Expedition 33 Dominates at the 2025 Golden Joystick Ceremony
The 43rd yearly Golden Joystick Awards unfolded on Thursday, and in a stunning show, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 claimed the title of the top winner. The standout role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive earned the esteemed Game of the Year award, along with prizes for Outstanding Narrative and Excellence in Visuals.
Complementing the studio's success, its talented cast also received individual awards. Jennifer English won Top Lead Actor for her performance as Maelle, while Ben Starr took home Best Supporting Performer for his acting as Verso. Moreover, Sandfall Interactive itself was honored as Top Studio. Altogether, Clair Obscur and its makers collected seven awards during the event.
Additional standout winners featured Ghost of Yōtei, which received Top Sound Design and Best Console Game, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, winning Best Indie Game (Self-Published) and Premier PC Title. Worth mentioning, the lion's share of Golden Joystick Awards are selected by the public, with only 4 categories—Critics’ Choice, Breakthrough Award, Lifetime Achievement, and Streamers' Favorite—decided by experts.
Following is the complete list of award recipients from the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards:
- Best Storytelling – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Excellence in Sound – Ghost of Yōtei
- Best Multiplayer Game – Peak
- Top Visual Design – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Expansion – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Self-Published Indie – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Indie Game – Blue Prince
- Best Development Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access – REPO
- Top Score – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Still Playing - Mobile – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing - Consoles & PC – Minecraft
- Streamers’ Choice – Peak
- Best Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Rising Star Award – Schedule I
- Best Gaming Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Top Game Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Best Supporting Actor – 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
- Top Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics' Choice – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Wanted Title – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Ultimate Game of the Year – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
For those missed out on the actual ceremony, the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards can be viewed via video here.
