Steam Awards 2021: Every Category, Winner, Nominee, and Voter Reward

The 2021 awards season is winding down, but not before the Steam community had its say. Unlike the formal panels behind The Game Awards, the Steam Awards are voted entirely by players, so the results tell you what the audience actually loved rather than what looked impressive on a press release.

Here is the full rundown of categories, nominees, and the games that walked away with the trophy.

Game of the Year

• Valheim
• New World
• Cyberpunk 2077
• Resident Evil: Village (Winner)
• Forza Horizon 5

VR Game of the Year

• Sniper Elite VR
• Cooking Simulator VR (Winner)
• Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond
• I Expected You to Die 2
• Blair Witch VR Edition

Labor of Love

The prize for games that keep getting better long after launch.

• Dota 2
• Terraria (Winner)
• Rust
• No Man's Sky
• Apex Legends

Better With Friends

• Valheim
• Back 4 Blood
• Halo Infinite
• It Takes Two (Winner)
• Crab Game

Outstanding Visual Style

• Psychonauts 2
• Subnautica: Below Zero
• Little Nightmares II
• Bright Memory: Infinite
• Forza Horizon 5 (Winner)

Most Innovative Gameplay

• Inscryption
• Twelve Minutes
• Moncage
• DEATHLOOP (Winner)
• Loop Hero

Best Game You Suck At

A category whose name is funnier than the games are forgiving.

• World War Z: Aftermath
• Naraka: Bladepoint
• Nioh 2 (Winner)
• Age of Empires IV
• Battlefield 2042

Best Soundtrack

• Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (Winner)
• NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139
• Persona 5 Strikers
• Guilty Gear -Strive-
• Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles

Outstanding Story-Rich Game

• Life is Strange: True Colors
• Cyberpunk 2077 (Winner)
• Resident Evil: Village
• Days Gone
• Mass Effect Legendary Edition

Sit Back and Relax

• Unpacking
• Potion Craft
• Farming Simulator (Winner)
• Townscraper
• Dorfromantik

Free Stuff for Voting

Steam rewarded everyone who cast a ballot with collectible Steam Cards. You could sell them for Steam Wallet credit on the community market or craft them into profile badges, so voting cost nothing and handed you something tangible back. The 2021 promotion has wrapped up, but Valve has run a similar giveaway every year. Worth keeping an eye out when the next round of awards comes back around.