Expedition 33 Sweeps at the 2025 Gaming Honors
The forty-third annual Golden Joystick Awards took place on Thursday, and in a stunning performance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 emerged as the most decorated winner. This surprise role-playing game by Sandfall Interactive secured the coveted Ultimate Game of the Year award, along with prizes for Superb Storytelling and Excellence in Visuals.
Enhancing the developer's triumph, the skilled performers also were honored with personal awards. Jennifer English was named Outstanding Lead Performance for her role as Maelle, while Ben Starr won Supporting Performance Award for his role as Verso. Moreover, Sandfall Interactive the studio was honored as Studio of the Year. Overall, Clair Obscur and its creative team achieved seven awards during the ceremony.
Additional major winners included Ghost of Yōtei, which was awarded Top Sound Design and Console Game of the Year, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, winning Best Indie Game (Self-Published) and PC Game of the Year. Worth mentioning, the bulk of Golden Joystick Awards are chosen by the audience, with only four special—Critics' Pick, Rising Star, Hall of Fame inductee, and Streamers’ Choice—judged by experts.
Following is the full list of honorees from the 2025 gaming awards:
- Top Story – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Excellence in Sound – Ghost of Yōtei
- Top Multiplayer Title – Peak
- Best Visuals – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best 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 Game – REPO
- Best Soundtrack – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Game Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Mobile Game Still Played – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing (Console/PC) – Minecraft
- Streamers’ Choice – Peak
- Best Remake / Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough – Schedule I
- Best Gaming Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Top Game Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Best Supporting Performer – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Lead Performer – 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 Title – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Game of the Year – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
If you missed out on the live event, the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards can be viewed online here.
