The 43rd annual Golden Joystick Awards shook up expectations this year, and when the curtain dropped in London, it wasn’t just big names that walked away with trophies, it was games of all sizes embracing player votes, niche communities and next-level design. While dozens of titles competed across 24 categories, the biggest prize isn’t always about visibility, sometimes it’s about endurance, innovation and a long list of fans showing up.
Golden Joystick Awards 2025 Winners
Best Storytelling
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Winner)
- SILENT HILL f
- Blue Prince
- Mafia: The Old Country
- Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
- The Hundred Line – Last Defense Academy
Best Audio Design
- Ghost of Yōtei (Winner)
- Battlefield 6
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Two Point Museum
- Cronos: The New Dawn
Best Multiplayer Game
- Battlefield 6
- PEAK (Winner)
- ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN
- Split Fiction
- Mario Kart World
- REMATCH
Best Visual Design
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Winner)
- The Midnight Walk
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Sword of the Sea
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Best Game Expansion
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants
- Lies of P: Overture (Winner)
- 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 Indie Game – Self Published
- Hollow Knight: Silksong (Winner)
- Hades II
- Sword of the Sea
- PEAK
- Keep Driving
- Spilled!
- Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders
- DELTARUNE
- Promise Mascot Agency
- Consume Me
Best Indie Game
- Blue Prince (Winner)
- Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
- Wanderstop
- Skin Deep
- despelote
- Herdling
- Abiotic Factor
- Baby Steps
- Caves of Qud
- Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
Studio of the Year
- Team Cherry
- Sandfall Interactive (Winner)
- Aggro Crab and Landfall
- Bloober Team
- Sloclap
- Rebellion
Best Early Access Game
- Grounded 2
- Schedule I
- 9 Kings
- R.E.P.O. (Winner)
- skate.
- White Knuckle
Best Soundtrack
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Winner)
- South of Midnight
- SILENT HILL f
- Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream
- DELTARUNE
- Sword of the Sea
Best Game Trailer
- Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 2 (Winner)
- 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
Still Playing Award on Mobile
- Call of Duty: Mobile
- Pokémon GO (Winner)
- Subway Surfers
- Clash Royale
- Honkai: Star Rail
- Genshin Impact
- Zenless Zone Zero
- Roblox
- Free Fire
- PUBG MOBILE
Still Playing Award on PC and Console
- Minecraft (Winner)
- 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
Streamer’s Choice
- PEAK
Best Remake / Remaster
- METAL GEAR SOLID Δ: SNAKE EATER
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered (Winner)
- Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
- The Talos Principle: Reawakened
- Gears of War: Reloaded
- Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4
Breakthrough Award
- Schedule I
Best Gaming Hardware
- Nintendo Switch 2
- Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller
- WD_BLACK SN8100 NVMe SSD
- Elgato Facecam 4K
- Razer Blade 16
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D (Winner)
Best Game Adaptation
- Devil May Cry (Netflix)
- Arcane Season 2 (Netflix) (Winner)
- The Last of Us Season 2 (HBO)
- A Minecraft Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
- Secret Level (Prime Video)
- Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Paramount Pictures)
Best Supporting Performer
- Troy Baker – Higgs Monaghan in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Jim High – Erik in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Ben Starr – Verso in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Winner)
- Lucy Griffiths – Alva in Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream
- Logan Cunningham – Hades II
- Marios Gavrilis – Emmerich Voss in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Best Lead Performer
- Jennifer English – Maelle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Winner)
- 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
Hall of Fame Inductee
- The Sims
PC Game of the Year
- Hollow Knight: Silksong (Winner)
- The Alters
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- PEAK
- Abiotic Factor
- Dune: Awakening
Console Game of the Year
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Monster Hunter Wilds
- Ghost of Yōtei (Winner)
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
- Mario Kart World
Critic’s Choice
Donkey Kong Bananza
Most Wanted Game
- Grand Theft Auto VI (Winner)
- Resident Evil Requiem
- The Witcher 4
- Black Myth: Zhong Kui
- LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Night
- 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
- Split Fiction
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Peak
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Winner)
- Blue Prince
- Silent Hill f
- Ghost of Yotei
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Hades 2
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
We’ll be following the Golden Joysticks closely as the night continues, updating the full list of winners the moment new categories are announced. Stay tuned to VGNW and X, the results are coming in live, and we’ll keep this page refreshed as the celebration unfolds.
