# D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Animation

The D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Animation is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This award is "presented to the individual or team whose work represents the highest level of achievement in bringing a character or characters to life. This award will consider the fluidity of movement, and interaction with the environment in addition to contextual realism (look and feel)". Creative/technical Academy members with expertise as an artist, animator or programmer are qualified to vote for this award.
The award's most recent winner is Astro Bot, developed by Team Asobi and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.

## Animation & Art Direction

The Academy originally offered Outstanding Achievement in Art/Graphics at the first two annual awards ceremonies. This would be separated into the categories of Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction and Outstanding Achievement in Animation at the third annual awards ceremony. Since the categories separated, roughly half of the finalists and winners for "Animation" and "Art Direction" were the same game within its respective release year. The games that had won both awards for "Animation" and "Art Direction" were:
* Final Fantasy VIII
* Final Fantasy IX
* Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
* Half-Life 2
* Gears of War
* Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
* Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
* The Last of Us
* Ori and the Blind Forest
* Cuphead
* Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
* God of War Ragnarök
The games that won the "Animation" award but were not finalists in the "Art Direction" category were:
* Assassin's Creed III
* Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
* Luigi's Mansion 3
* Astro Bot
2022 was the only year that the "Animation" and "Art Direction" categories had the same five finalists and winner. 2025 was the only year that the two categories did not have any of the same finalists.

## Winners and nominees
### 1990s

Table key :
* Indicates the winner
| Year | Game | Developer(s) | Publisher(s) |
| 1997/1998 (1st) | Riven: The Sequel to Myst | Cyan Worlds | Red Orb Entertainment |
| 1997/1998 (1st) | Blade Runner | Westwood Studios | Virgin Interactive |
| 1997/1998 (1st) | Final Fantasy VII | SquareSoft | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| 1997/1998 (1st) | GoldenEye 007 | Rare | Nintendo |
| 1997/1998 (1st) | Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee | Oddworld Inhabitants | GT Interactive |
| 1997/1998 (1st) | The Curse of Monkey Island | LucasArts | LucasArts |
| 1998/1999 (2nd) | Banjo-Kazooie | Rare | Nintendo |
| 1998/1999 (2nd) | Grim Fandango | LucasArts | LucasArts |
| 1998/1999 (2nd) | Half-Life | Valve | Sierra On-Line |
| 1998/1999 (2nd) | Spyro the Dragon | Insomniac Games | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| 1999/2000 (3rd) | Final Fantasy VIII | SquareSoft | Square Electronic Arts |
| 1999/2000 (3rd) | Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings | Ensemble Studios | Microsoft Games |
| 1999/2000 (3rd) | Disney's Villains' Revenge | Disney Interactive | Disney Interactive |
| 1999/2000 (3rd) | Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! | Insomniac Games | Sony Computer Entertainment |

