Expedition 33 Dominates at the 2025 Gaming Honors
The forty-third yearly Golden Joystick Awards were hosted on Thursday, and through an impressive performance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 emerged as the biggest winner. This standout role-playing game by Sandfall Interactive earned the coveted Ultimate Game of the Year award, along with prizes for Superb Storytelling and Best Visual Design.
Enhancing the studio's triumph, its gifted actors also garnered individual awards. Jennifer English won Best Lead Performer for her role as Maelle, while Ben Starr took home Supporting Performance Award for his acting as Verso. Additionally, Sandfall Interactive itself was honored as Studio of the Year. Overall, Clair Obscur and its developers achieved seven awards during the ceremony.
Other standout winners included Ghost of Yōtei, which was awarded Outstanding Audio and Top Console Title, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, receiving Best Indie Game (Self-Published) and PC Game of the Year. It is important to note, the lion's share of Golden Joystick Awards are voted on by the gamers, with only 4 awards—Critics Choice, Rising Star, Lifetime Achievement, and Streamers' Favorite—decided by experts.
Following is the complete list of honorees from the Golden Joystick Awards 2025:
- Outstanding Narrative – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Audio Design – Ghost of Yōtei
- Top Multiplayer Title – Peak
- Top Visual Design – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Game Expansion – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Indie Game Self Published – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Indie Game – Blue Prince
- Studio of the Year – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access Game – REPO
- Best Music – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Game Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Mobile Game Still Played – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing (Console/PC) – Minecraft
- Streamers’ Choice – Peak
- Best Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough – Schedule I
- Best Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Top Game Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Supporting Performance Award – 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
- Top Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics’ Choice Award – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Wanted Title – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Ultimate Game – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
For those who missed the live event, the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards is available to watch via video below.
