Golden Joystick Awards 2026: Resident Evil Requiem Wins GOTY
Resident Evil Requiem and Meccha Chameleon won four awards each at the 2026 Golden Joystick Awards. See all 25 winners and who they beat.
Resident Evil Requiem won Ultimate Game of the Year at the 2026 Golden Joystick Awards, finishing the ceremony with four awards. The show took place in London on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, hosted by Alix Wilton Regan.
The Golden Joystick Awards are a gaming awards show that handed out 25 awards in 2026, covering games, performances, studios and hardware. Public vote decided 22 of them, and each winner is covered below.
Categories and contenders at the 2026 Golden Joystick Awards
The categories run from game of the year awards by platform to craft awards for storytelling, visual design, audio, soundtrack, trailers and performances. Genre awards such as Best Multiplayer Game, Best Indie Game and Best Early Access Game sit beside the Still Playing awards for mobile and for PC and console, Most Wanted Game for unreleased titles, and prizes for studios and hardware.
The nominee lists were longest where the audience is broadest. Most Wanted Game had 20 nominees, Ultimate Game of the Year and the two Still Playing awards had 12 each, and Best Indie Game, Best Indie Game - Self-Published, PC Game of the Year and Console Game of the Year had 10. Every other voted category had six. The Streamer's Choice, Developers' Choice and Critics' Choice awards were the three not decided by public vote.
007 First Light and Big Walk led the nominations with six each. Dispatch, The Blood of Dawnwalker and Resident Evil Requiem had four apiece.
The results did not follow the nomination counts. 007 First Light went home without a win from six nominations, and Big Walk's only award was the Critics' Choice Award. The Blood of Dawnwalker (four nominations), SAROS, Mewgenics and Forza Horizon 6 (three each) also left empty-handed. Resident Evil Requiem, meanwhile, won all four of its nominations.
That left a 4-4 tie at the top between Resident Evil Requiem and Meccha Chameleon, which won Best Multiplayer Game, Best Indie Game - Self-Published, the Streamer's Choice Award and Developers' Choice. Dispatch was next with two awards, and the other 15 awards went to 15 different winners, so 18 winners shared the 25 awards.
Best Storytelling: Dispatch
Dispatch is a single-player superhero workplace comedy from AdHoc Studio, released in October 2025 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. You play Robert Robertson, a former mech-suit hero who now works as a dispatcher for a team of ex-supervillains.
The story runs on two layers. A strategy map decides which hero handles each emergency, while breakroom conversations and mission decisions shape your relationships with the team.
Dispatch beat 007 First Light, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, SILENT HILL: Townfall, The Blood of Dawnwalker and ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies. It won two of its four nominations, adding Best Soundtrack.
Best Visual Design: CONTROL: Resonant
CONTROL: Resonant is an action-adventure RPG from Remedy Entertainment, released in September 2026 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Mac. It follows Dylan Faden through a warped Manhattan on the brink of paranatural annihilation.
The visual design on show is a real city bent out of shape, with debris, enemies and a giant face floating above the streets.
It won over Forza Horizon 6, Orbitals, Phonopolis, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy and SAROS. It was also nominated for Best Supporting Performer and Ultimate Game of the Year, and this was its only win.
Best Audio Design: Onimusha: Way of the Sword
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a single-player action game from Capcom, released in September 2026 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. A samurai with the Oni Gauntlet fights supernatural Genma creatures in a dark fantasy version of Edo-period Kyoto.
Combat is built on close-range swordplay and timing, in streets and temples twisted by a force called Malice, and the audio design covers all of it.
The award went to Onimusha over Big Walk, Marathon, Rhythm Heaven Groove, SAROS and STAR WARS: Galactic Racer. It was also nominated for Console Game of the Year.
Best Soundtrack: Dispatch
Dispatch is AdHoc Studio's superhero workplace comedy, released in October 2025, in which you run a team of ex-supervillains from a dispatcher's desk.
