Expedition 33 Triumphs at the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards
The 43rd annual Golden Joystick Awards took place on Thursday, and with a remarkable show, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was crowned the top winner. This standout role-playing game by Sandfall Interactive earned the coveted Top Game award, along with honors for Best Storytelling and Top Visual Design.
Complementing the studio's achievements, its skilled cast also garnered personal awards. Jennifer English won Best Lead Performer for her portrayal as Maelle, while Ben Starr won Best Supporting Actor for his role as Verso. Moreover, Sandfall Interactive itself was honored as Studio of the Year. Overall, Clair Obscur and its creative team won seven awards during the event.
Other major winners included Ghost of Yōtei, which was awarded Outstanding Audio and Best Console Game, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, winning Top Self-Published Indie and PC Game of the Year. Notably, the bulk of Golden Joystick Awards are selected by the gamers, with only four awards—Critics' Pick, Breakthrough, Hall of Fame inductee, and Streamers' Favorite—determined by experts.
Below is the complete list of honorees from the 2025 gaming awards:
- Outstanding Narrative – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Audio Design – Ghost of Yōtei
- Top Multiplayer Title – Peak
- Top Visual Design – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top DLC – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Self-Published Indie – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Independent Game – Blue Prince
- Best Development Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access Game – REPO
- Best Soundtrack – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Game Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Still Playing (Mobile) – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing (Console/PC) – Minecraft
- Streamers' Pick – Peak
- Best Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Rising Star Award – Schedule I
- Best Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Best Game Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Supporting Performance Award – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Lead Actor – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Lifetime Achievement – The Sims
- Best PC Game – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics Pick – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Anticipated – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Ultimate Game of the Year – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
For those missed out on the actual ceremony, the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards can be watched through streaming following this article.
