Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart leads the charge in 2022 DICE Awards

Rollin’ Sixes

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has released its list of nominees for the 2022 iteration of the annual DICE Awards. The event, scheduled to take place February 24 at the glamorous Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, will recognize some of the finest releases that rolled out of the gaming industry and into our homes over the course of 2021.

Insomniac Games’ stellar PS5 adventure Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is the most nominated game of the awards, with a mighty nine noms in total, including one for the coveted Game of the Year award. Also riding high is Arkane Studios’ shooter Deathloop, which itself has racked up an impressive eight nominations including Game of the Year, Action Game of the Year, Outstanding Animation Achievement, and Outstanding Audio Achievement.

Elsewhere in the list, Housemarque’s fab sci-fi shooter Returnal, Acid Nerve’s delightfully grim Death’s Door, Arc System Works’ Guilty Gear Strive, and Playground Games’ Forza Horizon 5 are all putting on their best tux and hoping to claim themselves a DICE award. The Game Awards’ own GOTY, Hazelight Studios’ It Takes Two, is also hoping to walk away with yet another best-of-year trophy. Also of note is Daniel Mullins Games’ creepy Inscryption, which is slowly winning over more and more players with each passing month.

“From all of us at the Academy, we want to thank our peer panelists who continue to dedicate their energy, expertise, and time in evaluating and selecting 2021’s best games,” writes Meggan Scavio, president of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. “To all our finalists, congratulations! You continue to amaze us with how you push the boundaries of creativity, technical innovation, and storytelling.”

Here is the full list of nominees for The 25th Annual DICE Awards. Get settled, it’s a doozy.

Game of the Year

• Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
• Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)
• It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Returnal (Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

• Call of Duty: Vanguard (Sledgehammer Games/ Activision)
• Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab)
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Resident Evil Village (Capcom)

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

• Call of Duty: Vanguard (Sledgehammer Games/ Activision)
• Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab)
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Resident Evil Village (Capcom)

Outstanding Achievement in Character

• Deathloop – Colt Vahn (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits – Kena (Ember Lab)
• Life is Strange: True Colors – Alex Chen (Deck Nine / Square Enix)
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Rivet (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Resident Evil Village – Lady Dimitrescu (Capcom)

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

• Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
• It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab)
• Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine / Xbox Game Studios)
• Returnal (Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design

• Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios)
• Halo Infinite (343 Industries / Xbox Game Studios)
• It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Returnal (Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Outstanding Achievement in Story

• Before Your Eyes (GoodbyeWorld Games / Skybound Games)
• Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)
• Guardians of the Galaxy (Eidos-Montréal / Square Enix)
• Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine / Xbox Game Studios)
• The Forgotten City (Modern Storyteller / Dear Villagers)

Outstanding Technical Achievement

• Battlefield 2042 (EA DICE / Electronic Arts)
• Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios)
• Moncage (Optillusion / XD)
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Returnal (Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Action Game of the Year

• Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
• Halo Infinite (343 Industries / Xbox Game Studios)
• Metroid Dread (Mercury Steam / Nintendo)
• Returnal (Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• The Ascent (Neon Giant / Curve Games)

Adventure Game of the Year

• Death’s Door (Acid Nerve / Devolver Digital)
• It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
• Guardians of the Galaxy (Eidos-Montréal / Square Enix)
• Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine / Xbox Game Studios)
• Resident Evil Village (Capcom)

Family Game of the Year

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise (Nintendo)
• Cozy Grove (Spry Fox / The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild)
• Mario Party Superstars (Nintendo)
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Warioware: Get it Together (Nintendo)

Fighting Game of the Year

• Guilty Gear -Strive- (Arc System Works)
• Melty Blood: Type Lumina (French-Bread, Type-Moon / Delightworks)
• Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl (Ludosity & Fair Play Labs / Game Mill)

Racing Game of the Year

• F1 2021 (Codemasters / EA Originals)
• Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios)
• Hot Wheels Unleashed (Milestone)

Role-Playing Game of the Year

• Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker (Square Enix)
• Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous (Owlcat Games / META Publishing)
• Shin Megami Tensei V (Atlus /Sega)
• Tales of Arise (Bandai Namco)
• Wildermyth (Worldwalker Games / Whisper Games)

Sports Game of the Year

• EA Sports FIFA 22 (EA Originals)
• Mario Golf: Super Rush (Nintendo)
• NBA 2k22 (2K Games)
• Riders Republic (Ubisoft)
• The Climb 2 (Crytek)

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

• Age of Empires IV (Relic Entertainment, World’s Edge / Xbox Game Studios)
• Gloomhaven (Flaming Fowl Studios / Asmodee Digital)
• Griftlands (Klei Entertainment)
• Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)
• Loop Hero (Four Quarters / Devolver Digital)

Immersive Reality Technical Achievement

• Lone Echo II (Ready at Dawn / Oculus Studios)
• Puzzling Places (Realities.io)
• Resident Evil 4 VR (Capcom)
• Song in the Smoke (17-Bit)
• YUKI (ARVORE Immersive Experiences)

Immersive Reality Game of the Year

• Demeo (Resolution Games)
• I Expect You To Die 2 (Schell Games)
• Lone Echo II (Ready at Dawn / Oculus Studios)
• Resident Evil 4 VR (Capcom)
• Song in the Smoke (17-Bit)

Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game

• Death’s Door (Acid Nerve / Devolver Digital)
• Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)
• Loop Hero (Four Quarters / Devolver Digital)
• Sable (Shedworks / Raw Fury)
• Unpacking (Witch Beam / Humble Bundle)

Mobile Game of the Year

• Behind the Frame (Silver Lining Studio / Akupara Games, Akatsuki Taiwan Inc.)
• Fantasian (Mistwalker)
• League of Legends: Wild Rift (Riot Games)
• Moncage (Optillusion)
• Pokémon Unite (TiMi Studio Group / The Pokémon Company)

Online Game of the Year

• Back 4 Blood (Turtle Rock Studios / Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
• Call of Duty: Vanguard (Sledgehammer Games / Activision)
• Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker (Square Enix)
• Halo Infinite (343 Industries / Xbox Game Studios)
• Knockout City (Velan Studios / EA Originals)

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

• Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
• Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)
• It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
• Loop Hero (Four Quarters, Devolver Digital)
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

• Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
• Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)
• It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• The Artful Escape (Beethoven & Dinosaur / Annapurna Interactive)

Chris Moyse

Senior Editor – Chris has been playing video games since the 1980s. Former Saturday Night Slam Master. Graduated from Galaxy High with honors.