Expedition 33 Dominates at the 2025's Golden Joystick Ceremony
The 43rd yearly Golden Joystick Awards unfolded recently, and in a stunning display, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 claimed the title of the top winner. This surprise role-playing game by Sandfall Interactive secured the prestigious Top Game award, along with honors for Best Storytelling and Top Visual Design.
Complementing the studio's triumph, the talented performers also were honored with personal awards. Jennifer English was named Outstanding Lead Performance for her performance as Maelle, while Ben Starr won Best Supporting Actor for his role as Verso. Furthermore, Sandfall Interactive itself was named Best Development Team. Altogether, Clair Obscur and its developers achieved seven awards during the ceremony.
Additional major winners featured Ghost of Yōtei, which was awarded Outstanding Audio and Top Console Title, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, receiving Top Self-Published Indie and PC Game of the Year. It is important to note, the lion's share of Golden Joystick Awards are selected by the audience, with only 4 awards—Critics Choice, Breakthrough, Hall of Fame, and Streamer Selection—determined by critics.
Below is the entire list of winners from the Golden Joystick Awards 2025:
- Top Story – 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
- Top Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access – REPO
- Top Score – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top Game Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Still Playing - Mobile – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing (Console/PC) – Minecraft
- Streamers' Pick – Peak
- Best Remake / Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough – Schedule I
- Best Gaming Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Top Game Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Best Supporting Actor – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Lead Performer – 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
For those who missed the full show, the awards ceremony can be watched through streaming following this article.
