Expedition 33 Dominates at the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards
The 43rd yearly Golden Joystick Awards were hosted recently, and through an impressive performance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 emerged as the biggest winner. The standout role-playing game by Sandfall Interactive won the coveted Ultimate Game of the Year award, along with prizes for Superb Storytelling and Excellence in Visuals.
Adding to the developer's achievements, its talented performers also were honored with individual awards. Jennifer English was named Best Lead Performer for her role as Maelle, while Ben Starr earned Supporting Performance Award for his role as Verso. Moreover, Sandfall Interactive itself received Top Studio. Altogether, Clair Obscur and its makers collected 7 awards during the show.
Additional notable winners included Ghost of Yōtei, which received Outstanding Audio and Best Console Game, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, winning Top Self-Published Indie and Premier PC Title. Worth mentioning, the lion's share of Golden Joystick Awards are voted on by the gamers, with only 4 categories—Critics' Pick, Breakthrough, Lifetime Achievement, and Streamers' Favorite—judged by reviewers.
Here is the full list of award recipients from the Golden Joystick Awards 2025:
- Outstanding Narrative – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Audio Design – Ghost of Yōtei
- Top Multiplayer Title – Peak
- Best Visual Design – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top DLC – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Indie Game Self Published – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Indie Title – Blue Prince
- Best Development Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access Game – REPO
- Top Score – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Still Playing (Mobile) – Pokémon Go
- Console/PC Game Still Played – Minecraft
- Streamers' Pick – Peak
- Top Remake – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Rising Star Award – Schedule I
- Best Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Best Game Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Best Supporting Performer – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Lead Actor – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Lifetime Achievement – The Sims
- Best PC Game – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics’ Choice Award – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Anticipated – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Ultimate Game – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
If you who missed the actual event, the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards can be viewed via video here.
