Golden Joysticks 2024: Black Myth Leads, Helldivers and FF7 Rebirth Impress

The Golden Joystick Awards, also known as the People’s Gaming Awards, has announced the winners for its 42nd edition in a grand ceremony in London.

The spotlight shone brightly on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, which bagged four out of its seven nominations. It won awards for Best Storytelling, Best Soundtrack, Best Leading Performer (Cody Christian as Cloud Strife), and Best Supporting Performer (Briana White as Aerith).

Another standout was Helldivers 2, which secured three wins: Best Multiplayer Game, Best Game Trailer, and Console Game of the Year. The game also earned the prestigious Critics’ Choice Award, cementing its reputation as a fan and critic favorite.

Astro Bot, another top contender, garnered two awards: Best Audio Design and Studio of the Year for its developer, Team ASOBI.

The coveted title of Ultimate Game of the Year was awarded to Black Myth: Wukong, an impressive achievement for debut console developer Game Science. The studio also took home the award for Best Visual Design, showcasing its prowess in creating stunning visuals.

Indie developers also had their moment in the spotlight. Balatro won Best Indie Game and the Breakthrough Award, while Another Crab’s Treasure, Lethal Company, and Chained Together were recognized in various categories.

While this year saw new winners, last year’s record-breaking success by Baldur’s Gate 3 and Larian Studios, which swept seven awards, remains fresh in memory.

This year’s Most Wanted Game award went to the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI, beating out competitors like Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Fable. Meanwhile, Minecraft secured the Still Playing Award for PC and Console, and Honkai: Star Rail won the same for Mobile.

Golden Joystick Awards 2024: Full List of Winners and Nominees

Ultimate Game of the Year

• Winner: Black Myth: Wukong
• Nominees:
  • Animal Well
  • Astro Bot
  • Balatro
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
  • Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2nd place)
  • Helldivers 2 (3rd place)
  • Metaphor: ReFantazio (5th place)
  • Satisfactory
  • Silent Hill 2 Remake (4th place)
  • Tekken 8
  • Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Most Wanted Game

• Winner: Grand Theft Auto VI
• Nominees:
  • Fable
  • Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
  • Hollow Knight Silksong
  • DOOM: The Dark Ages
  • Light No Fire
  • Exodus
  • Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
  • Monster Hunter Wilds
  • Sid Meier’s Civilization 7
  • Mafia: The Old Country
  • South of Midnight
  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
  • Slay the Spire 2
  • Assassin’s Creed Shadows
  • Deadlock
  • Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
  • Atomfall
  • Skate
  • Ghost of Yotei

Best Storytelling

• Winner: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Nominees:
  • 1000xResist
  • Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club
  • Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
  • Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
  • Tactical Breach Wizards

Best Multiplayer Game

• Winner: Helldivers 2
• Nominees:
  • Abiotic Factor
  • EA Sports College Football 25
  • Sons Of The Forest
  • Tekken 8
  • The Finals

Best Visual Design

• Winner: Black Myth: Wukong
• Nominees:
  • Astro Bot
  • Harold Halibut
  • Metaphor: ReFantazio
  • Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
  • Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Best Indie Game

• Winner: Balatro
• Nominees:
  • Animal Well
  • Arco
  • Beyond Galaxyland
  • Conscript
  • Indika
  • Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
  • Thank Goodness You’re Here!
  • The Plucky Squire
  • Ultros

Best Indie Game – Self Published

• Winner: Another Crab’s Treasure
• Nominees:
  • Arctic Eggs
  • Crow Country
  • Duck Detective: The Secret Salami
  • I Am Your Beast
  • Little Kitty, Big City
  • Riven
  • Tactical Breach Wizards
  • Tiny Glade
  • UFO 50

Still Playing Award – PC and Console

• Winner: Minecraft
• Nominees:
  • Apex Legends
  • Counter-Strike 2
  • EA Sports FC
  • Dota 2
  • Fortnite
  • GTA Online
  • Naraka: Bladepoint
  • Roblox
  • Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
  • Valorant
  • Warframe

