Clair Obscur Dominates at the 2025's Golden Joystick Ceremony
The 43rd annual Golden Joystick Awards were hosted recently, and through an impressive performance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 claimed the title of the top winner. The surprise role-playing game by Sandfall Interactive earned the esteemed Ultimate Game of the Year award, along with prizes for Outstanding Narrative and Top Visual Design.
Complementing the developer's achievements, its talented actors also received individual awards. Jennifer English received Outstanding Lead Performance for her role as Maelle, while Ben Starr earned Supporting Performance Award for his role as Verso. Moreover, Sandfall Interactive itself received Best Development Team. Overall, Clair Obscur and its developers won seven awards during the ceremony.
Other notable winners included Ghost of Yōtei, which won Top Sound Design and Console Game of the Year, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, honored with Top Self-Published Indie and Best PC Game. Notably, the majority of Golden Joystick Awards are selected by the audience, with only four special—Critics' Pick, Breakthrough, Hall of Fame, and Streamers' Favorite—judged by experts.
Below is the entire list of award recipients from the 2025 gaming awards:
- Top Story – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top Audio – Ghost of Yōtei
- Top Multiplayer Title – Peak
- Top Visual Design – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Expansion – Lies of P: Overture
- Top Indie (Self-Published) – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Indie Title – Blue Prince
- Studio of the Year – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access Game – REPO
- Best Music – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Mobile Game Still Played – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing (Console/PC) – Minecraft
- Streamers' Pick – Peak
- Best Remake / Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough – Schedule I
- Best Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Best Game Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Best Supporting Performer – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Lead Performance Award – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Hall of Fame Inductee – The Sims
- Top PC Title – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics’ Choice Award – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Wanted Title – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Ultimate Game of the Year – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
If you who missed the actual event, the awards ceremony can be viewed online following this article.