The 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards was the 24th edition of the D.I.C.E. Awards ("Design Innovate Communicate Entertain"), an annual awards event that honored the best games in the video game industry during 2020. The awards were arranged by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), and were held on April 22, 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was held virtually. Winners of the D.I.C.E. Awards were determined by ballot of industry experts and AIAS members. The show was hosted by Greg Miller, Jessica Chobot, and Kahlief Adams. The nominees were announced on January 26, 2021. The awards event was originally scheduled for April 8.
The award for Portable Game of the Year was replaced with Mobile Game of the Year. This was also the first year without any winners for the Academy's Special Awards.
The Last of Us Part II and its developer Naughty Dog received the most nominations, and Hades and its developer Supergiant Games won the most awards, including Game of the Year. Ghost of Tsushima and its developer Sucker Punch Productions came in second in both receiving the most nominations and awards won. Sony Interactive Entertainment was the most nominated and award-winning publisher, as well as publishing the most nominated and award-winning games.
Winners and nominees Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger ().
Game of the Year awards Hades (Supergiant Games) — Amir Rao, Gavin Simon, Greg Kasavin, Jen Zee, Darren Korb, Andrew Wang Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD) — Hisashi Nogami, Aya Kyogoku Final Fantasy VII Remake (Square Enix) — Yoshinori Kitase, Tetsuya Nomura, Naoki Hamaguchi Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Brian Fleming, Chris Zimmerman The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Evan Wells, Neil Druckmann, Anthony Newman, Kurt MargenauFall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (Mediatonic, Devolver Digital) — Joel Herber Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD) — Aya Kyogoku, Kenichi Nishida Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (Treyarch, Activision) Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Darren Bridges, Matt Goldhaber Tetris Effect: Connected (Monstars Inc., Resonair, Stage Game, Enhance) — Tomohiro Tatejima, Atsushi Kusunose, Chuk Tang, Tomohiro TatejimaLegends of Runeterra (Riot Games) — Jeff Jew, Andrew Yip HoloVista (Aconite) — Meredith Hall, Star St Germain, Nadya Lev Little Orpheus (The Chinese Room, Sumo Digital) — Alex Girling, Dan Pinchbeck, Matt Duff, Rob McLachlan Song of Bloom (Kamibox) — Philipp Stollenmayer South of the Circle (State of Play, Apple, Inc.) — John Lau, Luke Whittaker, Katherine BidwellHades (Supergiant Games) — Amir Rao, Gavin Simon, Greg Kasavin, Jen Zee, Darren Korb, Andrew Wang Coffee Talk (Toge Productions, Chorus Games Worldwide) — Andrew Jeremy, Kris Antoni Hadiputra, Mohammad Fahmi If Found... (Dreamfeel, Annapurna Interactive) — Eve Golden-Woods, Llaura McGee Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (Cardboard Computer, Annapurna Interactive) — Ben Babbitt, Jake Elliott, Tamas Kemenczy Noita (Nolla Games) — Petri Purho, Olli Harjola, Arvi Teikari
Immersive Reality awards Half-Life: Alyx (Valve) Down the Rabbit Hole (Cortopia Studios) — Ricky Helgesson, Ryan Bednar Paper Beast (Pixel Reef, Plug In Studios) — Eric Chahi The Room VR: A Dark Matter (Fireproof Games) — Tom Seed, Mark Hamilton, Rob Dodd The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners (Skydance Interactive) — Adam Grantham, Todd Adamson, Jason BareHalf-Life: Alyx (Valve) Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (Valen Studios, Nintendo) — Yosuke Tamori, Hiroshi Matsunaga, Nicholas Ruepp, Dan Doptis Museum of Other Realities (MOR Museum, Inc.) — Colin Northway, Robin Stethem, Lindsay Jorgensen, Stephen Gray, Adam Madojemu, Adiba Muzaffar Paper Beast (Pixel Reef, Plug In Studios) — Eric Chahi, François Sahy, Sebastien Cardona, Olivier Fouques The Under Presents - Tempest (Tender Claws Studio) — Danny Cannizzaro, Samantha Gorman
