Nominees for the 44th Annual Golden Joystick Awards were announced on Friday, and IO Interactive’s hit Bond RPG, 007 First Light, and House House’s social exploration game, Big Walk, lead the pack with six nods apiece. Capcom’s gritty horror, Resident Evil Requiem, follows with five noms.
Other games with multiple Golden Joystick Awards nominations include viral hide-and-seek title MECCHA CHAMELEON, zany feline roguelike Mewgenics, and Bandai Namco’s vampire fantasy, The Blood of Dawnwalker, among others.
The inaugural Golden Joystick Awards ceremony, sometimes called the People’s Gaming Awards, is the world’s longest-running video game awards program. Launched by popular U.K.-based gaming publication GamesRadar+ in 1983, the Golden Joystick Awards is the world’s largest public-voted industry awards show; more than 21 million gamers cast votes ahead of last year’s show.
“In another exciting, yet tumultuous, year for video games, the Golden Joystick Awards is proud to celebrate the greatest releases of the last twelve months,” said Golden Joystick Awards content director Daniel Dawkins in a news release.
“With the hugely-anticipated GTA 6 set to launch a week after our live show, the 44th annual Golden Joystick Awards is delighted to share its most diverse and creative nominees line-up yet. Indie hits Big Walk, Dispatch and Mina the Hollower sit alongside AAA blockbusters such as 007 First Light, Forza Horizon 6 and Resident Evil Requiem.
“This year, no single game dominates the field, this is one of our most open and unpredictable years yet – making your vote more influential than ever in deciding our winners.”
Public voting is LIVE NOW! Head to the Golden Joystick Awards’ official website to vote in nearly two dozen categories, from “Best Early Access Game” to “Best Game Trailer.” Viewers can cast their ballots until submissions close on Friday, October 23, 2026, at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET/midnight BST.
Tune in to the full Golden Joystick Awards ceremony, streamed globally on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, to find out which games take home the coveted joystick trophy.
Golden Joystick Awards 2026: All nominees announced
Here are the nominees for this year’s Golden Joystick Awards:
Best Audio Design
- Big Walk
- Marathon
- Onimusha: Way of the Sword
- Rhythm Heaven Groove
- SAROS
- STAR WARS: Galactic Racer
Best Early Access Game
- Dead as Disco
- MENACE
- skate.
- Slay the Spire 2
- Subnautica 2
- WARDOGS
Best Game Adaptation
- Devil May Cry (Season 2)
- Exit 8
- Fallout (Season 2)
- Iron Lung
- Mortal Kombat II
- Resident Evil
Best Game Expansion
- Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven
- DAVE THE DIVER – In the Jungle Content Pack
- DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations
- Quake: Dawn of the Machine
- The Alters: Last Variable
- World of Warcraft: Midnight
Best Game Trailer
- Battlefield 6 x Top Gun: Carrier Strike Cinematic Trailer
- Big Walk – Release Date Announcement
- Cairn – Launch Trailer
- MOUSE: P.I. For Hire | Official Launch Trailer
- Prove You’re Human – Announcement Trailer
- Resident Evil Requiem – Evil Has Always Had A Name
Best Gaming Hardware
- Logitech G PRO X2 SUPERSTRIKE
- Razer Viper V4 Pro
- Secretlab ATLAS
- Sony INZONE M10S II
- Steam Controller
- Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II
Best Indie Game
- Big Walk
- Denshattack!
