Update: The winners are here, with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild taking top prize as Game of the Year, and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds claiming PC Game of the Year.
The 35th annual Golden Joystick Awards have come and gone, celebrating the best of the UK games industry. 21 categories were voted on by fans, who chose PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds as the PC Game of the Year. The console-only Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild took overall Game of the Year.
Here’s our list of the best PC games.
Four awards – Critics’ Game of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Hall of Fame, and Outstanding Contribution to UK Industry – were decided on by a panel of critics, who sided with the fan vote on their Game of the Year pick.
Most of the awards were presented as a first prize with two runners-up. Here are the full selection of winners.
Best Storytelling
- 1st: Horizon Zero Dawn
- 2nd: Nier: Automata
- 3rd: Persona 5
Best Visual Design
- 1st: Cuphead
- 2nd: Horizon Zero Dawn
- 3rd: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Best Audio
- 1st: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- 2nd: Persona 5
- 3rd: Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Best Gaming Performance
- 1st: Ashly Burch – Horizon Zero Dawn
- 2nd: Nathan Fillion – Destiny 2
- 3rd: Melina Juergens – Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Best Indie Game
- 1st: Friday the 13th
- 2nd: What Remains of Edith Finch
- 3rd: Dream Daddy
Best Multiplayer Game
- 1st: PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
- 2nd: Battlefield 1
- 3rd: Splatoon 2
Studio of the Year
- 1st: Nintendo EPD
- 2nd: Platinum
- 3rd: Guerilla Games
Best VR Game
- 1st: Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
- 2nd: Superhot VR
- 3rd: Star Trek: Bridge Crew
Esports Play of the Year
- Agilities
Esports Team of the Year
- 1st: Seoul Dynasty (formerly Lunatic-Hai)
- 2nd: Team Liquid
- 3rd: Astralis
Esports Game of the Year
- 1st: Overwatch
- 2nd: Rocket League
- 3rd: League of Legends
Best Streamer/Broadcaster
- 1st: Markiplier
- 2nd: Jacksepticeye
- 3rd: Hannah Rutherford
Handheld/Mobile Game of the Year
- 1st: Pokémon Sun and Moon
- 2nd: Super Mario Run
- 3rd: Fire Emblem Heroes
Nintendo Game of the Year
- 1st: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- 2nd: Super Mario Odyssey
- 3rd: Pokémon Sun and Moon
PlayStation Game of the Year
- 1st: Horizon Zero Dawn
- 2nd: Nier: Automata
- 3rd: Persona 5
Xbox Game of the Year
- 1st: Cuphead
- 2nd: Gears of War 4
- 3rd: Forza Motorsport 7
PC Game of the Year
- 1st: PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
- 2nd: Dream Daddy
- 3rd: Total War: Warhammer 2
Critics Choice Award
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Breakthrough Award
- 1st: Ashly Burch
- 2nd: Game Grumps
- 3rd: Melina Juergens
Hall of Fame Award
- Final Fantasy
Most Wanted Award
- 1st: The Last of Us Part II
- 2nd: Red Dead Redemption 2
- 3rd: Death Stranding
Still Playing Award
- 1st: World of Tanks
- 2nd: Overwatch
- 3rd: Diablo III
Outstanding Contribution to the UK Games Industry
- Debbie Bestwick MBE
Lifetime Achievement Award
- Sid Meier
Game of the Year
- 1st: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- 2nd: Horizon Zero Dawn
- 3rd: Persona 5
Original Story:The Golden Joystick Awards, a celebration of the best of the UK games industry, take place this evening. The main event, hosted by Danny Wallace, takes place this evening, but the pre-show begins at 3.15 GMT, and you can watch it through theofficial Twitch channel.
Pre-show guests including Brendan ‘PlayerUnknown’ Greene and Friday the 13th’s Chuck Brungardt will join hosts Keza MacDonald and Ellie Gibson.
The 35th annual Golden Joysticks will hand out awards across 25 categories. 21 of those were the result of public voting, while four more (Critics’ Game of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Hall of Fame, and Outstanding Contribution to UK Industry) have been decided by a panel of critics.
Among the games up for the top prize of Ultimate Game of the Year are Assassin’s Creed Origins, Destiny 2, Dishonored 2, Resident Evil 7, and PUBG. They’re joined in the category by a handful of console-only titles, including Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey.