Joseph Luster
December 2, 2021 
We already know how popular the Umamusume: Pretty Derby mobile game is. It topped Twitter hashtags in Japan for the year back in August, and now it’s getting more accolades thanks to Google Japan. The Google Play Best of 2021 awards were revealed this week, and Cygames’s Umamusume: Pretty Derby came out on top as Best Game 2021.
Audiences seemed to agree, too, because they voted to bestow Umamusume: Pretty Derby with the Most Excellent Award. Other games in the user vote category include Sangokushi Shinsen, Touhou Danmaku Kagura, Blue Archive, and Pokémon Unite.
Speaking of which, Pokémon Unite also took home the Grand Prize in the Exciting Category, the top 5 of which included Umamusume once again along with Sangokushi Shinsen, My Hero Academia Ultra Impact, and Lineage2M.
Omoide no Shokudo Monogatari 2 ~Kokoro ni Shimiru Showa Series~ won grand prize in the Indie Category, while Sumikkogurashi Farm did the same in the Cute & Casual Category and NieR Re[in]carnation won the Creative Category.
On the U.S. side, Pokémon Unite was named the top game of the year.
