The 2021 Game Awards returned to the live stage and it felt like business as usual, with the biggest games of the year receiving accolades and a star-studded set of presenters and talent present to add to that big event feel.
A classic staple of these awards shows are the many trailers presented throughout the show that get us hyped for upcoming video games in the next couple of years (with some releasing games during the awards show itself).
Here are 12 of the most exciting trailers at the 2021 Game Awards that brought the hype to the show.
Elden Ring
The recipient of the Most Anticipated Game Award, Elden Ring has shown us the massive world of The Lands Between during the playable closed beta. This time, we get a story trailer that gives us more details and adds more hype before the February 2022 release. By that time, our bodies are ready for another Souls-like experience.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
The much-anticipated sequel to Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice gets one of the more intense trailers of the entire awards show, giving us a glimpse of what the gameplay will look like. Let’s just say that it looks crazy good.
Halo TV Series
In what seems like more than a decade, we finally get a live-action adaptation of Halo, and the sneak peek gives us a look at the cast and the setting, along with Master Chief and his iconic armor. We can confirm that the armor looks on point.
Now, if only we can get a Paramount+ subscription…
Star Wars Eclipse
Detroit: Become Human developers Quantic Dream have another huge story on their hands, and this time, it’s set in the Star Wars Universe. Not much has been revealed apart from the incredibly beautiful visuals, but it’s very interesting to see a choice-based Star Wars game.
Forspoken
Square Enix is back with another action RPG, Forspoken. The story revolves around young woman Frey Holland (voiced by Ella Balinska), who’s been transported to the magical world of Athia and was chosen to destroy the corruption plaguing the land. The combat is reminiscent of Final Fantasy XV, and players also have the option to ride a mystical hoverboard to get around Athia.
Lord of the Rings: Gollum
While past Lord of the Rings games have been hack-and-slash and RTS games, we’re now getting a stealth action game in the form of Lord of the Rings: Gollum. The trailer shows Gollum sneaking above Orcs in a cave. According to IGN, the combat relies on scavenged items and environmental hazards to help the former Hobbit find his precious. Aside from the stealth mechanic, you’ll also make some narrative decisions as you deal with Gollum’s split personality throughout the game.
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League
Not that it’s a surprise for anyone, but Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is just as chaotic as we expected. The gameplay trailer showed the POVs of supervillains Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Boomerang, and King Shark as they fight Brainiac’s forces and a mind-controlled Flash. It’s unclear whether players will actually kill members of the Justice League in the game, but one can dream, right?
Wonder Woman
We’re finally getting a standalone Wonder Woman game! It’s said to be a third-person, open-world action-adventure that will follow Diana of Themyscira on her mission to “unite her Amazon family and the humans from the modern world.” And with Monolith Productions at the helm, we can expect the groundbreaking Nemesis system they used in Shadow of Mordor.
Alan Wake II
A game that needed a sequel, Remedy Entertainment has finally revealed that they are developing Alan Wake II. There are not many details about the upcoming sequel aside from it being Remedy’s first survival horror game and that it’s coming out in 2023. But Alan Wake fans are ready to dive back into the ocean of darkness.
While waiting, you can (re)play Alan Wake Remastered or Control’s Alan Wake expansion.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderland
Borderlands has always given us a lot of dumb fun FPS action over the last decade, and this time, we get a pretty cool-looking sequel the Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep DLC in Borderlands 2. The trailer keeps the crazy fun and colorful vibe of the series, while introducing us to the fantasy world designed by Tiny Tina (which is essentially a DnD campaign).
Get ready for crazy guns and crazier enemies in March 2022.
Matrix Awakens
Matrix Resurrection is out in a few weeks, and as a way to hype up Neo’s return even more, we get Matrix Awakens, a game that somewhat serves as an Unreal Engine 5 tech demo. We get Neo and Trinity in video game form and an impressive showcase of the effects and massive scale that the newest game engine can handle.
Matrix Awakens is now available on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Sonic The Hedgehog 2
Following the success of the first Sonic movie, the sequel also shows a lot of promise with the addition of Tails (voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba). Jim Carrey is also returning as Doctor Robotnik – this time, hunting a powerful emerald and looking to beat Sonic with his new sidekick, Knuckles. If the trailer’s any indication, we can expect a boss-level battle in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
The Geeky Juans 