The Golden Joystick Awards has been going for 42 award seasons, and the revealed shortlist of nominees has been released. Voting is now live, and those who want to see their favorite games potentially win an award are now able to vote. The Golden Joystick Awards are the world’s longest-running public-voted games award show. Voting will remain open until November 1, 2024, when the votes will close at 4 PM PDT / 7 PM EDT / 11 PM GMT.
The Golden Joystick Awards will then take place in central London, with the event being live-streamed globally on November 21, 2024. This year sees nineteen categories for gamers to vote in, including the introduction of a couple of new categories. Replacing the ‘Best Audio’ award is ‘Best Soundtrack’ and ‘Best Audio Design.’ Additionally, the ‘Still Playing Award’ has been split into two, with a category for Mobile and Console with PC in another. Alongside the ‘Best Indie Game’ award is a new award named ‘ Best Indie Game – Self Published.’
“2023 was one of video gaming’s best years ever, with Baldur’s Gate 3 and Larian Studios claiming a record seven trophies at last year’s Golden Joystick Awards. 2024 has been a challenging year for the games industry in so many ways, but the variety and diversity of releases over the last 12 months has made this one of the most difficult – and exciting – Golden Joystick Awards nominees list we’ve ever compiled,” says Daniel Dawkins, Content Director of Games, Video and Digital Events.
There are plenty of huge hits that have been shortlisted this year, with games such as Astro Bot, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Helldivers 2, and Dragon’s Dogma 2 making it onto the list for AAA games. Balatro has been nominated in three different categories, as well as acclaimed indies such as Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, UFO 50 and Animal Well being on the nominee shortlist as well.
There will be an Ultimate Game of the Year shortlist announced, but that won’t be until November 4, with voting in that category opening on the same day.
“Above all, this could be a year of BIG surprises – who saw Palworld, Helldivers 2 or Balatro coming? We can’t wait to see who you vote for as your games, studios, and personalities of 2024!” says Dawkins. Below is the list of all nominees for each category.
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 Multiplayer Game
- Abiotic Factor
- EA Sports College Football 25
- Helldivers 2
- Sons of the Forest
- Tekken 8
- The Finals
Best Visual Design
- Astro Bot
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Harold Halibut
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
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
- Artic 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
Still Playing Award – PC and Console
- 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
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
Studio of the Year
- 11 Bit Studios
- Arrowhead Game Studios
- Capcom
- Digital Eclipse
- Team ASOBI
- Visual Concepts
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 Audio Design
- Astro Bot
- Balatro
- Robobeat
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Star Wars Outlaws
- Still Wakes the Deep
Best Soundtrack
- A Highland Song
- Astro Bot
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Hauntii
- Silent Hill 2
- Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
Best Lead Performer
- Cody Christian as Cloud Strife in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Kaiji Tang as Ichiban Kasuga in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Humberly Gonzalez as Kay Vess in Star Wars Outlaws
- Luke Roberts as James Sunderland in Silent Hill 2
- Melina Juergens as Senua in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Sonequa Martin-Green as Alvilda in Asgard’s Wrath 2
Best Supporting Performer
- Abbi Greenland & Helen Goalen as The Furies in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Briana White as Aerith Gainsborough in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Dawn M. Bennett as Aigis in Persona 3 Reload
- Debra Wilson as Amanda Waller in Suicide Squad
- Matt Berry as Herbert in Thank Goodness You’re Here!
- Neve McIntosh as Suze in Still Wakes the Deep
PC Game of the Year
- Animal Well
- Balatro
- Frostpunk 2
- Satisfactory
- Tactical Breach Wizards
- 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 Early Access Game
- Enshrouded
- Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
- Hades II
- Manor Lords
- Lethal Company
- Palworld
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
Best Game Trailer
- Caravan Sandwitch – Launch Trailer
- Death Stranding 2 On The Beach – State of Play Announce Trailer
That concludes the line-up for the Golden Joystick Awards.
