Clair Obscur Dominates at the 2025's Gaming Honors
The forty-third annual Golden Joystick Awards took place on Thursday, and with a remarkable show, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was crowned the biggest winner. The breakout role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive won the coveted Top Game award, along with honors for Outstanding Narrative and Top Visual Design.
Adding to the studio's success, the skilled cast also received personal awards. Jennifer English won Best Lead Performer for her performance as Maelle, while Ben Starr took home Supporting Performance Award for his role as Verso. Additionally, Sandfall Interactive the studio was honored as Best Development Team. Altogether, Clair Obscur and its developers achieved seven awards throughout the ceremony.
Other notable winners included Ghost of Yōtei, which won Outstanding Audio and Top Console Title, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, receiving Outstanding Independent Game and Best PC Game. Worth mentioning, the lion's share of Golden Joystick Awards are voted on by the gamers, with only 4 categories—Critics' Pick, Breakthrough Award, Hall of Fame, and Streamer Selection—judged by critics.
Here is the complete list of honorees from the 2025 gaming awards:
- Best Storytelling – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Excellence in Sound – Ghost of Yōtei
- Best Multiplayer – Peak
- Best Visual Design – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top DLC – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Indie Game Self Published – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Indie Game – Blue Prince
- Top Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Top Early Access Title – REPO
- Best Soundtrack – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Mobile Game Still Played – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing (Console/PC) – Minecraft
- Streamers’ Choice – Peak
- Best Remake / Remaster – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Rising Star Award – Schedule I
- Top Gaming Gear – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Top Game Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Best Supporting Actor – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Lead Performer – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Hall of Fame – The Sims
- Top PC Title – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics’ Choice Award – 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 event, the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards can be watched online below.
