It's that time of year again! The Steam Winter Sale has begun, bringing with it plenty of video game deals and the 2021 edition of the Steam Awards.
The Steam Winter Sale needs little introduction for many of us, representing one of those times every year when many Steam games go on sale, and many of us whip out our wallets. Like with the Summer Sale, the Winter Sale also comes with its own set of Stream trading cards that can be collected and turned in for virtual goodies. However, the Steam Winter Sale is also important because it's when Steam holds its annual awards, in which users nominate and vote for games to take home awards in ten different categories.
The awards and their nominees this year are:
- Game of the Year: Valheim, New World, Cyberpunk 2077, Resident Evil Village, or Forza Horizon 5.
- VR Game of the Year: Sniper Elite VR, Cooking Simulator VR, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, I Expect You to Die 2, or Blair Witch VR.
- Labor of Love (for older games that have continued to get updates:) DOTA 2, Terraria, Rust, No Man's Sky (third-place winner of the 2021 TechRaptor Award for Best Evolving Game,) or Apex Legends.
- Better with Friends: Valheim, Back 4 Blood, Halo Infinite, It Takes Two (Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2021,) or Crab Game.
- Outstanding Visual Style: Psychonauts 2, Subnautica: Below Zero, Little Nightmares II, Bright Memory: Infinite: or Forza Horizon 5.
- Most Innovative Gameplay: Inscryption, Twelve Minutes, Moncage, Deathloop, or Loop Hero (third place winner of the 2021 TechRaptor Award for Indie Game of the Year.)
- Best Game You Suck At (for difficult yet enjoyable games:) World War Z: Aftermath, Naraka: Bladepoint, Nioh 2 - The Complete Edition, Age of Empires IV, or Battlefield 2042.
- Best Soundtrack: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139, Persona 5 Strikers (the 2021 TechRaptor Award winner for Best Soundtrack,) Guilty Gear -Strive-, or Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles.
- Outstanding Story-Rich Game: Life is Strange: True Colors, Cyberpunk 2077, Resident Evil Village, Days Gone, or Mass Effect: Legendary Edition.
- Sit Back and Relax (for easy-going, relaxing games:) Unpacking (second-place winner of the 2021 TechRaptor Award for Indie Game of the Year,) Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator, Farming Simulator 22, Townscaper, or Dorfromantik.
The Steam Winter Sale will be held until January 5th at 10 AM Pacific. Meanwhile, voting for the Steam Awards closes on January 3rd at 9 AM Pacific, with the winners announced an hour later.