Expedition 33 Sweeps at the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards
The forty-third annual Golden Joystick Awards took place recently, and in a stunning show, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was crowned the top winner. This breakout role-playing game by Sandfall Interactive won the esteemed Top Game award, along with accolades for Outstanding Narrative and Top Visual Design.
Complementing the developer's success, the skilled performers also were honored with personal awards. Jennifer English won Outstanding Lead Performance for her role as Maelle, while Ben Starr took home Supporting Performance Award for his acting as Verso. Furthermore, Sandfall Interactive itself was honored as Top Studio. In total, Clair Obscur and its makers collected seven awards during the show.
Other notable winners included Ghost of Yōtei, which won Outstanding Audio and Top Console Title, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, receiving Top Self-Published Indie and Best PC Game. Notably, the majority of Golden Joystick Awards are voted on by the audience, with only four awards—Critics’ Choice, Breakthrough, Lifetime Achievement, and Streamers' Favorite—judged by experts.
Following is the full list of award recipients from the 2025 gaming awards:
- Best Storytelling – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top Audio – Ghost of Yōtei
- Top Multiplayer Title – Peak
- Best Visuals – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Expansion – Lies of P: Overture
- Top Indie (Self-Published) – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Indie Game – Blue Prince
- Best Development Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access – REPO
- Top Score – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top Game Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Still Playing - Mobile – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing - Consoles & PC – Minecraft
- Streamer Favorite – Peak
- Top Remake – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough – Schedule I
- Best Gaming Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Best 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
- PC Game of the Year – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics' Choice – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Anticipated – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Ultimate Game – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
If you missed out on the full ceremony, the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards is available to watch via video here.