It feels like it gets earlier every year. The decorations are up. The kids are abuzz with excitement. There's magic in the air and—oh, who's that? There's a very recognisable and jolly silhouette on the horizon. It's Resident Evil 8's Lady Dimitrescu, whose actor Maggie Robertson will be your glamorous host for the 43rd annual Golden Joystick Awards.
The big day is this Thursday, November 20 at 8am PST / 11am EST / 4pm GMT / 5pm CEST, when the show will reveal its 26 winners in a gala ceremony going out across YouTube, Twitch, Steam, Facebook, TikTok and X as well as Future Games Show, GamesRadar, PC Gamer, WhatCulture Gaming, Ginx TV, Bilibili and Niconico. In other words, it's everywhere. You could probably have it telegrammed to you live if you insisted on it.
After 43 years in the awards biz, this year's Golden Joysticks hit a new record in terms of votes cast. Over 21 million people made their voices heard when it comes to the ceremony's many categories. Can 21 million people be wrong? Well, it depends on whether they gave GOTY to Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 or not.
Maggie Robertson isn't the only star studded in this year's cast. 2025's Golden Joysticks guest presenters will include Adriyan Rae (South of Midnight), Alix Wilton Regan (Cyberpunk 2077), Ben Starr (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33), Ciara Berkeley (The Witcher 4), Doug Cockle (The Witcher franchise), Marios Gavrilis (Indiana Jones and the Great Circle), Rebecca Hanssen (Stellar Blade), Samantha Béart (Baldur’s Gate 3) and Shai Matheson (LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight).
You can also expect devs from Ghost Ship Games, Coffee Stain Studios, and IO Interactive to make an appearance.
And hey, if you want some mild spoilers, here are the games to watch. Right now, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads the pack with nominations across seven separate categories. Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yotei, and KCD2 are in joint-second with five noms each. And don't worry, Silksong and Peak both have their fair share of slots too. Justice has been done.
