Ratchet & Clank leads 2022 DICE Awards with nine noms including GOTY

Today the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has announced the nominees for its 25th annual DICE awards, with the winners to be revealed Thursday, February 24.

The awards will be given out during the 2022 DICE Summit at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.

Insomanic Games' Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart led this year with a total of nine nods, including one for Game of the Year. Arkane Studio's Deathloop had the next-most, having earned eight category noms.

Daniel Mullins Games' Inscryption and Hazelight Studios' It Takes Two tied for six award considerations each including game of the year. Housemarque's Returnal followed with five nominations as well as game of the year.

Here are the finalists for each category of the 2022 DICE Awards:

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 / 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)