The 2016 Game Award nominees have been revealed. 63 games are fighting it out across 24 categories, and while some of the year's biggest hits, such as Uncharted 4, have picked up numerous nominations, smaller titles like the excellent Inside and Firewatch are also up for several awards.

It looks as if the ceremony, which takes place at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles on December 1, could be dominated by Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. Naughty Dog's PlayStation 4-exclusive has eight nominations, more than any other game of the night, including one for the coveted Game of the Year award.

Three titles sit behind Uncharted 4 with the second-highest number of nominations. Overwatch, Inside, and Firewatch are all competing in five different categories, but Firewatch is the only one to miss out on a GotY nomination.

When it comes to publishers, Sony leads the pack. Uncharted 4 and Ratchet & Clank helped it pick up its 13 nominations, as did its two entries in the Most Anticipated Game category (God of War and Horizon: Zero Dawn). Electronic Arts (10), Blizzard (7), and Bethesda (6) sit behind the PlayStation maker.

Thanks to No Man's Sky, this year's awards will reportedly show off more actual gameplay footage from upcoming titles, rather than the CGI-heavy teasers we've seen at previous ceremonies.

"I have thought about the story of No Man's Sky a lot," said even host Geoff Keighley in an interview with Polygon. "Did we create this black hole of hype that the developers couldn't pull themselves out of? Some of that was authored by me."

"There is a good moral of that story and it's part of what I'm trying to address this year; to have developers be more transparent about the state of their game."

This year will introduce five-minute preview segments of upcoming games, presented in an almost Let's Play format, which will "provide a little more context about what's there." Hopefully, this should prevent the high expectations and eventual crushing disappointed players experienced with NMS.

As you can see from the full list of nominations below, some categories are extremely hard to call. I'll be surprised if Uncharted 4 doesn't take home Game of the Year and Best Action/Adventure game. For the RPG category, as much as I think The Witcher 3's Blood and Wine expansion should win, I expect Dark Souls 3 to triumph. XCOM 2 is my favorite to win Best Strategy. And while the Most Anticipated Game award could go to any of the nominees, I have a feeling it may be Horizon Zero: Dawn, though I would have personally chosen Red Dead Redemption 2.

GAME OF THE YEAR

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

  • Doom (id Software/Bethesda)
  • Inside (Playdead)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard)
  • Titanfall 2 (Respawn/Electronic Arts)
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

BEST GAME DIRECTION

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

  • Blizzard (for Overwatch)
  • Dice (for Battlefield 1)
  • id Software (for Doom)
  • Naughty Dog (for Uncharted 4: A Thief's End)
  • Respawn (for Titanfall 2)

BEST NARRATIVE

For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.

  • Firewatch (Campo Santo)
  • Inside (Playdead)
  • Mafia III (Hangar 13/2K)
  • Oxenfree (Night School Studio)
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Naughty Dog/SIE)

BEST ART DIRECTION

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

  • Abzu (Giant Squid/505)
  • Firewatch (Campo Santo)
  • Inside (Playdead)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard)
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Naughty Dog/SIE)

BEST MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN

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

  • Battlefield 1 (DICE/EA)
  • Doom (id/Bethesda)
  • Inside (Playdead)
  • Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
  • Thumper (Drool)

BEST PERFORMANCE

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

  • Alex Hernandez as Lincoln Clay, Mafia III
  • Cissy Jones as Delilah, Firewatch
  • Emily Rose as Elena, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
  • Nolan North as Nathan Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
  • Rich Summer as Henry, Firewatch
  • Troy Baker as Sam Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

GAMES FOR IMPACT

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

  • 1979 Revolution (iNK Stories)
  • Block'hood (Plethora Project/Devolver Digital)
  • Orwell (Osmotic Studios/Surprise Attack)
  • Sea Hero Quest (Glitchers)
  • That Dragon, Cancer (Numinous Games)

BEST INDEPENDENT GAME

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

  • Firewatch (Campo Santo)
  • Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
  • Inside (Playdead)
  • Stardew Valley (ConcernedApe/Chucklefish Games)
  • The Witness (Thelka, Inc.)

