The Game Awards 2021: the biggest announcements and reveals

The Game Awards
(Image credit: The Game Awards 2021)

The Game Awards 2021 is over for another year but, as expected, this year's show was jam-packed with announcements, reveals and trailers for some of the biggest games on the horizon.

While some reveals, like the Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League gameplay debut, weren't particularly surprising, there were others that certainly were, such as the announcement of a Wonder Woman and Star Wars game. But there were also some notably missing titles, like Breath of the Wild 2 (Tears of the Kingdom) and GTA 5 on PS5 and Xbox Series X.

If you missed the show, or didn't catch the full event, don't fret as we've rounded up all the biggest announcements right here. Read on for the biggest announcements from The Game Awards 2021.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League gameplay trailer

We already knew that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League would be making an appearance at The Game Awards 2021 and expected a gameplay trailer to be debuted - and we were right.

The first gameplay trailer for the Suicide Squad game looks as chaotic and tongue-in-cheek as we hoped. The footage gives us a glimpse of each of the anti-heroes' unique playstyles: Harley is pretty agile, can land powerful melee attacks and has a grappling hook in her arsenal, King Shark is all about brute force but can whip out a chunky gun when he needs, Deadshot lends firepower to the group (capable of both sniping and aerial assaults) while Captain Boomerang is extremely fast on his feet, with his boomerang taking out ranged enemies with ease.

It's refreshing to also see that, in addition to purple alien-creatures, it looks like we'll also be fighting members of the Justice League - with the trailer giving us a look at snippets of a battle with The Flash. We can't wait for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's release in 2022.

Wonder Woman announcement

A genuine surprise, a Wonder Woman game was announced at The Game Awards 2021, though the teaser trailer didn't give much away. This title is in development at Monolith Productions, the studio behind Middle-Earth: Shadow of War and - since the show - it's been confirmed that Wonder Woman will be an single-player open-world title that utilizes the Nemesis System from Middle-Earth.

A release date hasn't been confirmed yet.

Star Wars Eclipse announcement

A new Star Wars game is in the works at Quantic Dream, the developer behind Detroit: Become Human. Still in early development, Star Wars: Eclipse is an action-adventure set in the "High Republic Era" of the Star Wars universe (which takes place hundreds of years before the Skywalker Saga) and is being developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games.

Unlike Quantic Dream's previous titles, Eclipse won't be entirely narrative-focused but will see players taking on the role of multiple characters, "each with their own story, abilities, and role to play in the tapestry of events that could alter the carefully balanced peace of the Outer Rim."

There's currently no release date for Star Wars: Eclipse.

Alan Wake 2 announcement

It's finally happening, Remedy Entertainment has confirmed an Alan Wake sequel is on the way with a reveal trailer premiering at The Game Awards.

Alan Wake 2 has been rumored for a while, but what we didn't expect was for the sequel to be a survival horror - with the trailer suggesting things are going to get pretty dark. 

According to Remedy, Control: AWE expansion "hints at things to come", so perhaps there are some clues in that DLC of what we can expect from Alan Wake 2. Both developed by Remedy, Control and Alan Wake are confirmed to take place in the same universe, so we expect there will be even more crossover in the future.

Alan Wake 2 will be available in 2023 on the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5 and Xbox X/S.

Hellblade 2 gameplay reveal

News on Hellblade 2 has been thin on the ground since the sequel was announced at The Game Awards 2019 - but it looks like Senua's next outing was worth the wait.

The Game Awards 2021 debuted a stunning and dark cinematic gameplay trailer which we're still reeling from which shows Senua leading an army to attack a grotesque (and huge) creature lurking in a cave. Hellblade 2 looks like it will truly take advantage of the Xbox Series X's immense power.

There's still no release date for Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga, but we do know it'll land on Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Vic Hood
Associate Editor, TechRadar Gaming

Vic is TechRadar Gaming's Associate Editor. An award-winning games journalist, Vic brings experience from IGN, Eurogamer and more to the TechRadar table. You may have even heard her on the radio or speaking on a panel. Not only is Vic passionate about games, but she's also an avid mental health advocate who has appeared on both panels and podcasts to discuss mental health awareness. Make sure to follow her on Twitter for more.