Willa Rowe is a contributing author at Polygon, overlaying video games and leisure. She is a New York-based journalist and critic whose work has been featured in Kotaku, Digital Traits, the A.V. Membership, GamesRadar+, and extra. She additionally co-hosts the Lady Mode podcast.
The primary main award present of the 12 months is an early indicator for the GOTY race, however GTA 6’s imminent launch casts an enormous shadow
This 12 months’s gaming awards season kicks off in earnest at this time with the 44th annual Golden Joystick Awards. It is an particularly fascinating occasion given simply how up within the air 2026’s Game of the Year race has been. Not like 2025, which had a transparent frontrunner in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, this 12 months’s slate of video games has been filled with high quality titles, however nothing has singularly captured the general public’s curiosity in a approach that assures it can take residence awards. The Golden Joysticks may very well be an early indicator of what video games will rise to awards recognition, particularly at Geoff Keighley’s The Sport Awards in December.
There are two elephants within the room, nonetheless, with this 12 months’s Golden Joystick Awards. The primary is Grand Theft Auto 6. Rockstar Video games’ much-anticipated blockbuster will not be launched till Nov. 19, which means it is not in competitors at this specific awards present. GTA 6 will undoubtedly upend the awards panorama, so later reveals may look fully completely different than what we see at this time.
There may be additionally the Big Walk concern. Developer House House revealed this week that it used AI, particularly giant language fashions (LLMs), within the ultimate part of improvement. Whereas the studio says that below 0.1% of the sport’s code had something to do with generative AI instruments, this can possible be a hardline for a lot of that places the vital darling out of rivalry. As The Golden Joystick Awards closed voting on Nov. 5, voters weren’t conscious of this controversy, however Huge Stroll profitable awards could put a nasty style in some individuals’s mouths that could be mirrored in fewer accolades later this 12 months.
This is the entire listing of winners from The Golden Joystick Awards 2026, which we are going to replace because the present goes on.
Greatest Audio Design
- WINNER: Onimusha: Approach of the Sword
- Huge Stroll
- Marathon
- Rhythm Heaven Groove
- Saros
- Star Wars: Galactic Racer
Greatest Early Entry Sport
- WINNER: Subnautica 2
- Useless as Disco
- Menace
- skate.
- Slay the Spire 2
- Wardogs
Greatest Sport Adaptation
- Satan Could Cry (Season 2)
- Exit 8
- Fallout (Season 2)
- Iron Lung
- Mortal Kombat II
- Resident Evil
Greatest Sport Growth
- WINNER: Doom: The Darkish Ages | Revelations
- Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven
- Dave the Diver – Within the Jungle Content material Pack
- Quake: Daybreak of the Machine
- The Alters: Final Variable
- World of Warcraft: Midnight
Greatest Sport Trailer
- Battlefield 6 x Prime Gun: Service Strike Cinematic Trailer
- Huge Stroll – Launch Date Announcement
- Cairn – Launch Trailer
- Mouse: P.I. For Rent | Official Launch Trailer
- Show You are Human – Announcement Trailer
- Resident Evil Requiem – Evil Has All the time Had A Identify
Greatest Gaming {Hardware}
- WINNER: Steam Controller
- Logitech G PRO X2 SUPERSTRIKE
- Razer Viper V4 Professional
- Secretlab ATLAS
- Sony INZONE M10S II
- Turtle Seashore Stealth Professional II
Greatest Indie Sport
- WINNER: Valheim
- Huge Stroll
- Denshattack!
