The Golden Joysticks 2026: Full list of nominees and how to vote

One of the first awards shows of the season, the Golden Joysticks 2026 nominees have now been announced!

It's the 44th edition of the event, which began way back in 1983, and plenty of studios will be hoping to replicate Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's spectacular sweep last year!

From best indie game and studio of the year to the best lead performer and of course, ultimate game of the year, there are plenty of gongs to take home.

We at Radio Times Gaming are privileged to be media partners for this year's event, so we'll be there to cover the whole event.

But if you want to know who the nominees are for this year's Golden Joystick Awards, here's the full list and how you can cast your votes.

The Golden Joysticks Awards 2026 take place on Wednesday 11 November 2026.

This year's event will be held at Troxy in London's East End, with the whole show being streamed live online.

Unlike The Game Awards, the trailers aren't the focal point, with the night largely being devoted to doling out awards and celebrating the best of the best in the game industry!

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Who is hosting the Golden Joysticks 2026?

The host of the Golden Joysticks 2026 has not been announced yet.

Last year saw the inimitable Maggie Robertson host the show, best known as Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village, a role for which she won her own Golden Joystick back in 2021.

Throughout the evening, she was joined by a collection of special guest presenters including Alix Wilton Regan (Tomb Raider), Doug Cockle (The Witcher), Ciara Berkley (The Witcher 4), Ben Starr (Expedition 33, Final Fantasy 16) and more.

Full list of the Golden Joysticks 2026 nominees

The full list of nominees for the Golden Joysticks 2026 is as follows:

Ultimate game of the year

The nominees for ultimate game of the year will be officially announced on 26 October 2026.

Best early access game

• Slay the Spire 2
• Subnautica 2
• Dead as Disco
• Wardogs
• Menace
• skate.

Best visual design

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

Best multiplayer game

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

Still playing (mobile)

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

Most wanted game

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

PC game of the year

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

Console game of the year

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

Best indie game

• Big Walk
• Valheim
• Order of the Sinking Star
• Titanium Court
• Mixtape
• Denshattack!
• Esoteric Ebb
• Mouse: P.I. For Hire
• Reanimal
• Sovereign Tower

Best game adaptation

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

Best remake / remaster

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

Best game trailer

• Big Walk – Release Date Announcement
• Resident Evil Requiem – Evil Has Always Had A Name
• Mouse: P.I. For Hire | Official Launch Trailer
• Prove You're Human – Announcement Trailer
• Cairn – Launch Trailer
• Battlefield 6 x Top Gun: Carrier Strike Cinematic Trailer

Best supporting performer

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

Still playing (PC & console)

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

Best gaming hardware

• Sony INZONE M10S II
• Steam Controller
• Secretlab ATLAS
• Logitech G PRO X2 SUPERSTRIKE
• Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II
• Razer Viper V4 Pro

Best game expansion

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

Best audio design

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

Best storytelling

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

Best soundtrack

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

Best lead performer

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

Best indie game – self published

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

Studio of the year

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

How to vote for the Golden Joysticks 2026 explained

To cast your votes for this year's Golden Joysticks, you'll need to head to the official page for the awards on GamesRadar's website. Scroll down, and you'll find a box with the option to 'Start Voting'.

Voting will be open to the public until 23 October 2026, with ultimate game of the year voting taking place separately from 26-30 October.

Then, we've got a couple of weeks of waiting until the awards are doled out at the live show on 11 November.

Check out more of our Gaming coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Authors

Alex Raisbeck is a Gaming Writer at Radio Times, covering everything from AAA giants to indie gems. Alex has written for VideoGamer, GamesRadar+, PC Gamer, PCGamesN and more.