[Event news] Voting is Open in the 44th Golden Joystick Awards

The 44th Golden Joystick Awards have revealed the nominees for this year’s awards. The public vote is live on goldenjoysticks.com and will remain open until 4pm PT / 7pm ET / midnight BST on Friday, October 23, 2026.

Fans can vote for their favourite games in 21 categories including ‘Console Game of the Year’, ‘PC Game of the Year’, ‘Most Wanted Game’ and more. The winners will be revealed in a star-studded awards ceremony in central London and live-streamed globally on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.

Known as the ‘People’s Gaming Awards’, the 2025 awards saw a record-breaking 21 million public votes cast. Last year Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was the biggest winner claiming seven awards with other multiple award winners including Ghost of Yōtei, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Grand Theft Auto VI and PEAK.

This year multiple titles are in the running for the coveted awards including 007 First Light and Big Walk, with six nominations each; Resident Evil Requiem, with four nominations; and Dispatch, MECCHA CHAMELEON, Mewgenics, SAROS, The Blood of Dawnwalker and Valheim, all with multiple nominations.

Voters should note that the ‘Ultimate Game of the Year’ shortlist will not be announced until Monday, October 26, with voting in that category opening on the same day. An additional selection of critically selected winners will be unveiled at the awards ceremony including the Breakthrough Award and the Critics’ Choice Award.

Daniel Dawkins, Content Director of Golden Joystick Awards at Future said: “In another exciting, yet tumultuous, year for video games, the Golden Joystick Awards is proud to celebrate the greatest releases of the last twelve months. With the hugely-anticipated GTA 6 set to launch a week after our live show, the 44th annual Golden Joystick Awards is delighted to share its most diverse and creative nominees line-up yet. Indie hits Big Walk, Dispatch and Mina the Hollower sit alongside AAA blockbusters such as 007 First Light, Forza Horizon 6 and Resident Evil Requiem. This year, no single game dominates the field, this is one of our most open and unpredictable years yet – making your vote more influential than ever in deciding our winners.

We’re thrilled to debut a new look for the Golden Joystick Awards, embracing the iconic joystick trophy that traces all the way back to our inception in 1983. Gaming has changed so much in the following 43 years, but not the creativity and determination of those who sacrifice so much to share the games we love so much.”

The nominations are:

Best Audio Design

• Big Walk
• Marathon
• Onimusha: Way of the Sword
• Rhythm Heaven Groove
• SAROS
• STAR WARS: Galactic Racer

Best Early Access Game

• Dead as Disco
• MENACE
• skate.
• Slay the Spire 2
• Subnautica 2
• WARDOGS

Best Game Adaptation

• Devil May Cry (Season 2)
• Exit 8
• Fallout (Season 2)
• Iron Lung
• Mortal Kombat II
• Resident Evil

Best Game Expansion

• Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven
• DAVE THE DIVER – In the Jungle Content Pack
• DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations
• Quake: Dawn of the Machine
• The Alters: Last Variable
• World of Warcraft: Midnight

Best Game Trailer

• Battlefield 6 x Top Gun: Carrier Strike Cinematic Trailer
• Big Walk – Release Date Announcement
• Cairn – Launch Trailer
• MOUSE: P.I. For Hire | Official Launch Trailer
• Prove You’re Human – Announcement Trailer
• Resident Evil Requiem – Evil Has Always Had A Name

Best Gaming Hardware

• Logitech G PRO X2 SUPERSTRIKE
• Razer Viper V4 Pro
• Secretlab ATLAS
• Sony INZONE M10S II
• Steam Controller
• Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II

Best Indie Game

• Big Walk
• Denshattack!
• Esoteric Ebb
• Mixtape
• Mouse: P.I. for Hire
• Order of the Sinking Star
• REANIMAL
• Sovereign Tower
• Titanium Court
• Valheim

Best Indie Game – Self-published

• Cairn
• Fields of Mistria
• MECCHA CHAMELEON
• Mewgenics
• Mina the Hollower
• Perfect Tides: Station to Station
• Phonopolis
• Rhythm Doctor
• The Incident at Galley House
• Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors

Best Lead Performer

• Aaron Paul – Robert Robertson III, Dispatch
• Angela Sant’Albano – Grace Ashcroft, Resident Evil Requiem
• Anna Demetriou – Sophia, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
• Liam McIntyre – Wolverine, Marvel’s Wolverine
• Patrick Gibson – James Bond, 007 First Light
• Will de Renzy-Martin – Coen, The Blood of Dawnwalker

Best Supporting Performer

• Frankie Kevich – Zoe de Vera, CONTROL Resonant
• Grace Saif – Diana, PRAGMATA
• Lennie James – John Greenway, 007 First Light
• Terry O’Quinn – Richard, SILENT HILL: Townfall
• Troy Baker – Nathaniel Essex, Marvel’s Wolverine
• Vic Michaelis – Runa Blask, STAR WARS Zero Company

Best Multiplayer Game

• ARC Raiders
• Big Walk
• Marathon
• MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls
• MECCHA CHAMELEON
• Valheim

Best Remake / Remaster

• Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced
• Gothic 1 Remake
• METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2
• Star Fox
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered
• Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter

Best Soundtrack

• 007 First Light
• Crimson Desert
• Dispatch
• Lumines Arise
• Mewgenics
• Mixtape

Best Storytelling

• 007 First Light
• Dispatch
• Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave
• SILENT HILL: Townfall
• The Blood of Dawnwalker
• ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies

Best Visual Design

• CONTROL Resonant
• Forza Horizon 6
• Orbitals
• Phonopolis
• Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
• SAROS

Most Wanted Game

• Alien: Isolation 2
• ANANTA
• Black Myth: Zhong Kui
• EXODUS
• Fable
• FINAL FANTASY VII REVELATION
• God of War Laufey
• Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
• KINGDOM HEARTS IV
• METRO 2039
• NO LAW
• Persona 6
• Resident Evil Veronica
• STRANGER THAN HEAVEN
• Stuntman: Hollywood
• The Expanse: Osiris Reborn
• The Witcher 4
• Tides of Annihilation
• Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis
• Total War: WARHAMMER 40,000

Still Playing – Mobile

• Balatro
• Genshin Impact
• Honkai: Star Rail
• MARVEL SNAP
• MONOPOLY GO!
• NTE: Neverness to Everness
• Old School RuneScape
• Pokémon GO
• Roblox
• Sky: Children of the Light
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Mobile
• Wuthering Waves

Still Playing – PC & Console

• Apex Legends
• Fortnite
• GTA Online
• HELLDIVERS 2
• HITMAN World of Assassination
• Minecraft
• No Man’s Sky
• Palworld
• The Elder Scrolls Online
• Warframe
• World of Warcraft
• Call of Duty: Warzone

Studio of the Year

• CAPCOM
• Frogwares
• House House
• IO Interactive
• Nintendo EPD
• SQUARE ENIX

PC Game of the Year

• Big Walk
• Crimson Desert
• Escape from Tarkov
• Esoteric Ebb
• MECCHA CHAMELEON
• Mewgenics
• Order of the Sinking Star
• STAR WARS Zero Company
• The Blood of Dawnwalker
• Valheim

Console Game of the Year

• 007 First Light
• Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave
• Forza Horizon 6
• LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
• Nioh 3
• Onimusha: Way of the Sword
• Pokémon Pokopia
• PRAGMATA
• Resident Evil Requiem
• SAROS

Ultimate Game of the Year

• Nominees will be revealed when voting opens on Monday, October 26

Additional category winners will be selected by a panel of journalists from brands including Gamesradar+, PC Gamer, Future Games Show, Edge magazine, Knowledge and Retro Gamer, plus Future’s trusted network of freelance writers and creators. These winners will be revealed on the night.

• Streamers’ Choice Award
• Breakthrough Award
• Critics’ Choice Award