The Golden Joystick Awards has revealed the 12 games up for Ultimate Game of the Year in 2026, and public voting is open until Friday, October 30th.
The awards announced the shortlist on X (formerly Twitter) on October 26th with a reveal video. "It's the moment you've all been waiting for," the post read. Fans can vote on the official Golden Joystick Awards site, and voting closes at 11:59 PM GMT on October 30th.
The 12 nominees
The shortlist is made up of 007 First Light, Big Walk, CONTROL Resonant, Crimson Desert, Dispatch, Forza Horizon 6, Phantom Blade Zero, Pokémon Pokopia, PRAGMATA, Resident Evil Requiem, STAR WARS: Galactic Racer and The Blood of Dawnwalker.
Games released between November 8th 2025 and October 25th 2026 were eligible for the award, according to the official site. It adds that exceptions are sometimes made for games released early in the voting window if the judges have already played them extensively, for example through an early review copy.
How the Golden Joystick Awards works
Ultimate Game of the Year is voted on in its own window, apart from the rest of the awards. According to the official site, this gives the judges and players more time with the big autumn releases. Core voting across 21 other categories, including PC Game of the Year, Best Visual Design and Most Wanted Game, closed on October 23rd.
The shortlists are picked by a judging panel of editors and contributors from GamesRadar and its sister brands, including PC Gamer, Edge and Retro Gamer, along with industry experts. Players then choose the winners. Last year, fans cast over 21 million votes, and Sandfall Interactive's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 took home seven awards, including Ultimate Game of the Year.
Now in its 44th year, the Golden Joystick Awards will return as an in-person live show at Troxy in London on November 11th, where this year's winners will be named.
