Clair Obscur Sweeps at the 2025 Gaming Honors
The forty-third annual Golden Joystick Awards were hosted on Thursday, and in a stunning performance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was crowned the most decorated winner. The standout role-playing game from Sandfall Interactive won the prestigious Top Game award, along with prizes for Best Storytelling and Top Visual Design.
Adding to the developer's success, the gifted cast also received individual awards. Jennifer English won Best Lead Performer for her portrayal as Maelle, while Ben Starr won Supporting Performance Award for his work as Verso. Moreover, Sandfall Interactive the studio was named Best Development Team. Overall, Clair Obscur and its makers won seven awards during the show.
Additional notable winners featured Ghost of Yōtei, which was awarded Top Sound Design and Console Game of the Year, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, honored with Best Indie Game (Self-Published) and Premier PC Title. Worth mentioning, the lion's share of Golden Joystick Awards are voted on by the public, with only 4 categories—Critics' Pick, Breakthrough, Hall of Fame inductee, and Streamers' Favorite—judged by reviewers.
Following is the full list of honorees from the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards:
- Best Storytelling – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top Audio – Ghost of Yōtei
- Best Multiplayer Game – Peak
- Best Visual Design – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Top DLC – Lies of P: Overture
- Best Self-Published Indie – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Top Indie Title – Blue Prince
- Top Studio – Sandfall Interactive
- Best Early Access – REPO
- Best Soundtrack – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Game Trailer – Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2
- Still Playing - Mobile – Pokémon Go
- Still Playing - Consoles & PC – Minecraft
- Streamer Favorite – Peak
- Top Remake – The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
- Breakthrough Award – Schedule I
- Best Hardware – AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- Best Game Adaptation – Arcane Season 2
- Best Supporting Performer – Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Lead Performance Award – Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Lifetime Achievement – The Sims
- Top PC Title – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Console Game – Ghost of Yōtei
- Critics Pick – Donkey Kong Bananza
- Most Wanted Game – Grand Theft Auto 6
- Ultimate Game of the Year – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
For those who missed the actual show, the Golden Joystick Awards 2025 is available to watch through streaming following this article.
