The Golden Joystick Awards 2024: A Celebration of Gaming Excellence, with a Focus on Indie Titles
The Golden Joystick Awards, celebrating gaming's finest since 1983, returns on November 21st, 2024, for its 42nd edition. This year's awards, recognizing games released between November 11th, 2023, and October 4th, 2024, showcase a significant rise in indie game recognition, with titles like Balatro and Lorelei and the Laser Eyes receiving multiple nominations.
A notable addition is a new category dedicated to self-published indie games, highlighting developers who handle both development and publishing. This category reflects the evolving definition of "indie," focusing on teams without the backing of major publishers and those reaching underserved markets.
Below are the nominees across various categories:
Key Award Categories and Nominees:
- Best Soundtrack: A Highland Song, Astro Bot, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Hauntii, Silent Hill 2, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
- Best Audio Design: Astro Bot, Balatro, Robobeat, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Star Wars Outlaws, Still Wakes the Deep
- Best Game Trailer: Caravan Sandwitch, Death Stranding 2, Helldivers 2, Kingmakers, Sid Meier’s Civilization VII, The Plucky Squire
- 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 Early Access Game: Enshrouded, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, Hades II, Manor Lords, Lethal Company, Palworld
- Still Playing Award (Mobile & Console/PC): (See full lists in original article)
- 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: Arctic Eggs, Another Crab’s Treasure, Crow Country, Duck Detective, I Am Your Beast, Little Kitty, Big City, Riven, Tactical Breach Wizards, Tiny Glade, 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 Multiplayer Game: Abiotic Factor, EA Sports College Football 25, Helldivers 2, Sons of the Forest, Tekken 8, The Finals
- Best Lead/Supporting Performer: (See full lists in original article)
- Best Storytelling: 1000xResist, Emio - The Smiling Man, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Tactical Breach Wizards
- Best Visual Design: Astro Bot, Black Myth: Wukong, Harold Halibut, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
- Most Wanted Game: (See full list in original article)
- 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
- Studio of the Year: 11 Bit Studios, Arrowhead Game Studios, Capcom, Digital Eclipse, Team ASOBI, Visual Concepts
- PC Game of the Year: Animal Well, Balatro, Frostpunk 2, Satisfactory, Tactical Breach Wizards, UFO 50
Voting and Controversy:
Fan voting is currently open on the official website, with a later voting period for the Ultimate Game of the Year (UGOTY) award. The UGOTY shortlist will be revealed on November 4th. The exclusion of several fan favorites, including Black Myth: Wukong, from the initial Game of the Year nominations has sparked online debate. The organizers have clarified that the UGOTY nominees are yet to be announced.
Voting participants can receive a free ebook.
