Expedition 33 Triumphs at the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards
The 43rd yearly Golden Joystick Awards took place this past week, and with a remarkable show, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was crowned the top winner. This breakout role-playing game by Sandfall Interactive earned the esteemed Ultimate Game of the Year award, along with prizes for Best Storytelling and Top Visual Design.
Enhancing the studio's success, its talented actors also were honored with personal awards. Jennifer English won Outstanding Lead Performance for her performance as Maelle, while Ben Starr won Supporting Performance Award for his role as Verso. Moreover, Sandfall Interactive itself was named Studio of the Year. Overall, Clair Obscur and its developers achieved seven awards during the event.
Other notable winners included Ghost of Yōtei, which won Outstanding Audio and Best Console Game, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, honored with Best Indie Game (Self-Published) and Best PC Game. Notably, the majority of Golden Joystick Awards are voted on by the public, with only 4 awards—Critics' Pick, Breakthrough Award, Hall of Fame inductee, and Streamers' Favorite—determined by reviewers.
Below is the entire list of award recipients from the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards:
- Top Story – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Audio Design – Ghost of Yōtei
- Best Multiplayer Game – Peak
- Best Visual Design – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Expansion – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Self-Published Indie – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Independent Game – Blue Prince
- Top Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access Game – REPO
- Top Score – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Mobile Game Still Played – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing - Consoles & PC – Minecraft
- Streamers’ Choice – Peak
- Best Remake / Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Rising Star Award – Schedule I
- Best Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Best Game Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Best Supporting Actor – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Lead Actor – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Hall of Fame Inductee – The Sims
- Best PC Game – 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 missed out on the actual show, the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards can be watched online below.
