Expedition 33 Dominates at the 2025's Golden Joystick Awards
The 43rd yearly Golden Joystick Awards were hosted this past week, and through an impressive display, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 claimed the title of the top winner. The breakout role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive won the prestigious Top Game award, along with prizes for Outstanding Narrative and Best Visual Design.
Complementing the developer's achievements, the talented actors also garnered individual awards. Jennifer English was named Top Lead Actor for her performance as Maelle, while Ben Starr took home Supporting Performance Award for his work as Verso. Additionally, Sandfall Interactive itself was honored as Top Studio. Altogether, Clair Obscur and its developers achieved 7 awards throughout the ceremony.
Other notable winners featured Ghost of Yōtei, which was awarded Best Audio Design and Console Game of the Year, 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 selected by the audience, with only 4 special—Critics’ Choice, Breakthrough Award, Hall of Fame, and Streamers’ Choice—decided by reviewers.
Here is the full list of winners from the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards:
- Best Storytelling – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Excellence in Sound – Ghost of Yōtei
- Best Multiplayer – Peak
- Best Visuals – 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 Music – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Game Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Mobile Game Still Played – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing - Consoles & PC – Minecraft
- Streamers’ Choice – Peak
- Best Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough Award – Schedule I
- Best Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Best Game Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Supporting Performance Award – 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
- Top 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 actual event, the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards can be watched through streaming here.
