The nominations for the 2026 Golden Joystick Awards have been officially announced, with 007 First Light and Walk Together emerging as the biggest winners of this year's nominations.
Both games lead the list with five nominations each. Walk Together is nominated for Best Audio Design, Best Indie Game, Best Multiplayer Game, Best Game Trailer, and PC Game of the Year; 007 First Light has secured nominations for Best Soundtrack, Best Narrative, and Console Game of the Year, while actor Patrick Gibson, who plays James Bond, is nominated for Best Lead Performer, and Lennie James, who plays John Greenway, is nominated for Best Supporting Performer.
Close behind is Resident Evil Requiem, which earned two nominations for Best Trailer and Console Game of the Year, while Angela Sant'Albano, who plays Grace Ashcroft, was also nominated for Best Supporting Performer for her role. Other popular titles with three nominations include the visually stunning indie game Super Chameleon, the cat-raising roguelike Purrfect Match, the vampire-themed RPG Blood of the Dawnwalker, the acclaimed survival game Valheim, and the bullet-hell masterpiece Saros.
The above games are also expected to receive more nominations in the future. Voting for most categories is now open on the Golden Joysticks website at goldenjoysticks.com and will close on October 23. From October 26 to 30, voting will open for the night's top prize, Ultimate Game of the Year; nominees for this award have not yet been announced, so stay tuned. In addition, the Streamer Choice Award, Breakthrough Award, and Critics' Choice Award will be selected by a jury. All final results will be revealed at the awards ceremony in London on Wednesday, November 11.
It is worth noting that the voting deadline is well before the release date of Grand Theft Auto VI. Although this title is likely to be one of the biggest, most critically acclaimed, and best-selling games of the year, it will not be eligible for the "Big Five" awards in the 2026-2027 season.
The full list of nominations is below. Visit goldenjoysticks.com to vote for the announced categories before voting closes on October 23—don't forget to cast your vote for your favorite titles!
Best Audio Design
- Walk Together
- Marathon
- Onimusha: Way of the Sword
- Rhythm Heaven: Groove
- Saros
- Star Wars: Galactic Racer
Best Early Access Game
- Disco Elysium
- Wehrmacht Front
- Skate
- Slay the Spire 2
- Subnautica 2
- War Dogs
Best Game Adaptation
- Devil May Cry Season 2
- Exit 8
- Fallout Season 2
- Iron Lung
- Mortal Kombat 2
- Resident Evil
Best Game Expansion
- Cult of the Lamb: Cashmere Wonderland
- Dave the Diver: Jungle Content Pack
- DOOM: The Dark Ages | Apocalypse
- Quake: Machine Dawn
- Outlanders: Final Variable
- World of Warcraft: Midnight
Best Game Trailer
- Battlefield 6 x Top Gun: Carrier Raid Live-Action Trailer
- Walk Together Release Date Trailer
- Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare Release Trailer
- Detective Jack Mouse Official Launch Trailer
- Prove You Are Human Announcement Trailer
- Resident Evil Requiem – Evil Has a Name
Best Gaming Hardware
- Logitech G PRO X2 SUPERSTRIKE
- Razer Viper V4 Pro
- Shenglin ATLAS Esports Chair
- Sony INZONE M10S II
- Steam Controller
- Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II
Best Indie Game
- Walk Together
- Tram Striker
- Fading Secrets
- Remix Youth
- Detective Jack Mouse
- Prelude of the Fallen Star
- Creature Reborn
- Tower of Kings
- Titanium Court
- Valheim
Best Self-Published Indie Game
- Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare
- Mistria Ranch
- Super Chameleon
- Purrfect Match
- Miner Mina
- Perfect Tide: Stop by Stop
- Horned City
- Rhythm Doctor
- The Mystery of the Gary Mansion
- Vampire Crawler
Best Lead Performer
- Aaron Paul as Robert Robertson III in Superhero Dispatch Network
- Angela Sant'Albano as Grace Ashcroft in Resident Evil Requiem
- Anna Dimitriou as Sophia in Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
- Liam McIntyre as Wolverine in Marvel's Wolverine
- Patrick Gibson as James Bond in 007 First Light
- Will Drenzi-Martin as Cohen in Blood of the Dawnwalker
Best Supporting Performer
- Frankie Cavitch as Zoe de Bella in Control: Resonance
- Grace Sayed as Diana in Qualia Existence
- Lennie James as John Greenway in 007 First Light
- Terry O'Quinn as Richard in Silent Hill: Townfall
- Troy Baker as Nathaniel Essex in Marvel's Wolverine
- Vic Mignogna as Runa Blask in Star Wars: Batch Zero
Best Multiplayer Game
- ARC Raiders
- Walk Together
- Marathon
- Marvel: Battle Souls
- Super Chameleon
- Valheim
Best Remake/Remaster
- Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag: Memory Reset
- Gothic 1 Remake
- Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2
- Star Fox
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Part 2
Best Soundtrack
- 007 First Light
- Crimson Desert
- Superhero Dispatch Network
- Lumines: Rise
- Purrfect Match
- Remix Youth
Best Narrative
- 007 First Light
- Superhero Dispatch Network
- Fire Emblem: Thousand Threads
- Silent Hill: Townfall
- Blood of the Dawnwalker
- Return to Zero: Requiem for Dead Spies
Best Visual Design
- Control: Resonance
- Forza Horizon 6
- Orbital Twins
- Horned City
- Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
- Saros
Most Anticipated Game
- Alien: Isolation 2
- Project Mugen
- Black MYTH - Steam Edition: Zhong Kui
- The Great Migration
- Fable IV
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- God of War: Laufey
- Star Wars Outlaws
- Kingdom Hearts IV
- Metro 2039
- NO LAW
- Persona 6
- Resident Evil Code: Veronica
- Other Heaven
- Stuntman: Hollywood
- The Expanse: Osiris Reborn
- The Witcher 4
- Tides of Annihilation
- Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis
- Total War: Warhammer 40,000
Most Popular Games - Mobile
- Balatro
- Genshin Impact
- Honkai: Star Rail
- Marvel Snap
- Monopoly GO!
- Infinity Nikki
- Old School RuneScape
- Pokémon GO
- Roblox
- Sky: Children of the Light
- Rainbow Six Mobile
- Wuthering Waves
Most Popular Games - PC & Console
- Apex Legends
- Fortnite
- GTA Online
- Helldivers 2
- Hitman: World of Assassination
- Minecraft
- No Man's Sky
- Palworld
- The Elder Scrolls Online
- Warframe
- World of Warcraft
- Call of Duty: Warzone
Studio of the Year
- Capcom
- Frogwares
- House House
- IO Interactive
- Nintendo EPD
- Square Enix
PC Game of the Year
- Walk Together
- Red Desert
- Escape from Tarkov
- Fading Mysteries
- Super Chameleon
- Meow Meow Fusion
- Prologue of the Sinking Star
- Star Wars: Squad Zero
- Blood of the Dawnwalker
- Valheim
Console Game of the Year
- 007 First Light
- Fire Emblem: Threads of Fate
- Forza Horizon 6
- LEGO Batman: Dark Knight Legacy
- Nioh 3
- Onimusha: Way of the Sword
- Pokémon: Pokopia
- Cognizant Existence
- Resident Evil 9: Requiem
- Saros