The Golden Joystick Awards 2026 LIVE: All the winners and results

How can I watch The Golden Joystick Awards 2026?

The Golden Joystick Awards 2026 ceremony will be streamed live on Gamesradar's YouTube channel, with that video embedded above.

The countdown to the stream has started and will begin the moment the ceremony gets underway, at 6pm GMT (1pm ET / 10am PT).

What time does The Golden Joystick Awards 2026 start?

The Golden Joystick Awards 2026 starts at 6pm GMT (1pm ET / 10am PT) on Wednesday (11 November).

The ceremony is expected to last around two hours.

Who is hosting The Golden Joystick Awards 2026?

Alix Wilton Regan is hosting The Golden Joystick Awards 2026. She is the new Lara Croft in gaming, voicing the iconic character in the upcoming Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis and Tomb Raider: Catalyst titles.

She said: "I'm absolutely thrilled to be your host for this year's Golden Joystick Awards.

"We're celebrating the greatest games of the past 12 months - and, more importantly, the incredibly talented teams who made them happen.

"The people who put in thousands of hours creating virtual worlds for us to get hopelessly lost in.

"Get ready for an evening of special guests, spectacular games and plenty of silly jokes."

Ultimate Game of the Year nominees

• 007 First Light
• Big Walk
• Control Resonant
• Crimson Desert
• Dispatch
• Forza Horizon 6
• Phantom Blade Zero
• Pokemon Pokopia
• Pragmata
• Resident Evil Requiem
• Star Wars: Galactic Racer
• The Blood of Dawnwalker

Console Game of the Year nominees

• 007 First Light
• Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave
• Forza Horizon 6
• Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
• Nioh 3
• Onimusha: Way of the Sword
• Pokemon Pokopia
• Pragmata
• Resident Evil Requiem
• SAROS

PC Game of the Year nominees

• Big Walk
• Crimson Desert
• Escape from Tarkov
• Esoteric Ebb
• Meccha Chameleon
• Mewgenics
• Order of the Sinking Star
• Star Wars Zero Company
• The Blood of Dawnwalker
• Valheim

Studio of the Year nominees

• Capcom
• Frogwares
• House House
• IO Interactive
• Nintendo EPD
• Square Enix

Still Playing - PC & Console nominees

• Apex Legends
• Fortnite
• GTA Online
• Helldivers 2
• Hitman World of Assassination
• Minecraft
• No Man's Sky
• Palworld
• The Elder Scrolls Online
• Warframe
• World of Warcraft
• Call of Duty: Warzone

Still Playing - Mobile nominees

• Balatro
• Genshin Impact
• Honkai: Star Rail
• Marvel Snap
• Monopoly Go!
• NTE: Neverness to Everness
• Old School RuneScape
• Pokemon Go
• Roblox
• Sky: Children of the Light
• Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Mobile
• Wuthering Waves

Most Wanted Game nominees

• Alien: Isolation 2
• Ananta
• Black Myth: Zhong Kui
• Exodus
• Fable
• Final Fantasy VII Revelation
• God of War Laufey
• Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
• Kingdom Hearts IV
• Metro 2039
• No Law
• Persona 6
• Resident Evil Veronica
• Stranger Than Heaven
• Stuntman: Hollywood
• The Expanse: Osiris Reborn
• The Witcher 4
• Tides of Annihilation
• Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis
• Total War: Warhammer 40,000

Best Visual Design nominees

• Control Resonant
• Forza Horizon 6
• Orbitals
• Phonopolis
• Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
• Saros

Best Storytelling nominees

• 007 First Light
• Dispatch
• Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave
• Silent Hill: Townfall
• The Blood of Dawnwalker
• Zero Parades: For Dead Spies

Best Soundtrack nominees

• 007 First Light
• Crimson Desert
• Dispatch
• Lumines Arise
• Mewgenics
• Mixtape

Best Remake / Remaster nominees

• Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
• Gothic 1 Remake
• Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol 2
• Star Fox
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Remastered
• Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter

Best Multiplayer Game nominees

• ARC Raiders
• Big Walk
• Marathon
• Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls
• Meccha Chameleon
• Valheim