The soundtrack beat 007 First Light, Crimson Desert, Lumines Arise, Mewgenics and Mixtape. That field ranges from the spy action of 007 First Light and the open world of Crimson Desert to Lumines Arise and Mewgenics.
It is Dispatch's second award of the night, after Best Storytelling. Its other two nominations were Best Lead Performer, for Aaron Paul, and Ultimate Game of the Year.
Best Game Trailer: Resident Evil Requiem - Evil Has Always Had a Name
The trailer promotes Resident Evil Requiem, Capcom's survival horror game, which was developed by Capcom Development Division 1 and released in February 2026 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2.
The award judges the trailer, not the game. This one is titled Evil Has Always Had a Name and promotes the game's February 2026 release.
It beat the trailers for Battlefield 6 x Top Gun: Carrier Strike, Big Walk, Cairn, MOUSE: P.I. For Hire and Prove You're Human. It was the first of the game's four awards on the night.
Best Lead Performer: Angela Sant'Albano
Angela Sant'Albano plays Grace Ashcroft in Resident Evil Requiem, one of its two playable characters. Grace is an FBI analyst who relies on scarce supplies and careful exploration, while Leon S. Kennedy gets faster, more aggressive combat.
She is the lead of the game that won Ultimate Game of the Year, Console Game of the Year and Best Game Trailer on the same night.
Her fellow nominees were Aaron Paul (Dispatch), Anna Demetriou (Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy), Liam McIntyre (Marvel's Wolverine), Patrick Gibson (007 First Light) and Will de Renzy-Martin (The Blood of Dawnwalker). Her win was the game's third of four.
Best Supporting Performer: Grace Saif
Grace Saif plays Diana in Pragmata, a single-player sci-fi action game from Capcom released in April 2026 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2.
The award recognizes a supporting performance in a game that was also nominated for Console Game of the Year and Ultimate Game of the Year.
The other nominees were Frankie Kevich (CONTROL: Resonant), Lennie James (007 First Light), Terry O'Quinn (SILENT HILL: Townfall), Troy Baker (Marvel's Wolverine) and Vic Michaelis (STAR WARS Zero Company). It was Pragmata's only win from three nominations.
Best Multiplayer Game: Meccha Chameleon
Meccha Chameleon is a multiplayer hide-and-seek game from LEMORION, released in June 2026 on PC. Hiders paint themselves to blend into the scenery while seekers search every room, in private rooms or on open servers with two to ten players recommended.
Matches pair Hiders and Seekers, and the game supports Steam Workshop content, so players can add their own.
It won over ARC Raiders, Big Walk, Marathon, MARVEL Tokon: Fighting Souls and Valheim. It lost PC Game of the Year, its third voted nomination, to Crimson Desert.
Best Indie Game: Valheim
Valheim is a Norse-inspired survival game from Iron Gate Studio, published by Coffee Stain Publishing, and it is available on PC, Mac, Linux, PS5, Xbox and Nintendo Switch 2. You gather resources, craft gear and build settlements in a procedurally generated world.
Each biome brings new materials and hazards, boats open up distant islands, and bosses called the Forsaken unlock new tools. You can play alone or with up to nine other players.
Valheim won from a field of 10 that included Big Walk, Esoteric Ebb, Mixtape, MOUSE: P.I. for Hire, Order of the Sinking Star and REANIMAL. It was its only win from three nominations, which also covered Best Multiplayer Game and PC Game of the Year.
Best Indie Game - Self-Published: Meccha Chameleon
Meccha Chameleon is both developed and published by LEMORION, which is what puts it in the self-published indie category. The game supports Steam Workshop content and is built for streams where viewers join the host's room.
The same game also won Best Multiplayer Game, so it took both the multiplayer and the self-published indie prize.
It won over Cairn, Fields of Mistria, Mewgenics, Mina the Hollower, Perfect Tides: Station to Station, Phonopolis, Rhythm Doctor, The Incident at Galley House and Vampire Crawlers. Mewgenics, nominated three times, did not win any of them.