### 2000s

| Year | Game | Developer(s) | Publisher(s) | Ref. |
| 2000 (4th) | Final Fantasy IX | SquareSoft | Square Electronic Arts | |
| 2000 (4th) | Dead or Alive 2 | Team Ninja | Tecmo | |
| 2000 (4th) | Rayman 2: The Great Escape | Ubi Pictures | Ubisoft | |
| 2000 (4th) | Space Channel 5 | Sega AM9 | Sega | |
| 2000 (4th) | Tekken Tag Tournament | Namco | Namco | |
| 2001 (5th) | Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee | Oddworld Inhabitants | Microsoft Game Studios | [14][15] [16][17] |
| 2001 (5th) | Black & White | Lionhead Studios | Electronic Arts | [14][15] [16][17] |
| 2001 (5th) | Dead or Alive 3 | Team Ninja | Tecmo | [14][15] [16][17] |
| 2001 (5th) | Super Smash Bros. Melee | HAL Laboratory | Nintendo | [14][15] [16][17] |
| 2001 (5th) | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 | Neversoft | Activision | [14][15] [16][17] |
| 2002 (6th) | Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus | Sucker Punch Productions | Sony Computer Entertainment | |
| 2002 (6th) | Final Fantasy X | SquareSoft | Square Electronic Arts | |
| 2002 (6th) | Kingdom Hearts | SquareSoft | Square Electronic Arts | |
| 2002 (6th) | The Mark of Kri | San Diego Studio | Sony Computer Entertainment | |
| 2002 (6th) | Ratchet & Clank | Insomniac Games | Sony Computer Entertainment | |
| 2003 (7th) | Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | Ubisoft Montreal | Ubisoft | [20][21] [22][23] |
| 2003 (7th) | Beyond Good & Evil | Ubi Pictures, Ubisoft Milan | Ubisoft | [20][21] [22][23] |
| 2003 (7th) | Jak II | Naughty Dog | Sony Computer Entertainment | [20][21] [22][23] |
| 2003 (7th) | Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando | Insomniac Games | Sony Computer Entertainment | [20][21] [22][23] |
| 2003 (7th) | Soulcalibur II | Namco | Namco | [20][21] [22][23] |
| 2004 (8th) | Half-Life 2 | Valve | Vivendi Universal Games | |
| 2004 (8th) | Jak 3 | Naughty Dog | Sony Computer Entertainment | |
| 2004 (8th) | Prince of Persia: Warrior Within | Ubisoft Montreal | Ubisoft | |
| 2004 (8th) | Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal | Insomniac Games | Sony Computer Entertainment | |
| 2004 (8th) | Sly 2: Band of Thieves | Sucker Punch Productions | Sony Computer Entertainment | |
| 2005 (9th) | God of War | Santa Monica Studio | Sony Computer Entertainment | [26][27] [28][29] |
| 2005 (9th) | Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath | Oddworld Inhabitants | Microsoft Game Studios | [26][27] [28][29] |
| 2005 (9th) | Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones | Ubisoft Montreal | Ubisoft | [26][27] [28][29] |
| 2005 (9th) | Rise of the Kasai | BottleRocket Entertainment | Sony Computer Entertainment | [26][27] [28][29] |
| 2005 (9th) | Shadow of the Colossus | Japan Studio | Sony Computer Entertainment | [26][27] [28][29] |
| 2006 (10th) | Gears of War | Epic Games | Microsoft Game Studios | |
| 2006 (10th) | Daxter | Ready at Dawn | Sony Computer Entertainment | |
| 2006 (10th) | Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy | Traveller's Tales | LucasArts | |
| 2006 (10th) | Rayman Raving Rabbids | Ubisoft Montpellier | Ubisoft | |
| 2006 (10th) | Fight Night Round 3 | EA Chicago | Electronic Arts | |
| 2007 (11th) | Assassin's Creed | Ubisoft Montreal | Ubisoft | |
| 2007 (11th) | Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Infinity Ward | Activision | |
| 2007 (11th) | Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction | Insomniac Games | Sony Computer Entertainment | |
| 2007 (11th) | Team Fortress 2 | Valve | Valve, Electronic Arts | |
| 2007 (11th) | Uncharted: Drake's Fortune | Naughty Dog | Sony Computer Entertainment | |
| 2008 (12th) | Prince of Persia | Ubisoft Montreal | Ubisoft | |
| 2008 (12th) | Castle Crashers | The Behemoth | Microsoft Game Studios | |
| 2008 (12th) | Gears of War 2 | Epic Games | Microsoft Game Studios | |
| 2008 (12th) | Left 4 Dead | Valve South | Valve | |
| 2008 (12th) | Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots | Kojima Productions | Konami | |
| 2009 (13th) | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves | Naughty Dog | Sony Computer Entertainment | |
| 2009 (13th) | Assassin's Creed II | Ubisoft Montreal | Ubisoft | |
| 2009 (13th) | Batman: Arkham Asylum | Rocksteady Studios | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment | |
| 2009 (13th) | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | Infinity Ward | Activision | |
| 2009 (13th) | Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time | Insomniac Games | Sony Computer Entertainment | |

