The Golden Joystick Awards took place on November 20, 2025, in London, celebrating a fantastic year of gaming while handing out some hardware to this year’s winners. For those who don’t follow the video game award season, the Golden Joystick Awards are also known as the People’s Gaming Awards, as the winners of the major categories are picked based on popular vote. This year, players cast over 21 million votes.
Unsurprisingly, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 led the way, taking home seven trophies including Ultimate Game of the Year. The game’s developer, Sandfall Interactive, also won Studio of the Year.
In the categories that weren’t publicly voted, Donkey Kong Bananza won Critics’ Choice, while Schedule 1 took home the Breakthrough Award. The Streamers’ Choice award went to PEAK. See the full list of winners and nominees below.
The Golden Joystick Awards 2025 Winners and Nominees
Best Storytelling
- Winner: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- SILENT HILL f
- Blue Prince
- Mafia: The Old Country
- Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
- The Hundred Line – Last Defense Academy
Best Multiplayer Game
- Winner: PEAK
- Battlefield 6
- ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN
- Split Fiction
- Mario Kart World
- REMATCH
Best Visual Design
- Winner: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- The Midnight Walk
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Sword of the Sea
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Best Indie Game
- Winner: Blue Prince
- Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
- Wanderstop
- Skin Deep
- despelote
- Herdling
- Abiotic Factor
- Baby Steps
- Caves of Qud
- Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
Best Indie Game – Self Published
- Winner: Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Hades II
- Sword of the Sea
- PEAK
- Keep Driving
- Spilled!
- Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders
- DELTARUNE
- Promise Mascot Agency
- Consume Me
Still Playing Award – PC and Console
- Winner: Minecraft
- Dead by Daylight
- HELLDIVERS 2
- NARAKA: BLADEPOINT
- Satisfactory
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Marvel Rivals
- Fortnite
- Apex Legends
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege X
- GTA Online
- Warframe
Still Playing Award – Mobile
- Winner: Pokémon GO
- Call of Duty: Mobile
- Subway Surfers
- Clash Royale
- Honkai: Star Rail
- Genshin Impact
- Zenless Zone Zero
- Roblox
- Free Fire
- PUBG MOBILE
Best Remake / Remaster
- Winner: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
- METAL GEAR SOLID Δ: SNAKE EATER
- Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
- The Talos Principle: Reawakened
- Gears of War: Reloaded
- Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4
Studio of the Year
- Winner: Sandfall Interactive
- Team Cherry
- Aggro Crab and Landfall
- Bloober Team
- Sloclap
- Rebellion
Best Game Expansion
- Winner: Lies of P: Overture
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants
- No Man’s Sky: Voyagers
- Atomfall Story Expansion Pack: The Red Strain
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows – Claws of Awaji
- Still Wakes the Deep: Siren’s Rest
Best Audio Design
- Winner: Ghost of Yōtei
- Battlefield 6
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Two Point Museum
- Cronos: The New Dawn
Best Soundtrack
- Winner: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- South of Midnight
- SILENT HILL f
- Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream
- DELTARUNE
- Sword of the Sea
Best Lead Performer
- Winner: Jennifer English – Maelle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Troy Baker – Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Tom McKay – Henry in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Alex Jordan – Jan Dolski in The Alters
- Erika Ishii – Atsu in Ghost of Yōtei
- Adriyan Rae – Hazel in South of Midnight
Best Supporting Performer
- Winner: Ben Starr – Verso in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Troy Baker – Higgs Monaghan in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Jim High – Erik in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Lucy Griffiths – Alva in Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream
- Logan Cunningham – Hades II
- Marios Gavrilis – Emmerich Voss in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
PC Game of the Year
- Winner: Hollow Knight: Silksong
- The Alters
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- PEAK
- Abiotic Factor
- Dune: Awakening
Console Game of the Year
- Winner: Ghost of Yōtei
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Monster Hunter Wilds
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
- Mario Kart World
Best Early Access Game
- Winner: R.E.P.O.
- Grounded 2
- Schedule I
- 9 Kings
- skate.
- White Knuckle
Best Gaming Hardware
- Winner: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Nintendo Switch 2
- Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller
- WD_BLACK SN8100 NVMe SSD
- Elgato Facecam 4K
- Razer Blade 16
Best Game Adaptation
- Winner: Arcane Season 2 (Netflix)
- Devil May Cry (Netflix)
- The Last of Us Season 2 (HBO)
- A Minecraft Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
- Secret Level (Prime Video)
- Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Paramount Pictures)
Best Game Trailer
- Winner: Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 2
- Battlefield 6: Official Launch Live Action Trailer
- Rhythm Doctor – Official Release Date Trailer
- The Expanse: Osiris Reborn – Announcement Trailer
- ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN – Announcement Trailer
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Official CGI Trailer – Live a Life Medieval
Most Wanted Game
- Winner: Grand Theft Auto VI
- Resident Evil Requiem
- The Witcher 4
- Black Myth: Zhong Kui
- LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
- 007 First Light
- EXODUS
- Subnautica 2
- Light No Fire
- The Expanse: Osiris Reborn
- Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
- SAROS
- The Blood of Dawnwalker
- Crimson Desert
- KINGDOM HEARTS IV
- Marvel’s Wolverine
- Hell Let Loose: Vietnam
- OD – KNOCK
- Onimusha: Way of the Sword
- Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
Ultimate Game of the Year
- Winner: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (31% of the vote)
- 2. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (15% of the vote)
- 3. Split Fiction (11% of the vote)
- 4. Hollow Knight: Silksong (8% of the vote)
- 5. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (7% off the vote)
- Blue Prince
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hades II
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Peak
- Silent Hill f
