2023 may not quite be done yet, but the game-of-the-year conversation is already beginning to heat up. Case in point, the Golden Joystick Awards, one of the longest-running video game awards shows with winners being voted on by the UK public, has announced their winners. The big winner was Baldur’s Gate 3, which walked away with “Ultimate Game of the Year” and six other awards. The rest of the winner’s field was quite divided, with only two other games, Final Fantasy XVI and Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, receiving more than one award. Some games that seemed to be frontrunners earlier in the year, like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and the Resident Evil 4 remake, only received a single trophy.
You can check out the full list of Golden Joystick winners below…
- Best Storytelling – Baldur’s Gate 3
- Still Playing Award – No Man’s Sky
- Best Visual Design – Baldur’s Gate 3
- Studio of the Year – Larian Studios
- Best Game Expansion – Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
- Best Indie Game – Sea of Stars
- Best VR Game – Horizon Call of the Mountain
- Best Multiplayer Game – Mortal Kombat 1
- Best Audio – Final Fantasy XVI
- Best Game Trailer – Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
- Best Streaming Game – Valorant
- Best Game Community – Baldur’s Gate 3
- Best Gaming Hardware – PSVR 2
- Breakthrough Award – Coccoon / Geometric Interactive
- Critics’ Choice Award – Alan Wake II
- Best Lead Performer – Ben Starr, Final Fantasy XVI
- Best Supporting Performer – Neil Newborn, Astarion, Baldur’s Gate 3
- Nintendo Game of the Year – The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- PC Game of the Year – Baldur’s Gate 3
- Xbox Game of the Year – Starfield
- PlayStation Game of the Year – Resident Evil 4
- Most Wanted Game – Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- UGOTY – Baldur’s Gate 3
Does this bode well for how BG3 will do throughout the GOTY/awards season? We shall see, but it definitely feels like the wind is at Larian’s back. Regardless, somebody needs to find Larian boss Swen Vincke a wheelbarrow to carry all that hardware.
— Very AFK (@Cromwelp) November 10, 2023
What do you think? What games would win if you were making up your ballot?
