The 41st Golden Joystick Awards revealed its winners at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London last night (November 10), with Baldur’s Gate 3 taking Ultimate Game of the Year and another six gongs for good measure.
After nearly five million public votes were cast, Larian Studios came out on top, getting the coveted GOTY title as well as Best Game Community, Best Storytelling, Best Visual Design, PC Game of the Year, and Studio of the Year, while Neil Newbon–who portrayed Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3–won Best Supporting Performer.
It may have been late to the party, but Alan Wake 2 received the prestigious Critics’ Choice Award, while Geometric Interactive won the Breakthrough Award for the superb COCOON, though the game missed out on Best Indie Game–that accolade went to Sea of Stars.
There were a couple of big hitters that failed to make a bigger splash. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom only won one of its seven nominations–unsurprisingly, for Nintendo Game of the Year–and the story was much the same for Starfield, which only took gold in the Xbox category. Cross-platform game Resident Evil 4 won PlayStation Game of the Year; Final Fantasy XVI was the only exclusive on the shortlist. Diablo IV, despite being excellent, went home with nothing–testament to a packed field of huge hits in 2023.
2023 Golden Joystick Awards winners in full
Best Storytelling: Baldur’s Gate 3
Runners-up: The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, Armored Core VI: Fires Of Rubicon, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals, PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Still Playing Award: No Man’s Sky
Runners-up: Genshin Impact, The Sims 4, Fortnite, Naraka: Bladepoint, GTA Online, Warframe, Valorant, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive / Counter-Strike 2, Apex Legends, Dota 2, Call of Duty
Best Visual Design: Baldur’s Gate 3
Runners-up: Starfield, Hi-Fi Rush, Viewfinder, Lies of P, Street Fighter 6
Studio of the Year: Larian Studios
Runners-up: Digital Eclipse, Nintendo EPD, Mimimi Games, Remedy Entertainment, CD Projekt Red
Best Game Expansion: Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Runners-up: Power Wash Simulator DLC, The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom, The Case of the Golden Idol Mysteries: The Lemurian Vampire and Spider of Lanka, Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania, A Little to the Left: Cupboards & Drawers
Best VR Game: Horizon Call of the Mountain VR
Runners-up: C-Smash VRS, Synapse, Vertigo 2 VR, F1 23 VR, The Light Brigade
Best Indie Game: Sea of Stars
Runners-up: Dave the Diver, Pizza Tower, Dredge, COCOON, Viewfinder
Best Multiplayer Game: Mortal Kombat 1
Runners-up: Exoprimal, Diablo IV, Street Fighter 6, Remnant II, We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip
Best Audio: Final Fantasy XVI
Runners-up: Stray Gods, Hi-Fi Rush, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, Starfield, The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
Best Game Trailer: Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty–Official Cinematic Trailer
Runners-up: Alan Wake 2–The Dark Place Gameplay Trailer, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom–Official Trailer #3, Baby Steps–Reveal Trailer, Mortal Kombat 1–Official It’s In Our Blood Trailer, Dave the Diver–Official Release Month And Accolades Trailer
Streamers’ Choice: Valorant
Best Game Community: Baldur’s Gate 3
Runners-up: Final Fantasy XIV, Warframe, Deep Rock Galactic, Dreams, The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
Best Gaming Hardware: PlayStation VR2
Runners-up: Turtle Beach Stealth Pro Headset, Alienware 34 AW3423DWF, CRKD Nitro Deck, ASUS ROG Strix Scope II 96, Samsung 990 PRO
Breakthrough Award: COCOON / Geometric Interactive
Critics’ Choice Award: Alan Wake 2
Best Lead Performer: Ben Starr as Clive Rosfield (Final Fantasy XVI)
Runners-up: Yuri Lowenthal as Peter Parker (Marvel’s Spider-Man 2), Cameron Monaghan as Cal Kestis (Star Wars Jedi: Survivor), Ilkka Villi and Matthew Porretta as Alan Wake (Alan Wake 2), Nadji Jeter as Miles Morales (Marvel’s Spider-Man 2), Ellise Chappell as Kathy Johanson (Deliver Us Mars), Melanie Liburd as Saga Anderson (Alan Wake 2)
Best Supporting Performer: Neil Newbon as Astarion (Baldur’s Gate 3)
Runners-up: Laura Bailey as Mary Jane (Marvel’s Spider-Man 2), Cissy Jones as Andreja (Starfield), Amelia Tyler as Narrator (Baldur’s Gate 3), Ralph Ineson as Cidolfus Telamon (Final Fantasy XVI), Patricia Summersett as Princess Zelda (The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom), Idris Elba as Solomon Reed (Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty)
Nintendo Game of the Year: The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
Runners-up: Pikmin 4, Fire Emblem Engage, Metroid Prime Remastered, Octopath Traveller II, Fae Farm
PC Game of the Year: Baldur’s Gate 3
Runners-up: Diablo IV, Dave the Diver, Tchia, System Shock, Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew
Xbox Game of the Year: Starfield
Runners-up: Chants of Sennaar, Hi-Fi Rush, Planet of Lana, Dead Space, Pentiment
PlayStation Game of the Year: Resident Evil 4
Runners-up: Final Fantasy XVI, Street Fighter 6, Humanity, Armored Core VI: Fires Of Rubicon, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Most Wanted Game: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Runners-up: Death Stranding 2, Star Wars Outlaws, Tekken 8, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Hades II, Fable, Hollow Knight: Silksong, EVERYWHERE, Frostpunk 2, ARK 2, METAL GEAR SOLID Δ: SNAKE EATER, Persona 3 Reload, Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Pacific Drive, Black Myth: Wukong, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin
Ultimate Game of the Year: Baldur’s Gate 3
Runners-up: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Alan Wake 2, Resident Evil 4, Cocoon, Starfield, Final Fantasy XVI, Diablo IV, Forza Motorsport, Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Street Fighter 6, Metroid Prime Remastered, Hi-Fi Rush, Lords of the Fallen, Dead Space, Sea of Stars
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