There was some fun conversation here at PC Gamer recently about the anachronistic name of The Golden Joystick Awards. Who even uses a joystick anymore? Flight sim diehards, fighting game enthusiasts, and not many others. So why is it called that? Joysticks, really?
Simply put, the name reflects the age of the awards, which debuted in 1983, making it the longest-running publicly-voted videogame awards show of all time, according to Wikipedia. Back in those days, joysticks were it, and trust me, they weren't the sweet pieces of hardware we have access to now. But we loved 'em! And we used them to play games like the Golden Joysticks' first-ever game of the year, Jetpac. It was a banger!
Here we are, 43 years later, and much has changed: From a tiny ceremony handing out five trophies, the Golden Joysticks have grown to become one of the biggest videogame awards events of the year, watched by millions of people around the world on just about every streaming platform you can name. Yet that name, the Golden Joystick Awards, remains. Frankly, I'm glad about that. A little bit of reliability in this world is good for everyone.
Which leads me to the point: The 44th annual Golden Joystick Awards has now concluded, and the top gong, as my UK compatriots like to say for some reason—the Ultimate Game of the Year award, for the rest of us—has gone to Resident Evil Requiem, Capcom's latest tale of zombie-fueled bad news.
Can't really argue with that call: PC Gamer's Elie Gould gave Resident Evil Requiem a whopping 92% score in their review, saying it "feels like you're playing a highlight reel of the best moments in the series." Requiem claimed three other wins on the night: Console Game of the Year, Best Game Trailer, and Best Lead Performer for Angela Sant'Albano's turn as Grace Ashcroft.
Crimson Desert won for PC Game of the Year, which surprises me a bit given that it's also on consoles and pretty much the same experience. We liked that one too: Not quite as enthusiastically, but it still earned an enviable 80% review score. "Vast and obtuse in a way that is going to frustrate some and exhilarate others," as reviewer Mollie Taylor put it: "A fascinating journey, even when the destination isn't all that."
Multiplayer hide-and-seek game Meccha Chameleon was the night's other big winner, taking home four awards for Best Multiplayer Game, Best Indie Game (self-published), the Steamers' Choice Award, and Developer's Choice Award. Dispatch won twice, for Best Storytelling and Best Soundtrack, and The Witcher also sort of claimed two wins as well: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered took the trophy for Best Remake/Remaster, while The Witcher 4 won for Most Wanted Game.
So there you have it, 44 years down and hopefully many more to come—all of them bearing that glorious golden name. Here's your full list of 2026 Golden Joystick Awards 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 Award - Mobile: Balatro
- Still Playing Award - PC & Console: Minecraft
- Streamer's Choice Award: 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 (Pragmata)
- Best Lead Performer: Angela Sant'Albano (Resident Evil Requiem)
- PC Game of the Year: Crimson Desert
- Console Game of the Year: Resident Evil Requiem
- Critics' Choice Award: Big Walk
- Most Wanted Game: The Witcher 4
- Ultimate Game of the Year: Resident Evil Requiem
