Golden Joystick Awards 2026—All Award Nominees

The nominees for the 2026 Golden Joystick Awards have been announced. Held in London each year, the annual show highlights the best of the best in the world of video games. This year’s event features over two dozen awards, with 22 of them being voted on by the general public.

Through October 23, fans were able to vote on the awards for their favorite games and performers. Following that, voting for the Ultimate Game of the Year ran until October 30, while three more awards—Streamers’ Choice, Breakthrough, and Critics’ Choice—will be chosen by a panel and announced at the show.

You can check out the full list of nominees for the 44th Annual Golden Joystick Awards below, courtesy of Future Media. If you’d like, you can jump to a specific category as well.

2026 Golden Joystick Award Categories

Let us know what games you feel deserve recognition down in the comments below and join the official Insider Gaming Discord server. The 2026 Golden Joystick Awards will air on Wednesday, November 11, and Insider Gaming will have full coverage of each winner when the time comes.

Golden Joystick Awards 2026 Nominees

Ultimate Game of the Year

007 First Light
Big Walk
CONTROL Resonant
Crimson Desert
Dispatch
Forza Horizon 6
Phantom Blade Zero
Pokémon Pokopia
PRAGMATA
Resident Evil Requiem
STAR WARS: Galactic Racer
The Blood of Dawnwalker

Best Early Access Game

Slay the Spire 2
Subnautica 2
Dead as Disco
Wardogs
Menace
skate.

Best Visual Design

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
Forza Horizon 6
Saros
Phonopolis
Control Resonant
Orbitals

Best Multiplayer Game

Big Walk
Valheim
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls
Marathon
ARC Raiders
Meccha Chameleon

Still Playing (mobile)

Genshin Impact
Honkai: Star Rail
Marvel Snap
Pokémon Go
Wuthering Waves
Monopoly Go!
Old School RuneScape
NTE: Neverness to Everness
Sky: Children of the Light
Roblox
Balatro
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Mobile

Still Playing (PC & console)

No Man’s Sky
Helldivers 2
Minecraft
Fortnite
The Elder Scrolls Online
Warframe
GTA Online
Hitman World of Assassination
Apex Legends
World of Warcraft
Palworld
Call of Duty: Warzone

Best Game Expansion

Doom: The Dark Ages | Revelations
World of Warcraft: Midnight
Dave the Diver – In the Jungle Content Pack
Quake: Dawn of the Machine
The Alters: Last Variable
Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven

Most Wanted Game

The Witcher 4
God of War Laufey
Black Myth: Zhong Kui
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
Fable
Final Fantasy VII Revelation
Kingdom Hearts IV
Persona 6
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn
Metro 2039
Total War: Warhammer 40,000
Stranger Than Heaven
Tides of Annihilation
Exodus
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis
Resident Evil Veronica
Alien: Isolation 2
No Law
Stuntman: Hollywood
Ananta

PC Game of the Year

Big Walk
Escape from Tarkov
Valheim
Star Wars Zero Company
The Blood of Dawnwalker
Esoteric Ebb
Mewgenics
Meccha Chameleon
Crimson Desert
Order of the Sinking Star

Console Game of the Year

Resident Evil Requiem
Pragmata
Pokémon Pokopia
007 First Light
Forza Horizon 6
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
Saros
Nioh 3

Best Indie Game

Big Walk
Valheim
Order of the Sinking Star
Titanium Court
Mixtape
Denshattack!
Esoteric Ebb
Mouse: P.I. For Hire
Reanimal
Sovereign Tower

Best Indie Game – self-published

Mewgenics
Mina the Hollower
Perfect Tides: Station to Station
Phonopolis
The Incident at Galley House
Meccha Chameleon
Rhythm Doctor
Fields of Mistria
Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors
Cairn

Best Game Adaptation

Fallout (Season 2)
Iron Lung
Resident Evil
Exit 8
Mortal Kombat II
Devil May Cry (Season 2)

Best Remake/Remaster

Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter
Gothic 1 Remake
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.2
Star Fox

Best Game Trailer

Big Walk – Release Date Announcement
Resident Evil Requiem – Evil Has Always Had A Name
Mouse: P.I. For Hire | Official Launch Trailer
Prove You’re Human – Announcement Trailer
Cairn – Launch Trailer
Battlefield 6 x Top Gun: Carrier Strike Cinematic Trailer

Best Supporting Performer

Troy Baker – Nathaniel Essex in Marvel’s Wolverine
Vic Michaelis – Runa Blask in Star Wars Zero Company
Lennie James – John Greenway in 007 First Light
Terry O’Quinn – Richard in Silent Hill: Townfall
Frankie Kevich – Zoe de Vera in Control Resonant
Grace Saif – Diana in Pragmata

Best Lead Performer

Liam McIntyre – Wolverine in Marvel’s Wolverine
Patrick Gibson – James Bond in 007 First Light
Aaron Paul – Robert Robertson III in Dispatch
Angela Sant’Albano – Grace Ashcroft in Resident Evil Requiem
Will de Renzy-Martin – Coen in The Blood of Dawnwalker
Anna Demetriou – Sophia in Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy

Best Soundtrack

Lumines Arise
Mewgenics
Mixtape
Crimson Desert
Dispatch
007 First Light

Best Storytelling

007 First Light
The Blood of Dawnwalker
Dispatch
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies
Silent Hill: Townfall
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave

Best Audio Design

Rhythm Heaven Groove
Big Walk
Saros
Marathon
Star Wars: Galactic Racer
Onimusha: Way of the Sword

Best Gaming Hardware

Sony INZONE M10S II
Steam Controller
Secretlab ATLAS
Logitech G PRO X2 SUPERSTRIKE
Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II
Razer Viper V4 Pro

Studio of the Year

Capcom
House House
IO Interactive
Nintendo EPD
Frogwares
Square Enix

Written by

Mike Straw

Executive Editor

Mike has been covering the gaming industry since 2012, and has reported on some of the largest events in the industry while also working as an investigative reporter. Outside of…

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