BEST MOBILE/HANDHELD

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

  • Clash Royale (Supercell)
  • Fire Emblem Fates (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
  • Monster Hunter Generations (Capcom)
  • Pokemon Go (Niantic)
  • Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

BEST VR GAME

For the best game experience playable in virtual reality.

  • Batman: Arkham VR (Rocksteady Studios/WBIE)
  • EVE: Valkyrie (CCP Games)
  • Job Simulator (Owlchemy Labs)
  • Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
  • Thumper (Drool)

BEST ACTION GAME

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

  • Battlefield 1 (DICE/EA)
  • Doom (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
  • Gears of War 4 (The Coalition/Microsoft Studios)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard)
  • Titanfall 2 (Respawn/EA)

BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE GAME

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

  • Dishonored 2 (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
  • Hitman (IO Interactive/Square-Enix)
  • Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
  • Ratchet & Clank (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

BEST RPG

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

  • Dark Souls 3 (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco Entertainment)
  • Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (Eidos Montreal/Square-Enix)
  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine (CD Projekt RED)
  • World of Warcraft: Legion (Blizzard)
  • Xenoblade Chronicles X (Monolith Soft/Nintendo)

BEST FIGHTING GAME

For a game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.

  • Killer Instinct Season 3 (Iron Galaxy Studios/Microsoft Studios)
  • King of Fighters XIV (SNK/Atlus USA)
  • Pokken Tournament (Bandai Namco Studios/The Pokemon Co.)
  • Street Fighter V (Capcom)

BEST STRATEGY GAME

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

  • Civilization VI (Firaxis Games/2K)
  • Fire Emblem Fates (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
  • The Banner Saga 2 (Stoic Studio/Versus Evil)
  • Total War: Warhammer (Creative Assembly/Sega)
  • XCOM 2 (Firaxis Games/2K)

BEST FAMILY GAME

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

  • Dragon Quest Builders (Square Enix)
  • Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens (TT Fusion/WBIE)
  • Pokemon Go (Niantic)
  • Ratchet & Clank (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Skylanders: Imaginators (Toy for Bob/Activision)

BEST SPORTS/RACING

For traditional and non-traditional sports and racing games.

  • FIFA 17 (EA Canada/EA Sports)
  • Forza Horizon 3 (Playground Games/Microsoft Studios)
  • MLB The Show 16 (SCE San Diego Studio/SIE)
  • NBA 2K17 (Visual Concepts/2K Sports)
  • Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 (PES Productions/Konami)

BEST MULTIPLAYER

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

  • Battlefield 1 (DICE/EA)
  • Gears of War 4 (The Coalition/Microsoft Studios)
  • Overcooked (Ghost Town Games/Team 17)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard)
  • Titanfall 2 (Respawn/EA)
  • Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME

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

  • God of War (Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Horizon: Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Mass Effect: Andromeda (Bioware/EA)
  • Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo)

TRENDING GAMER, PRESENTED BY INTEL

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

  • AngryJoeShow
  • Boogie2988
  • Danny O'Dwyer
  • JackSepticEye
  • Lirik

BEST FAN CREATION

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

  • Project A2MR
  • Pokemon Uranium
  • Brutal Doom 64
  • Enderal: The Shards of Order

BEST ESPORTS PLAYER, PRESENTED BY OMEN BY HP

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

  • Faker - Lee Sang-hyeok (SK Telecom T1, League of Legends)
  • Coldzera - Marcelo David (SK Gaming, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)
  • ByuN -Hyun Woo (Starcraft 2)
  • Infiltrator - Lee Seeon-woo (Team Razer, Street Fighter V)
  • Hungrybox - Juan Debiedma (Team Liquid, Super Smash Bros.)

BEST ESPORTS TEAM

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

  • SK Telecom T1 (League of Legends)
  • Wings Gaming (DOTA2)
  • SK Gaming
  • ROX Tigers (League of Legends)
  • Cloud 9

BEST ESPORTS GAME

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

  • Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Valve)
  • DOTA2 (Valve)
  • League of Legends (Riot)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard)
  • Street Fighter V (Capcom)