Golden Joystick Awards 2025 shortlists nominees for 43rd ceremony, opens public voting

The shortlist of nominees for the Golden Joystick Awards, also known as the People’s Gaming Awards, was revealed on Oct. 3, 2025, along with the opening of global public voting.

The Golden Joystick Awards 2025 will be the 43rd ceremony and will be hosted in London on November 20, 2025.

Opened on Oct. 3, 2025, public voting across 20 categories will close on Oct. 31, 2025, with separate voting for Ultimate Game of the Year planned to run from Nov. 3, 2025, until Nov. 7, 2025. The shortlist for the Ultimate Game of the Year will be revealed simultaneously with the start of voting.

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.

Best Storytelling

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 
• Blue Prince 
• The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
• Silent Hill f
• Mafia: The Old Country
• Lost Records: Bloom & Rage

Best Multiplayer Game

• Mario Kart World
• Peak
• Battlefield 6
• Elden Ring: Nightreign
• Split Fiction
• Rematch

Best Visual Design

• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• The Midnight Walk
• Ghost of Yotei
• 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
• Pokemon GO
• Subway Surfers
• Clash Royale
• Honkai: Star Rail
• Genshin Impact
• Zenless Zone Zero
• Roblox
• Free Fire
• PUBG Mobile

Best Remake / Remaster

• Metal Gear Solid Delta: 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 Yotei
• 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 Yotei
• 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 Yotei
• 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 CPU

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

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

Launched in 1983, the Golden Joystick Awards is the longest-running video game award ceremony and the second-oldest after the Arcade Awards, which were launched in 1981 but closed in 1997.