Clair Obscur Triumphs at the 2025's Gaming Honors
The forty-third yearly Golden Joystick Awards unfolded on Thursday, and in a stunning performance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 claimed the title of the biggest winner. The breakout role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive won the prestigious Top Game award, along with prizes for Superb Storytelling and Top Visual Design.
Complementing the studio's success, the gifted performers also were honored with individual awards. Jennifer English was named Top Lead Actor for her performance as Maelle, while Ben Starr earned Best Supporting Actor for his role as Verso. Moreover, Sandfall Interactive the studio was honored as Top Studio. In total, Clair Obscur and its developers collected seven awards during the event.
Other standout winners featured Ghost of Yōtei, which won Best Audio Design and Best Console Game, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, honored with Best Indie Game (Self-Published) and Best PC Game. Notably, the lion's share of Golden Joystick Awards are chosen by the audience, with only four special—Critics' Pick, Breakthrough, Hall of Fame inductee, and Streamers’ Choice—judged by experts.
Following is the full list of award recipients from the Golden Joystick Awards 2025:
- Best Storytelling – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Audio Design – Ghost of Yōtei
- Best Multiplayer – Peak
- Best Visuals – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Expansion – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Indie Game Self Published – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Indie Title – Blue Prince
- Studio of the Year – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access Game – REPO
- Best Soundtrack – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top Game Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Still Playing (Mobile) – Pokémon Go
- Console/PC Game Still Played – Minecraft
- Streamers' Pick – Peak
- Best Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough Award – Schedule I
- Best Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Best Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Best Supporting Actor – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Lead Performer – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Hall of Fame Inductee – The Sims
- PC Game of the Year – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics' Choice – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Anticipated – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Game of the Year – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
For those missed out on the live show, the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards is available to watch through streaming following this article.
