At a glance
The short version
- Guide type
- Latest
- Read time
- 4 min read
- Last updated
- Nov 12, 2026
Quick answer
Crimson Desert took PC Game of the Year, and The Witcher 4 was voted Most Wanted Game.
Resident Evil Requiem takes four awards
Resident Evil Requiem won Ultimate Game of the Year with 17% of the public vote. The game, released on February 27, 2026, also won Console Game of the Year with 27% of the vote, Best Game Trailer for Evil Has Always Had A Name with 27%, and Best Lead Performer for Angela Sant'Albano as Grace Ashcroft with 36%. It shared the night's top tally with Meccha Chameleon, which also took four awards.
Capcom had the strongest night of any publisher. The company was named Studio of the Year with 57% of the vote, Onimusha: Way of the Sword won Best Audio Design with 32%, and Grace Saif won Best Supporting Performer as Diana in Pragmata with 54%.
Crimson Desert and The Witcher 4 headline the other top prizes
Crimson Desert won PC Game of the Year with 18% of the vote. The Witcher 4 won Most Wanted Game with 18%, ahead of Resident Evil Veronica in second with 10% and Fable in third with 8%. Dispatch won Best Storytelling and Best Soundtrack. Meccha Chameleon won four awards of its own: Best Multiplayer Game, Best Indie Game for a self-published title, and the panel-chosen Streamer's Choice and Developer's Choice awards.
Elsewhere, Valheim won Best Indie Game, Subnautica 2 won Best Early Access Game, Doom: The Dark Ages Revelations won Best Game Expansion, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered won Best Remake or Remaster with 37% of the vote, making The Witcher 3 the most decorated game in Golden Joystick Awards history with 10 awards. Iron Lung won Best Game Adaptation, Control Resonant won Best Visual Design, and the Steam Controller won Best Gaming Hardware with 51% of the vote. Minecraft won Still Playing on PC and console, Balatro won Still Playing on mobile, and Big Walk won the Critics' Choice award. Big Walk was a talking point on the night: developer House House disclosed this week that it used large language models in the final phase of development, after public voting had closed on November 5.
Full list of winners
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
Ultimate Game of the Year | Resident Evil Requiem (17%) |
PC Game of the Year | Crimson Desert (18%) |
Console Game of the Year | Resident Evil Requiem (27%) |
Most Wanted Game | The Witcher 4 (18%) |
Studio of the Year | Capcom (57%) |
Best Storytelling | Dispatch |
Best Audio Design | Onimusha: Way of the Sword (32%) |
Best Visual Design | Control Resonant (31%) |
Best Soundtrack | Dispatch (26%) |
Best Lead Performer | Angela Sant'Albano, Grace Ashcroft in Resident Evil Requiem (36%) |
Best Supporting Performer | Grace Saif, Diana in Pragmata (54%) |
Best Multiplayer Game | Meccha Chameleon (31%) |
Best Indie Game | Valheim (28%) |
Best Indie Game, self-published | Meccha Chameleon (32%) |
Best Early Access Game | Subnautica 2 (35%) |
Best Game Expansion | Doom: The Dark Ages | Revelations |
Best Game Trailer | Resident Evil Requiem, Evil Has Always Had A Name (27%) |
Best Remake / Remaster | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Remastered (37%) |
Best Game Adaptation | Iron Lung (32%) |
Best Gaming Hardware | Steam Controller (51%) |
Still Playing, PC and console | Minecraft (23%) |
Still Playing, mobile | Balatro (22%) |
Streamer's Choice | Meccha Chameleon |
Developer's Choice | Meccha Chameleon |
Critic's Choice | Big Walk |
The Golden Joystick Awards, first held in 1983, are the longest-running publicly voted games awards, and the night is traditionally the first big marker in the Game of the Year race. Grand Theft Auto VI was not in competition because it releases on November 19, after the Golden Joysticks cutoff. The Game Awards follow in December, where the game will be eligible.
Resident Evil Requiem won Ultimate Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards 2026.