Clair Obscur Dominates at the 2025 Golden Joystick Ceremony
The 43rd annual Golden Joystick Awards were hosted this past week, and with a remarkable performance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 emerged as the top winner. The breakout role-playing game by Sandfall Interactive secured the esteemed Game of the Year award, along with honors for Best Storytelling and Top Visual Design.
Complementing the developer's triumph, its skilled performers also were honored with personal awards. Jennifer English received Best Lead Performer for her portrayal as Maelle, while Ben Starr took home Supporting Performance Award for his role as Verso. Moreover, Sandfall Interactive itself was named Best Development Team. Altogether, Clair Obscur and its makers collected 7 awards throughout the ceremony.
Other major winners featured Ghost of Yōtei, which received Best Audio Design and Console Game of the Year, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, winning Best Indie Game (Self-Published) and PC Game of the Year. Worth mentioning, the majority of Golden Joystick Awards are voted on by the audience, with only four awards—Critics Choice, Breakthrough Award, Hall of Fame inductee, and Streamers' Favorite—judged by critics.
Below is the complete list of winners from the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards:
- Outstanding Narrative – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Audio Design – Ghost of Yōtei
- Best Multiplayer Game – Peak
- Best Visual Design – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Expansion – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Indie Game Self Published – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Independent Game – Blue Prince
- Best Development Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Top Early Access Title – REPO
- Top Score – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Still Playing - Mobile – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing - Consoles & PC – Minecraft
- Streamers’ Choice – Peak
- Top Remake – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough – Schedule I
- Best Gaming Hardware – 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 – The Sims
- PC Game of the Year – 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
For those missed out on the full ceremony, the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards can be viewed online following this article.
