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

(Image credit: Nintendo)

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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I started out writing for the games section of a student-run website as an undergrad, and continued to write about games in my free time during retail and temp jobs for a number of years. Eventually, I earned an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University, and soon after got my first official role in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and games-related, I then did a brief stint as a freelancer before I landed my role as a staff writer here at GamesRadar+. Now I get to write features, previews, and reviews, and when I'm not doing that, you can usually find me lost in any one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, tucking into another delightful indie, or drinking far too much tea for my own good.

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