Clair Obscur Sweeps at the 2025's Gaming Honors
The forty-third annual Golden Joystick Awards were hosted this past week, and through an impressive performance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 emerged as the top winner. This standout role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive earned the prestigious Top Game award, along with honors for Superb Storytelling and Top Visual Design.
Complementing the studio's success, its talented performers also received personal awards. Jennifer English received Top Lead Actor for her portrayal as Maelle, while Ben Starr took home Best Supporting Performer for his work as Verso. Moreover, Sandfall Interactive itself was named Studio of the Year. In total, Clair Obscur and its creative team won seven awards during the event.
Additional notable winners included Ghost of Yōtei, which received Best Audio 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 bulk of Golden Joystick Awards are selected by the public, with only 4 awards—Critics Choice, Breakthrough Award, Hall of Fame, and Streamers’ Choice—judged by experts.
Following is the full list of honorees from the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards:
- Outstanding Narrative – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Excellence in Sound – Ghost of Yōtei
- Top Multiplayer Title – Peak
- Best Visual Design – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Game Expansion – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Indie Game Self Published – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Indie Title – Blue Prince
- Best Development Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Top Early Access Title – REPO
- Top Score – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top Game Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Still Playing (Mobile) – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing - Consoles & PC – Minecraft
- Streamers’ Choice – Peak
- Top Remake – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Rising Star Award – Schedule I
- Best Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Best Game Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Supporting Performance Award – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Lead Performance Award – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Lifetime Achievement – The Sims
- Best PC Game – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics' Choice – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Wanted Game – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Ultimate Game – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
If you missed out on the actual event, the awards ceremony can be watched through streaming below.