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The 12 nominees for Ultimate Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards 2026 were revealed on October 26 local time. Resident Evil Requiem, PRAGMATA, Phantom Blade Zero, Forza Horizon 6, CONTROL Resonant and 007 First Light all made the list, and voting runs until 5 PM Pacific on October 30, which is 9 AM Japan time on October 31. The winner will be announced at the ceremony held at the Troxy in London on November 11.
The Golden Joystick Awards are a UK-born games award that has run since 1983, and they crown the face of the year a step ahead of The Game Awards in December. What sets them apart is that the winners are decided by a public vote rather than an industry jury, and last year Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 took seven trophies including Ultimate Game of the Year.
This year’s twelve make for an interesting lineup. Capcom lands two, and the Japanese contingent reaches three once you add Phantom Blade Zero. On top of that, Phantom Blade Zero releases on October 29, finally reaching the public two days before voting closes. How does a game that is not out yet get nominated, and why is GTA6 nowhere to be found? This article lays out all 12 nominees and their developers in a table, the voting deadline and ceremony schedule, and how the nomination process actually works.
Let’s start with the lineup.
Which 12 Games Are Nominated for GOTY at the Golden Joystick Awards 2026?
The Ultimate Game of the Year nominees are the following 12 games. Capcom’s Resident Evil Requiem and PRAGMATA, Remedy’s new CONTROL Resonant, Pearl Abyss’ Crimson Desert and IO Interactive’s 007 First Light make this a gathering of the blockbusters that define 2026, while small-scale titles like House House’s Big Walk and AdHoc Studio’s Dispatch stand on exactly the same stage.
| Game | Developer | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 007 First Light | IO Interactive | A new Bond from the studio behind Hitman |
| Big Walk | House House | The studio behind Untitled Goose Game. Six nominations |
| CONTROL Resonant | Remedy Entertainment | Released September 24, 2026. The sequel to Control |
| Crimson Desert | Pearl Abyss | An open world from the studio behind Black Desert |
| Dispatch | AdHoc Studio | A dialogue-driven adventure from Telltale veterans |
| Forza Horizon 6 | Playground Games | Set in Japan |
| Phantom Blade Zero | S-GAME | Releases October 29, 2026. Two days before voting closes |
| Pokémon Pokopia | Koei Tecmo Games | A Pokémon life simulation |
| PRAGMATA | Capcom | A new IP arriving roughly six years after its reveal |
| Resident Evil Requiem | Capcom | The ninth game in the series |
| STAR WARS: Galactic Racer | Fuse Games | Released October 6, 2026. Founded by former Criterion staff |
| The Blood of Dawnwalker | Rebel Wolves | An RPG built by The Witcher 3 developers who went independent |
Japan’s entries are Capcom’s two plus Pokémon Pokopia for three, and if you count Phantom Blade Zero from China’s S-GAME, Asia accounts for four. After last year, when an unknown studio walked off with everything the way Expedition 33 did, Big Walk and Dispatch are the ones sitting in that slot now. I cast my vote for Big Walk. A studio that conquered the world with a goose game coming back with a co-op game is just plain exciting.
When Does Voting Close, and When Are the Winners Announced?
Voting stays open until 5 PM Pacific on October 30, which puts the deadline at 9 AM Japan time on October 31. The winners will be announced on November 11 local time at the ceremony held at the Troxy in London. Anyone can vote through the dedicated page on GamesRadar+.
| Item | Date and details |
|---|---|
| Nominees revealed | October 26, 2026 (local time) |
| Voting deadline | 5 PM Pacific on October 30 (9 AM Japan time on October 31) |
| Ceremony | November 11, 2026 (local time), the Troxy in London |
| How winners are decided | Public vote |
| Last year’s winner | Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (seven awards) |
Last year’s Expedition 33 took Best Storytelling and Best Visual Design on top of Ultimate Game of the Year, matching the seven-trophy haul Baldur’s Gate 3 managed in 2023. Whether any of this year’s twelve can pull votes on that scale is the open question. I have Capcom’s pair, Resident Evil Requiem and PRAGMATA, as the favorites, but a public vote leans hard on the heat around a brand-new release. What Phantom Blade Zero, out on October 29, does with those two hot days is the part I am watching.
Why Is Pre-Release Phantom Blade Zero Nominated, and Where Is GTA6?
Nominations for the Golden Joystick Awards close roughly two weeks before the ceremony, which leaves Grand Theft Auto VI and its November 19 release out of the running. A game arriving eight days after the ceremony cannot be nominated no matter how much attention it commands. Phantom Blade Zero, on the other hand, releases on October 29, and because it lands inside the voting window it qualifies even though it was still unreleased when the nominees went up.
That line gets argued over every year. According to Insider Gaming, Fire Emblem and ACE COMBAT 8 also missed the cut this time. Whether a game makes the list comes down less to how much it was played than to when it shipped. Phantom Blade Zero looks disadvantaged with voting closing two days after launch, but the nomination itself shows how high expectations run for it overseas. Preloading opened on October 27, so if you are curious, take a look at this article too.
Which Other Categories Are Worth Watching?
Outside Ultimate Game of the Year, the five Best Storytelling nominees are 007 First Light, Dispatch, The Blood of Dawnwalker, Silent Hill: Townfall and Zero Parades: For Dead Spies. Console Game of the Year, PC Game of the Year and Best Indie Game each carry ten nominees, while Best Visual Design and Best Audio Design have six apiece.
| Category | Example nominees |
|---|---|
| Best Storytelling (5 nominees) | 007 First Light, Dispatch, The Blood of Dawnwalker, Silent Hill: Townfall, Zero Parades: For Dead Spies |
| Console Game of the Year (10 nominees) | Pokémon Pokopia, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, 007 First Light and more |
| PC Game of the Year (10 nominees) | Big Walk, Star Wars Zero Company, Meccha Chameleon and more |
| Best Indie Game (10 nominees) | Big Walk, Valheim, Order of the Sinking Star and more |
| Best Visual Design (6 nominees) | Orbitals, Forza Horizon 6, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy and more |
| Best Audio Design (6 nominees) | Big Walk, STAR WARS: Galactic Racer, Onimusha: Way of the Sword and more |
Big Walk is up in six categories, pushing well past the indie bracket to become this year’s wildcard. Zero Parades: For Dead Spies landing in the story category continues the run that started with Expedition 33’s Best Storytelling win last year, with RPG-leaning games getting the narrative credit. Onimusha: Way of the Sword turning up in the audio category is quietly good news for Capcom.
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Summary: The Golden Joystick Awards 2026 GOTY Nominees and the Voting Schedule
The Ultimate Game of the Year nominees at the Golden Joystick Awards 2026 are 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, for 12 in total. Voting runs until 9 AM Japan time on October 31, and the winners will be revealed at the London ceremony on November 11. Phantom Blade Zero releases on October 29 and therefore lands inside the voting window, while Grand Theft Auto VI, out on November 19, is not eligible.
Capcom’s two are the favorites, and Big Walk and Dispatch are standing where Expedition 33 stood last year. Because this is a vote, Phantom Blade Zero closing out the window two days after launch is genuinely rough. Even so, the fact that a Chinese action game made this list of twelve says a lot about the mood of 2026.
Voting ends at 9 AM Japan time on October 31. If you have a favorite, get it in before work.
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