### 2010s

| Year | Game | Developer(s) | Publisher(s) |
| 2010 (14th) | God of War III | Santa Monica Studio | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| 2010 (14th) | Call of Duty: Black Ops | Treyarch | Activision |
| 2010 (14th) | Enslaved: Odyssey to the West | Ninja Theory | Namco Bandai Games |
| 2010 (14th) | Red Dead Redemption | Rockstar San Diego | Rockstar Games |
| 2010 (14th) | Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction | Ubisoft Montreal | Ubisoft |
| 2011 (15th) | Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception | Naughty Dog | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| 2011 (15th) | Assassin's Creed: Revelations | Ubisoft Montreal | Ubisoft |
| 2011 (15th) | Batman: Arkham City | Rocksteady Studios | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment |
| 2011 (15th) | L.A. Noire | Team Bondi | Rockstar Games |
| 2011 (15th) | Rayman Origins | Ubisoft Montpellier | Ubisoft |
| 2012 (16th) | Assassin's Creed III | Ubisoft Montreal | Ubisoft |
| 2012 (16th) | Far Cry 3 | Ubisoft Montreal | Ubisoft |
| 2012 (16th) | Hitman: Absolution | IO Interactive | Square Enix Europe |
| 2012 (16th) | Mark of the Ninja | Klei Entertainment | Microsoft Studios |
| 2012 (16th) | Uncharted: Golden Abyss | Bend Studio | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| 2013 (17th) | The Last of Us | Naughty Dog | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| 2013 (17th) | Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag | Ubisoft Montreal | Ubisoft |
| 2013 (17th) | Beyond: Two Souls | Quantic Dream | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| 2013 (17th) | Puppeteer | Japan Studio | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| 2013 (17th) | Rayman Fiesta Run | Ubisoft Casablanca | Ubisoft |
| 2014 (18th) | Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor | Monolith Productions | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment |
| 2014 (18th) | Assassin's Creed Unity | Ubisoft Montreal | Ubisoft |
| 2014 (18th) | Infamous Second Son | Sucker Punch Productions | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| 2014 (18th) | Sunset Overdrive | Insomniac Games | Microsoft Studios |
| 2014 (18th) | Titanfall | Respawn Entertainment | Electronic Arts |
| 2015 (19th) | Ori and the Blind Forest | Moon Studios | Microsoft Studios |
| 2015 (19th) | Assassin's Creed Syndicate | Ubisoft Quebec | Ubisoft |
| 2015 (19th) | Batman: Arkham Knight | Rocksteady Studios | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment |
| 2015 (19th) | Rise of the Tomb Raider | Crystal Dynamics | Square Enix Europe |
| 2015 (19th) | The Order: 1886 | Ready at Dawn | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| 2016 (20th) | Uncharted 4: A Thief's End | Naughty Dog | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| 2016 (20th) | Inside | Playdead | Playdead |
| 2016 (20th) | The Last Guardian | Japan Studio, GenDesign | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| 2016 (20th) | Overwatch | Blizzard Entertainment | Blizzard Entertainment |
| 2016 (20th) | Street Fighter V | Capcom, Dimps | Capcom |
| 2017 (21st) | Cuphead | Studio MDHR | Studio MDHR |
| 2017 (21st) | For Honor | Ubisoft Montreal | Ubisoft |
| 2017 (21st) | Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice | Ninja Theory | Ninja Theory |
| 2017 (21st) | Horizon Zero Dawn | Guerrilla Games | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| 2017 (21st) | Uncharted: The Lost Legacy | Naughty Dog | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| 2018 (22nd) | Marvel's Spider-Man | Insomniac Games | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| 2018 (22nd) | God of War | Santa Monica Studio | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| 2018 (22nd) | Gris | Nomada Studio | Devolver Digital |
| 2018 (22nd) | Moss | Polyarc | Polyarc |
| 2018 (22nd) | Red Dead Redemption 2 | Rockstar Games | Rockstar Games |
| 2019 (23rd) | Luigi's Mansion 3 | Next Level Games | Nintendo |
| 2019 (23rd) | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | Infinity Ward | Activision |
| 2019 (23rd) | Days Gone | Bend Studio | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| 2019 (23rd) | Death Stranding | Kojima Productions | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| 2019 (23rd) | Devil May Cry 5 | Capcom | Capcom |

### 2020s

| Year | Game | Developer(s) | Publisher(s) |
| 2020 (24th) | The Last of Us Part II | Naughty Dog | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| 2020 (24th) | Final Fantasy VII Remake | Square Enix | Square Enix |
| 2020 (24th) | Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales | Insomniac Games | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| 2020 (24th) | Ori and the Will of the Wisps | Moon Studios | Xbox Game Studios |
| 2020 (24th) | Spiritfarer | Thunder Lotus Games | Thunder Lotus Games |
| 2021 (25th) | Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart | Insomniac Games | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| 2021 (25th) | Call of Duty: Vanguard | Sledgehammer Games | Activision |
| 2021 (25th) | Deathloop | Arkane Studios | Bethesda Softworks |
| 2021 (25th) | Kena: Bridge of Spirits | Ember Lab | Ember Lab |
| 2021 (25th) | Resident Evil Village | Capcom | Capcom |
| 2022 (26th) | God of War Ragnarök | Santa Monica Studio | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| 2022 (26th) | Cuphead - The Delicious Last Course | Studio MDHR | Studio MDHR |
| 2022 (26th) | Elden Ring | FromSoftware | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 2022 (26th) | Horizon Forbidden West | Guerrilla Games | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| 2022 (26th) | Moss: Book II | Polyarc | Polyarc |
| 2023 (27th) | Marvel's Spider-Man 2 | Insomniac Games | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| 2023 (27th) | Final Fantasy XVI | Square Enix | Square Enix |
| 2023 (27th) | Hi-Fi Rush | Tango Gameworks | Bethesda Softworks |
| 2023 (27th) | Mortal Kombat 1 | NetherRealm Studios | Warner Bros. Games |
| 2023 (27th) | Super Mario Bros. Wonder | Nintendo EPD | Nintendo |
| 2024 (28th) | Astro Bot | Team Asobi | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| 2024 (28th) | Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 | Treyarch | Activision |
| 2024 (28th) | Final Fantasy VII Rebirth | Square Enix | Square Enix |
| 2024 (28th) | Neva | Nomada Studio | Devolver Digital |
| 2024 (28th) | Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 | Saber Interactive | Focus Entertainment |

