Golden Joystick Awards 2026 winners: Requiem wins GOTY

Golden Joystick Awards 2026 winners: Resident Evil Requiem is Game of the Year, Crimson Desert wins PC GOTY and The Witcher 4 is Most Wanted. Full highlights.

FireGhost

November 12, 2026, 08:30 AM5 min read

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Resident Evil Requiem is the Golden Joystick Awards 2026 Game of the Year. GamesRadar's full Golden Joystick Awards 2026 winners list shows Capcom's horror game took four awards, including Ultimate Game of the Year.

The ceremony took place on the evening of November 11, with trophies handed out across 25 categories. The night's other big winner was Meccha Chameleon, a game made by a team of just two. Capcom has had a strong year on the sales side too, as we covered in our report on Capcom's record first-half sales.

Grace Ashcroft aiming a gun in a dark room in Resident Evil Requiem — A scene from Resident Evil Requiem (Source: Capcom - Steam)

Who won at the Golden Joystick Awards 2026?

The top prize went to Resident Evil Requiem. GamesRadar's report on Requiem's Ultimate Game of the Year win says it beat 12 nominees, a field that included Crimson Desert, Phantom Blade Zero, 007: First Light, Pragmata and Forza Horizon 6.

Requiem also won Console Game of the Year. Its "Evil Has Always Had a Name" trailer took Best Game Trailer, and Angela Sant'Albano won Best Lead Performer for playing Grace Ashcroft. Capcom was named Studio of the Year, an award that Pragmata and Onimusha: Way of the Sword also helped earn.

Golden Joystick Awards 2026 key winners at a glance

Ultimate Game of the Year: Resident Evil Requiem
PC Game of the Year: Crimson Desert
Console Game of the Year: Resident Evil Requiem
Most Wanted Game: The Witcher 4
Studio of the Year: Capcom
Critics' Choice: Big Walk
Best Remake/Remaster: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered

How did Meccha Chameleon win four awards?

The surprise of the night was a small hide-and-seek game. GamesRadar's look at the Requiem and Meccha Chameleon tie notes that it was built by two developers in a couple of months. Players paint themselves to match their surroundings and try to hide in plain sight.

Meccha Chameleon won Best Multiplayer Game and Best Indie Game - Self-Published. It also took the jury-voted Streamer's Choice and Developers' Choice awards. That left it level with Requiem, a game with a far bigger budget behind it.

Colour palette tool and a framed painting in a green wallpapered room in Meccha Chameleon — Meccha Chameleon's paint tool (Source: lemorion_1224 - Steam)

Which games stood out in the PC and other categories?

Pearl Abyss's Crimson Desert won PC Game of the Year. We covered its latest content in our guide to the Crimson Desert Charting the Unknown release time. If you have not tried it yet, the Crimson Desert five-hour free trial is a good place to start.

A character looking over a wide valley from rocky cliffs in Crimson Desert — A landscape from Crimson Desert (Source: Pearl Abyss - Steam)

CD Projekt Red also had a good night. The Witcher 4 was voted Most Wanted Game, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered won Best Remake/Remaster. Dispatch took both Best Storytelling and Best Soundtrack. Steam Controller won Best Gaming Hardware, and Subnautica 2 was named Best Early Access Game.

Long-running games got their due as well. Balatro won the Still Playing Award for mobile, and Minecraft won it for PC and console. Valheim was named Best Indie Game, while Control: Resonant took Best Visual Design.

What does it mean for players?

The Golden Joysticks lean heavily on public votes, so the results are a good read on what players loved in 2026. Requiem's win shows horror is still in great shape. Meccha Chameleon shows that a tiny team can still go toe to toe with the biggest studios.

GTA 6's absence was the other talking point. GamesRadar explains that GTA 6 was not eligible, since main-category games had to launch by September 25, 2026. GTA 6 arrives on November 19. For the technical details, see our GTA 6 PS5 Pro features breakdown. Awards season continues with The Game Awards in December.

Frequently asked questions

What won Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards 2026?

Capcom's Resident Evil Requiem won Ultimate Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards 2026. It also took Console Game of the Year, Best Game Trailer and Best Lead Performer on the same night.

Which game won the most Golden Joysticks in 2026?

Resident Evil Requiem and Meccha Chameleon tied with four awards each. If you also count Capcom's Studio of the Year win, Resident Evil Requiem edges slightly ahead.

Why wasn't GTA 6 at the Golden Joystick Awards 2026?

GamesRadar says games had to launch between November 1, 2025 and September 25, 2026 for the main categories. GTA 6 launches on November 19, so it missed the window and should be eligible in 2027.