Expedition 33 Triumphs at the 2025's Gaming Honors
The forty-third annual Golden Joystick Awards took place on Thursday, and in a stunning performance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was crowned the biggest winner. This breakout role-playing game by Sandfall Interactive won the esteemed Ultimate Game of the Year award, along with prizes for Superb Storytelling and Top Visual Design.
Adding to the studio's triumph, its talented performers also were honored with individual awards. Jennifer English won Best Lead Performer for her performance as Maelle, while Ben Starr took home Supporting Performance Award for his acting as Verso. Moreover, Sandfall Interactive the studio was named Best Development Team. Overall, Clair Obscur and its makers collected 7 awards throughout the ceremony.
Additional major winners featured Ghost of Yōtei, which won Best Audio Design and Best Console Game, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, honored with Top Self-Published Indie and Premier PC Title. Notably, the majority of Golden Joystick Awards are selected by the audience, with only 4 special—Critics’ Choice, Rising Star, Hall of Fame, and Streamer Selection—determined by experts.
Below is the entire list of winners from the Golden Joystick Awards 2025:
- Outstanding Narrative – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Excellence in Sound – Ghost of Yōtei
- Best Multiplayer Game – Peak
- Best Visuals – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Expansion – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Indie Game Self Published – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Indie Title – Blue Prince
- Studio of the Year – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access – 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
- Streamer Favorite – Peak
- Best Remake / Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Rising Star Award – Schedule I
- Best Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Best Game Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Best Supporting Actor – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Lead Performance Award – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Hall of Fame Inductee – The Sims
- Top PC Title – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Console Game of the Year – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics Pick – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Wanted Title – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Game of the Year – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
For those who missed the live event, the Golden Joystick Awards 2025 is available to watch through streaming below.
