Clair Obscur Dominates at the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards
The 43rd yearly Golden Joystick Awards unfolded recently, and through an impressive performance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was crowned the top winner. The surprise role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive earned the coveted Top Game award, along with prizes for Outstanding Narrative and Best Visual Design.
Complementing the developer's success, the skilled performers also received individual awards. Jennifer English won Best Lead Performer for her role as Maelle, while Ben Starr took home Supporting Performance Award for his work as Verso. Furthermore, Sandfall Interactive the studio was named Best Development Team. Overall, Clair Obscur and its makers collected seven awards throughout the ceremony.
Other major winners included Ghost of Yōtei, which won Top Sound Design and Top Console Title, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, honored with Outstanding Independent Game and PC Game of the Year. Worth mentioning, the bulk of Golden Joystick Awards are chosen by the gamers, with only 4 categories—Critics' Pick, Breakthrough, Hall of Fame, and Streamers’ Choice—judged by reviewers.
Following is the entire list of award recipients from the 2025 gaming awards:
- Top Story – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Audio Design – Ghost of Yōtei
- Top Multiplayer Title – Peak
- Best Visuals – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top DLC – Lies of P: Overture
- Top Indie (Self-Published) – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Independent Game – Blue Prince
- Studio of the Year – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access – REPO
- Top Score – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Game Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Still Playing (Mobile) – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing (Console/PC) – Minecraft
- Streamers' Pick – Peak
- Best Remake / Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Rising Star Award – Schedule I
- Best Gaming Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Best Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Best Supporting Actor – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Lead Performer – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Lifetime Achievement – The Sims
- Best PC Game – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Console Game of the Year – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics Pick – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Wanted Game – Grand Theft Auto 6
- 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.
