Expedition 33 Sweeps at the 2025 Gaming Honors
The 43rd annual Golden Joystick Awards unfolded on Thursday, and through an impressive performance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 emerged as the top winner. This surprise role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive secured the esteemed Game of the Year award, along with prizes for Best Storytelling and Top Visual Design.
Complementing the studio's achievements, the talented cast also garnered personal awards. Jennifer English received Outstanding Lead Performance for her role as Maelle, while Ben Starr took home Supporting Performance Award for his work as Verso. Furthermore, Sandfall Interactive the studio was honored as Top Studio. Overall, Clair Obscur and its developers collected 7 awards throughout the event.
Additional standout winners featured Ghost of Yōtei, which received Top Sound Design and Top Console Title, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, receiving Best Indie Game (Self-Published) and Best PC Game. Notably, the bulk of Golden Joystick Awards are selected by the public, with only four categories—Critics’ Choice, Breakthrough, Hall of Fame inductee, and Streamers’ Choice—determined by critics.
Below is the complete list of award recipients from the Golden Joystick Awards 2025:
- Outstanding Narrative – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Excellence in Sound – Ghost of Yōtei
- Best Multiplayer Game – Peak
- Best Visuals – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Game Expansion – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Self-Published Indie – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Indie Game – Blue Prince
- Top Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access Game – REPO
- Top Score – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Game Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Still Playing (Mobile) – Pokémon Go
- Console/PC Game Still Played – Minecraft
- Streamer Favorite – Peak
- Best 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
- Lead Performance Award – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Hall of Fame – The Sims
- Top PC Title – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics Pick – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Anticipated – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Ultimate Game – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
If you who missed the full event, the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards can be viewed through streaming below.
