Clair Obscur Triumphs at the 2025 Gaming Honors
The forty-third yearly Golden Joystick Awards unfolded on Thursday, and through an impressive performance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was crowned the biggest winner. This breakout role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive secured the prestigious Top Game award, along with accolades for Outstanding Narrative and Top Visual Design.
Complementing the studio's triumph, the talented cast also were honored with personal awards. Jennifer English was named Best Lead Performer for her role as Maelle, while Ben Starr earned Supporting Performance Award for his role as Verso. Furthermore, Sandfall Interactive the studio was named Top Studio. Overall, Clair Obscur and its developers won seven awards throughout the show.
Additional notable winners featured Ghost of Yōtei, which received Top Sound Design and Console Game of the Year, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, honored with Best Indie Game (Self-Published) and PC Game of the Year. Worth mentioning, the lion's share of Golden Joystick Awards are chosen by the public, with only 4 awards—Critics Choice, Breakthrough Award, Lifetime Achievement, and Streamers’ Choice—decided by reviewers.
Following is the complete list of winners from the 2025 gaming awards:
- Best Storytelling – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Audio Design – Ghost of Yōtei
- Top Multiplayer Title – Peak
- Best Visual Design – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top DLC – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Self-Published Indie – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Indie Game – Blue Prince
- Studio of the Year – 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
- Still Playing - Consoles & PC – Minecraft
- Streamer Favorite – Peak
- Best Remake / Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough Award – Schedule I
- Best Gaming Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Top Game Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Best Supporting Performer – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Lead Performer – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Lifetime Achievement – The Sims
- Best PC Game – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics' Choice – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Wanted Game – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Ultimate Game of the Year – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
If you who missed the actual ceremony, the Golden Joystick Awards 2025 can be watched via video following this article.