Expedition 33 Sweeps at the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards
The 43rd annual Golden Joystick Awards unfolded this past week, and through an impressive show, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was crowned the biggest winner. The breakout role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive secured the prestigious Ultimate Game of the Year award, along with honors for Best Storytelling and Best Visual Design.
Complementing the developer's achievements, the talented actors also received personal awards. Jennifer English was named Outstanding Lead Performance for her performance as Maelle, while Ben Starr won Best Supporting Actor for his work as Verso. Furthermore, Sandfall Interactive the studio was honored as Top Studio. Overall, Clair Obscur and its creative team won seven awards during the ceremony.
Other notable winners included Ghost of Yōtei, which received Top Sound Design and Top Console Title, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, honored with Top Self-Published Indie and Premier PC Title. Notably, the majority of Golden Joystick Awards are voted on by the public, with only 4 categories—Critics’ Choice, Rising Star, Hall of Fame, and Streamer Selection—determined by critics.
Below is the entire list of winners from the 2025 gaming awards:
- Outstanding Narrative – 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
- Top Indie (Self-Published) – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Indie Title – Blue Prince
- Best Development Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Top Early Access Title – REPO
- Top Score – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top Game Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Mobile Game Still Played – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing (Console/PC) – Minecraft
- Streamers’ Choice – Peak
- Top Remake – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Rising Star Award – Schedule I
- Best Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Top Game Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Supporting Performance Award – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Lead Performance Award – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Hall of Fame – The Sims
- PC Game of the Year – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics' Choice – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Anticipated – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Game of the Year – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
For those who missed the live ceremony, the awards ceremony can be watched through streaming following this article.
