The 43rd annual Golden Joystick Awards have come with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the most nominated game this year with six nominations, followed by Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Ghost of Yōtei, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II with four nominations each. Clair Obscur: Expedition won big, winning each of its categories and the recoginition from the longest-running award show for video games as the Ultimate Game of the Year this year.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and developer Sandfall Interactive won the awards for Best Storytelling, Best Visual Design, Studio of the Year, Best Soundtrack, Ultimate Game of the Year, Best Supporting Performer (Ben Starr), and Best Lead Performer (Jennifer English).

Other highlights for this year’s winners include e R.E.P.O. winning Best Early Access Game and Hollow Knight: Silksong winning Best Indie Game (Self-Published) and PC Game of the Year.

In English’s impromptu speech following her win, she praised all the other nominees and talked about how falling in love with Aliona Baranova, Baldur’s Gate III Performance Director helped her bring all of her emotions to the role of Maelle, which led to her win.

 

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“Maelle chooses to go on this crazy journey, choosing to leave behind a life that wasn’t serving her, and I did that a few years ago. I chose instead a life that was authentic, a life that was gay. I fell in love with a beautiful woman, who’s crying her eyes out right now,” English said. “And I chose queer joy. As a result of that queer joy I felt safe enough to pour my grief and pain and all that nonsense and joy and love into this incredibly beautifully written character. I am so proud of that and I just want to thank queer joy for that.”

The full list of winners are as follows:

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

Still Playing Award – Mobile

• all 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 Δ: Snake Eater
• The Elder Scrolls 4: 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 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 2
• Ben Starr – Verso in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 
• Lucy Griffiths – Alva in Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream
• Logan Cunningham – Hades 2
• Marios Gavrilis – Emmerich Voss in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

PC Game of the Year

• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• The Alters
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
• 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 

Best Game Adaptation

• Devil May Cry
• Arcane Season 2 
• The Last of Us Season 2
• A Minecraft Movie
• Secret Level 
• Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Best Game Trailer

• Grand Theft Auto 6 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 2 Official CGI Trailer – Live a Life Medieval

Most Wanted Game

• GTA 6 
• 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 4
• Marvel’s Wolverine
• Hell Let Loose: Vietnam
• OD – Knock
• Onimusha: Way of the Sword
• Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy

Ultimate Game of the Year

• 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