## Multiple nominations and wins
### Developers and publishers

Sony has published the most nominees and winners. Sony has the distinction of publishing the most nominees within a year (three) on four separate occasions (during the awards ceremony in 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2014). Sony has two winning streaks for publishing the category winners (2010 to 2012, and 2021 to 2025). Activision has published the most nominees without a single winner.
Sony's development subsidiary Naughty Dog has developed the most winners in this category. Ubisoft Montreal has developed the most nominees, and is one of two developers with back-to-back wins, with the other being SquareSoft. Ubisoft Montpellier, formerly known as "Ubi Pictures", has developed the most nominees without a single winner.
Developers :
| Developer | Nominations | Wins |
| Naughty Dog | 9 | 5 |
| Ubisoft Montreal | 13 | 4 |
| Insomniac Games | 12 | 3 |
| Santa Monica Studio | 4 | 3 |
| SquareSoft/Square Enix | 8 | 2 |
| Oddworld Inhabitants | 3 | 1 |
| Sucker Punch Productions | 3 | 1 |
| Valve | 3 | 1 |
| Epic Games | 2 | 1 |
| Moon Studios | 2 | 1 |
| Rare | 2 | 1 |
| Studio MDHR | 2 | 1 |
| Ubisoft Pictures/Montpellier | 4 | 0 |
| Capcom | 3 | 0 |
| Infinity Ward | 3 | 0 |
| Japan Studio | 3 | 0 |
| Rocksteady Studios | 3 | 0 |
| Bend Studio | 2 | 0 |
| Guerrilla Games | 2 | 0 |
| Kojima Productions | 2 | 0 |
| LucasArts | 2 | 0 |
| Namco | 2 | 0 |
| Ninja Theory | 2 | 0 |
| Nomada Studio | 2 | 0 |
| Polyarc | 2 | 0 |
| Ready at Dawn | 2 | 0 |
| Team Ninja | 2 | 0 |
| Treyarch | 2 | 0 |
Publishers :
| Publisher | Nominations | Wins |
| Sony Computer/Interactive Entertainment | 42 | 13 |
| Ubisoft | 19 | 4 |
| Microsoft/Xbox Game Studios | 10 | 3 |
| Electronic Arts | 8 | 2 |
| SquareSoft/Square Enix | 7 | 2 |
| Nintendo | 5 | 2 |
| Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Warner Bros. Games | 5 | 1 |
| Studio MDHR | 2 | 1 |
| Activision | 7 | 0 |
| Namco/Bandai Namco Games/Entertainment | 4 | 0 |
| Valve | 4 | 0 |
| Capcom | 3 | 0 |
| LucasArts | 3 | 0 |
| Rockstar Games | 3 | 0 |
| Bethesda Softworks | 2 | 0 |
| Devolver Digital | 2 | 0 |
| Polyarc | 2 | 0 |
| Square Enix Europe | 2 | 0 |
| Tecmo | 2 | 0 |

### Franchises

Assassin's Creed and Final Fantasy have been the most nominated franchises, while Uncharted and God of War have been the most award-winning franchises. Final Fantasy is the only franchise to have back-to-back wins. Call of Duty is the most nominated franchise that has never won.
Franchises :
| Franchises | Nominations | Wins |
| Uncharted | 6 | 3 |
| God of War | 4 | 3 |
| Assassin's Creed | 7 | 2 |
| Final Fantasy | 7 | 2 |
| Prince of Persia | 4 | 2 |
| Marvel's Spider-Man | 3 | 2 |
| The Last of Us | 2 | 2 |
| Ratchet & Clank | 6 | 1 |
| Oddworld | 3 | 1 |
| Cuphead | 2 | 1 |
| Gears of War | 2 | 1 |
| Half-Life | 2 | 1 |
| Mario | 2 | 1 |
| Ori | 2 | 1 |
| Sly Cooper | 2 | 1 |
| Call of Duty | 6 | 0 |
| Rayman | 4 | 0 |
| Batman: Arkham | 3 | 0 |
| Jak and Daxter | 3 | 0 |
| Dead of Alive | 2 | 0 |
| Horizon | 2 | 0 |
| Moss | 2 | 0 |
| Red Dead | 2 | 0 |
| Spyro | 2 | 0 |