Awards season is on its way. Forget the Oscars. Forget the Emmys. It's all about the video games, with The Golden Joysticks first to kick things off. And now we have the nominees.

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Developed by Future Publishing, the 42nd annual Golden Joystick Awards is set to happen in late November with voting now closed. We've got an interview with host Ben Starr for you to watch above!

20 categories and awards are up for grabs. Everything from Best Storytelling and Best Game Expansion to Most Wanted Game and Streamer's Choice. Of course, Ultimate Game of the Year is right up there too.

Whether it's Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree or Astro Bot, the competition is set to be fierce. Thankfully, we don't have long to wait with the video stream now up and running in preparation.

So with that, here's everything there is to know about The Golden Joysticks 2024 – including when the live event is and how to vote. The full list of nominees can be found at the bottom of the page.

When is The Golden Joysticks 2024?

The Golden Joysticks 2024 awards ceremony is taking place on Thursday 21st November 2024.

The awards are set to begin streaming at 4pm UK time and will last until 6pm UK time.

So expect around two hours of awards. Just don't expect any major game announcements, as The Golden Joysticks is very different from The Game Awards.

How to watch The Golden Joysticks 2024

You will be able to watch The Golden Joysticks 2024 awards ceremony on the GamesRadar YouTube channel on 21st November 2024.

The video stream is now up in preparation. Watch below:

How to vote for The Golden Joysticks 2024

Voting has now closed for The Golden Joysticks 2024.

There are 20 categories in total, with voting ending on 9th November. This was done to ensure later entries could be considered.

The full results will be announced in the coming days.

Who is hosting The Golden Joysticks in 2024?

Ben Starr has been confirmed as the host of The Golden Joystick Awards 2024.

The English voice actor is best known for his role as Clive Rosfield in Final Fantasy 16.

Check out our new interview with him below!

Full list of The Golden Joysticks nominees 2024

The full list of The Golden Joysticks 2024 nominees is as follows:

Best Storytelling

  • Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
  • Tactical Breach Wizards
  • Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club
  • Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
  • 1000xResist
  • Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Best Multiplayer Game

  • Abiotic Factor
  • The Finals
  • Sons of the Forest
  • EA Sports College Football 25
  • Tekken 8
  • Helldivers 2

Best Visual Design

  • Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2
  • Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
  • Astro Bot
  • Harold Halibut
  • Black Myth: Wukong
  • Metaphor: ReFantazio

Best Indie Game

  • Animal Well
  • Beyond Galaxyland
  • Ultros
  • Indika
  • The Plucky Squire
  • Balatro
  • Thank Goodness You're Here!
  • Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
  • Acro
  • Conscript

Best Indie Game - Self-published

  • UFO 50
  • I Am Your Beast
  • Riven
  • Little Kitty, Big City
  • Crow Country
  • Tactical Breach Wizards
  • Tiny Glade
  • Another Crab's Treasure
  • Arctic Eggs
  • Duck Detective: The Secret Salami

Still Playing - PC and Console

  • Roblox
  • Minecraft
  • GTA Online
  • Apex Legends
  • Warframe
  • Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
  • Fortnite
  • Valorant
  • EA Sports FC
  • Dota 2
  • Counter-Strike 2
  • Naraka: Bladepoint

Still Playing - Mobile

  • Honkai: Star Rail
  • PUBG Mobile
  • Subway Surfers
  • Marvel Snap
  • Roblox
  • Mini Motorways
  • Squad Busters
  • Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile
  • The Sims Mobile
  • Free Fire
  • Monopoly Go!
  • Star Wars: Hunters

Studio of the Year

  • Digital Eclipse
  • 11 Bit Studios
  • Team ASOBI
  • Capcom
  • Visual Concepts
  • Arrowhead Game Studios

Best Game Expansion

  • God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla
  • World of Warcraft: The War Within
  • Destiny 2: The Final Shape
  • Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
  • Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred
  • Alan Wake 2 Expansion Pass

Best Audio Design

  • Still Wakes the Deep
  • Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2
  • Robobeat
  • Astro Bot
  • Balatro
  • Star Wars Outlaws

Best Soundtrack

  • Silent Hill 2
  • Astro Bot
  • Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
  • Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
  • A Highland Song
  • Hauntii

Best Lead Performer

  • Humberly Gonzalez – Kay Vess, Star Wars Outlaws
  • Luke Roberts – James Sunderland, Silent Hill 2
  • Cody Christian – Cloud Strife, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
  • Sonequa Martin-Green – Alvilda, Asgard’s Wrath 2
  • Kaiji Tang – Ichiban Kasuga, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
  • Melina Juergens – Senua, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2

Best Supporting Performer

  • Neve McIntosh – Suze, Still Wakes the Deep
  • Debra Wilson – Amanda Waller, Suicide Squad
  • Matt Berry – Herbert, Thank Goodness You're Here!
  • Dawn M Bennett – Aigis, Persona 3 Reload
  • Briana White – Aerith Gainsborough, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
  • Abbi Greenland and Helen Goalen – The Furies, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2

PC Game of the Year

  • Satisfactory
  • Frostpunk 2
  • Tactical Breach Wizards
  • UFO 50
  • Animal Well
  • Balatro

Console Game of the Year

  • Astro Bot
  • Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
  • Helldivers 2
  • Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
  • Dragon's Dogma 2
  • The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

Best Early Access Game

  • Enshrouded
  • Lethal Company
  • Manor Lords
  • Palworld
  • Hades 2
  • Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor

Best Gaming Hardware

  • LG UltraGear 32GS95UE
  • Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024)
  • Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra
  • Backbone One (2nd Gen)
  • Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super
  • Steam Deck OLED

Best Game Trailer

  • Helldivers 2 The Fight for Freedom Begins Launch Trailer
  • Death Stranding 2 On The Beach State of Play Announce Trailer
  • Caravan Sandwitch Launch Trailer
  • Kingmakers Official Announcement Trailer
  • The Plucky Squire Launch Trailer
  • Sid Meier’s Civilization VII Narrator Reveal Trailer

Most Wanted Game

  • Monster Hunter Wilds
  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
  • Slay The Spire 2
  • Ghost of Yōtei
  • Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
  • Hollow Knight: Silksong
  • Skate.
  • Doom: The Dark Ages
  • Atomfall
  • Deadlock
  • Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
  • Grand Theft Auto 6
  • South of Midnight
  • Fable
  • Exodus
  • Mafia: The Old Country
  • Light No Fire
  • Sid Meier's Civilization VII
  • Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
  • Assassin's Creed Shadows

The Golden Joysticks 2024 also has the following additional awards:

  • Streamers' Choice Award
  • Best Game Adaptation
  • Breakthrough Award
  • Critics' Choice Award
  • Lifetime Achievement
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Authors

Toby Saunders
Toby SaundersFreelance Writer

Toby Saunders is a freelance writer specialising in Video Game journalism. He has a wealth of experience in the field and is published on many different websites including PCGamesN, Nintendo Life and Pocket Tactics. He has a degree in Film Studies (he gets to write about Film and TV occasionally, too).

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