Expedition 33 Sweeps at the 2025 Golden Joystick Ceremony
The 43rd yearly Golden Joystick Awards took place recently, and through an impressive performance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was crowned the biggest winner. The breakout role-playing game by Sandfall Interactive won the esteemed Ultimate Game of the Year award, along with honors for Best Storytelling and Excellence in Visuals.
Complementing the studio's success, its skilled cast also garnered individual awards. Jennifer English received Outstanding Lead Performance for her role as Maelle, while Ben Starr earned Supporting Performance Award for his work as Verso. Additionally, Sandfall Interactive the studio received Best Development Team. Altogether, Clair Obscur and its creative team collected 7 awards during the event.
Other major winners featured Ghost of Yōtei, which won Outstanding Audio and Top Console Title, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, receiving Top Self-Published Indie and Premier PC Title. It is important to note, the lion's share of Golden Joystick Awards are chosen by the gamers, with only 4 special—Critics’ Choice, Breakthrough Award, Lifetime Achievement, and Streamers’ Choice—determined by reviewers.
Below is the entire list of winners from the Golden Joystick Awards 2025:
- Top Story – 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
- Best Indie Game – Blue Prince
- Top Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access Game – 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
- Streamers’ Choice – Peak
- Best Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough Award – Schedule I
- Best Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Best Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Supporting Performance Award – 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
- Top Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics’ Choice Award – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Anticipated – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Ultimate Game – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
If you who missed the actual ceremony, the Golden Joystick Awards 2025 can be watched via video here.
