Expedition 33 Dominates at the 2025's Golden Joystick Awards
The forty-third annual Golden Joystick Awards unfolded this past week, and with a remarkable show, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 emerged as the biggest winner. The breakout role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive earned the esteemed Ultimate Game of the Year award, along with accolades for Superb Storytelling and Excellence in Visuals.
Adding to the developer's success, its gifted cast also were honored with individual awards. Jennifer English received Top Lead Actor for her performance as Maelle, while Ben Starr took home Best Supporting Actor for his role as Verso. Moreover, Sandfall Interactive the studio was honored as Best Development Team. In total, Clair Obscur and its creative team collected 7 awards during the event.
Additional standout winners featured Ghost of Yōtei, which was awarded Outstanding Audio and Top Console Title, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, receiving Outstanding Independent Game and Best PC Game. Worth mentioning, the majority of Golden Joystick Awards are chosen by the gamers, with only four categories—Critics' Pick, Rising Star, Hall of Fame inductee, and Streamers’ Choice—decided by experts.
Below is the entire list of honorees from the Golden Joystick Awards 2025:
- Top Story – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Excellence in Sound – Ghost of Yōtei
- Top Multiplayer Title – Peak
- Best Visual Design – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Expansion – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Indie Game Self Published – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Indie Game – Blue Prince
- Best Development Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access – REPO
- Best Soundtrack – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Still Playing - Mobile – Pokémon Go
- Console/PC Game Still Played – Minecraft
- Streamer Favorite – Peak
- Best Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Rising Star Award – Schedule I
- Best Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Best 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 – 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
- Game of the Year – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
If you who missed the full show, the awards ceremony is available to watch through streaming here.