- Esoteric Ebb
- Mixtape
- Mouse: P.I. for Rent
- Order of the Sinking Star
- Reanimal
- Sovereign Tower
- Titanium Courtroom
Greatest Indie Sport – Self-published
- WINNER: Meccha Chameleon
- Cairn
- Fields of Mistria
- Mewgenics
- Mina the Hollower
- Excellent Tides: Station to Station
- Phonopolis
- Rhythm Physician
- The Incident at Galley Home
- Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors
Greatest Lead Performer
- Aaron Paul – Robert Robertson III, Dispatch
- Angela Sant’Albano – Grace Ashcroft, Resident Evil Requiem
- Anna Demetriou – Sophia, Resonance: A Plague Story Legacy
- Liam McIntyre – Wolverine, Marvel’s Wolverine
- Patrick Gibson – James Bond, 007 First Mild
- Will de Renzy-Martin – Coen, The Blood of Dawnwalker
Greatest Supporting Performer
- Frankie Kevich – Zoe de Vera, Management Resonant
- Grace Saif – Diana, Pragmata
- Lennie James – John Greenway, 007 First Mild
- Terry O’Quinn – Richard, Silent Hill: Townfall
- Troy Baker – Nathaniel Essex, Marvel’s Wolverine
- Vic Michaelis – Runa Blask, Star Wars Zero Firm
Greatest Multiplayer Sport
- WINNER: Meccha Chameleon
- ARC Raiders
- Huge Stroll
- Marathon
- Marvel Tōkon: Combating Souls
- Valheim
Greatest Remake / Remaster
- Murderer’s Creed Black Flag Resynced
- Gothic 1 Remake
- Metallic Gear Strong: Grasp Assortment Vol.2
- Star Fox
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered
- Trails within the Sky 2nd Chapter
Greatest Soundtrack
- WINNER: Dispatch
- 007 First Mild
- Crimson Desert
- Lumines Come up
- Mewgenics
- Mixtape
Greatest Storytelling
- WINNER: Dispatch
- 007 First Mild
- Fireplace Emblem: Fortune’s Weave
- Silent Hill: Townfall
- The Blood of Dawnwalker
- Zero Parades: For Useless Spies
Greatest Visible Design
- WINNER: Management Resonant
- Forza Horizon 6
- Orbitals
- Phonopolis
- Resonance: A Plague Story Legacy
- Saros
Most Wished Sport
- Alien: Isolation 2
- Ananta
- Black Fantasy: Zhong Kui
- Exodus
- Fable
- Ultimate Fantasy 7 Revelation
- God of Conflict Laufey
- Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
- Kingdom Hearts 4
- Metro 2039
- No Legislation
- Persona 6
- Resident Evil Veronica
- Stranger Than Heaven
- Stuntman: Hollywood
- The Expanse: Osiris Reborn
- The Witcher 4
- Tides of Annihilation
- Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis
- Complete Conflict:Warhammer 40,000
Nonetheless Taking part in – Cell
- WINNER: Balatro
- Genshin Influence
- Honkai: Star Rail
- Marvel Snap
- Monopoly Go!
- NTE: Neverness to Everness
- Previous College RuneScape
- Pokémon Go
- Roblox
- Sky: Youngsters of the Mild
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Cell
- Wuthering Waves
Nonetheless Taking part in – PC & Console
- WINNER: Minecraft
- Apex Legends
- Name of Responsibility: Warzone
- Fortnite
- GTA On-line
- Helldivers 2
- Hitman World of Assassination
- No Man’s Sky
- Palworld
- The Elder Scrolls On-line
- Warframe
- World of Warcraft
Studio of the Yr
- WINNER: Capcom
- Frogwares
- Home Home
- IO Interactive
- Nintendo EPD
- Sq. Enix
PC Sport of the Yr
- Huge Stroll
- Crimson Desert
- Escape from Tarkov
- Esoteric Ebb
- Meccha Chameleon
- Mewgenics
- Order of the Sinking Star
- Star Wars Zero Firm
- The Blood of Dawnwalker
- Valheim
Console Sport of the Yr
- 007 First Mild
- Fireplace Emblem: Fortune’s Weave
- Forza Horizon 6
- Lego Batman: Legacy of the Darkish Knight
- Nioh 3
- Onimusha: Approach of the Sword
- Pokémon Pokopia
- Pragmata
- Resident Evil Requiem
- Saros
Final Sport of the Yr
- 007 First Mild
- Huge Stroll
- Management Resonant
- Crimson Desert
- Dispatch
- Forza Horizon 6
- Phantom Blade Zero
- Pokémon Pokopia
- Pragmata
- Resident Evil Requiem
- Star Wars: Galactic Racer
- The Blood of Dawnwalker