Craft awards Hades (Supergiant Games) — Amir Rao, Gavin Simon, Greg Kasavin, Jen Zee, Darren Korb, Andrew Wang Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Nate Fox, Jason Connell Half-Life: Alyx (Valve) Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (Cardboard Computer, Annapurna Interactive) — Ben Babbitt, Jake Eliott, Tamas Kemenczy The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Neil Druckmann, Anthony Newman, Kurt MargenauHades (Supergiant Games) — Amir Rao, Gavin Simon, Greg Kasavin, Alice Lai, Eduardo Gorinstein Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Chris Zimmerman, Jeff McGann, Parker Hamilton Half-Life: Alyx (Valve) The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Emilia Schatz, Richard Cambier, Matthew Gallant Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Cameron ChristianThe Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Jeremy Yates, Almudena Soria Sancho, Eric Baldwin Final Fantasy VII Remake (Square Enix) — Yoshiyuki Soma, Akira Iwasawa, Ryo Hara Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Danny Garnett, Brian Wyser, Mike Yosh Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios, Xbox Game Studios) — Warren Goff, Jim Donovan, Boris Hiestand Spiritfarer (Thunder Lotus Games) — Alexandre BoyerGhost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Jason Connell Hades (Supergiant Games) — Jen Zee The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Erick Pangilinan, John Sweeney Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Jason Hickey, Gavin Goulden Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios, Xbox Game Studios) — Jeremy Grifton, Daniel van Leeuwen, Mikhail RakhmatullinMiles Morales, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Portrayed by Nadji Jeter; written by Ben Arfmann, Jon Paquette, Mary Kenney, Max Folkman, and Evan Narcisse Eivor Varinsdottir, Assassin's Creed Valhalla (Ubisoft Montreal) — Portrayed by Magnus Bruun and Cecilie Stenspil; written by Darby McDevitt Zagreus, Hades (Supergiant Games) — Portrayed by Darren Korb; written by Greg Kasavin Abby, The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Portrayed by Laura Bailey; written by Neil Druckmann, Halley Gross, Josh Scherr, and Ryan James Ellie, The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Portrayed by Ashley Johnson; written by Neil Druckmann, Halley Gross, Josh Scherr, and Ryan JamesGhost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Ilan Eshkeri, Shigeru Umebayashi, Peter Scaturro Carrion (Phobia Game Studio, Devolver Digital) — Cris Velasco Little Orpheus (The Chinese Room, Sumo Digital) — Jim Fowler, Jessica Curry Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios, Xbox Game Studios) — Gareth Coker The Pathless (Giant Squid, Annapurna Interactive) — Austin WintoryGhost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Rev. Dr. Bradley D. Meyer Dreams (Media Molecule, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Ed Hargrave, Tom Colvin The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Rob Krekel, Beau Jimenez, Neil Uchitel, Justin Mullens, Jesse Garcia Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios, Xbox Game Studios) — Kristoffer Larson, Guy Whitmore, Alexander Leeman Johnson Sackboy: A Big Adventure (Sumo Digital, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Jay Waters, Jey Kazi, James MarshalThe Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Neil Druckmann, Halley Gross, Josh Scherr, Ryan James 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (Vanillaware, Sega) — George Kamitani Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Ian Ryan, Patrick Downs, Nate Fox Hades (Supergiant Games) — Greg Kasavin Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (Cardboard Computer, Annapurna Interactive) — Jake ElliottDreams (Media Molecule, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — David Smith, Liam DeValmency, Alex Evans Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Chris Zimmerman, Adrian Bentley, Jasmin Patry The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Sandeep Shekar, Vincent Marxen, Jason Gregory, Christian Gyrling, Travis McIntosh Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (Valen Studios, Nintendo) — Jan-Erik Steel, Ed Tumbusch, Kart & Gate Development Team, SDK Development Team, Nintendo European Research & Development Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studio, Xbox Game Studios) — Jorg Neuman, Sebastian Wloch, Damien Cuzacq, Sebastien Ricolfi, Alain Guyet, Lionel Fuentes
Genre awards Hades (Supergiant Games) — Amir Rao, Gavin Simon, Greg Kasavin, Jen Zee, Darren Korb, Andrew Wang Doom Eternal (id Software, Bethesda Softworks) Half-Life: Alyx (Valve) Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Ted Price, Brian Horton, Cameron Christian Nioh 2 (Team Ninja, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Kohei Shibata, Fumihiko YasudaGhost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Brian Fleming, Chris Zimmerman Assassin's Creed Valhalla (Ubisoft Montreal) — Julien Lafferiere, Eric Baptizat Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (Cardboard Computer, Annapurna Interactive) — Ben Babbitt, Jake Elliott, Tamas Kemenczy The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Evan Wells, Neil Druckmann, Anthony Newman, Kurt Margenau Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios, Xbox Game Studios) — Thomas Mahler, Gennadiy KorolAnimal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD) — Hisashi Nogami, Aya Kyogoku Astro's Playroom (Team Asobi, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Nicolas Doucet Dreams (Media Molecule, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Siobhan Reddy, Mark Healey, Kareem Ettouney Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (Mediatonic, Devolver Digital) — Alexandru Ruse, Jeff Tanton, Joseph Walsh Sackboy: A Big Adventure (Sumo Digital, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Gary Moore, Ned Waterhouse, Tom O'ConnorMortal Kombat 11: Ultimate (NetherRealm Studios, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment) — Ed Boon, Shaun Himmerick EA Sports UFC 4 (EA Vancouver) — Nate McDonald, Brian Hayes, Sean Ramjagsingh Granblue Fantasy Versus (Cygames, Arc System Works, XSEED Games, Marvelous) — Yuito Kimura, Tetsuya Fukuhara Them's Fightin' Herds (Mane6, Maximum Games, Humble Games) — Aaron Stavely, Lauren Faust, Omari SmithMario Kart Live: Home Circuit (Valen Studios, Nintendo) — Yosuke Tamori, Hiroshi Matsunaga, Nicholas Ruepp, Dan Doptis Dirt 5 (Codemasters) — Robert Karp, David Springate, Amrish Wadekar, Stuart Boyd, Gaz Wainwright F1 2020 (Codemasters) — Ian Flatt, Lee Mather, Mike Tebbut, Paul JealFinal Fantasy VII Remake (Square Enix) — Yoshinori Kitase, Tetsuya Nomura, Naoki Hamaguchi Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt Red) — Adam Badowski, Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, Grzegorz Mocarski, Mateusz Kanik, Jedrzej Mroz, Michal Stec, Przemyslaw Wojcik Persona 5 Royal (Atlus, Sega) — Kazuhisa Wada, Daiki Itoh Wasteland 3 (inXile Entertainment, Deep Silver) — Jeff Pellegrin, Aaron Meyers, Tim Campbell Yakuza: Like a Dragon (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, Sega) — Hiroyuki Sakamoto, Daisuke Sato, Masayoshi Yokoyama, Toshihiro Nagoshi, Ryosuke HoriiTony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 (Vicarious Visions, Activision) — Barry Morales, Brent Gibson, Chris Wilson FIFA 21 (EA Vancouver, EA Romania) — Tom Pan, Tenille Dang, Mat Prior, Adam Shaikh, Aaron McHardy, John Shepherd MLB The Show 20 (SIE San Diego Studio) — Chris Cutliff, Nick Livingston, Jason Villa NBA 2K21 (Visual Concepts, 2K Games) — Erick Boenisch, Jeffrey J. Thomas, Gabriel Abarcar, Mike Wang