Resident Evil Requiem took Ultimate Game of the Year at the 44th Golden Joystick Awards in London yesterday, but the rest of the 25 categories went to a wide spread of games. Pearl Abyss's Crimson Desert won PC Game of the Year, House House's Big Walk received the Critics' Choice award, and indie game MECCHA CHAMELEON tied Requiem for the most wins of the night with 4. Check out the official posts down below:
The global gaming public decided 22 of the 25 categories. The other 3, Streamers' Choice, Critics' Choice and the new Developers' Choice award, were critically chosen. Actor Alix Wilton Regan, who plays Lara Croft in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, hosted the ceremony, which was streamed on YouTube, Twitch, Steam, TikTok and X.
PC Game Of The Year: Crimson Desert
Crimson Desert beat Big Walk, Escape from Tarkov, Valheim, STAR WARS Zero Company, The Blood of Dawnwalker, Esoteric Ebb, Mewgenics, MECCHA CHAMELEON and The Order of the Sinking Star for the PC award. The Golden Joysticks' post called it "hotly-contested." Pearl Abyss responded on the game's account that it was "incredibly honored" by the win and thanked the game's community for its support. Pearl Abyss's launch trailer for Crimson Desert is below:
MECCHA CHAMELEON Wins 4
MECCHA CHAMELEON won Best Multiplayer Game, Best Indie Game - Self Published, Streamers' Choice and Developers' Choice. Its team's acceptance video could not be played during the show because of technical difficulties, so the Golden Joysticks shared it afterward. The post with the video is below:
Apart from Requiem and MECCHA CHAMELEON, Dispatch was the only game with more than 1 win, picking up Best Storytelling and Best Soundtrack. Valheim won Best Indie Game, and Big Walk's Critics' Choice prize was 1 of the 3 critically chosen awards.
Performers And Expansions
Grace Saif won Best Supporting Performer for playing Diana in Capcom's PRAGMATA. She beat Troy Baker as Nathaniel Essex in Marvel's Wolverine, Vic Michaelis, Lennie James, Terry O'Quinn and Frankie Kevich. The Golden Joysticks' post on her win is below:
DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations won Best Game Expansion. The DOOM account thanked the judges and the game's fans in its post below:
The Full List Of Golden Joystick Awards 2026 Winners
- Best Storytelling: Dispatch
- Best Audio Design: Onimusha: Way of the Sword
- Best Multiplayer Game: MECCHA CHAMELEON
- Best Visual Design: CONTROL Resonant
- Best Game Expansion: DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations
- Best Indie Game - Self Published: MECCHA CHAMELEON
- Best Indie Game: Valheim
- Best Gaming Hardware: Steam Controller
- Studio of the Year: Capcom
- Best Early Access Game: Subnautica 2
- Best Soundtrack: Dispatch
- Still Playing - Mobile: Balatro
- Still Playing - Consoles and PC: Minecraft
- Streamers' Choice: MECCHA CHAMELEON
- Best Game Trailer: Resident Evil Requiem - Evil Has Always Had A Name
- Best Remake/Remaster: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Remastered
- Developers' Choice: MECCHA CHAMELEON
- Best Game Adaptation: Iron Lung
- Best Supporting Performer: Grace Saif as Diana, PRAGMATA
- Best Lead Performer: Angela Sant'Albano as Grace Ashcroft, Resident Evil Requiem
- PC Game of the Year: Crimson Desert
- Console Game of the Year: Resident Evil Requiem
- Critics' Choice: Big Walk
- Most Wanted Game: The Witcher 4
- Ultimate Game of the Year: Resident Evil Requiem
Capcom and its games won 7 of those awards in total. Requiem and PRAGMATA had both been nominated at another fan-voted show this year, as covered in Resident Evil Requiem And Pragmata Pick Up Several Nominations At The First Fandom Awards.
The Golden Joystick Awards were first held in 1983 and are the longest-running publicly voted gaming awards. The full show is on YouTube.
Which Golden Joystick Awards 2026 winner do you think deserved its category the most outside of Resident Evil Requiem?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.