given to the game that offers the antidote to a busy day, was won by the relaxing Farming Simulator 22.
Check out the full list of winners on Steam’s official website.
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Watch a first look at Farming Simulator 22:
