Expedition 33 Triumphs at the 2025 Golden Joystick Ceremony
The 43rd annual Golden Joystick Awards unfolded recently, and in a stunning performance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was crowned the top winner. The breakout role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive won the esteemed Ultimate Game of the Year award, along with honors for Outstanding Narrative and Excellence in Visuals.
Enhancing the studio's success, the skilled cast also garnered individual awards. Jennifer English was named Outstanding Lead Performance for her role as Maelle, while Ben Starr won Supporting Performance Award for his acting as Verso. Additionally, Sandfall Interactive itself was named Best Development Team. Altogether, Clair Obscur and its makers won seven awards during the show.
Other major winners included Ghost of Yōtei, which won Top Sound Design and Best Console Game, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, receiving Top Self-Published Indie and Best PC Game. Worth mentioning, the bulk of Golden Joystick Awards are chosen by the gamers, with only 4 awards—Critics’ Choice, Breakthrough, Hall of Fame, and Streamer Selection—judged by reviewers.
Here is the entire list of winners from the Golden Joystick Awards 2025:
- Best Storytelling – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Audio Design – Ghost of Yōtei
- Best Multiplayer – Peak
- Best Visual Design – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Game Expansion – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Indie Game Self Published – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Indie Title – Blue Prince
- Studio of the Year – Sandfall Interactive
- Top Early Access Title – REPO
- Best Soundtrack – 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
- Breakthrough – Schedule I
- Best Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Best Game Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Supporting Performance Award – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Lead Performance Award – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Hall of Fame Inductee – The Sims
- Best PC Game – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Console Game of the Year – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics' Choice – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Wanted Game – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Ultimate Game of the Year – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
For those missed out on the live event, the Golden Joystick Awards 2025 can be watched online here.
