Golden Joystick Awards 2025

[Pifanjr]

You can now vote for the Golden Joystick Awards.

The 43rd Golden Joystick Awards shortlist is out, and just looking at the indie list alone, I can tell it's going to be a tough year

I forgot just how stacked this year has been.

www.pcgamer.com

Voting can be done here:

Golden Joystick Awards 2025: Voting is Live!

Your votes will pick the winners in an unpredictable contest

www.gamesradar.com

Categories:

• Best Storytelling
• Best Multiplayer Game
• Best Visual Design
• Best Indie Game
• Best Indie Game - Self-Published
• Still Playing (PC & Console)
• Still Playing (Mobile)
• Best Remake / Remaster
• Studio of the Year
• Best Game Expansion
• Best Audio Design
• Best Soundtrack
• Best Lead Performer
• Best Supporting Performer
• PC Game of the Year
• Console Game of the Year
• Best Early Access Game
• Best Gaming Hardware
• Best Game Adaptation
• Best Game Trailer
• Most Wanted Game

Feel free to discuss your picks or make predictions on which game will win each category.

 

[Frindis]

• Best Indie Game - Silksong or Hades, but I believe Silksong will win because of the major hype.
• Best Game Expansion - Probably No Man's Sky: Voyagers.
• Best Game Trailer - Hmmm, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. I just remember it being silly in your typical Yakuza game style.
• Most Wanted Game - Obviously Hollow Knight Silksong will win this one, and perhaps Hades 2 coming close second?
• Still Playing (Pc & Console) - BG3 because it is still amazing!
• Best Soundtrack - Not played the game, but I am betting on Clair Obscur Expedition 33.
• PC Game of the Year - Again, not played it, but Clair Obscur Expedition 33.
• Best Early Access Game - A lot of people play MegaBonk, so I vote that one. Very much similar to Vampire Survivors, but in 3D.

 

[Pifanjr]

My predictions:

• Best Storytelling : Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
• Best Multiplayer Game : Battlefield 6
• Best Visual Design : Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
• Best Indie Game : Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor (based mostly off of number of active players)
• Best Indie Game - Self-Published : Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Still Playing (PC & Console) : Minecraft
• Still Playing (Mobile) : Roblox
• Best Remake / Remaster : Oblivion Remastered
• Studio of the Year : Team Cherry
• Best Game Expansion : No Man's Sky Voyagers
• Best Audio Design : Donkey Kong Bonanze (Blind guess, I don't really know any of these)
• Best Soundtrack : Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
• Best Lead Performer : Tom McKay (Kingdom Come Deliverance 2)
• Best Supporting Performer : Ben Starr (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
• PC Game of the Year : Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Console Game of the Year : Monster Hunter Wilds
• Best Early Access Game : Schedule I
• Best Gaming Hardware : Nintendo Switch 2
• Best Game Adaptation : Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (I've only seen Arcane season 2)
• Best Game Trailer : Battlefield 6
• Most Wanted Game : GTA VI

• Most Wanted Game - Obviously Hollow Knight Silksong will win this one, and perhaps Hades 2 coming close second?

Silksong already released, I think Most Wanted only features games that haven't been released yet.

Still Playing (Pc & Console) - BG3 because it is still amazing!

I think only games that received significant updates throughout 2025 count. Baldur's Gate 3 got a couple of new subclasses and a photo mode, but that's a fairly minor update relative to the size of the game.

 

[Pifanjr]

I think Dune: Awakening is the only game released this year I've actually played, besides a couple of demos and the RimWorld: Odyssey expansion.

 

[Frindis]

Silksong already released, I think Most Wanted only features games that haven't been released yet.

Omg, brainrot If not HL3, I believe you are right with GTA VI

 

[BeardyHat]

I think Dune: Awakening is the only game released this year I've actually played, besides a couple of demos and the RimWorld: Odyssey expansion.

I voted for Abiotic Factor, because that's the only one that I saw I've actually played this year.

 

[dxchase]

My votes...

Best Storytelling -- Clair Obscur 33
Best Multiplayer-- Battlefield 6 obviously lol
Best Visual Design-- Clair Obscur 33
Best Indie Game-- Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
Best Indie Game (Self-Published)-- Hollow Knight: Silksong
Still Playing (PC and Console)-- Helldivers 2, Warframe, Marvel Rivals
Sill Playing (Mobile)-- COD Mobile, Genshin Impact, Free Fire
Best Remake/Remaster-- Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Remaster
Studio of the Year-- Sandfall Interactive (Clair 33)
Best Game Expansion-- Skipped, played none of them
Best Audio Design-- Cronos: The New Dawn
Best Soundtrack-- Clair Obscur
Best Lead Performer-- Tom McKay (Kingdom Come Deliverance 2)
Best Supporting Performer-- Ben Starr (Clair Obscur 33)
PC Game of The Year-- Hollow Knight: Silksong
Console Game of The Year-- Monster Hunter: Wilds
Best EA Game-- R.E.P.O.
Best Gaming Hardware--WD SN8100 NVMe. SSD
Best Game Adaptation-- The Last of Us Season 2
Best Game Trailer-- Battlefield 6 live action trailer
Most Wanted Game-- GTA 6, Onimusha, Witcher 4

Well, that was annoying to tackle, the site kept making me re-submit choices but i had to go back through the ones i already chose to get there. Happened like 4 times.

Some of these picks were forced, really didnt play much in the selections and didnt even vote in the game expansion because i never played any of them.

I also think there are some choices missing. No Doom: The Dark Ages mentions kinda saddened me lol but i get it and even though i never finished Clair Obscur, it deserves rewards for its impact this year personally.

And for the gaming hardware, i picked that SSD because i have that lol, its amazing and fast, especially with all the games that compile shaders now.