Best Supporting Performer nominees

• Frankie Kevich - Zoe de Vera, Control Resonant
• Grace Saif - Diana, Pragmata
• Lennie James - John Greenway, 007 First Light
• Terry O'Quinn - Richard, Silent Hill: Townfall
• Troy Baker - Nathaniel Essex, Marvel's Wolverine
• Vic Michaelis - Runa Blask, Star Wars Zero Company

Best Lead Performer nominees

• Aaron Paul - Robert Robertson III, Dispatch
• Angela Sant'Albano - Grace Ashcroft, Resident Evil Requiem
• Anna Demetriou - Sophia, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
• Liam McIntyre - Wolverine, Marvel's Wolverine
• Patrick Gibson - James Bond, 007 First Light
• Will de Renzy-Martin - Coen, The Blood of Dawnwalker

Best Indie Game - Self Published nominees

• Cairn
• Fields of Mistria
• Meccha Chameleon
• Mewgenics
• Mina the Hollower
• Perfect Tides: Station to Station
• Phonopolis
• Rhythm Doctor
• The Incident at Galley House
• Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors

Best Indie Game nominees

• Big Walk
• Denshattack!
• Esoteric Ebb
• Mixtape
• Mouse: PI for Hire
• Order of the Sinking Star
• Reanimal
• Sovereign Tower
• Titanium Court
• Valheim

Best Gaming Hardware nominees

• Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike
• Razer Viper V4 Pro
• Secretlab Atlas
• Sony Inzone M10S II
• Steam Controller
• Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II

Best Game Trailer nominees

• Battlefield 6 x Top Gun: Carrier Strike Cinematic Trailer
• Big Walk - Release Date Announcement
• Cairn - Launch Trailer
• Mouse: PI for Hire - Official Launch Trailer
• Prove You're Human - Announcement Trailer
• Resident Evil Requiem - Evil Has Always Had A Name

Best Game Expansion nominees

• Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven
• Dave the Diver - In the Jungle Content Pack
• Doom: The Dark Ages - Revelations
• Quake: Dawn of the Machine
• The Alters: Last Variable
• World of Warcraft: Midnight

Best Game Adaptation nominees

• Devil May Cry (Season 2)
• Exit 8
• Fallout (Season 2)
• Iron Lung
• Mortal Kombat II
• Resident Evil

Best Early Access Game nominees

• Dead as Disco
• Menace
• Skate
• Slay the Spire 2
• Subnautica 2
• Wardogs

Best Audio Design nominees

• Big Walk
• Marathon
• Onimusha: Way of the Sword
• Rhythm Heaven Groove
• Saros
• Star Wars: Galactic Racer

What are The Golden Joystick Awards 2026 categories and nominations?

There are a total of 25 awards this year and 22 of them have been voted for by the public. They are:

• Best Audio Design
• Best Early Access Game
• Best Game Adaptation
• Best Game Expansion
• Best Game Trailer
• Best Gaming Hardware
• Best Indie Game
• Best Indie Game - Self-published
• Best Lead Performer
• Best Supporting Performer
• Best Multiplayer Game
• Best Remake / Remaster
• Best Soundtrack
• Best Storytelling
• Best Visual Design
• Most Wanted Game
• Still Playing - Mobile
• Still Playing - PC & Console
• Studio of the Year
• PC Game of the Year
• Console Game of the Year
• Ultimate Game of the Year

The three that have been voted for by a panel of journalists from brands including Gamesradar+, PC Gamer, Future Games Show, Edge magazine, Knowledge and Retro Gamer, plus Future's trusted network of freelance writers and creators, with the winner revealed on the night are:

• Streamers' Choice Award
• Breakthrough Award
• Critics' Choice Award

Hello!

Hello and welcome to Indy100's live coverage of The Golden Joystick Awards 2026!

I'm Jake Brigstock and I'll be attending and covering the ceremony live, building up to what will be a huge night along with the biggest and best reactions where possible too.

There's still a little while to go until the ceremony starts but don't go anywhere, you're in the right place to keep up-to-date with everything as it happens.