The final public vote for the Golden Joystick Awards 2026 closes at 23:59 GMT on Friday, October 30. Twelve games are competing for Ultimate Game of the Year, the remaining ballot after voting in the main categories finished.
The winner will be announced during the November 11 ceremony at London’s Troxy. Actor Alix Wilton Regan is hosting this year’s show, which will also be streamed online.
The Ultimate Game of the Year shortlist
- 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
- The Blood of Dawnwalker
The headline award uses a separate voting window so that later autumn releases can be considered. This year’s shortlist brings smaller productions and major established franchises into the same public ballot.
The awards began in 1983, and this is their 44th edition. Most of the event’s categories are decided by players, making the remaining vote the last opportunity to influence the main public-voted result before the ceremony.
Visit the official voting page before the deadline. The organizers list YouTube, Twitch and X among the places to watch the awards on November 11.
Golden Joystick Awards logo: Future Publishing Limited, via Wikimedia Commons.
