The biggest fan-voted fight of the year is officially on. The 44th Golden Joystick Awards have revealed the 12-game shortlist for Ultimate Game of the Year, public voting is live right now at goldenjoysticks.com, and you do not have long to make your pick count — the vote closes at 5pm PT / 8pm ET / midnight GMT on Friday, October 30, 2026.
This is the one award at the Joysticks that is decided entirely by players, and this year’s field is a genuine brawl between blockbuster franchises, huge new IPs, and a couple of smaller teams punching way above their weight.
The 12 nominees for Ultimate Game of the Year
- 007 First Light — IO Interactive’s James Bond origin story has been one of the most talked-about games of the year, and it arrives here tied for the most nominations of any game at this year’s awards.
- Big Walk — the little co-op adventure that could. Big Walk also shares that joint-most-nominations honor, proof that a small team with a big idea can stand next to Bond and Resident Evil.
- CONTROL Resonant — Remedy took its weirdest universe in a bold new direction, and voters clearly went along for the ride.
- Crimson Desert — Pearl Abyss’s enormous open-world action adventure finally landed, and it landed hard.
- Dispatch — the superhero workplace comedy that became a word-of-mouth phenomenon.
- Forza Horizon 6 — Playground Games’ racer took the festival to Japan and straight onto the Ultimate Game of the Year shortlist.
- Phantom Blade Zero — S-GAME’s lightning-fast wuxia action game carved its way into the final 12.
- Pokémon Pokopia — the cozy Pokémon entry proves this category really is a cross-section of the whole industry.
- PRAGMATA — Capcom’s long-awaited lunar sci-fi adventure was worth the wait, according to voters.
- Resident Evil Requiem — Capcom’s flagship horror series is back in the biggest category of the night, leading the Japan-origin field at this year’s awards.
- STAR WARS: Galactic Racer — the galaxy far, far away traded podraces for a full-throttle racing spotlight.
- The Blood of Dawnwalker — Rebel Wolves’ dark vampire RPG rounds out a shortlist with no easy favorite.
One name you will not find on the list: Grand Theft Auto VI. Rockstar’s behemoth launches November 19, after this year’s eligibility window closes, so expect it to loom over the 2027 awards instead.
A new Lara Croft hosts the night
Hosting the ceremony on Wednesday, November 11, 2026 in London is Alix Wilton Regan — the actor stepping into the role of Lara Croft in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis. “I’m absolutely thrilled to be your host for this year’s Golden Joystick Awards on November 11th,” Regan said, promising an evening celebrating the teams behind the games, with special guests and plenty of silly jokes along the way.
She will be joined by guest presenters from across the industry, and every winner will be revealed live on the night. The ceremony streams globally on YouTube, Twitch, and X, as well as through the Future Games Show, GamesRadar+, and PC Gamer.
Why this vote hits different
The Golden Joysticks are the world’s oldest publicly voted games awards, running since 1983, and they remain the only major awards show chosen entirely by the players. This year’s event features 25 categories. Millions of votes were already cast across the first 21 categories before that vote closed on October 23 — the Ultimate Game of the Year ballot is the final, and biggest, one of the year.
Future’s Content Director for Games, Video and Digital Events, Daniel Dawkins, described this year’s shortlist as a fascinating cross-section of the industry in 2026, with indie teams sitting shoulder to shoulder with titanic franchises like Pokémon and Resident Evil, and huge IPs like Star Wars and James Bond.
Cast your vote before Friday
If you have a favorite on that list of 12, this is your shot to back it. Head to goldenjoysticks.com and cast your vote for Ultimate Game of the Year before 8pm ET on Friday, October 30. Then clear your calendar for Wednesday, November 11, when Alix Wilton Regan reveals the winners live from London.
Who gets your vote — Bond, Resident Evil, Crimson Desert, or one of the underdogs? Let us know in the comments.
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Source: Golden Joystick Awards announcement via GamesPress.
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