League of Legends: Wild Rift is the winner of the Golden Joystick Award for Mobile Game of the Year 2021.
Riot's long-awaited mobile version of its world-spanning MOBA claimed the category's top spot this year thanks to its focused reimagining of League of Legends, adapting the acclaimed title for the small screen and bringing in a suite of modernisations for its millions-strong community.
Despite Wild Rift's established audience, there was some stiff competition for this year's award, with 80 Days developer Inkle's new game Overboard nominated in the category alongside Final Fantasy veterans Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nobuo Uematsu's beautiful Fantasian, as well as the adorable Alba: A Wildlife Adventure and Cozy Grove.
Here are the full list of nominees for this award:
- Clap Hanz Golf
- Fantasian
- Overboard!
- Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
- Cozy Grove
- League of Legends: Wild Rift (winner)
Despite League of Legends' ongoing success, Riot has taken its time with the mobile version, with spin-off game Teamfight Tactics appearing the first part of its fantasy universe to make its way to mobile. The wait seems to have paid off, however, with a stylish and fast-paced interpretation of the studio's phenomenon that offers perfect adaptations of beloved characters. Despite other mobile MOBAs having a headstart of several years, Wild Rift is already catching up on the competition, and even on its predecessor, with a roster of champions half the size of League of Legends' in just a fraction of the time.
Make sure you're keeping up to date with all the awards by watching the Golden Joystick Awards 2021 on GamesRadar+.
