007 First Light and Big Walk Lead Golden Joystick Awards 2026 Nominees
007 First Light and Big Walk lead the Golden Joystick Awards 2026 shortlist with five nominations each, with voting open across 21 categories until October 23.
The Golden Joystick Awards announced their 2026 nominees on September 25, with 007 First Light and Big Walk leading the shortlist with five direct nominations each. Public voting remains open across 21 categories until October 23.
The 44th annual awards ceremony will take place on November 11 at Troxy in London. This year's nominees cover PC and console releases, independent games, performances, ongoing titles and gaming hardware. Voting for Ultimate Game of the Year will open separately on October 26.
007 First Light and Big Walk receive five nominations each
007 First Light has been nominated for Console Game of the Year, Best Storytelling and Best Soundtrack. Patrick Gibson also received a Best Lead Performer nomination for his portrayal of James Bond, while Lennie James is nominated for Best Supporting Performer as John Greenway.
Big Walk matches that total with nominations for PC Game of the Year, Best Indie Game, Best Multiplayer Game, Best Audio Design and Best Game Trailer.
Resident Evil Requiem follows with three nominations, including Console Game of the Year and Best Game Trailer. Angela Sant'Albano is also nominated for Best Lead Performer for her portrayal of Grace Ashcroft. Several other games earned three nominations each, including Meccha Chameleon, Mewgenics, The Blood of Dawnwalker, Valheim and Saros.
PC and console Game of the Year categories feature 10 contenders each
The PC Game of the Year shortlist includes Big Walk, Crimson Desert, Escape from Tarkov, Esoteric Ebb, Meccha Chameleon, Mewgenics, Order of the Sinking Star, Star Wars Zero Company, The Blood of Dawnwalker and Valheim.
Console Game of the Year features 007 First Light, Resident Evil Requiem, Saros, Pokémon Pokopia, Pragmata, Nioh 3, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Forza Horizon 6, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave and LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight.
The awards also recognize games across categories such as Best Indie Game, Best Storytelling, Best Multiplayer Game and Studio of the Year. Capcom, House House, IO Interactive, Nintendo EPD and Square Enix are among the studios nominated this year.
Including the separate Studio of the Year nominations brings the totals associated with 007 First Light and Big Walk to six each, while Resident Evil Requiem reaches four. Meanwhile, the Most Wanted Game category includes upcoming titles such as Fable, Kingdom Hearts IV, Metro 2039, Persona 6, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and The Witcher 4.
Ultimate Game of the Year voting begins October 26
Players can vote through the official Golden Joystick Awards website at goldenjoysticks.com. The current ballot covers 21 categories, while Ultimate Game of the Year will have its own voting period from October 26 to October 30.
The organizers will reveal the Ultimate Game of the Year shortlist when that separate round opens. Most main categories consider games released between November 1, 2025, and September 25, 2026, with certain exceptions. Ultimate Game of the Year has a later eligibility cutoff.
Alongside the public-voted awards, the ceremony will feature jury-selected honors, including the Critics' Choice Award, Breakthrough Award and Streamers' Choice Award. These winners will be chosen separately from the public ballot.
007 First Light is a thrilling espionage action-adventure game from IO Interactive. Players follow James Bond as a young, resourceful, and sometimes reckless recruit in MI6's training program and discover an origin story of the world's most famous spy.
Released
May 27, 2026
Developer
IO Interactive
Publisher
IO Interactive
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