Expedition 33 Sweeps at the 2025 Golden Joystick Ceremony
The forty-third yearly Golden Joystick Awards took place this past week, and in a stunning show, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 emerged as the top winner. The standout role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive secured the coveted Game of the Year award, along with accolades for Outstanding Narrative and Best Visual Design.
Adding to the developer's success, the gifted cast also received individual awards. Jennifer English was named Outstanding Lead Performance for her role as Maelle, while Ben Starr won Best Supporting Actor for his acting as Verso. Furthermore, Sandfall Interactive itself was honored as Top Studio. Overall, Clair Obscur and its creative team achieved 7 awards throughout the ceremony.
Additional notable winners featured Ghost of Yōtei, which was awarded Outstanding Audio and Best Console Game, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, honored with Best Indie Game (Self-Published) and Best PC Game. Notably, the bulk of Golden Joystick Awards are selected by the public, with only 4 categories—Critics Choice, Rising Star, Lifetime Achievement, and Streamers' Favorite—judged by experts.
Below is the entire list of award recipients from the 2025 gaming awards:
- Best Storytelling – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Excellence in Sound – Ghost of Yōtei
- Best Multiplayer Game – Peak
- Best Visual Design – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Expansion – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Self-Published Indie – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Indie Title – Blue Prince
- Top Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Top Early Access Title – REPO
- Best Soundtrack – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Still Playing (Mobile) – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing (Console/PC) – Minecraft
- Streamers’ Choice – Peak
- Top Remake – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Rising Star Award – Schedule I
- Best Gaming Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Best Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Supporting Performance Award – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Lead Performer – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Hall of Fame – The Sims
- Best PC Game – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics' Choice – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Anticipated – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Ultimate Game – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
For those missed out on the live event, the Golden Joystick Awards 2025 can be viewed online below.
