The Last of Us 2 takes home the Golden Joystick for Best Audio

The Last of Us 2
(Image credit: Naughty Dog)

The Last of Us 2 has won the Golden Joystick Award for Best Audio.

Naughty Dog's much-discussed sequel beat out competition from a strong line-up of nominees, which were: 

  • Ghost of Tsushima
  • Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 
  • The Last of Us 2 (winner)
  • Paradise Killer
  • Call of Duty: Warzone 
  • Half-Life: Alyx
  • Streets of Rage 4 
  • Resident Evil 3

The Last of Us 2 is the follow-up to 2013's post-apocalyptic survival adventure, and picks up the story of Ellie and Joel roughly five years later. What follows is an uncompromising exploration of the cycles of violence, with the game's audio selling the sheer brutality of the world you explore. It might not have been a showcase for the most pleasing sounds you'll hear, but you won't be forgetting them in a hurry either. 

In our The Last of Us 2 review, Alex Avard writes about the impact of the game's audio: "When you are caught out, and you almost certainly will be, fights descend into a messy trade of gunfire, explosives, and physical blows. It's here where things get extra stressful, particularly when the combat enters close quarters, and The Last of Us' nauseating depiction of raw violence refuses to let you inure to the full weight of your actions, the agonising screams and jugular death rattles of your victims haunting your memory long after you've killed them."

Congratulations to the team at Naughty Dog for winning the Best Audio award at this year's Golden Joystick Awards. 

Make sure you don't miss a second of this year's awards show by watching the Golden Joystick Awards 2020 here.

Ben Tyrer

Hello, I'm GamesRadar's News Editor. I've been working in the games industry since 2013, after graduating from Bournemouth University with a degree in multimedia journalism. Since then I've worked for Official PlayStation Magazine as a staff writer and games editor, as well as writing for Official Xbox Magazine, Edge, PC Gamer, GamesMaster, PC Games N, and more. When I'm not moaning about being beaten on FIFA and Warzone, I'm writing news, features, and reviews for this wonderful site.