The winners of the 44th Golden Joystick Awards 2026 have been revealed following a glittering ceremony in London, streamed live to audiences around the world.
It was a particularly successful evening for Capcom, with Resident Evil Requiem emerging as the biggest winner, taking home four awards, including the coveted Ultimate Game of the Year. The game also secured Console Game of the Year, Best Game Trailer and Best Lead Performer for Angela Sant’Albano, who portrays Grace Ashcroft.
Capcom’s success extended beyond Resident Evil, with the publisher connected to seven awards across the ceremony. These included Studio of the Year, Best Audio Design for Onimusha: Way of the Sword and Best Supporting Performer for Grace Saif, who plays Diana in PRAGMATA.
MECCHA CHAMELEON and Dispatch Among the Big Winners
There were plenty of other reasons to celebrate, particularly for independent developers.
MECCHA CHAMELEON was one of the evening’s biggest success stories, collecting four awards: Best Multiplayer Game, Best Indie Game – Self Published, Streamers’ Choice and Developers’ Choice.
Meanwhile, Dispatch picked up two awards, winning Best Storytelling and Best Soundtrack.
Other notable winners included CONTROL Resonant, which secured Best Visual Design, Crimson Desert, which took PC Game of the Year, and The Witcher 4, which was voted Most Wanted Game.
Golden Joystick Awards 2026 Full Winners List
Here is the complete list of winners from this year’s ceremony:
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 – Mobile | Balatro |
| Still Playing – Consoles & PC | Minecraft |
| Streamers’ Choice | 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 – Diana, PRAGMATA |
| Best Lead Performer | Angela Sant’Albano – Grace Ashcroft, Resident Evil Requiem |
| PC Game of the Year | Crimson Desert |
| Console Game of the Year | Resident Evil Requiem |
| Critics’ Choice | Big Walk |
| Most Wanted Game | The Witcher 4 |
| Ultimate Game of the Year | Resident Evil Requiem |
Alix Wilton Regan Hosts the 44th Golden Joystick Awards
This year’s ceremony was hosted by actor Alix Wilton Regan, known for portraying Lara Croft in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis.
She was joined by a selection of guest presenters from across the gaming industry, including:
- Chloe Kwok – Rare Ltd Composer
- Rex Crowle – Art & Creative Director
- Mateo Covic – Paddle Paddle Paddle developer
- Alices Pixels – Interviewer, actor and presenter
- Nick Apostolides – Resident Evil Requiem actor
- Richard Summers-Calvert – STAR WARS: Galactic Racer actor
- Malgorzata Mitrega – CD PROJEKT RED Production Director
- Richard Jacques – Composer
- Frankie Kevich – CONTROL Resonant actor
- Liam McIntyre – Marvel’s Wolverine actor
The Golden Joystick Awards celebrate the people, games and products shaping the industry, with this year’s event featuring 25 categories. Of these, 22 were decided by votes from the global gaming community, while three were selected by industry critics and professionals: Streamers’ Choice, Critics’ Choice and the newly introduced Developers’ Choice Award.
First established in 1983, the Golden Joystick Awards remains the world’s longest-running publicly voted gaming awards ceremony.
Those who missed the live event can now rewatch the full ceremony on YouTube or catch up with highlights through the awards’ official Instagram, X and Facebook channels.
Congratulations to all this year’s winners!
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