Expedition 33 Dominates at the 2025's Golden Joystick Ceremony
The forty-third yearly Golden Joystick Awards were hosted this past week, and through an impressive performance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 claimed the title of the biggest winner. This surprise role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive secured the prestigious Top Game award, along with prizes for Best Storytelling and Top Visual Design.
Enhancing the studio's achievements, its talented actors also were honored with individual awards. Jennifer English received Outstanding Lead Performance for her role as Maelle, while Ben Starr won Best Supporting Actor for his work as Verso. Moreover, Sandfall Interactive the studio received Top Studio. Altogether, Clair Obscur and its developers won 7 awards during the event.
Other major winners included Ghost of Yōtei, which received Outstanding Audio and Console Game of the Year, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, receiving Best Indie Game (Self-Published) and Best PC Game. Notably, the majority of Golden Joystick Awards are selected by the audience, with only 4 special—Critics Choice, Rising Star, Hall of Fame inductee, and Streamers’ Choice—determined by critics.
Here is the complete list of award recipients from the 2025 gaming awards:
- Outstanding Narrative – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Excellence in Sound – Ghost of Yōtei
- Best Multiplayer – Peak
- Top Visual Design – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Expansion – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Indie Game Self Published – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Indie Title – Blue Prince
- Studio of the Year – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access Game – REPO
- Best Music – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top Game Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Mobile Game Still Played – Pokémon Go
- Console/PC Game Still Played – Minecraft
- Streamer Favorite – Peak
- Top Remake – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough Award – Schedule I
- Best Gaming Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Top Game Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Supporting Performance Award – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Lead Actor – 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 – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Anticipated – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Game of the Year – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
If you missed out on the full event, the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards is available to watch online below.
