Expedition 33 Sweeps at the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards
The forty-third annual Golden Joystick Awards unfolded on Thursday, and in a stunning performance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 claimed the title of the biggest winner. The breakout role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive earned the prestigious Ultimate Game of the Year award, along with honors for Outstanding Narrative and Top Visual Design.
Complementing the developer's success, the talented performers also were honored with individual awards. Jennifer English won Top Lead Actor for her performance as Maelle, while Ben Starr won Supporting Performance Award for his acting as Verso. Additionally, Sandfall Interactive the studio was honored as Best Development Team. In total, Clair Obscur and its makers won 7 awards throughout the ceremony.
Additional standout winners featured Ghost of Yōtei, which received Outstanding Audio and Top Console Title, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, honored with Best Indie Game (Self-Published) and Best PC Game. Notably, the lion's share of Golden Joystick Awards are voted on by the audience, with only 4 awards—Critics’ Choice, Rising Star, Hall of Fame, and Streamers' Favorite—decided by critics.
Below is the entire list of award recipients from the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards:
- Outstanding Narrative – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top Audio – Ghost of Yōtei
- Best Multiplayer Game – Peak
- Best Visuals – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Expansion – Lies of P: Overture
- Top Indie (Self-Published) – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Independent Game – Blue Prince
- Best Development Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Top Early Access Title – 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’ Choice – Peak
- Best Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough Award – Schedule I
- Best Gaming Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Best Game Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Best Supporting Actor – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Lead Performance Award – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Hall of Fame Inductee – 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 – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
If you who missed the live show, the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards is available to watch through streaming here.
