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.
**UPDATE: Golden Joystick Awards 2025 voting is now CLOSED, and you can join us to see the winners revealed on Thursday, November 20 at 4pm GMT***
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.
Watch the Golden Joystick Awards 2025 on Thursday, Nov 20!
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
Ultimate Game of the Year
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- PEAK
- Ghost of Yotei
- Hades II
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Blue Prince
- Silent Hill f
- Split Fiction
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
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 Knight
- 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.
