Clair Obscur Sweeps at the 2025's Golden Joystick Ceremony
The 43rd annual Golden Joystick Awards unfolded on Thursday, and with a remarkable performance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was crowned the top winner. The standout role-playing game by Sandfall Interactive won the prestigious Top Game award, along with prizes for Outstanding Narrative and Best Visual Design.
Adding to the developer's triumph, its gifted performers also were honored with individual awards. Jennifer English was named Best Lead Performer for her performance as Maelle, while Ben Starr earned Supporting Performance Award for his role as Verso. Additionally, Sandfall Interactive itself was honored as Studio of the Year. In total, Clair Obscur and its creative team achieved 7 awards during the show.
Additional notable winners featured Ghost of Yōtei, which was awarded Outstanding Audio and Top Console Title, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, receiving Top Self-Published Indie and Premier PC Title. Notably, the lion's share of Golden Joystick Awards are voted on by the gamers, with only 4 awards—Critics Choice, Breakthrough, Hall of Fame inductee, and Streamers' Favorite—judged by experts.
Here is the entire list of award recipients from the Golden Joystick Awards 2025:
- Top Story – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Audio Design – Ghost of Yōtei
- Best Multiplayer – Peak
- Top Visual Design – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Game Expansion – Lies of P: Overture
- Top Indie (Self-Published) – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Indie Game – Blue Prince
- Studio of the Year – 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 Remake / Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough Award – Schedule I
- Best Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Best Game Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Supporting Performance Award – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Lead Performance Award – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Hall of Fame Inductee – The Sims
- Best PC Game – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics’ Choice Award – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Wanted Title – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Game of the Year – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
For those missed out on the live ceremony, the Golden Joystick Awards 2025 can be watched via video here.
