The Golden Joystick Awards 2024 have unveiled their nominees across numerous categories, notably including a brand-new category dedicated to self-developed and self-published indie games.

Golden Joystick Awards 2024 Nominees

Celebrating gaming excellence since 1983, the 42nd Golden Joystick Awards ceremony, taking place on November 21, 2024, will honor games released between November 11, 2023, and October 4, 2024. This year's awards show a significant spotlight on smaller-scale games, with titles like Balatro and Lorelei and the Laser Eyes receiving multiple nominations.

This year's Golden Joystick Awards feature 19 categories, highlighted by the addition of a new category specifically for self-published indie developers. This category champions indie titles developed and published by smaller teams, acknowledging the evolving definition of "indie" games and focusing on teams lacking the support of larger publishers. Organizers stated the award recognizes titles entering markets underserved by traditional publishing.

Below are the nominees for each category:

Best Soundtrack

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

Best Audio Design

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

Best Game Trailer

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

Best Game Expansion

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

Best Early Access Game

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

Still Playing Award - Mobile

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

Still Playing Award - Console & PC

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

Best Indie Game

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

Best Indie Game - Self Published

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

Console Game of the Year

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

Best Multiplayer Game

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

Best Lead Performer

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

Best Supporting Performer

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

Best Storytelling

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

Best Visual Design

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

Most Wanted Game

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

Best Gaming Hardware

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

Studio of the Year

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

PC Game of the Year

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

Voting Period

Fan voting for the Golden Joystick Awards 2024 is now open. Nominees were selected by a jury including representatives from PC Gamer, GamesRadar, the Future Games Show, Edge magazine, and Retro Gamer. Voting is available on the official website. Voting for the Ultimate Game of the Year category will open later. The shortlist will be revealed on November 4th, with voting running from November 4th to 8th, 2024. Games released between October 4th and November 21st, 2024, remain eligible for Best Performance and Ultimate Game of the Year.

A free ebook (up to approximately $19 value) is offered to voters, with choices including:

• 100 Retro Games to Play Before You Die
• 100 PlayStation Games To Play Before You Die
• The History of Videogames
• Ultimate Fan's Guide to Pokémon
• Ultimate Guide to Roblox

Fan Backlash Over Game of the Year Snubs

The Golden Joystick Awards have confirmed that the Ultimate Game of the Year (UGOTY) nominees are yet to be announced. However, online discussions have ignited regarding the absence of several fan-favorite titles from the current Game of the Year nominee lists for PC and Console, including Metaphor: ReFantazio, Space Marine 2, and Black Myth: Wukong.

Criticism has been directed at the awards show, with Wukong fans expressing their disappointment. Social media comments accuse organizers of prioritizing certain games. The organization responded via tweet, clarifying that the UGOTY shortlist is forthcoming (launching November 4th).