Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Dominates at Golden Joystick Awards 2025

A Historic Night for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

The 43rd annual Golden Joystick Awards on Thursday, November 20, 2025, proved to be a night of celebration for one game in particular. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 didn't just win big at the prestigious ceremony—it made history by sweeping all seven categories it was nominated for, including the coveted Ultimate Game of the Year award. The event, hosted by the iconic Lady Dimitrescu herself, Maggie Robertson, brought together gaming industry luminaries and fans alike.

The Golden Joystick Awards: A Celebration of Gaming Excellence

As the largest public-voted gaming awards in the world, the Golden Joysticks saw over 21 million votes cast across 22 categories this year. The ceremony, held in London, featured 26 categories in total, including a new award celebrating the Best Remake/Remaster. The show's host, Maggie Robertson, brought her signature charm and wit to the proceedings, with guest presenters including notable industry figures like Alix Wilton Regan, Adriyan Rae, Ben Starr, Samantha Béart, and Doug Cockle.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Unprecedented Victory

What began as a strong showing with seven nominations quickly transformed into an unprecedented clean sweep for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The game triumphed in every category it was nominated for:

• Ultimate Game of the Year
• Best Storytelling
• Best Visual Design
• Studio of the Year (Sandfall Interactive)
• Best Supporting Performer (Ben Starr)
• Best Lead Performer (Jennifer English)

Acceptance Speeches and Emotional Moments

The emotional peak of the evening came during the acceptance speech for Ultimate Game of the Year, where a stunned Jennifer English simply exclaimed, "What the f**k is happening right now." Ben Starr also delivered a heartfelt acknowledgment of the industry's challenges, noting that while they were celebrating astonishing video games, "there are many who are not here to celebrate because they've been laid off."

English's acceptance speech for Best Lead Performer particularly resonated with the audience: "Oh my god! I didn't think of a speech because I didn't think I was going to win against industry titans. I chose a life that was gay and I chose queer joy. As a result of that queer joy, I felt safe enough to put all of that into this incredibly beautifully written character. I'm so proud of that and I want to thank queer joy for that."

Other Major Winners

While Clair Obscur stole the show, other notable games also took home awards:

• Hollow Knight: Silksong won PC Game of the Year
• Ghost of Yotei won Console Game of the Year
• Donkey Kong Bananza won Critics' Choice Award
• Grand Theft Auto VI won Most Wanted Game
• The Sims was inducted into the Hall of Fame

The Road Ahead

With such a dominant performance at the Golden Joystick Awards, all eyes are now on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as it heads to The Game Awards. The game has already received more nominations than any other game in that award's history, making it a strong contender to repeat its success. As the industry celebrates this year's achievements, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has firmly established itself as one of the most celebrated games of 2025.