As part of the all-digital 2021 Game Developers Conference, the Game Developers Choice Awards and Independent Game Festival Awards were held on Twitch this year.At the GDC Awards, Supergiant Games' action roguelike visual novel "Hades" won Game of the Year, as well as Best Design and Best Audio. It would surely look great alongside the other trophies "Hades" has won, including two Golden Joystick Awards, five BAFTA Awards, two Game Awards, two Gaming Awards, five D.I.C.E. Awards, and the Nebula Award for Best Game Writing.

Asbo Studios won the award for best technology for its Microsoft Flight Simulator; Kinetic Games won the award for best debut title for its multiplayer ghost bust-up "Phasmophobia"; Valve won the award for best Half-Life VR/AR Game of the Year: and Valve also won the award for Best VR/AR Game for "Half-Life: Alyx."

The Pioneer Award went to Newgrounds creator Tom Fulp, while the Lifetime Achievement Award went to MMO Free Realms creative director and lead designer of Full Spectrum Warrior and 1996's Daggerfall The award was given to Laralyn McWilliams, whose accomplishments date back to 1996.

The GDC Awards ceremony was followed by the IGF Awards, where the outstanding "Umurangi Generation" won both the "Excellence in Narrative" and "Seumas McNally Grand Prize. The Cosmic Mystery "Genesis Noir" won both the Excellence in Visual Art and the Excellence in Audio Award.

This is the complete list of winners.