Golden Joystick Awards 2026 – All the winners

On November 11, the Golden Joystick Awards 2026 took place in London and there was no shortage of awards for the winners throughout the event.

This is the 44th annual Golden Joystick Awards, and it featured 25 awards and dozens of games, big and small, sharing the show stage. Almost all awards are voted on by fans, with only four decided by a panel of critics and creators. These three awards are: Streamers’ Choice, Developer’s Choice and Critics’ Choice.

Check out the full list of nominees and winners below and let us know what you think of the fans’ picks in the comments or on the official Insider Gaming Discord server. The winners of each prize appear and are in bold as they are announced.

Watch the show

If you want to follow the article update with the winners, or just watch the awards ceremony after the fact, you can watch the 2026 Golden Joystick Awards below:

Winners of the Golden Joystick Awards 2026

Best Storytelling

• 007 First Light
• Blood of Dawnwalker
• Shipping (WINNER)
• Zero parades: for dead spies
• Silent Hill: Fall of the City
• Fire Emblem: The Weave of Fortune

Best audio design

• Rhythm paradise groove
• Great walk
• Saros
• Marathon
• Star Wars: Galactic Runner
• Onimusha: The Way of the Sword (WINNER) – 32% of the votes

Best multiplayer game

• Great walk
• Valheim
• Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls
• Marathon
• ARC Raiders
• Meccha Chameleon (WINNER) – 31% of the votes

Best visual design

• Resonance: a legacy of Plague Tale
• Forza Horizon 6
• Saros
• Phonopole
• Resonant Control (WINNER) – 31% of the votes
• Orbitals

Best game expansion

• Doom: Dark Ages | Revelations (WINNER)
• World of Warcraft: Midnight
• Diver Dave – Into the Jungle Content Pack
• Quake: Dawn of the Machine
• Modifications: last variable
• Worship of the Lamb: Woolhaven

Best Indie Game – Self-Published

• Mewgenism
• Mina la Hollow
• Perfect tides: from station to station
• Phonopole
• The incident at Galley House
• Meccha Chameleon (WINNER) – 32% of the votes
• Rhythm doctor
• Fields of Mistria
• Vampire Crawlers: The Vampire Survivors Turbo Wildcard
• Cairn

Best Indie Game

• Great walk
• Valheim (WINNER) – 28% of the votes
• Order of the Sinking Star
• Titanium Court
• Mixtape
• Densha attacks!
• Esoteric reflux
• Mouse: PI for rent
• Reanimal
• Sovereign Tower

Best Gaming Hardware

• Sony INZONE M10S II
• Steam Controller (WINNER)– 51% of the votes
• ATLAS of the secret laboratory
• Logitech G PRO X2 SUPERSTRIKE
• Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II
• Razer Viper V4 Pro

Workshop of the year

• Capcom (WINNER) – 57% of the votes
• House House
• Interactive IO
• EPD Nintendo
• Frog Items
• Square-Enix

Best early access game

• Kill the Arrow 2
• Subnautica 2 (WINNER) – 35% of the votes
• Dead like Disco
• Watch dogs
• Threat
• skate.

Best Original Soundtrack

• The lights are rising
• Mewgenism
• Mixtape
• Crimson Desert
• Shipping (WINNER) – 26% of the votes
• 007 First Light

I still play (mobile)

• GenshinImpact
• Honkai: Star Rail
• Marvel Snap
• Pokémon Go
• Howling Waves
• Monopoly, go ahead!
• Old-School RuneScape
• NTE: From never to eternity
• Sky: Children of Light
• Roblox
• Balatro (WINNER) – 22% of the votes
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Mobile

I still play (PC and console)

• No Man’s Sky
• Helldiverse 2
• Minecraft (WINNER) – 23% of the votes
• Fortnite
• Ancient scrolls online
• Warframe
• GTA Online
• Hitman World of Assassination
• Apex Legends
• World of Warcraft
• World Pal
• Call of Duty: Warzone

Streamer’s Choice Award:

Best Game Trailer

• Big Walk – Release Date Announced
• Resident Evil Requiem – Evil Always Had a Name (WINNER) – 27% of the votes
• Mouse: IP for rent | Official launch trailer
• Prove You’re Human – Trailer
• Cairn – Launch Trailer
• Battlefield 6 x Top Gun: Carrier Strike Cinematic Trailer

Best remake/remaster

• Trails in the Sky 2nd chapter
• Gothic 1 Remake
• Assassin’s Creed Black Flag resynced
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered (WINNER) – 37% of the votes
• Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.2
• Star Fox

Developer’s Choice Award:

Best Game Adaptation

• Fallout (Season 2)
• Iron Lung (WINNER) – 32% of the votes
• resident Evil
• Exit 8
• Mortal Kombat II
• Devil May Cry (Season 2)

Best Supporting Actor

• Troy Baker – Nathaniel Essex in Marvel’s Wolverine
• Vic Michaelis – Runa Blask in Star Wars Zero Company
• Lennie James – John Greenway in 007 First Light
• Terry O’Quinn – Richard in Silent Hill: Townfall
• Frankie Kevich – Zoe de Vera in Control Resonant
• Grace Saif – Diana in Pragmata (WINNER) – 54% of the votes

Best Lead Performer

• Liam McIntyre – Wolverine in Marvel’s Wolverine
• Patrick Gibson – James Bond in 007 First Light
• Aaron Paul – Robert Robertson III in dispatch
• Angela Sant’Albano – Grace Ashcroft in Resident Evil Requiem (WINNER) – 36% of the votes
• Will by Renzy-Martin – Coen in The Blood of Dawnwalker
• Anna Demetriou – Sophia in resonance: a legacy of Plague Tale

PC Game of the Year

• Great walk
• Escape from Tarkov
• Valheim
• Star Wars Zero Company
• Blood of Dawnwalker
• Esoteric reflux
• Mewgenism
• Mecca Chameleon
• Purple Desert (WINNER) – 18% of the votes
• Order of the Sinking Star

Console game of the year

• Resident Evil Requiem (WINNER) – 27% of the votes
• Pragmats
• Pokémon Pokopia
• 007 First Light
• Forza Horizon 6
• Fire Emblem: The Weave of Fortune
• Onimusha: Way of the Sword
• LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
• Saros
• Nioh 3

Critics’ Choice Award:

Most searched game

• The Witcher 4 (WINNER) – 18% of the votes
• God of War Laufey
• Dark myth: Zhong Kui
• Intergalactic: the heretic prophet
• Fable
• Final Fantasy VII Reveal
• Kingdom Hearts IV
• Character 6
• The Expanse: Osiris Reborn
• Metro 2039
• Total War: Warhammer 40,000
• Stranger than paradise
• Tides of Annihilation
• Exodus
• Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis
• Resident Evil Véronique
• Extraterrestrial: Isolation 2
• No law
• Stuntman: Hollywood
• Ananta

Ultimate Game of the Year

• 007 First Light
• Great walk
• Resonant CONTROL
• Crimson Desert
• Shipping
• Forza Horizon 6
• Ghost Blade Zero
• Pokémon Pokopia
• PRAGMATA
• Resident Evil Requiem
• STAR WARS: Galactic Runner
• Blood of Dawnwalker

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