Clair Obscur Dominates at the 2025 Golden Joystick Ceremony
The 43rd yearly Golden Joystick Awards took place on Thursday, and in a stunning display, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 emerged as the biggest winner. The surprise role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive earned the coveted Game of the Year award, along with honors for Best Storytelling and Best Visual Design.
Complementing the developer's success, its talented performers also were honored with individual awards. Jennifer English won Outstanding Lead Performance for her role as Maelle, while Ben Starr took home Best Supporting Actor for his role as Verso. Additionally, Sandfall Interactive the studio was named Best Development Team. In total, Clair Obscur and its makers won 7 awards throughout the ceremony.
Additional standout winners included Ghost of Yōtei, which was awarded Top Sound Design and Console Game of the Year, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, honored with Outstanding Independent Game and PC Game of the Year. Worth mentioning, the bulk of Golden Joystick Awards are chosen by the audience, with only four awards—Critics' Pick, Breakthrough, Lifetime Achievement, and Streamer Selection—decided by reviewers.
Here is the full list of honorees from the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards:
- Outstanding Narrative – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top Audio – Ghost of Yōtei
- Top Multiplayer Title – Peak
- Best Visuals – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top DLC – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Self-Published Indie – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Indie Game – Blue Prince
- Best Development Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access – REPO
- Best Music – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Still Playing (Mobile) – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing (Console/PC) – Minecraft
- Streamer Favorite – Peak
- Top Remake – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Rising Star Award – Schedule I
- Top Gaming Gear – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Top 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 Inductee – The Sims
- Best PC Game – 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 actual show, the awards ceremony can be viewed online below.
