Golden Joystick Awards nominees revealed, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads the pack

The nominations for the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards have officially been announced, and the public is now invited to cast their votes to decide the winners. The annual awards show, held in London, celebrates the best games of the year across more than 20 categories, with the majority of the awards decided by the players themselves.

This year's lineup features a mix of remakes, long-awaited sequels, and indie titles. Early contenders for the top awards include Supergiant Games' Hades II, which recently had its full 1.0 launch, and Team Cherry's Hollow Knight: Silksong. Upcoming titles with huge anticipation, such as Battlefield 6, have also secured nominations in various categories, reflecting the excitement generated by its record-breaking open beta. However, the game with the most nominations is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, with five nominations across the event's 21 categories.

Public voting is open from now until October 31st via the official Golden Joystick Awards website. After this initial round closes, a separate vote for the prestigious “Ultimate Game of the Year” award will take place from November 3rd to 7th. The detailed list of categories and nominees can be found below:

Best Storytelling

• 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

• Battlefield 6
• PEAK
• ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN
• Split Fiction
• Mario Kart World
• REMATCH

Best Visual Design

• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• The Midnight Walk
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Sword of the Sea
• Assassin's Creed Shadows

Best Indie Game

• 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

• 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

• 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

• Call of Duty: Mobile
• Pokémon GO
• Subway Surfers
• Clash Royale
• Honkai: Star Rail
• Genshin Impact
• Zenless Zone Zero
• Roblox
• Free Fire
• PUBG MOBILE

Best Remake / Remaster

• METAL GEAR SOLID Δ: SNAKE EATER
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
• 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

• Team Cherry
• Sandfall Interactive
• Aggro Crab and Landfall
• Bloober Team
• Sloclap
• Rebellion

Best Game Expansion

• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants
• Lies of P: Overture
• 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

• Ghost of Yōtei
• Battlefield 6
• Donkey Kong Bananza
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Two Point Museum
• Cronos: The New Dawn

Best Soundtrack

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• South of Midnight
• SILENT HILL f
• Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream
• DELTARUNE
• Sword of the Sea

Best Lead Performer

• 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

• 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
• 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

• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• 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
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
• Mario Kart World

Best Early Access Game

• Grounded 2
• Schedule I
• 9 Kings
• R.E.P.O.
• skate.
• White Knuckle

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

Best Game Adaptation

• Devil May Cry (Netflix)
• Arcane Season 2 (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

• 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

• Grand Theft Auto VI
• 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

Alongside the public-voted categories, a panel of judges will also determine winners for special awards, including Critics' Choice and Breakthrough Talent, which will be announced during the ceremony. All winners will then be revealed during the awards ceremony, which is scheduled to stream live from London on November 20th.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: It's been a fantastic year for gaming, and it will be interesting to see which titles the public chooses as their favourites. 

Become a Patron!