The Golden Joystick Awards are the longest-running video game awards, celebrating their 42nd anniversary this year. Voting has now opened at GamesRadar, and you’ll receive a free gaming ebook if you take the time to vote for your favorites. The selection of ebooks includes 100 Retro Games to Play Before You Die, 100 PlayStation Games to Play Before You Die, The History of Video Games, Ultimate Fan’s Guide to Pokémon, and Ultimate Guide to Roblox.
There are a total of 19 categories open to voting for the 2024 Golden Joystick Awards, with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Astro Bot leading the way with five nominations apiece. Additionally, the Breakthrough Award and Critics’ Choice Award will be selected by a panel of journalists from GamesRadar, PC Gamer, FGS, Edge Magazine, Retro Gamer, and Future’s trusted network of freelancers. Here are all the categories and nominations open to voting:
Best Storytelling
- 1000xResist
- Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
- Tactical Breach Wizards
Best Multiplayer Game
- Abiotic Factor
- EA Sports College Football 25
- Helldivers 2
- Sons Of The Forest
- Tekken 8
- The Finals
Best Visual Design
- Astro Bot
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Harold Halibut
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Best Indie Game
- Animal Well
- Arco
- Balatro
- Beyond Galaxyland
- Conscript
- Indika
- Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
- Thank Goodness You’re Here!
- The Plucky Squire
- Ultros
Best Indie Game – Self Published (NEW)
- Arctic Eggs
- Another Crab’s Treasure
- Crow Country
- Duck Detective: The Secret Salami
- I Am Your Beast
- Little Kitty, Big City
- Riven
- Tactical Breach Wizards
- Tiny Glade
- UFO 50
Still Playing Award – PC and Console (NEW)
- Apex Legends
- Counter-Strike 2
- EA Sports FC
- Dota 2
- Fortnite
- GTA Online
- Minecraft
- Naraka: Bladepoint
- Roblox
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
- Valorant
- Warframe
Still Playing Award – Mobile (NEW)
- Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile
- Free Fire
- Honkai: Star Rail
- Roblox
- Marvel Snap
- Monopoly Go!
- Mini Motorways
- PUBG: Battlegrounds
- Squad Busters
- Star Wars: Hunters
- Subway Surfers
- The Sims Mobile
Studio of the Year
- 11 Bit Studios
- Arrowhead Game Studios
- Capcom
- Digital Eclipse
- Team ASOBI
- Visual Concepts
Best Game Expansion
- Alan Wake 2 Expansion Pass
- Destiny 2: The Final Shape
- Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred
- Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
- God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla
- World of Warcraft: The War Within
Best Audio Design (NEW)
- Astro Bot
- Balatro
- Robobeat
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Star Wars Outlaws
- Still Wakes the Deep
Best Soundtrack (NEW)
- A Highland Song
- Astro Bot
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Hauntii
- Silent Hill 2
- Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
Best Lead Performer
- Cody Christian as Cloud Strife in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Kaiji Tang as Ichiban Kasuga in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Humberly Gonzalez as Kay Vess in Star Wars Outlaws
- Luke Roberts as James Sunderland in Silent Hill 2
- Melina Juergens as Senua in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Sonequa Martin-Green as Alvilda in Asgard’s Wrath 2
Best Supporting Performer
- Abbi Greenland & Helen Goalen as The Furies in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Briana White as Aerith Gainsborough in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Dawn M. Bennett as Aigis in Persona 3 Reload
- Debra Wilson as Amanda Waller in Suicide Squad
- Matt Berry as Herbert in Thank Goodness You’re Here!
- Neve McIntosh as Suze in Still Wakes the Deep
PC Game of the Year
- Animal Well
- Balatro
- Frostpunk 2
- Satisfactory
- Tactical Breach Wizards
- UFO 50
Console Game of the Year (NEW)
- Astro Bot
- Dragon’s Dogma 2
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Helldivers 2
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
- The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Best Early Access Game
- Enshrouded
- Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
- Hades 2
- Manor Lords
- Lethal Company
- Palworld
Best Gaming Hardware
- Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024)
- Backbone One (2nd Gen)
- LG UltraGear 32GS95UE
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super
- Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra
- Steam Deck OLED
Best Game Trailer
- Caravan Sandwitch – Launch Trailer
- Death Stranding 2 On The Beach – State of Play Announce Trailer
- Helldivers 2 – “The Fight for Freedom Begins” Launch Trailer
- Kingmakers – Official Announcement Trailer
- Sid Meier’s Civilization VII – Narrator Reveal Trailer
- The Plucky Squire – Launch Trailer
Most Wanted Game
- Atomfall
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows
- Sid Meier’s Civilization VII
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Deadlock
- Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
- Doom: The Dark Ages
- Exodus
- Fable
- Ghost of Yotei
- Grand Theft Auto VI
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Light No Fire
- Mafia: The Old Country
- Monster Hunter Wilds
- Skate.
- Slay the Spire 2
- South of Midnight