- Esoteric Ebb
- Mixtape
- Mouse: P.I. for Hire
- Order of the Sinking Star
- REANIMAL
- Sovereign Tower
- Titanium Court
- Valheim
Best Indie Game – Self-published
- Cairn
- Fields of Mistria
- MECCHA CHAMELEON
- Mewgenics
- Mina the Hollower
- Perfect Tides: Station to Station
- Phonopolis
- Rhythm Doctor
- The Incident at Galley House
- Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors
Best Lead Performer
- Aaron Paul – Robert Robertson III, Dispatch
- Angela Sant’Albano – Grace Ashcroft, Resident Evil Requiem
- Anna Demetriou – Sophia, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
- Liam McIntyre – Wolverine, Marvel’s Wolverine
- Patrick Gibson – James Bond, 007 First Light
- Will de Renzy-Martin – Coen, The Blood of Dawnwalker
Best Supporting Performer
- Frankie Kevich – Zoe de Vera, CONTROL Resonant
- Grace Saif – Diana, PRAGMATA
- Lennie James – John Greenway, 007 First Light
- Terry O’Quinn – Richard, SILENT HILL: Townfall
- Troy Baker – Nathaniel Essex, Marvel’s Wolverine
- Vic Michaelis – Runa Blask, STAR WARS Zero Company
Best Multiplayer Game
- ARC Raiders
- Big Walk
- Marathon
- MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls
- MECCHA CHAMELEON
- Valheim
Best Remake / Remaster
- Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced
- Gothic 1 Remake
- METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2
- Star Fox
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered
- Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter
Best Soundtrack
- 007 First Light
- Crimson Desert
- Dispatch
- Lumines Arise
- Mewgenics
- Mixtape
Best Storytelling
- 007 First Light
- Dispatch
- Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave
- SILENT HILL: Townfall
- The Blood of Dawnwalker
- ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies
Best Visual Design
- CONTROL Resonant
- Forza Horizon 6
- Orbitals
- Phonopolis
- Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
- SAROS
Most Wanted Game
- Alien: Isolation 2
- ANANTA
- Black Myth: Zhong Kui
- EXODUS
- Fable
- FINAL FANTASY VII REVELATION
- God of War Laufey
- Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
- KINGDOM HEARTS IV
- METRO 2039
- NO LAW
- Persona 6
- Resident Evil Veronica
- STRANGER THAN HEAVEN
- Stuntman: Hollywood
- The Expanse: Osiris Reborn
- The Witcher 4
- Tides of Annihilation
- Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis
- Total War: WARHAMMER 40,000
Still Playing – Mobile
- Balatro
- Genshin Impact
- Honkai: Star Rail
- MARVEL SNAP
- MONOPOLY GO!
- NTE: Neverness to Everness
- Old School RuneScape
- Pokémon GO
- Roblox
- Sky: Children of the Light
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Mobile
- Wuthering Waves
Still Playing – PC & Console
- Apex Legends
- Fortnite
- GTA Online
- HELLDIVERS 2
- HITMAN World of Assassination
- Minecraft
- No Man’s Sky
- Palworld
- The Elder Scrolls Online
- Warframe
- World of Warcraft
- Call of Duty: Warzone
Studio of the Year
- CAPCOM
- Frogwares
- House House
- IO Interactive
- Nintendo EPD
- SQUARE ENIX
PC Game of the Year
- Big Walk
- Crimson Desert
- Escape from Tarkov
- Esoteric Ebb
- MECCHA CHAMELEON
- Mewgenics
- Order of the Sinking Star
- STAR WARS Zero Company
- The Blood of Dawnwalker
- Valheim
Console Game of the Year
- 007 First Light
- Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave
- Forza Horizon 6
- LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
- Nioh 3
- Onimusha: Way of the Sword
- Pokémon Pokopia
- PRAGMATA
- Resident Evil Requiem
- SAROS
Nominees for the ceremony’s “Ultimate Game of the Year” distinction will be revealed at a later date.
Event organizers say journalists from industry publications like GamesRadar+, PC Gamer, and Future Games Show, among others, will select winners for three additional categories: Streamers’ Choice Award, Breakthrough Award, and Critics’ Choice Award. These winners will be revealed during the show.
Vote anytime from now until submissions close on October 23, and be sure to watch the Golden Joystick Awards when they air on Wednesday, November 11. Follow the Golden Joystick Awards on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook to stay connected.
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