Expedition 33 Dominates at the 2025 Gaming Honors
The forty-third yearly Golden Joystick Awards took place recently, and in a stunning performance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 emerged as the biggest winner. The standout role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive won the esteemed Top Game award, along with accolades for Superb Storytelling and Excellence in Visuals.
Enhancing the developer's triumph, the skilled actors also were honored with individual awards. Jennifer English received Best Lead Performer for her performance as Maelle, while Ben Starr took home Supporting Performance Award for his acting as Verso. Furthermore, Sandfall Interactive itself was honored as Best Development Team. In total, Clair Obscur and its creative team won seven awards during the event.
Additional standout winners included Ghost of Yōtei, which won Best Audio Design and Top Console Title, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, winning Outstanding Independent Game and Premier PC Title. Worth mentioning, the bulk of Golden Joystick Awards are voted on by the gamers, with only 4 awards—Critics Choice, Rising Star, Lifetime Achievement, and Streamers’ Choice—determined by experts.
Following is the entire list of award recipients from the Golden Joystick Awards 2025:
- Top Story – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Excellence in Sound – Ghost of Yōtei
- Top Multiplayer Title – Peak
- Top Visual Design – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Expansion – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Self-Published Indie – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Indie Title – Blue Prince
- Best Development Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access Game – REPO
- Best Music – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Game Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Still Playing - Mobile – Pokémon Go
- Console/PC Game Still Played – Minecraft
- Streamers’ Choice – Peak
- Best Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Rising Star Award – Schedule I
- Top Gaming Gear – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Top Game Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Supporting Performance Award – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Lead Performer – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Lifetime Achievement – The Sims
- Top PC Title – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics Pick – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Anticipated – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Ultimate Game of the Year – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
For those missed out on the actual event, the awards ceremony can be watched online here.
