Expedition 33 Dominates at the 2025's Golden Joystick Ceremony
The forty-third yearly Golden Joystick Awards unfolded on Thursday, and in a stunning display, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 claimed the title of the most decorated winner. The breakout role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive won the prestigious Ultimate Game of the Year award, along with accolades for Best Storytelling and Top Visual Design.
Complementing the developer's triumph, the gifted performers also received individual awards. Jennifer English was named Top Lead Actor for her performance as Maelle, while Ben Starr earned Supporting Performance Award for his acting as Verso. Furthermore, Sandfall Interactive itself was named Best Development Team. Overall, Clair Obscur and its developers won seven awards during the ceremony.
Other major winners included Ghost of Yōtei, which won Top Sound Design and Top Console Title, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, honored with Top Self-Published Indie and PC Game of the Year. It is important to note, the bulk of Golden Joystick Awards are chosen by the audience, with only 4 special—Critics’ Choice, Rising Star, Lifetime Achievement, and Streamers' Favorite—decided by critics.
Following is the entire list of award recipients from the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards:
- Best Storytelling – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top Audio – Ghost of Yōtei
- Best Multiplayer – Peak
- Best Visuals – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Expansion – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Indie Game Self Published – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Indie Title – Blue Prince
- Top Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access – REPO
- Top Score – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Game Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Still Playing - Mobile – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing - Consoles & PC – Minecraft
- Streamer Favorite – Peak
- Top Remake – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough – Schedule I
- Best Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Best Game Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Supporting Performance Award – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Lead Performance Award – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Hall of Fame – The Sims
- PC Game of the Year – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Console Game of the Year – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics' Choice – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Anticipated – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Ultimate Game – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
For those missed out on the live event, the awards ceremony is available to watch through streaming following this article.
