Golden Joystick Awards 2026: All the Winners From Today’s Show

Published Nov 11, 2026, 1:18 PM EST Willa Rowe is a contributing writer at Polygon, covering games and entertainment. She is a New York-based journalist and critic whose work has been featured in Kotaku, Digital Trends, the A.V. Club, GamesRadar+, and more. She also co-hosts the Girl Mode podcast. The first major award show of the year is an early indicator for the GOTY race, but GTA 6's imminent release casts a big shadow Here are all The Golden Joystick Awards 2026 winners so far Image: IO Interactive Sign in to your Polygon.com account This year's gaming awards season kicks off in earnest today with the 44th annual Golden Joystick Awards. It's an especially interesting event given just how up in the air 2026's Game of the Year race has been. Unlike 2025, which had a clear frontrunner in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, this year's slate of games has been full of quality titles, but nothing has singularly captured the public's interest in a way that assures it will take home awards. The Golden Joysticks could be an early indicator of what games will rise to awards recognition, especially at Geoff Keighley’s The Game Awards in December. IMAGE: Polygon There are two elephants in the room, however, with this year's Golden Joystick Awards. The first is Grand Theft Auto 6. Rockstar Games' much-anticipated blockbuster won't be released until Nov. 19, meaning it isn't in competition at this particular awards show. GTA 6 will undoubtedly upend the awards landscape, so later shows could look completely different than what we see today. There is also the Big Walk issue. Developer House House revealed this week that it used AI, specifically large language models (LLMs), in the final phase of development. While the studio says that under 0.1% of the game's code had anything to do with generative AI tools, this will likely be a hardline for many that puts the critical darling out of contention. As The Golden Joystick Awards closed voting on Nov. 5, voters weren't aware of this controversy, but Big Walk winning awards may put a bad taste in some people's mouths that may be reflected in fewer accolades later this year. Here's the complete list of winners from The Golden Joystick Awards 2026, which we will update as the show goes on. Best Audio Design Image: Capcom WINNER: Onimusha: Way of the Sword Big Walk Marathon Rhythm Heaven Groove Saros Star Wars: Galactic Racer Best Early Access Game Dead as Disco Menace skate. Slay the Spire 2 Subnautica 2 Wardogs Best Game Adaptation Devil May Cry (Season 2) Exit 8 Fallout (Season 2) Iron Lung Mortal Kombat II Resident Evil Best Game Expansion Image: id Software/Bethesda Softworks ​​​​​​​ WINNER: Doom: The Dark Ages | Revelations Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven Dave the Diver - In the Jungle Content Pack Quake: Dawn of the Machine The Alters: Last Variable World of Warcraft: Midnight Best Game Trailer Battlefield 6 x Top Gun: Carrier Strike Cinematic Trailer Big Walk - Release Date Announcement Cairn - Launch Trailer Mouse: P.I. For Hire | Official Launch Trailer Prove You're Human - Announcement Trailer Resident Evil Requiem - Evil Has Always Had A Name Best Gaming Hardware Logitech G PRO X2 SUPERSTRIKE Razer Viper V4 Pro Secretlab ATLAS Sony INZONE M10S II Steam Controller Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II Best Indie Game Big Walk Denshattack! Esoteric Ebb Mixtape Mouse: P.I. for Hire Order of the Sinking Star Reanimal Sovereign Tower Titanium Court Valheim Best Indie Game - Self-published Cairn Fields of Mistria Meccha Chameleon Mewgenics Mina the Hollower Perfect Tides: Station to Station Phonopolis Rhythm Doctor The Incident at Galley House Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors Best Lead Performer Aaron Paul - Robert Robertson III, Dispatch Angela Sant'Albano - Grace Ashcroft, Resident Evil Requiem Anna Demetriou - Sophia, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy Liam McIntyre - Wolverine, Marvel's Wolverine Patrick Gibson - James Bond, 007 First Light Will de Renzy-Martin - Coen, The Blood of Dawnwalker Best Supporting Performer Frankie Kevich - Zoe de Vera, Control Resonant Grace Saif - Diana, Pragmata Lennie James - John Greenway, 007 First Light Terry O'Quinn - Richard, Silent Hill: Townfall Troy Baker - Nathaniel Essex, Marvel's Wolverine Vic Michaelis - Runa Blask, Star Wars Zero Company Best Multiplayer Game ​​​​​​​ WINNER: Meccha Chameleon ARC Raiders Big Walk Marathon Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls Valheim Best Remake / Remaster Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced Gothic 1 Remake Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.2 Star Fox The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Remastered Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter Best Soundtrack 007 First Light Crimson Desert Dispatch Lumines Arise Mewgenics Mixtape Best Storytelling WINNER: Dispatch 007 First Light Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave Silent Hill: Townfall The Blood of Dawnwalker Zero Parades: For Dead Spies Best Visual Design Image: Remedy Entertainment WINNER: Control Resonant Forza Horizon 6 Orbitals Phonopolis Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy Saros Most Wanted Game Alien: Isolation 2 Ananta Black Myth: Zhong Kui Exodus Fable Final Fantasy 7 Revelation God of War Laufey Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Kingdom Hearts 4 Metro 2039 No Law Persona 6 Resident Evil Veronica Stranger Than Heaven Stuntman: Hollywood The Expanse: Osiris Reborn The Witcher 4 Tides of Annihilation Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis Total War:Warhammer 40,000 Still Playing - Mobile Balatro Genshin Impact Honkai: Star Rail Marvel Snap Monopoly Go! NTE: Neverness to Everness Old School RuneScape Pokémon GO Roblox Sky: Children of the Light Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Mobile Wuthering Waves Still Playing - PC & Console Apex Legends Call of Duty: Warzone Fortnite GTA Online Helldivers 2 Hitman World of Assassination Minecraft No Man's Sky Palworld The Elder Scrolls Online Warframe World of Warcraft Studio of the Year Capcom Frogwares House House IO Interactive Nintendo EPD Square Enix PC Game of the Year Image: House House/Panic Big Walk Crimson Desert Escape from Tarkov Esoteric Ebb Meccha Chameleon Mewgenics Order of the Sinking Star Star Wars Zero Company The Blood of Dawnwalker Valheim Console Game of the Year 007 First Light Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Forza Horizon 6 Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight Nioh 3 Onimusha: Way of the Sword Pokémon Pokopia Pragmata Resident Evil Requiem Saros Ultimate Game of the Year 007 First Light Big Walk Control Resonant Crimson Desert Dispatch Forza Horizon 6 Phantom Blade Zero Pokémon Pokopia Pragmata Resident Evil Requiem Star Wars: Galactic Racer The Blood of Dawnwalker