Animal Crossing: New Horizons is your Nintendo Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards 2020

You have crowned Animal Crossing: New Horizons as this year's winner of the Nintendo Game of Year at the Golden Joystick Awards

Nintendo has had a very strong year, with a host of incredible games coming to the Switch console. But Animal Crossing: New Horizons wracked up the most votes to beat out all of the other nominees. Taking the top spot, Tom Nook's island getaway package won out over the likes of Pokemon Sword and Shield, Paper Mario: The Origami King, and Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics.

The full list of Nominees was:

Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Pokemon Sword and Shield
Dr Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch
Super Mario 3D All-Stars
Paper Mario: The Origami King
Super Mario Bros 35
Ninjala
Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics

Released back in March, Animal Crossing: New Horizons captured players' imaginations all around the world by letting them create their very own virtual island. Accompanied by a group of adorable fuzzy friends, the latest entry in the Animal Crossing series also became a platform for people to come together and celebrate milestones and occasions when they otherwise couldn't in the real world on account of quarantine. It even set the scene for a new talk show and many, many fan tributes to various franchises and series.

Enjoying immense success since it first launched, the game has continued to keep everyone returning to Tom Nook's holiday destination, with frequent updates throughout the seasons. From making a splash with a dip in the ocean in the summer update to bringing pumpkins and spooky vibes with a Halloween event, there have been plenty of exciting new additions to spice up island life.

Yes, for many, New Horizons released just when everyone needed it the most. It's certainly its place as Nintendo's Game of the Year. Big congratulations to everyone at Nintendo who brought this Animal Crossing adventure to life, and to all of the fantastic nominees who made the shortlist.

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Heather Wald is the Evergreen Editor, Games at GamesRadar+. Her writing career began on a student-led magazine at Bath Spa University, where she earned a BA (Hons) in English literature. Heather landed her first role writing about tech and games for Stuff Magazine shortly after graduating with an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University. Now with almost seven years of experience working with GamesRadar+ on the features team, Heather helps to develop, maintain, and expand the evergreen features that exist on the site for games, as well as spearhead the Indie Spotlight series. You'll also see her contribute op-eds, interview-led features, and more. In her spare time, you'll likely find Heather tucking into RPGs and indie games, reading romance novels, and drinking lots of tea.