The nominees for the Golden Joystick Awards 2026 have been announced, and it's a big day for 007: First Light and Big Walk.
Those two games lead the nominations, with five nods each. Big Walk was nominated in the Best Audio Design, Best Indie Game, Best Multiplayer Game, Best Game Trailer, and PC Game of the Year, while 007: First Light was nominated for Best Soundtrack, Best Storytelling, and Console Game of the Year, alongside nods in the Best Lead Performer and Best Supporting Performer for James Bond actor Patrick Gibson and John Greenway's Lennie James.
Right behind those two is Resident Evil: Requiem, with nominations for Best Trailer, Console Game of the Year, and Supporting Performer for Angela Sant'Albano as Grace Ashcroft. Other big hitters include indie art sensation Meccha Chameleon, cat-breeding roguelike Mewgenics, vampire RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker, survival gem Valheim, and bullet-hell masterpiece Saros, all with three nominations.
And there's a chance for a few more nods for each of those games. While voting for most categories is live now at goldenjoysticks.com until October 23, from October 26 until October 30, voting will take place for the biggest prize of the night - Ultimate Game of the Year. Nominations for that category haven't opened yet, so keep your eyes peeled! There'll also be jury-selected prizes for Streamers’ Choice Award, Breakthrough Award, and Critics’ Choice Award. The prizes in all categories will be announced during the awards ceremony in London on Wednesday, November 11.
It's worth noting that voting closes significantly before the release date for GTA 6, and while that's likely to be one of the biggest and most critically and commercially successful games of the year, it won't be eligible to complete the sweep of the 'Big 5' awards in the 2026/7 season.
You can find the full list of noninations below, and you can cast your vote across all the current categories, at goldenjoysticks.com, until October 23, so make sure to lock in your picks before then!
Best Audio Design
Big Walk
Marathon
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
Rhythm Heaven Groove
SAROS
STAR WARS: Galactic Racer
Best Early Access Game
Dead as Disco
MENACE
skate.
Slay the Spire 2
Subnautica 2
WARDOGS
Best Game Adaptation
Devil May Cry (Season 2)
Exit 8
Fallout (Season 2)
Iron Lung
Mortal Kombat II
Resident Evil
Best Game Expansion
Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven
DAVE THE DIVER - In the Jungle Content Pack
DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations
Quake: Dawn of the Machine
The Alters: Last Variable
World of Warcraft: Midnight
Best Game Trailer
Battlefield 6 x Top Gun: Carrier Strike Cinematic Trailer
Big Walk - Release Date Announcement
Cairn - Launch Trailer
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire | Official Launch Trailer
Prove You're Human - Announcement Trailer
Resident Evil Requiem - Evil Has Always Had A Name
Best Gaming Hardware
Logitech G PRO X2 SUPERSTRIKE
Razer Viper V4 Pro
Secretlab ATLAS
Sony INZONE M10S II
Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II
Best Indie Game
Big Walk
Denshattack!
Esoteric Ebb
Mixtape
Mouse: P.I. for Hire
Order of the Sinking Star
REANIMAL
Sovereign Tower
Titanium Court
Valheim
Best Indie Game - Self-published
Cairn
Fields of Mistria
MECCHA CHAMELEON
Mewgenics
Mina the Hollower
Perfect Tides: Station to Station
Phonopolis
Rhythm Doctor
The Incident at Galley House
Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors
Best Lead Performer
Aaron Paul - Robert Robertson III, Dispatch
Angela Sant'Albano - Grace Ashcroft, Resident Evil Requiem
Anna Demetriou - Sophia, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
Liam McIntyre - Wolverine, Marvel's Wolverine
Patrick Gibson - James Bond, 007 First Light
Will de Renzy-Martin - Coen, The Blood of Dawnwalker
Best Supporting Performer
Frankie Kevich - Zoe de Vera, CONTROL Resonant
Grace Saif - Diana, PRAGMATA
Lennie James - John Greenway, 007 First Light
Terry O'Quinn - Richard, SILENT HILL: Townfall
Troy Baker - Nathaniel Essex, Marvel's Wolverine
Vic Michaelis - Runa Blask, STAR WARS Zero Company
Best Multiplayer Game
ARC Raiders
Big Walk
Marathon
MARVEL TÅkon: Fighting Souls
MECCHA CHAMELEON
Valheim
Best Remake / Remaster
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
Gothic 1 Remake
METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2
Star Fox
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Remastered
Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter
Best Soundtrack
007 First Light
Crimson Desert
Dispatch
Lumines Arise
Mewgenics
Mixtape
Best Storytelling
007 First Light
Dispatch
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave
SILENT HILL: Townfall
The Blood of Dawnwalker
ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies
Best Visual Design
CONTROL Resonant
Forza Horizon 6
Orbitals
Phonopolis
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
SAROS
Most Wanted Game
Alien: Isolation 2
ANANTA
Black Myth: Zhong Kui
EXODUS
Fable
FINAL FANTASY VII REVELATION
God of War Laufey
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
KINGDOM HEARTS IV
METRO 2039
NO LAW
Persona 6
Resident Evil Veronica
STRANGER THAN HEAVEN
Stuntman: Hollywood
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn
The Witcher 4
Tides of Annihilation
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis
Total War: WARHAMMER 40,000
Still Playing - Mobile
Balatro
Genshin Impact
Honkai: Star Rail
MARVEL SNAP
MONOPOLY GO!
NTE: Neverness to Everness
Old School RuneScape
Pokémon GO
Roblox
Sky: Children of the Light
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Mobile
Wuthering Waves
Still Playing - PC & Console
Apex Legends
Fortnite
GTA Online
HELLDIVERS 2
HITMAN World of Assassination
Minecraft
No Man's Sky
Palworld
The Elder Scrolls Online
Warframe
World of Warcraft
Call of Duty: Warzone
Studio of the Year
Frogwares
House House
IO Interactive
Nintendo EPD
PC Game of the Year
Big Walk
Crimson Desert
Escape from Tarkov
Esoteric Ebb
MECCHA CHAMELEON
Mewgenics
Order of the Sinking Star
STAR WARS Zero Company
The Blood of Dawnwalker
Valheim
Console Game of the Year
007 First Light
Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave
Forza Horizon 6
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
Nioh 3
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
Pokémon Pokopia
PRAGMATA
Resident Evil Requiem
SAROS
