Here are all the nominees for The Game Awards 2016

Uncharted’s an early favorite

The Game Awards 2016 will be held just more than two weeks from now on December 1. All of the nominees were announced today, and it’s a fantastic reminder that there were a lot of excellent video games this year.

Naughty Dog’sUncharted 4: A Thief’s Endleads the nomination arms race with eight nominations. There’s a three-way tie for second place betweenFirewatch,Overwatch, andInside; each of those games received five nods. There are still plenty of incredible titles that didn’t lead the way in nomination quantity, too. Games likeDoom,The Witness,Stardew Valley, andHitmanall show up.

Plenty of space is reserved for stuff that might not be considered traditional categories yet. There’s a Best VR Game category, since this is the first year that VR has actually been introduced to the consumers. The Trending Gamer is also back. Finally, three awards are dedicated to eSports.

These are just the nominees, though. We don’t yet know who will bring home the hardware. We have to wait until December 1 to find out.

Game of the Year:

For a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.

Best Game Direction:

Recognizing a game studio for outstanding creative vision, game direction and design.

For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.

Best Art Direction:

For outstanding creative and technical achievement in artistic design and animation.

Best Music/Sound Design:

For outstanding audio, inclusive of score, original song, licensed soundtrack and sound design.

Best Performance:

Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion and/or performance capture.

Games for Impact:

Honoring exemplary games that take on real-world issues and advocate for social change.

Best Independent Game:

For outstanding achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.

Best Mobile/Handheld:

For the best game playable on mobile phones and dedicated gaming handhelds.

For the best game experience playable in virtual reality.

Best Action Game:

For the best game experience focused around first or third person combat.

Best Action/Adventure Game:

For the best game experience that combines combat with traversal and puzzle solving.

Best RPG:

The best game designed for rich player character customization and progression, both offline and online, including massively multiplayer.

Best game focused on real time or turn-based strategy.

Best Family Game:

Best game for family play, including toys-to-life, rhythm/music/dance, and other genres.

For traditional and non-traditional sports and racing games.

Best Multiplayer:

For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences.

Most Anticipated Game:

An upcoming game that has shown significant ambition and promise in moving the gaming medium forward.

Trending Gamer:

For a notable influencer, online streamer or media personality in 2016.

Best Fan Creation:

For fan-created content, such as MODs, fan films, and other player content.

Best eSports Player:

The eSports player judged to be the most outstanding performer in 2016, irrespective of game.

Best eSports Team:

The eSports team or organization judged to be the most outstanding for performance in 2016, irrespective of game.

Best eSports Game:

The esports game that has shown creative and technical excellence in 2016 with the best gameplay, community support and content updates.