The organizers of the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards have revealed the shortlist of titles for this year’s awards, and perhaps unsurprisingly, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads the pack, with six nominations, including best storytelling, soundtrack, and lead and supporting performers.
This year’s Golden Joystick Awards, which will be held in central London and live-streamed globally on November 20, have 21 categories now available for a public ballot, and gamers can submit their votes at the GamesRadar website. Following Expedition 33 with four nominations apiece are Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, and this week’s newest arrival Ghost of Yōtei, which sneaks into the list just days after its release, just like Alan Wake 2 in 2023, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard in 2024.
It’s not all big dogs in the running, though. Hollow Knight: Silksong, Sword of the Sea, and Peak all take multiple nominations, while other beloved indies like Despelote, Spilled!, Consume Me, and Blue Prince rightly get their moments in the sun.
Last November’s Golden Joystick Awards saw Black Myth: Wukong win Ultimate Game of the Year honors from a huge public vote, though Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Helldivers 2 walked away with the most gongs, each taking four home. Balatro proved to be the indie darling of the year, taking two trophies, even though it was by far the best indie game of 2024, and arguably the most enjoyable outright.
You’ll still have to wait a little longer to vote for your outright GOTY; the 43rd Golden Joysticks’ Ultimate Game of the Year shortlist is announced on November 3, with voting opening on the same day. Still, you can pick your console and PC games of the year right now — you can get your choices in before 8:00pm EDT on October 31.
All 2025 Golden Joystick Awards nominees
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 Multiplayer Game
- Battlefield 6
- Peak
- Elden Ring Nightreign
- Split Fiction
- Mario Kart World
- Rematch
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
Best Remake or 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 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 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 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, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
- Troy Baker (Indiana Jones, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle)
- Tom McKay (Henry, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II)
- Alex Jordan (Jan Dolski, The Alters)
- Erika Ishii (Atsu, Ghost of Yōtei)
- Adriyan Rae (Hazel, South of Midnight)
Best Supporting Performer
- Troy Baker (Higgs Monaghan, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach)
- Jim High (Erik, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II)
- Ben Starr (Verso, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
- Lucy Griffiths (Alva, Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream)
- Logan Cunningham (Hades II)
- Marios Gavrilis (Emmerich Voss, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle)
Best Early Access Game
- Grounded 2
- Schedule I
- 9 Kings
- R.E.P.O.
- Skate.
- White Knuckle
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 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
- Battlefield 6 (Official Launch Live Action Trailer)
- The Expanse: Osiris Reborn (Announcement Trailer)
- Grand Theft Auto VI (Trailer 2)
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Official CGI Trailer – Live a Life Medieval)
- Rhythm Doctor (Official Release Date Trailer)
- Romeo is a Dead Man (Announcement Trailer)
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
Three other category winners — for the Streamers’ Choice, Breakthrough, and Critics’ Choice Awards — will be chosen by journalists and revealed on the night.
