Expedition 33 Dominates at the 2025 Golden Joystick Ceremony
The 43rd yearly Golden Joystick Awards took place recently, and with a remarkable performance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 emerged as the biggest winner. This breakout role-playing game by Sandfall Interactive earned the coveted Game of the Year award, along with prizes for Outstanding Narrative and Top Visual Design.
Complementing the developer's achievements, the skilled performers also received personal awards. Jennifer English was named Outstanding Lead Performance for her role as Maelle, while Ben Starr won Best Supporting Performer for his work as Verso. Additionally, Sandfall Interactive itself was honored as Best Development Team. In total, Clair Obscur and its makers won seven awards during the ceremony.
Other standout winners featured Ghost of Yōtei, which received Top Sound Design and Console Game of the Year, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, winning Best Indie Game (Self-Published) and Best PC Game. Worth mentioning, the majority of Golden Joystick Awards are chosen by the public, with only four categories—Critics Choice, Rising Star, Lifetime Achievement, and Streamers' Favorite—decided by experts.
Following is the full list of award recipients from the Golden Joystick Awards 2025:
- Outstanding Narrative – 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 Self-Published Indie – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Independent Game – Blue Prince
- Best Development Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access – REPO
- Best Soundtrack – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Game Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Still Playing (Mobile) – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing - Consoles & PC – Minecraft
- Streamers' Pick – Peak
- Best Remake / Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough – Schedule I
- Best Gaming 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
- Top PC Title – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics’ Choice Award – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Anticipated – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Ultimate Game of the Year – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
If you who missed the full ceremony, the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards can be viewed via video here.
