Golden Joystick Awards 2025 Live Coverage - All the news as it happens

And now: a new trailer for Vaultbreakers! Sure looks like some vaults will be broken.

"Thanks to the amazing team for being so good at making good games." Pretty much the ideal acceptance speech, to be honest.

And now: Best Early Access! Deep Rock Galactic head honcho is presenting. Notes how magical and nerve-wracking it can be to release in Early Access.

Acceptance speech for a third time from Sandfall! Thanks the entire team, and I believe he suggests they might already be really drunk. Thanks the Q&A, animators, and Kepler Interactive. "We are humbled, thank you."

And now, moving right along to Studio of the Year – presented by Robertson!

Raw Fury accepts on behalf of Blue Prince's developer. Robertson back to say Ben can just come to her to say no in the future. New trailer from Death Howl up next!

I mean, just look at this, courtesy of GR+ Brand Director Sam Loveridge.

You know what Ben Starr? I'm here for this cry for help.

Team Cherry not actually there to accept, so immediately moving onto: Best Indie Game. Ben Starr takes the stage to accept in what... looks like a custom Joystick Joker Balatro-style card costume.

Robertson back for Best Indie Game - Self-published. IO Interactive is presenting.

Acceptance speech in Korean, translated after. Jokes about everyone understanding the Korean version – again, acceptable. Thanks the team and everyone that voted or played Lies of P: Overture while teasing a bit that folks should keep an eye out for its next thing.

Dark, spooky trailer about exploring together to waken the light wherever you go... Brighter, the better. I bet. These weird shadow monsters look gnarly. Brightfall, coming 2026.

Robertson back for: Best Game Expansion.

Acceptance speech number two for Sandfall! "Pretty surreal!" You're telling me. Thanks his wife, thanks the team, thanks everyone. You're welcome. Break from the awards for a world premiere trailer now, though.

Jokes in acceptance speeches are acceptable, by the way. Robertson back up to make her own. Rolling right into: Best Visual Design.

Aggro Crab accepting, thanking Landfall team. Notes the team's aversion to task-tracking software. Listen, I get it. "Thanks to them, we're better developers, better leaders. We don't have to declare bankruptcy." All good things!

PlayStation accepts with a brief speech acknowledging the other games, and Maggie Robertson is back! Best Multiplayer up next from presenter Alix Wilton Regan.

After a brief acceptance speech from Sandfall Interactive. Best Audio Design up next! Devora Wilde up to present.

Robertson is giving some advice on how to approach the stage, which is good. I've seen enough of these to know that people often have trouble with that.

Best Storytelling is up first with Geralt and Ciri from The Witcher games to present. 2025 marks 10 years of The Witcher 3!

The cover is because this is the Golden Joystick Awards, per Robertson. Sure.

Thankfully, that's concluded and now we're getting some music. Specifically, a live cover of "Golden" from KPop Demon Hunters set to a montage of games. Why that's relevant is hard to say, but it's definitely happening. I'm just reporting the news. But Maggie Robertson's back out to also sing as part of it, so.

If you're familiar with me and my previous live blogs, you'll know I'm anti skits and sketches and so on. Events like this inevitably have jokes, unfortunately. There's an extended one happening right now about making burgers.

Maggie Robertson, Lady Dimitrescu herself, is here to host. Notes that 21 million votes have been cast. That's a lot of clicking.

And here we go! Beginning with a bit of a classic montage featuring 2025 games. Nice.

Given that GamesRadar+, you know, presents the Golden Joystick Awards, I'm not going to make any predictions about winners here. That said, you're more than welcome to do so.

My only real prediction is that Ben Starr, who we know is presenting at the event, will once again call GamesRadar+ Editor-in-Chief Josh West "John West" on stage like last year. I am certain of it happening. My only quibble is whether Ben will do it as an intentional callback or because Josh just really looks like a John. Either seems possible.

Just 15 minutes to go! Still plenty of time to grab a snack or drink (or both) and hit the restroom.

Personally, I've a small stock of LaCroix Sunshine at hand. Love me a sparkling water. Just don't ask me to explain what "Sunshine" tastes like. (Honey, I think?)

We're just 30 minutes out, and the official broadcast placeholder has begun! If you've been waiting for the digital lobby to open, so to speak, it's... well, open. Typically there's a bit of a preamble before things get going at the Golden Joysticks, so don't worry too much if you're a minute or two late at top of the hour.

What do you think will win Ultimate Game of the Year? The competition is fierce this year, and while there are some obvious standouts it does (subjectively) feel as if there's a world where several of these could potentially come away with it. It all comes down to the voting, after all!

Welcome, one and all! The actual Golden Joystick Awards are set to kick off about an hour from now, assuming everything goes according to plan, and should last a couple of hours max. While there are over two dozen awards being given out tonight, alongside other announcements and reveals, the biggest award is clearly Ultimate Game of the Year.

As a reminder, the nominees this year are:

• Blue Prince
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Donkey Kong Bananza
• Ghost of Yotei
• Hades 2
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
• Peak
• Silent Hill f
• Split Fiction