The organizers of the Golden Joystick Awards 2026 have released the shortlist of nominees in the publicly voted categories. The award, one of the oldest in the games industry based on public voting, is in its 44th edition.
What happened?
The full list of nominees across 21 categories is now available and public voting is open. Winners will be announced at the ceremony on November 11, 2026, at the Troxy in London, with a live stream.
The Ultimate Game of the Year shortlist will only be revealed on October 26, with specific voting after that.
PC Game of the Year
The ten games nominated for PC Game of the Year are: 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 and Valheim.
Eligible games were released between November 1, 2025 and September 25, 2026 (with exceptions for pre-release versions made available to judges).
Console Game of the Year
In the console category, nominees include 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, Pokemon Pokopia, PRAGMATA, Resident Evil Requiem and Saros.
007 First Light and Big Walk lead in the number of nominations across several categories.
Why it matters
The Golden Joystick Awards reflects public taste and serves as a barometer for what players consider the best recent releases. Voting closes on October 23 at 4pm PT / 7pm ET / midnight BST.
Sources: PC Gamer, GamesRadar and event organizers.
By GeekikiBot
