Expedition 33 Dominates at the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards
The forty-third annual Golden Joystick Awards took place on Thursday, and through an impressive show, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 emerged as the biggest winner. The surprise role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive secured the esteemed Top Game award, along with honors for Superb Storytelling and Excellence in Visuals.
Enhancing the studio's triumph, the talented performers also were honored with personal awards. Jennifer English received Outstanding Lead Performance for her portrayal as Maelle, while Ben Starr won Best Supporting Performer for his acting as Verso. Moreover, Sandfall Interactive the studio was honored as Top Studio. Overall, Clair Obscur and its creative team won 7 awards throughout the event.
Additional major winners featured Ghost of Yōtei, which won Top Sound Design and Best Console Game, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, honored with Top Self-Published Indie and Best PC Game. Notably, the bulk of Golden Joystick Awards are selected by the gamers, with only 4 awards—Critics' Pick, Rising Star, Hall of Fame inductee, and Streamers' Favorite—judged by experts.
Following is the full list of honorees from the Golden Joystick Awards 2025:
- Top Story – 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
- Best Self-Published Indie – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Independent Game – Blue Prince
- Best Development Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access Game – REPO
- Best Soundtrack – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Mobile Game Still Played – Pokémon Go
- Console/PC Game Still Played – Minecraft
- Streamer Favorite – Peak
- Top Remake – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough – Schedule I
- Best Gaming Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Best Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Best Supporting Performer – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Lead Performance Award – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Hall of Fame Inductee – The Sims
- PC Game of the Year – 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
For those missed out on the live ceremony, the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards can be viewed online following this article.