Expedition 33 Dominates at the 2025's Golden Joystick Ceremony
The forty-third annual Golden Joystick Awards unfolded this past week, and through an impressive display, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 emerged as the top winner. The breakout role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive earned the prestigious Game of the Year award, along with prizes for Superb Storytelling and Excellence in Visuals.
Enhancing the studio's success, the skilled actors also received personal awards. Jennifer English received Best Lead Performer for her performance as Maelle, while Ben Starr took home Best Supporting Performer for his work as Verso. Furthermore, Sandfall Interactive itself was named Top Studio. In total, Clair Obscur and its makers won 7 awards during the show.
Additional standout winners included Ghost of Yōtei, which received Outstanding Audio and Best Console Game, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, winning Outstanding Independent Game and Best PC Game. It is important to note, the lion's share of Golden Joystick Awards are voted on by the public, with only four categories—Critics' Pick, Rising Star, Hall of Fame inductee, and Streamers’ Choice—decided by experts.
Here is the entire list of award recipients from the 2025 gaming awards:
- Outstanding Narrative – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top Audio – Ghost of Yōtei
- Best Multiplayer Game – Peak
- Top Visual Design – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top DLC – Lies of P: Overture
- Top Indie (Self-Published) – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Independent Game – Blue Prince
- Top Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access Game – REPO
- Best Soundtrack – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Game Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Still Playing (Mobile) – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing (Console/PC) – Minecraft
- Streamers' Pick – Peak
- Top Remake – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough – Schedule I
- Best 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
- Best Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics Pick – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Wanted Game – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Ultimate Game – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
If you missed out on the full event, the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards can be viewed through streaming here.
