Golden Joystick Awards 2026: First Winners of the Gaming Awards Announced
The 44th Golden Joystick Awards ceremony took place in London, honoring the best games and achievements in the gaming industry.
The Golden Joystick Awards 2026 became one of the first major events of the gaming awards season. This year, the competition for the title of the main game of the year proved particularly unpredictable: unlike last year, when Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was the clear favorite, there is currently no obvious leader among the new releases.
Among the already announced winners are Dispatch, which received the award for Best Storytelling; Control Resonant, recognized for Visual Design; and Meccha Chameleon, which won in the Best Multiplayer Game category. The Best Audio Design award went to Onimusha: Way of the Sword.
Special attention was drawn to the situation surrounding Big Walk. Developers from House House admitted to using generative AI in the final stages of the game's creation. According to them, such tools accounted for less than 0.1% of the project's code, but the admission sparked debates among players.
The absence of Grand Theft Auto 6 also influenced the awards' results: Rockstar Games' title will only be released on November 19 and did not participate in the voting. Meanwhile, The Game Awards still lies ahead, where the balance of power among the contenders may shift.
Among the nominees for the main award, Ultimate Game of the Year, are Dispatch, Control Resonant, Crimson Desert, Resident Evil Requiem, Pragmata, and other highly anticipated projects.
