DICE Awards 2022: How to Watch, All the Nominees, and What to Expect

By | February 23, 2022

The 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards are nearly here and, in 2022, the game awards show from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) will be back in person at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas after going completely virtual last year.

This year, the peer-juried D.I.C.E. Awards will feature 59 nominated games competing in 23 categories, and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart leads the way with nine nominations.

IGN is the official media partner of the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards and that means you’ll be able to stream the entire event live right here with us. As usual, this watch guide will provide you with everything you need to know to watch the show, including when it starts, a list of places you can watch it with us, the full list of nominees, and what you can expect to see at the show.

The 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Start Time

The 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards will take place on Thursday, February 24, and will start at 8pm PT/11pm ET. If you’re tuning in from Australia or from the GMT timezone, that translates to Friday, February 25 at 4am GMT/2pm AEST.

Where to Watch the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards

If you’re interested in watching the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, we’ll be hosting the stream as the show’s official media partner here and across our many channels on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Facebook, and more. Here’s the full list of places you can watch the show:

What to Expect at the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards

The 25th Anniversary D.I.C.E. Awards will take place in-person at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas and follows the week-long industry gathering at the 2022 D.I.C.E. Summit. The show will be co-hosted for the sixth year by IGN alum Jessica Chobot (Discovery’s ExpeditionX) and Greg Miller (Kinda Funny) and IGN serves as the official media partner.

59 games released in 2021 have been nominated for the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart earned the most with nine nominations. Deathloop earned eight nominations, Inscryption and It Takes Two earned six, Returnal earned five, and Kena: Bridge of Spirits and Resident Evil Village earned four. Deathloop, Inscryption, It Takes Two, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Returnal are all up for the Game of the Year award.

The Best Games of 2021

In addition to games being honored, CEO of Microsoft Gaming will be this year’s recipient of the AIAS Lifetime Achievement Award and Bethesda Game Studios’ Todd Howard will present him with the award. NetherRealm Studios’ CCO Ed Boon will also be honored as he was selected as the 25th member of the AIAS Hall of Fame. Xbox Game Studios’ Matt Booty will present the 2022 Hall of Fame award to Boon.

The 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Categories and Nominees

Game of the Year

  • Deathloop
  • Inscryption
  • It Takes Two
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  • Returnal

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

  • Call of Duty: Vanguard
  • Deathloop
  • Kena: Bridge of Spirits
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  • Resident Evil Village

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

  • Call of Duty: Vanguard
  • Deathloop
  • Kena: Bridge of Spirits
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  • Resident Evil Village

Outstanding Achievement in Character

  • Deathloop – Colt Vahn
  • Kena: Bridge of Spirits – Kena
  • Life is Strange: True Colors – Alex Chen
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Rivet
  • Resident Evil Village – Lady Dimitrescu

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

  • Deathloop
  • It Takes Two
  • Kena: Bridge of Spirits
  • Psychonauts 2
  • Returnal

Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design

  • Forza Horizon 5
  • Halo Infinite
  • It Takes Two
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  • Returnal

Outstanding Achievement in Story

  • Before Your Eyes
  • Inscryption
  • Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Psychonauts 2
  • The Forgotten City

Outstanding Technical Achievement

  • Battlefield 2042
  • Forza Horizon 5
  • Moncage
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  • Returnal

Action Game of the Year

  • Deathloop
  • Halo Infinite
  • Metroid Dread
  • Returnal
  • The Ascent

Adventure Game of the Year

  • Death’s Door
  • It Takes Two
  • Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Psychonauts 2
  • Resident Evil Village

Family Game of the Year

  • Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise
  • Cozy Grove
  • Mario Party Superstars
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  • Warioware: Get it Together

Fighting Game of the Year

  • Guilty Gear Strive
  • Melty Blood: Type Lumina
  • Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl

Racing Game of the Year

  • F1 2021
  • Forza Horizon 5
  • Hot Wheels Unleashed

Role-Playing Game of the Year

  • Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
  • Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
  • Shin Megami Tensei V
  • Tales of Arise
  • Wildermyth

Sports Game of the Year

  • FIFA 22
  • Mario Golf: Super Rush
  • NBA 2k22
  • Riders Republic
  • The Climb 2

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

Immersive Reality Technical Achievement

  • Lone Echo II
  • Puzzling Places
  • Resident Evil 4 VR
  • Song in the Smoke
  • Yuki

Immersive Reality Game of the Year

  • Demeo
  • I Expect You To Die 2
  • Lone Echo II
  • Resident Evil 4 VR
  • Song in the Smoke

Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game

  • Death’s Door
  • Inscryption
  • Loop Hero
  • Sable
  • Unpacking

Mobile Game of the Year

  • Behind the Frame
  • Fantasian
  • League of Legends: Wild Rift
  • Moncage
  • Pokémon Unite

Online Game of the Year

  • Back 4 Blood
  • Call of Duty: Vanguard
  • Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
  • Halo Infinite
  • Knockout City

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

  • Deathloop
  • Inscryption
  • It Takes Two
  • Loop Hero
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

  • Deathloop
  • Inscryption
  • It Takes Two
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  • The Artful Escape

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

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