Expedition 33 Dominates at the 2025 Gaming Honors
The forty-third yearly Golden Joystick Awards took place on Thursday, and with a remarkable show, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 emerged as the most decorated winner. This standout role-playing game by Sandfall Interactive won the coveted Game of the Year award, along with accolades for Best Storytelling and Best Visual Design.
Adding to the studio's triumph, its skilled cast also were honored with individual awards. Jennifer English won Top Lead Actor for her performance as Maelle, while Ben Starr won Best Supporting Performer for his role as Verso. Additionally, Sandfall Interactive itself was honored as Top Studio. Overall, Clair Obscur and its creative team achieved seven awards during the event.
Other major winners featured Ghost of Yōtei, which won Best Audio Design and Console Game of the Year, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, honored with Top Self-Published Indie and Premier PC Title. Notably, the bulk of Golden Joystick Awards are chosen by the gamers, with only 4 categories—Critics' Pick, Rising Star, Hall of Fame inductee, and Streamers’ Choice—determined by critics.
Below is the full list of award recipients from the Golden Joystick Awards 2025:
- Outstanding Narrative – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Audio Design – Ghost of Yōtei
- Best Multiplayer – Peak
- Top Visual Design – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Expansion – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Indie Game Self Published – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Indie Title – Blue Prince
- Best Development Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access Game – REPO
- Top Score – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top Game Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Still Playing (Mobile) – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing - Consoles & PC – Minecraft
- Streamers' Pick – Peak
- Best Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough 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
- PC Game of the Year – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Console Game of the Year – 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
For those who missed the full show, the awards ceremony is available to watch through streaming following this article.