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Golden Joystick Awards 2026 Winners Crown Resident Evil Requiem
The first major games awards show of the season has delivered one of its closest Game of the Year races in recent memory. Resident Evil Requiem won Ultimate Game of the Year at the 44th Golden Joystick Awards, taking 17% of the public vote to narrowly beat Phantom Blade Zero (16%) and Crimson Desert (15%). The ceremony took place at the Troxy in London on November 11, with 25 awards handed out across the evening.
It caps an impressive year for Capcom, with Resident Evil Requiem also winning Console Game of the Year, Best Game Trailer and Best Lead Performer for Angela Sant’Albano’s portrayal of Grace Ashcroft. That gives the survival horror sequel four trophies, matching indie breakout MECCHA CHAMELEON for the biggest individual haul of the night.
Our own Resident Evil Requiem review found one of the strongest modern entries in the series, particularly through the contrast between Grace’s vulnerability and Leon’s more tactical firepower.
Phantom Blade Zero Falls Just Short of Ultimate Game of the Year
The top prize was particularly competitive. S-GAME’s Phantom Blade Zero finished only a single percentage point behind Resident Evil Requiem, while Crimson Desert sat another point behind in third. CONTROL Resonant and The Blood of Dawnwalker rounded out the reported top five.
That second-place finish follows an exceptional critical reception for S-GAME’s action RPG, with our Phantom Blade Zero review praising its martial arts combat, inventive weapons and demanding boss encounters.
Capcom still had plenty more to celebrate elsewhere. Onimusha: Way of the Sword won Best Audio Design, adding another trophy after our review called its return a masterful revival, while Pragmata’s Grace Saif won Best Supporting Performer for Diana.
MECCHA CHAMELEON, meanwhile, claimed Best Multiplayer Game and Best Indie Game – Self-Published through public voting, before adding the Streamers’ Choice and Developers’ Choice awards.
Complete Golden Joystick Awards 2026 Winners
The Golden Joysticks remain primarily player-voted, although three of this year’s 25 categories were selected by critics, streamers and developers rather than the wider public.
- Ultimate Game of the Year: Resident Evil Requiem
- Console Game of the Year: Resident Evil Requiem
- PC Game of the Year: Crimson Desert
- Studio of the Year: Capcom
- Critics’ Choice Award: Big Walk
- Developers’ Choice: MECCHA CHAMELEON
- Most Wanted Game: The Witcher 4
- Best Storytelling: Dispatch
- Best Audio Design: Onimusha: Way of the Sword
- Best Visual Design: CONTROL Resonant
- Best Soundtrack: Dispatch
- Best Multiplayer Game: MECCHA CHAMELEON
- Best Indie Game – Self-Published: MECCHA CHAMELEON
- Best Indie Game: Valheim
- Best Game Expansion: DOOM: The Dark Ages – Revelations
- Best Remake/Remaster: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered
- Best Early Access Game: Subnautica 2
- Best Gaming Hardware: Steam Controller
- Best Game Adaptation: Iron Lung
- Best Game Trailer: Resident Evil Requiem – Evil Has Always Had a Name
- Best Lead Performer: Angela Sant’Albano – Grace Ashcroft, Resident Evil Requiem
- Best Supporting Performer: Grace Saif – Diana, Pragmata
- Streamers’ Choice Award: MECCHA CHAMELEON
- Still Playing Award – Mobile: Balatro
- Still Playing Award – PC & Console: Minecraft
The full results are also available through the official Golden Joystick Awards coverage. Beyond Capcom’s haul, Remedy Entertainment’s Control Resonant took Best Visual Design, another accolade for a game whose distorted Manhattan and paranatural art direction stood out in our review.
With Resident Evil Requiem winning the Golden Joysticks’ biggest prize by the narrowest of margins, 2026’s awards season begins without last year’s runaway favourite. Phantom Blade Zero, Crimson Desert, and several other contenders remain firmly in the conversation as attention turns to the remaining major ceremonies.
