Golden Joystick Awards unveils 2026 nominees

The 44th Golden Joystick Awards has announced its nominees for 2026. As the world’s oldest user-voted gaming awards, the winners will be determined by global fan voting, which remains open until October 23 at midnight UK time.

In the flagship Console Game of the Year category, ten titles are competing, including ‘007 First Light’, ‘Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave’, ‘Forza Horizon 6’, ‘LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight’, ‘Nioh 3’, ‘Onimusha: Way of the Sword’, ‘Pokémon Pokopia’, ‘PRAGMATA’, ‘Resident Evil Requiem’, and ‘SAROS’. Notably, ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ and the ‘The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’ remake are absent from the list due to missing the eligibility deadline.

The PC Game of the Year category features ten contenders: ‘Big Walk’, ‘Crimson Desert’, ‘Escape from Tarkov’, ‘Esoteric Ebb’, ‘MECCHA CHAMELEON’, ‘Mewgenics’, ‘Order of the Sinking Star’, ‘STAR WARS Zero Company’, ‘The Blood of Dawnwalker’, and ‘Valheim’. ‘007 First Light’ and ‘Big Walk’ lead the overall nominations with six each.