The race for Game of the Year remains wide open, with celebrated indies having as much or stronger critical interest than the obvious AAA tentpoles (and the fall calendar shaking up last minute – Assassin’s Creed Shadows was never poised to be The Big One for 2024, but Ubisoft’s decision to punt it to 2025 makes it a non-starter). The nominees for this year’s Golden Joystick Awards, which is going on its 41st year of handing out trophies for the best in gaming, only strengthen the narrative that there is no narrative. It’s anyone’s… uh, game.
Astro Bot, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and Helldivers 2 led the nominees for the Joysticks, which this year celebrates titles released between Nov. 11, 2023 and Oct. 4, 2024, with smaller games like Balatro, Tactical Breach Wizards, and UFO 50 popping up in multiple categories as well. Fan voting is now open for the awards, with the nominees selected by PC Gamer, the Future Games Show, Edge magazine, Retro Gamer, GamesRadar and “a variety of industry experts.” And Dragon Age fans wondering if The Veilguard is getting completely shafted by a weird nomination window, don’t fret: The Joysticks said games released between Oct. 4 and Nov. 21 (the day of the awards) will still be eligible for categories like Best Performance and Ultimate Game of the Year, where the sequel will likely dominate. Like the Golden Globes skirting the Oscars, the Joysticks clearly see opportunity in being first out the gate, while bending the rules to make sure nothing gets lost in the shuffle. Award season!
How indicative are these nominees of a larger Game of the Year wave that eventually informs The Game Awards in December? Among the Golden Joystick Awards nominating jury, only Edge, GamesRadar, and PC Gamer usually contribute to the TGA voting jury, which comprises over 100 outlets from all around the world. So if you are out there rooting for Black Myth Wukong or Metaphor: ReFantazio, it ain’t over yet.
Here is the complete list of nominees for the Golden Joystick Awards. The winners will be announced on Nov. 21.
Best Storytelling
- 1000xResist
- Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
- Tactical Breach Wizards
Best Multiplayer Game
- Abiotic Factor
- EA Sports College Football 25
- Helldivers 2
- Sons Of The Forest
- Tekken 8
- The Finals
Best Visual Design
- Astro Bot
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Harold Halibut
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Best Indie Game
- Animal Well
- Arco
- Balatro
- Beyond Galaxyland
- Conscript
- Indika
- Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
- Thank Goodness You’re Here!
- The Plucky Squire
- Ultros
Best Indie Game – Self Published
- Arctic Eggs
- Another Crab’s Treasure
- Crow Country
- Duck Detective: The Secret Salami
- I Am Your Beast
- Little Kitty, Big City
- Riven
- Tactical Breach Wizards
- Tiny Glade
- UFO 50
Still Playing Award – PC and Console
- Apex Legends
- Counter-Strike 2
- EA Sports FC
- Dota 2
- Fortnite
- GTA Online
- Minecraft
- Naraka: Bladepoint
- Roblox
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
- Valorant
- Warframe
Still Playing Award – Mobile
- Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile
- Free Fire
- Honkai: Star Rail
- Roblox
- Marvel Snap
- Monopoly Go!
- Mini Motorways
- PUBG: Battlegrounds
- Squad Busters
- Star Wars: Hunters
- Subway Surfers
- The Sims Mobile
Studio of the Year
- 11 Bit Studios
- Arrowhead Game Studios
- Capcom
- Digital Eclipse
- Team ASOBI
- Visual Concepts
Best Game Expansion
- Alan Wake 2 Expansion Pass
- Destiny 2: The Final Shape
- Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred
- Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
- God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla
- World of Warcraft: The War Within
Best Audio Design
- Astro Bot
- Balatro
- Robobeat
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Star Wars Outlaws
- Still Wakes the Deep
Best Soundtrack
- A Highland Song
- Astro Bot
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Hauntii
- Silent Hill 2
- Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
Best Lead Performer
- Cody Christian as Cloud Strife in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Kaiji Tang as Ichiban Kasuga in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Humberly Gonzalez as Kay Vess in Star Wars Outlaws
- Luke Roberts as James Sunderland in Silent Hill 2
- Melina Juergens as Senua in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Sonequa Martin-Green as Alvilda in Asgard’s Wrath 2
Best Supporting Performer
- Abbi Greenland & Helen Goalen as The Furies in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Briana White as Aerith Gainsborough in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Dawn M. Bennett as Aigis in Persona 3 Reload
- Debra Wilson as Amanda Waller in Suicide Squad
- Matt Berry as Herbert in Thank Goodness You’re Here!
- Neve McIntosh as Suze in Still Wakes the Deep
PC Game of the Year
- Animal Well
- Balatro
- Frostpunk 2
- Satisfactory
- Tactical Breach Wizards
- UFO 50
Console Game of the Year
- Astro Bot
- Dragon’s Dogma 2
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Helldivers 2
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
- The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Best Early Access Game
- Enshrouded
- Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
- Hades 2
- Manor Lords
- Lethal Company
- Palworld
Best Gaming Hardware
- Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024)
- Backbone One (2nd Gen)
- LG UltraGear 32GS95UE
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super
- Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra
- Steam Deck OLED
