Golden Joystick Awards 2026: 12 nominees for Ultimate Game of the Year announced

The organizers of the Golden Joystick Awards, the oldest award in the video game industry, which is held for the 44th time this year, have published a shortlist of 12 games vying for the main award of the ceremony, Ultimate Game of the Year. The list of candidates was presented on October 26, and player voting ended on October 30.

Who was shortlisted

The list of nominees includes 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 and The Blood of Dawnwalker .

The shortlist turned out to be noticeably diverse: here is the Playground Games racing festival in Japan, which became the highest rated game of 2026 on Metacritic, and the horror Resident Evil Requiem from Capcom, and the Chinese slasher Phantom Blade Zero, and the cozy Pokemon life simulator Pokémon Pokopia, and the spy action game 007 First Light from the creators of Hitman.

How to choose the winner

Games released between November 8, 2025 and October 25, 2026 could be eligible for the award. The shortlist is selected by a jury of editors from GamesRadar and its partner publications, including PC Gamer, Edge and Retro Gamer, and the final winners are chosen by the players themselves. Last year, more than 21 million votes were cast, and Sandfall Interactive's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 took home seven awards, including Ultimate Game of the Year.

Voting for the title of best game of the year took place in a separate stage and ended on October 30 at 23:59 GMT. The main voting for another 21 categories - including PC Game of the Year, Best Visual Design and Most Wanted Game - closed on October 23.

The 2026 Golden Joystick Awards ceremony will take place in person on November 11 at the Troxy venue in London, where the winners in all categories will be announced.

Source: invenglobal.com