Clair Obscur Sweeps at the 2025's Golden Joystick Ceremony
The forty-third yearly Golden Joystick Awards unfolded on Thursday, and through an impressive display, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 claimed the title of the top winner. This surprise role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive earned the prestigious Game of the Year award, along with accolades for Outstanding Narrative and Excellence in Visuals.
Adding to the developer's triumph, its skilled actors also were honored with individual awards. Jennifer English received Outstanding Lead Performance for her performance as Maelle, while Ben Starr took home Best Supporting Performer for his role as Verso. Furthermore, Sandfall Interactive itself was named Best Development Team. In total, Clair Obscur and its developers won 7 awards during the show.
Additional notable winners included Ghost of Yōtei, which received Top Sound Design and Best Console Game, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, honored with Top Self-Published Indie and Best PC Game. Notably, the bulk of Golden Joystick Awards are chosen by the public, with only 4 awards—Critics’ Choice, Breakthrough Award, Hall of Fame inductee, and Streamers' Favorite—determined by experts.
Here is the complete list of award recipients from the Golden Joystick Awards 2025:
- 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
- Best Indie Game Self Published – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Indie Game – Blue Prince
- Studio of the Year – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access Game – REPO
- Best Music – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Still Playing - Mobile – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing - Consoles & PC – Minecraft
- Streamers’ Choice – Peak
- Best Remake / Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough Award – Schedule I
- Best Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Top 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 – The Sims
- Top PC Title – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics Pick – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Wanted Game – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Ultimate Game of the Year – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
If you missed out on the actual show, the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards can be viewed online following this article.