Best Early Access Game: Subnautica 2
Subnautica 2 is an underwater survival game from Unknown Worlds Entertainment, in Early Access on PC and Xbox Series X|S since May 2026. You gather resources, craft tools, build bases and scan the wildlife on a new alien ocean world.
It keeps the series' loop of oxygen limits, equipment upgrades and ever deeper water, and adds online four-player co-op. Because it is still in Early Access, the game keeps changing.
It won over Dead as Disco, MENACE, skate., Slay the Spire 2 and WARDOGS. This was Subnautica 2's only nomination at the ceremony.
Best Game Expansion: DOOM: The Dark Ages - Revelations
Revelations is the expansion for DOOM: The Dark Ages, id Software's single-player prequel to DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal, released in May 2025 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The base game is a medieval war against Hell.
The base game's combat centers on a Shield Saw that blocks, parries and can be thrown, with Atlan mech and Mecha Dragon sections on top.
It beat Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven, DAVE THE DIVER - In the Jungle Content Pack, Quake: Dawn of the Machine, The Alters: Last Variable and World of Warcraft: Midnight.
Best Remake/Remaster: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered is CD Projekt RED's upgrade of its 2015 open-world action RPG, released on September 29, 2026 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. It brings upgrades to visuals and gameplay and includes the Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansions.
It is a free upgrade for players who own the original on GOG, Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, so the award went to a remaster that existing players get at no cost.
It won over Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, Gothic 1 Remake, METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2, Star Fox and Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter.
Best Game Adaptation: Iron Lung
Iron Lung is the film adaptation of David Szymanski's 2022 indie horror game of the same name. Markiplier directed and stars in it. The film reached theaters on January 30, 2026, and went on sale on YouTube on May 31, 2026.
It won over Devil May Cry (Season 2), Exit 8, Fallout (Season 2), Mortal Kombat II and Resident Evil, a field that included two TV seasons. Iron Lung had a single nomination at the ceremony, and it won it.
Still Playing Award - Mobile: Balatro
Balatro is a roguelike deck builder from LocalThunk, published by Playstack and released in February 2024. It is on PC, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android.
It uses poker hands as its scoring engine: you build hands to earn enough chips to beat ever harder Blinds, while Jokers, Tarot, Planet and Spectral cards change how hands score.
The Still Playing award went to Balatro more than two and a half years after release, from 12 nominees that included Pokémon GO, Roblox, Genshin Impact, MARVEL SNAP and Wuthering Waves.
Still Playing Award - PC & Console: Minecraft
Minecraft is Mojang Studios' sandbox game, released in November 2011. You gather resources, craft and build in procedurally generated worlds, with Survival mode adding health, hunger and combat and Creative mode giving unlimited blocks.
The PC package bundles the Java and Bedrock editions. Java is the one for mods and community servers, while Bedrock supports cross-platform play with consoles and mobile players.
Fifteen years after launch, it won from 12 nominees that included Fortnite, GTA Online, HELLDIVERS 2, Warframe and World of Warcraft.
Best Gaming Hardware: Steam Controller
The Steam Controller is Valve's gamepad, launched on May 4, 2026 at $99. It combines dual thumbsticks, trackpads, a D-pad and the ABXY buttons.
Best Gaming Hardware had six nominees, and it won over the Logitech G PRO X2 SUPERSTRIKE, Razer Viper V4 Pro, Secretlab ATLAS, Sony INZONE M10S II and Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II.
Studio of the Year: Capcom
Capcom released three of the night's winning games in 2026: Resident Evil Requiem in February, Pragmata in April and Onimusha: Way of the Sword in September.
Capcom won Studio of the Year over Frogwares, House House, IO Interactive, Nintendo EPD and Square Enix. With Resident Evil Requiem's four awards, Best Audio Design for Onimusha: Way of the Sword and Best Supporting Performer for Pragmata, Capcom was behind seven of the 25 awards.
