Golden Joystick Awards 2026: the nominees, how to vote and the November 11 ceremony

Awards season starts with the Golden Joystick Awards, the video game awards run by GamesRadar+ and voted on by the public. Voting for this 44th edition is open until Friday, October 23, and the winners will be revealed on Wednesday, November 11 at a ceremony in London. Here is how it works and how to vote.

The key dates

• Until Friday, October 23: public voting in the first 21 categories, until midnight UK time (4 PM PT, 7 PM ET).
• Monday, October 26 to Friday, October 30: voting for Ultimate Game of the Year, the top award, whose shortlist will only be revealed on October 26.
• Wednesday, November 11: the ceremony at the Troxy in London, streamed live worldwide.

The games leading the nominations

007 First Light and Big Walk lead this year's nominations, followed by Resident Evil Requiem. Big Walk is notably up for Best Indie Game and PC Game of the Year, while 007 First Light is nominated for Best Storytelling and Console Game of the Year. Other games with several nominations include MECCHA CHAMELEON, Mewgenics, Saros, The Blood of Dawnwalker and Valheim.

To be eligible for the main categories, a game must have been released between November 1, 2025 and September 25, 2026. Games coming out after November 11, 2026 can compete for Most Wanted, the award for the most anticipated game.

How to vote

Voting takes place on the official Golden Joystick Awards site: you pick your favorite in each category, then confirm your vote. Some awards are not decided by the public: a jury hands out the critically selected awards, such as the Breakthrough Award and the Critics' Choice Award, which will be revealed during the ceremony.

Last year's winners

In 2025, the Golden Joystick Awards drew a record 21 million votes, according to the organizer. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was the big winner with seven awards. Ghost of Yōtei, Hollow Knight: Silksong and PEAK were among the other winners, as was Grand Theft Auto VI, even though the game had not yet been released.