Clair Obscur Triumphs at the 2025 Golden Joystick Ceremony
The 43rd annual Golden Joystick Awards took place on Thursday, and with a remarkable display, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 emerged as the biggest winner. This surprise role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive earned the coveted Top Game award, along with honors for Best Storytelling and Top Visual Design.
Enhancing the studio's success, its gifted actors also garnered individual awards. Jennifer English won Top Lead Actor for her performance as Maelle, while Ben Starr won Best Supporting Actor for his work as Verso. Furthermore, Sandfall Interactive the studio received Top Studio. In total, Clair Obscur and its creative team collected 7 awards throughout the ceremony.
Additional standout winners featured Ghost of Yōtei, which received Outstanding Audio and Console Game of the Year, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, receiving Outstanding Independent Game and Best PC Game. Worth mentioning, the majority of Golden Joystick Awards are voted on by the audience, with only 4 special—Critics' Pick, Breakthrough Award, 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
- Best Audio Design – Ghost of Yōtei
- Best Multiplayer Game – Peak
- Best Visual Design – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top DLC – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Self-Published Indie – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Indie Title – Blue Prince
- Best Development Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access – REPO
- Best Soundtrack – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top Game Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Mobile Game Still Played – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing - Consoles & PC – Minecraft
- Streamer Favorite – Peak
- Best Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough Award – Schedule I
- Top Gaming Gear – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Best Game Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Best Supporting Actor – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Lead Actor – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Hall of Fame – The Sims
- Best PC Game – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics Pick – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Wanted Game – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Ultimate Game of the Year – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
If you missed out on the full event, the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards is available to watch via video following this article.
