Expedition 33 Dominates at the 2025's Gaming Honors
The forty-third yearly Golden Joystick Awards were hosted this past week, and in a stunning display, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 emerged as the biggest winner. This surprise role-playing game by Sandfall Interactive earned the coveted Game of the Year award, along with honors for Best Storytelling and Excellence in Visuals.
Enhancing the studio's achievements, its skilled actors also received individual awards. Jennifer English was named Top Lead Actor for her portrayal as Maelle, while Ben Starr took home Supporting Performance Award for his work as Verso. Moreover, Sandfall Interactive the studio was named Best Development Team. Altogether, Clair Obscur and its makers achieved seven awards during the event.
Additional standout winners included Ghost of Yōtei, which won Top Sound Design and Top Console Title, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, honored with Best Indie Game (Self-Published) and PC Game of the Year. It is important to note, the bulk of Golden Joystick Awards are selected by the public, with only four categories—Critics’ Choice, Breakthrough Award, Lifetime Achievement, and Streamers’ Choice—decided by reviewers.
Below is the complete list of honorees from the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards:
- Top Story – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top Audio – Ghost of Yōtei
- Best Multiplayer Game – Peak
- Best Visuals – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Expansion – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Indie Game Self Published – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Indie Title – Blue Prince
- Top Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Top Early Access Title – REPO
- Best Soundtrack – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Game Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Mobile Game Still Played – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing (Console/PC) – Minecraft
- Streamer Favorite – Peak
- Best Remake / Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough 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 Performer – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Hall of Fame Inductee – The Sims
- PC Game of the Year – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics’ Choice Award – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Anticipated – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Ultimate Game of the Year – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
For those who missed the actual event, the awards ceremony is available to watch via video following this article.