Still Playing Award – Mobile

• Winner: Honkai: Star Rail
• Nominees:
  • Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile
  • Free Fire
  • Roblox
  • Marvel Snap
  • Monopoly Go!
  • Mini Motorways
  • PUBG: Battlegrounds
  • Squad Busters
  • Star Wars: Hunters
  • Subway Surfers
  • The Sims Mobile

Studio of the Year

• Winner: Team ASOBI
• Nominees:
  • 11 Bit Studios
  • Arrowhead Game Studios
  • Capcom
  • Digital Eclipse
  • Visual Concepts

Best Game Expansion

• Winner: Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
• Nominees:
  • Alan Wake 2 Expansion Pass
  • Destiny 2: The Final Shape
  • Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred
  • God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla
  • World of Warcraft: The War Within

Best Audio Design

• Winner: Astro Bot
• Nominees:
  • Balatro
  • Robobeat
  • Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
  • Star Wars Outlaws
  • Still Wakes the Deep

Best Soundtrack

• Winner: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Nominees:
  • A Highland Song
  • Astro Bot
  • Hauntii
  • Silent Hill 2 Remake
  • Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance

Best Lead Performer

• Winner: Cody Christian as Cloud Strife in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Nominees:
  • Kaiji Tang as Ichiban Kasuga in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
  • Humberly Gonzalez as Kay Vess in Star Wars Outlaws
  • Luke Roberts as James Sunderland in Silent Hill 2 Remake
  • Melina Juergens as Senua in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
  • Sonequa Martin-Green as Alvilda in Asgard’s Wrath 2

Best Supporting Performer

• Winner: Briana White as Aerith Gainsborough in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Nominees:
  • Abbi Greenland & Helen Goalen as The Furies in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
  • Dawn M. Bennett as Aigis in Persona 3 Reload
  • Debra Wilson as Amanda Waller in Suicide Squad
  • Matt Berry as Herbert in Thank Goodness You’re Here!
  • Neve McIntosh as Suze in Still Wakes the Deep

Best Game Adaptation

• Winner: Fallout
• Nominees:
  • Borderlands
  • Halo Season 2
  • Knuckles
  • Like a Dragon: Yakuza
  • Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft

PC Game of the Year

• Winner: Satisfactory
• Nominees:
  • Animal Well
  • Balatro
  • Frostpunk 2
  • Tactical Breach Wizards
  • UFO 50

Console Game of the Year

• Winner: Helldivers 2
• Nominees:
  • Astro Bot
  • Dragon’s Dogma 2
  • Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
  • Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
  • The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

Best Early Access Game

• Winner: Lethal Company
• Nominees:
  • Enshrouded
  • Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
  • Hades 2
  • Manor Lords
  • Palworld

Best Game Trailer

• Winner: Helldivers 2 – “The Fight for Freedom Begins” Launch Trailer
• Nominees:
  • Caravan Sandwitch – Launch Trailer
  • Death Stranding 2: On the Beach – State of Play Announcement Trailer
  • Kingmakers – Official Announcement Trailer
  • Sid Meier’s Civilization VII – Narrator Reveal Trailer
  • The Plucky Squire – Launch Trailer

Best Gaming Hardware

• Winner: Steam Deck OLED
• Nominees:
  • Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024)
  • Backbone One (2nd Gen)
  • LG UltraGear 32GS95UE
  • Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super
  • Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra

Special Awards

• Critics’ Choice Award: Helldivers 2
• Breakthrough Award: Balatro
• Streamer’s Choice Award: Chained Together

A Legacy of Excellence

First established in 1983, the Golden Joystick Awards is the longest-running video game awards event, second only to the Arcade Awards. Originally limited to the UK audience, it has since become a global celebration with voting conducted online.

In 2024, new categories like Best Soundtrack and Best Indie Game – Self Published were introduced, reflecting the evolving gaming landscape. The Golden Joystick Awards continues to honor excellence and innovation across the industry.

Watch the full ceremony below:

For more information, visit the official GameRadar+ website. Stay tuned to Gaming Foodle for more gaming updates!