Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads the Golden Joystick Award 2025 charge for most nominations, nudging out Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yotei, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

(Image credit: Future)

The year is coming to an end, and that can only mean one thing – It's time to vote on the best games of the year as the Golden Joysticks are back for 2025. Voting is now open in 21 categories, ranging from Best Storytelling and Multiplayer to Best Game Trailer and Most Wanted. There's also a new award for Best Remake / Remaster.

Leading the way on nominations so far is JRPG love letter Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which is up for six prizes, including Studio of the Year. Not far behind, though, are the likes of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Ghost of Yōtei, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, which have four nominations each. Meanwhile, popular indie hits like Hollow Knight: Silksong, Sword of the Sea, and Peak are also represented with multiple nominations each.

Click to vote in the Golden Joystick Awards 2025!

Voting is now open and will remain so until 5pm PDT / 8pm EDT / midnight GMT on October 31, 2025. As always, there's more to come – the "Ultimate Game of the Year" shortlist will be announced on November 3 and voting will go live the same day. There will also be an additional selection of critically acclaimed winners that will be unveiled at the awards ceremony on November 20.

Now that's out of the way, here are the awards and nominees.

Golden Joystick Awards 2025 nominations

Golden Joysticks 2025 — (Image credit: Future)

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 Multiplayer Game

Battlefield 6
PEAK
ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN
Split Fiction
Mario Kart World
REMATCH

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 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

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 Remake / 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 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 in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Troy Baker - Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Tom McKay - Henry in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Alex Jordan - Jan Dolski in The Alters
Erika Ishii - Atsu in Ghost of Yōtei
Adriyan Rae - Hazel in South of Midnight

Best Supporting Performer

Troy Baker - Higgs Monaghan in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Jim High - Erik in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Ben Starr - Verso in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Lucy Griffiths - Alva in Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream
Logan Cunningham - Hades II
Marios Gavrilis - Emmerich Voss in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

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 Early Access Game

Grounded 2
Schedule I
9 Kings
R.E.P.O.
skate.
White Knuckle

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

Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 2
Battlefield 6: Official Launch Live Action Trailer
Rhythm Doctor - Official Release Date Trailer
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn - Announcement Trailer
ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN - Announcement Trailer
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Official CGI Trailer – Live a Life Medieval

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

Additional category winners – including "Breakthrough Award" and "Critics' Choice Award" will be selected by a panel of journalists from brands including gamesradar.com, pcgamer.com, FGS, Edge magazine, and Retro Gamer, plus Future’s trusted network of freelance writers. These winners will be revealed on the night.

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