House House, also nominated, is the studio behind Big Walk, which won the Critics' Choice Award.
Most Wanted Game: The Witcher 4
The Witcher 4 is CD Projekt RED's next Witcher role-playing game, planned for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. It has not been released yet.
Most Wanted Game is the one award voted on before release, so it measures anticipation, not play. The Witcher 4 won it from the largest field of the night, 20 nominees that included Fable, Persona 6, KINGDOM HEARTS IV, God of War Laufey and Resident Evil Veronica.
With The Witcher 3 remaster's Best Remake/Remaster win, CD Projekt RED's games took two awards.
Critics' Choice Award: Big Walk
Big Walk is a cooperative online game from House House, the studio behind Untitled Goose Game, published by Panic. It was released in August 2026 on PC, Mac, PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2.
The game is a multiplayer adventure about teamwork and talking, built around getting lost in a big world with close friends.
The Critics' Choice Award was its only win: none of its six nominations in the other categories turned into one. Those were Best Audio Design, Best Indie Game, Best Multiplayer Game, Best Game Trailer, PC Game of the Year and Ultimate Game of the Year.
Streamer's Choice Award: Meccha Chameleon
Meccha Chameleon is built for streams: viewers can join the host's room while hiders paint themselves to match the scenery and seekers search for them.
The game launched on PC in June 2026, with two to ten players recommended per match, in private rooms or on open servers. The Streamer's Choice Award is one of the three awards not decided by public vote.
It was one of the four awards that put Meccha Chameleon level with Resident Evil Requiem.
Developers' Choice: Meccha Chameleon
Developers' Choice is another of the three awards not decided by public vote. The game's paint tool, with a color picker, lets hiders match the surface behind them, and Steam Workshop support lets players add content.
Meccha Chameleon is developed and published by LEMORION and runs on PC. This was its fourth award of the night, after Best Multiplayer Game, Best Indie Game - Self-Published and the Streamer's Choice Award, and it tied the game with Resident Evil Requiem for the most wins.
Game of the Year: Resident Evil Requiem wins, Crimson Desert takes PC
Resident Evil Requiem won Ultimate Game of the Year over 007 First Light, Big Walk, CONTROL: Resonant, Crimson Desert, Dispatch, Forza Horizon 6, Phantom Blade Zero, Pokémon Pokopia, Pragmata, STAR WARS: Galactic Racer and The Blood of Dawnwalker. It follows two Capcom survival horror leads, Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy, and can be played in first or third person.
It also won Console Game of the Year from a field of 10 that included 007 First Light, Forza Horizon 6, Nioh 3, Pokémon Pokopia and SAROS. Capcom had three of the 10 nominees, with Onimusha: Way of the Sword and Pragmata alongside Resident Evil Requiem.
Crimson Desert won PC Game of the Year. Pearl Abyss's open-world action game, released in March 2026 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Mac, follows Kliff, a Greymane who sets out to rebuild his scattered company across the continent of Pywel. Combat chains weapons, equipment and learned skills into combos, and the world adds mounts, flight and the Abyss.
It beat Big Walk, Escape from Tarkov, Esoteric Ebb, Meccha Chameleon, Mewgenics, Order of the Sinking Star, STAR WARS Zero Company, The Blood of Dawnwalker and Valheim. Crimson Desert was nominated three times and won this one.
Golden Joystick Awards 2026 in summary
The 2026 Golden Joystick Awards gave 25 awards to 18 winners. Resident Evil Requiem and Meccha Chameleon finished level on four each, Dispatch took two, and Capcom had the strongest night of any company.
Unlike 2025, when Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Ultimate Game of the Year along with Best Storytelling, Best Soundtrack and Best Visual Design, this year's awards were spread across several games.
Resident Evil Requiem is the ninth entry in the Resident Evil series. Experience terrifying survival horror with FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft, and dive into pulse-pounding action with legendary agent Leon S. Kennedy.
