The Golden Joystick Awards are back, and the biggest night in gaming is only days away. The 44th Golden Joystick Awards, presented by Pot Noodle, take place this Wednesday, November 11, live from the Royal Lancaster London, with the winners revealed at 10am PT, 1pm ET, 6pm GMT, and 7pm CEST. Host Alix Wilton Regan returns to lead the show, and a cast of guest presenters from across the industry will be on hand to celebrate the games that defined the year. Here is everything you need to know to watch it live.
The Golden Joystick Awards were first held in 1983, and they are the world’s longest-running publicly-voted gaming awards, which is exactly why they matter. There are no closed rooms and no juries deciding the big prizes. Millions of gamers cast their votes, and on Wednesday night we find out who won. If you care about which games defined 2026, this is the show to watch.
Golden Joystick Awards 2026 Start Time and How to Watch
The 44th Golden Joystick Awards stream live on Wednesday, November 11, with the winners revealed at 10am PT, 1pm ET, 6pm GMT, and 7pm CEST. Fans in Australia will need to set an early alarm, with the show starting at 4am AEDT on Thursday, November 12.
You can watch the show live on YouTube, Twitch, Steam, TikTok, and X, and it will also stream on the Future Games Show, PC Gamer, WhatCulture Gaming, IGN, Ginx TV, eClutch, Niconico, Kuaishou, and Bilibili. In other words, wherever you normally watch gaming events, the show will be there. There is no ticket to buy and no subscription needed. Just tune in at 1pm ET on Wednesday and enjoy the show.
Who Is Hosting and Presenting at the Golden Joystick Awards?
Actor and presenter Alix Wilton Regan returns to host the ceremony. Wilton Regan is the voice of Lara Croft in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, and she brings exactly the kind of energy the show needs. She will be joined by a cast of guest presenters drawn from across the games industry, including Chloe Kwok, composer at Rare Ltd, Rex Crowle, art and creative director, Mateo Covic, developer of Paddle Paddle Paddle, Alices Pixels, interviewer, actor, and presenter, Nick Apostolides, actor in Resident Evil Requiem, Richard Summers-Calvert, actor in STAR WARS: Galactic Racer and wrestling’s Mr. Charles Crowley, Malgorzata Mitrega, production director at CD PROJEKT RED, Richard Jacques, composer, and Frankie Kevich, actor in CONTROL Resonant.
It is a lineup that mixes the people who make games with the people who perform in them, and it is a fitting cast for an awards show that has always been about the people behind the games as much as the games themselves.
Golden Joystick Awards Categories and the New Developers’ Choice Award
This year’s show will hand out 25 awards. Twenty-two of the categories are voted for by the global gaming public, and three are critically chosen awards: the Streamers’ Choice, the Critics’ Choice, and a brand-new Developers’ Choice Award, which makes its debut this year. The new award is a recognition from the industry itself, and it adds a fresh wrinkle to a show that has always been defined by the public vote.
The Golden Joystick Awards have been running since 1983, making them the longest-running publicly-voted gaming awards in the world. That history is part of what makes the night special. For more than four decades, players have decided who takes home the trophies, and Wednesday’s show is the latest chapter in that tradition.
The Games in the Running at the Golden Joystick Awards
So which games are in the running this year? The titles competing for the top prizes include 007 First Light, Big Walk, Crimson Desert, CONTROL Resonant, Dispatch, Forza Horizon 6, MECCHA CHAMELEON, Mewgenics, Resident Evil Requiem, Phantom Blade Zero, Pokémon Pokopia, SAROS, STAR WARS: Galactic Racer, The Blood of Dawnwalker, Valheim, and more. It is a list that mixes blockbuster sequels, long-awaited returns, and some of the most talked-about games of the year, and it gives a real sense of what 2026 has looked like for gaming.
We covered the voting when it opened, and you can catch up on the Ultimate Game of the Year shortlist in 12 Games, ONE Winner — Golden Joystick Ultimate Game of the Year Voting Is LIVE, and It Closes Friday.
Why the Golden Joystick Awards Matter
The Golden Joystick Awards matter because they are the players’ awards. As Daniel Dawkins, Content Director at Future, puts it: “The Golden Joystick Awards are the only games awards show chosen by the players.” That public vote is what gives the Golden Joysticks their character. The winners are the games that players actually loved, not the games that impressed a panel, and that makes the results a genuine snapshot of the year in gaming.
Wednesday’s show is a celebration of that, and with a host and presenter lineup like this one, it should be a great night. Set your reminders for Wednesday, November 11, at 1pm ET, and watch the 44th Golden Joystick Awards live on YouTube, Twitch, Steam, TikTok, X, and all the other channels carrying the show. And if you are already looking ahead to next year’s race, Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy Finally Has a Release Date — January 28, 2027 is one of the first big 2027 releases that could be in the running twelve months from now.
Source: Future plc / GamesRadar+ via Games Press.
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