The 44th Golden Joystick Awards have announced the nominees for "Ultimate Game of the Year" 2026. Player voting will end on October 30, and the awards ceremony is scheduled for November 11.
The shortlisted titles listed on official social media include 007 First Light, Walk Together, Control: Resonance, Red Desert, Superhero Dispatch Network, Forza Horizon 6, Phantom Blade Zero, Pokémon: Pokopia, Cogni, and Resident Evil 9: Requiem. Other lists also include Star Wars: Galactic Racers and Blood of Dawnwalkers.
GTA VI did not make this year's list. According to the current schedule, the game will be released eight days after the awards ceremony, and player voting will close even earlier. Claims that the game might compete in other awards or perform well in the next Golden Joystick Awards are merely the author's opinion and not the conclusion of the awards organizers.
Fire Emblem: Threads of Fate, Ace Combat 8, Gears of War: E-Day, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword were also not nominated.