Clair Obscur Sweeps at the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards
The forty-third yearly Golden Joystick Awards unfolded this past week, and through an impressive display, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 emerged as the most decorated winner. The standout role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive won the esteemed Ultimate Game of the Year award, along with honors for Superb Storytelling and Top Visual Design.
Adding to the studio's achievements, its gifted cast also received personal awards. Jennifer English won Outstanding Lead Performance for her role as Maelle, while Ben Starr earned Best Supporting Actor for his work as Verso. Furthermore, Sandfall Interactive itself received Top Studio. Altogether, Clair Obscur and its developers collected 7 awards during the ceremony.
Other major winners featured Ghost of Yōtei, which was awarded Outstanding Audio and Console Game of the Year, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, winning Outstanding Independent Game and PC Game of the Year. Notably, the lion's share of Golden Joystick Awards are chosen by the audience, with only 4 awards—Critics’ Choice, Breakthrough, Hall of Fame, and Streamers' Favorite—decided by reviewers.
Here is the entire list of award recipients from the 2025 gaming awards:
- Top Story – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top Audio – Ghost of Yōtei
- Top Multiplayer Title – Peak
- Best Visual Design – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top DLC – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Indie Game Self Published – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Indie Game – Blue Prince
- Studio of the Year – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access Game – REPO
- Best Music – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top Game Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Still Playing (Mobile) – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing - Consoles & PC – Minecraft
- Streamers' Pick – 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 Performer – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Lead Actor – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Hall of Fame Inductee – The Sims
- PC Game of the Year – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Console Game of the Year – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics Pick – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Wanted Title – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Ultimate Game – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
For those missed out on the actual ceremony, the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards is available to watch online here.
