Expedition 33 Sweeps at the 2025 Gaming Honors
The 43rd annual Golden Joystick Awards took place recently, and through an impressive performance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 claimed the title of the biggest winner. This standout role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive secured the coveted Top Game award, along with prizes for Best Storytelling and Excellence in Visuals.
Complementing the studio's achievements, the skilled actors also garnered individual awards. Jennifer English received Top Lead Actor for her role as Maelle, while Ben Starr earned Supporting Performance Award for his work as Verso. Furthermore, Sandfall Interactive itself was honored as Studio of the Year. Altogether, Clair Obscur and its makers collected 7 awards during the show.
Other standout winners featured Ghost of Yōtei, which won Top Sound Design and Console Game of the Year, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, receiving Outstanding Independent Game and Premier PC Title. Worth mentioning, the bulk of Golden Joystick Awards are chosen by the public, with only four categories—Critics' Pick, Breakthrough Award, Lifetime Achievement, and Streamers’ Choice—determined by experts.
Here is the complete list of award recipients from the Golden Joystick Awards 2025:
- Outstanding Narrative – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Audio Design – Ghost of Yōtei
- Best Multiplayer Game – Peak
- Best Visuals – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top DLC – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Self-Published Indie – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Independent Game – Blue Prince
- Top Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access – REPO
- Best Soundtrack – 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
- Top Remake – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough – Schedule I
- Best Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Best 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
- Best PC Game – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics' Choice – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Anticipated – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Ultimate Game – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
For those who missed the full ceremony, the awards ceremony is available to watch online below.