Resident Evil Requiem is the Golden Joystick Awards 2026 Ultimate Game of the Year. Capcom’s survival horror game won four trophies at the November 11 ceremony, and it tied with a game made by two people: Meccha Chameleon, the viral hide-and-seek hit, also won four. Crimson Desert took PC Game of the Year, The Witcher 4 was voted Most Wanted, and Big Walk won the Critics’ Choice award. Below is the full list of all 25 winners, plus our own count of which games and studios won the most.
Last checked on November 12, 2026. Official The winners list comes from GamesRadar+, which runs the Golden Joystick Awards, and matches BBC Newsbeat’s report. Reported The 17% vote share and the jury split are from the BBC. Our math The trophy counts by game and studio are our own tally of the official list.
Golden Joystick Awards 2026: all 25 winners
| Category | Winner | Decided by |
|---|---|---|
| Ultimate Game of the Year | Resident Evil Requiem | Public vote |
| Console Game of the Year | Resident Evil Requiem | Public vote |
| PC Game of the Year | Crimson Desert | Public vote |
| Most Wanted Game | The Witcher 4 | Public vote |
| Critics’ Choice Award | Big Walk | Jury |
| Developers’ Choice Award | Meccha Chameleon | Jury |
| Streamers’ Choice Award | Meccha Chameleon | Jury |
| Studio of the Year | Capcom | Public vote |
| Best Storytelling | Dispatch | Public vote |
| Best Audio Design | Onimusha: Way of the Sword | Public vote |
| Best Visual Design | Control Resonant | Public vote |
| Best Multiplayer Game | Meccha Chameleon | Public vote |
| Best Game Expansion | Doom: The Dark Ages – Revelations | Public vote |
| Best Indie Game | Valheim | Public vote |
| Best Indie Game – Self-Published | Meccha Chameleon | Public vote |
| Best Early Access Game | Subnautica 2 | Public vote |
| Best Soundtrack | Dispatch | Public vote |
| Best Game Trailer | Resident Evil Requiem – Evil Has Always Had a Name | Public vote |
| Best Remake / Remaster | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered | Public vote |
| Best Game Adaptation | Iron Lung | Public vote |
| Best Lead Performer | Angela Sant’Albano (Grace Ashcroft, Resident Evil Requiem) | Public vote |
| Best Supporting Performer | Grace Saif (Diana, Pragmata) | Public vote |
| Best Gaming Hardware | Steam Controller | Public vote |
| Still Playing Award – PC & Console | Minecraft | Public vote |
| Still Playing Award – Mobile | Balatro | Public vote |
According to the BBC, 22 of the 25 categories were decided by a public vote among players around the world. The Streamers’, Critics’ and Developers’ Choice awards were picked by a jury.
Who won the most: our tally
Our math We counted every trophy in the official list by game and by studio. Studio of the Year counts toward the studio, not a single game.
| Game or studio | Trophies | Which ones |
|---|---|---|
| Resident Evil Requiem | 4 | Ultimate GOTY, Console GOTY, Best Game Trailer, Best Lead Performer |
| Meccha Chameleon | 4 | Best Multiplayer, Best Indie Self-Published, Streamers’ Choice, Developers’ Choice |
| Dispatch | 2 | Best Storytelling, Best Soundtrack |
| Capcom (all games) | 7 | Requiem x4, Onimusha: Way of the Sword (Audio), Pragmata (Supporting Performer), Studio of the Year |
| CD Projekt Red | 2 | The Witcher 3 Remastered (Remake/Remaster), The Witcher 4 (Most Wanted) |
| Everyone else | 1 each | Crimson Desert, Big Walk, Control Resonant, Doom: The Dark Ages, Valheim, Subnautica 2, Iron Lung, Steam Controller, Minecraft, Balatro |
Meccha Chameleon’s haul is the surprise of the night. GamesRadar+ describes it as a hide-and-seek game made by a team of just two people in a couple of months, and half of its four wins (Streamers’ and Developers’ Choice) came from juries rather than fan votes. Capcom, by contrast, won across three different games.
Ultimate Game of the Year: how Requiem won
Reported Resident Evil Requiem won the top prize with 17% of the public vote, the BBC reports, ahead of contenders including Phantom Blade Zero, Crimson Desert, Control Resonant and The Blood of Dawnwalker. Requiem launched in February 2026 and introduced FBI agent Grace Ashcroft, played by Angela Sant’Albano, who also won Best Lead Performer. A 17% winning share shows how spread out the vote was in a year without a runaway favorite, unlike 2025, when Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 swept almost every category it was nominated in, as GamesRadar+ notes.
What it means for GTA 6 and The Game Awards
- GTA 6 was not eligible for the main game awards. It launches on November 19, 2026, after the ceremony. GTA Online was among the nominees for the Still Playing PC & Console award, which went to Minecraft.
- Big Walk’s Critics’ Choice win comes in the same week as the debate over its use of AI-assisted code. We covered what House House says AI did in Big Walk.
- Next up: The Game Awards on December 10. The Golden Joysticks are mostly fan-voted, while The Game Awards are mostly decided by a media jury, so the two lists often differ.
FAQ
Who won Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards 2026?
Resident Evil Requiem won Ultimate Game of the Year. It also won Console Game of the Year, Best Game Trailer and Best Lead Performer for Angela Sant’Albano.
Which game won the most Golden Joysticks in 2026?
Resident Evil Requiem and Meccha Chameleon tied with four trophies each. Counting every game, Capcom won seven, including Studio of the Year.
When and where were the Golden Joystick Awards 2026?
The 2026 ceremony took place on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and was streamed by GamesRadar+.
Who votes in the Golden Joystick Awards?
Players vote in most categories. According to the BBC, 22 of the 25 categories were decided by public vote, while the Streamers’, Critics’ and Developers’ Choice awards were picked by a jury.
Did GTA 6 win a Golden Joystick?
No. GTA 6 launches on November 19, 2026, so it was not eligible for this year’s game awards. GTA Online was nominated for the Still Playing PC & Console award, which Minecraft won.
Keep reading on HUDWire
Sources
- GamesRadar+: All the Golden Joystick Awards 2026 winners revealed (Nov 11, 2026)
- BBC Newsbeat: Resident Evil Requiem sweeps Golden Joystick Awards (Nov 12, 2026)
- GamesRadar+: Resident Evil Requiem ties with Meccha Chameleon as the biggest winner
- GamesRadar+: The Witcher 4 and The Witcher 3 Remastered secure wins for CD Projekt Red