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 Golden Joystick Awards return on November 21, 2024, for their 42nd year, honoring games released between November 11, 2023, and October 4, 2024. This year shines a spotlight on indie games, with titles like Balatro and Lorelei and the Laser Eyes receiving multiple nominations.
The 2024 awards feature 19 categories, highlighted by the new "Best Indie Game - Self Published" category. This award recognizes the growing diversity within the indie gaming landscape, specifically focusing on smaller teams lacking the backing of larger publishers and those entering less traditional markets.
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 is now open for the Golden Joystick Awards 2024. Nominees were selected by a jury including representatives from PC Gamer, GamesRadar, the Future Games Show, Edge magazine, Retro Gamer, and more. Vote 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 GOTY Snubs
The Ultimate Game of the Year nominees are yet to be announced. However, the omission of several fan favorites from the current Game of the Year nominees (PC and Console) – including Metaphor: ReFantazio, Space Marine 2, and Black Myth: Wukong – has sparked considerable online debate.
Fans of Black Myth: Wukong, in particular, have expressed strong criticism, accusing the organizers of bias. The Golden Joystick Awards responded via Twitter, clarifying that the Ultimate Game of the Year shortlist is yet to be released.
