The 2024 Golden Joystick Awards have unveiled their nominees across numerous categories, notably introducing a new award for self-developed and self-published indie games.
Since 1983, the Golden Joystick Awards have celebrated gaming excellence. The 42nd ceremony, on November 21, 2024, will honor games released between November 11, 2023, and October 4, 2024. This year's awards show a strong showing for indie titles, with games like Balatro and Lorelei and the Laser Eyes receiving multiple nominations.
A total of 19 categories are featured, including the aforementioned new award for self-published indie developers. This award highlights the expanding definition of "indie" games, specifically recognizing smaller teams lacking the backing of major publishers and titles entering underserved markets.
Here's a breakdown of the categories and nominees:
Best Soundtrack
- A Highland Song
- Astro Bot
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Hauntii
- Silent Hill 2
- Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
Best Audio Design
- Astro Bot
- Balatro
- Robobeat
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Star Wars Outlaws
- Still Wakes the Deep
Best Game Trailer
- Caravan Sandwitch - Launch Trailer
- Death Stranding 2: On The Beach - State of Play Announce Trailer
- Helldivers 2 - “The Fight for Freedom Begins” Launch Trailer
- Kingmakers - Official Announcement Trailer
- Sid Meier’s Civilization VII - Narrator Reveal Trailer
- The Plucky Squire - Launch Trailer
Best Game Expansion
- Alan Wake 2 Expansion Pass
- Destiny 2: The Final Shape
- Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred
- Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
- God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla
- World of Warcraft: The War Within
Best Early Access Game
- Enshrouded
- Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
- Hades II
- Manor Lords
- Lethal Company
- Palworld
Still Playing Award - Mobile
- Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile
- Free Fire
- Honkai: Star Rail
- Roblox
- Marvel Snap
- Monopoly Go!
- Mini Motorways
- PUBG: Battlegrounds
- Squad Busters
- Star Wars: Hunters
- Subway Surfers
- The Sims Mobile
Still Playing Award - Console & PC
- Apex Legends
- Counter-Strike 2
- EA Sports FC
- Dota 2
- Fortnite
- GTA Online
- Minecraft
- Naraka: Bladepoint
- Roblox
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
- Valorant
- Warframe
Best Indie Game
- Animal Well
- Arco
- Balatro
- Beyond Galaxyland
- Conscript
- Indika
- Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
- Thank Goodness You’re Here!
- The Plucky Squire
- Ultros
Best Indie Game - Self Published
- Arctic Eggs
- Another Crab’s Treasure
- Crow Country
- Duck Detective: The Secret Salami
- I Am Your Beast
- Little Kitty, Big City
- Riven
- Tactical Breach Wizards
- Tiny Glade
- UFO 50
Console Game of the Year
- Astro Bot
- Dragon’s Dogma 2
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Helldivers 2
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
- The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Best Multiplayer Game
- Abiotic Factor
- EA Sports College Football 25
- Helldivers 2
- Sons of the Forest
- Tekken 8
- The Finals
Best Lead Performer
- Cody Christian (Cloud Strife in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth)
- Kaiji Tang (Ichiban Kasuga in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth)
- Humberly Gonzalez (Kay Vess in Star Wars Outlaws)
- Luke Roberts (James Sunderland in Silent Hill 2)
- Melina Juergens (Senua in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II)
- Sonequa Martin-Green (Alvilda in Asgard’s Wrath 2)
Best Supporting Performer
- Abbi Greenland and Helen Goalen (The Furies in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II)
- Briana White (Aerith Gainsborough in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth)
- Dawn M. Bennett (Aigis in Persona 3 Reload)
- Debra Wilson (Amanda Waller in Suicide Squad)
- Matt Berry (Herbert in Thank Goodness You’re Here!)
- Neve McIntosh (Suze in Still Wakes the Deep)
Best Storytelling
- 1000xResist
- Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
- Tactical Breach Wizards
Best Visual Design
- Astro Bot
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Harold Halibut
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Most Wanted Game
- Atomfall
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows
- Sid Meier’s Civilization VII
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Deadlock
- Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
- Doom: The Dark Ages
- Exodus
- Fable
- Ghost of Yotei
- Grand Theft Auto VI
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Light No Fire
- Mafia: The Old Country
- Monster Hunter Wilds
- Skate.
- Slay the Spire 2
- South of Midnight
Best Gaming Hardware
- Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024)
- Backbone One (2nd Gen)
- LG UltraGear 32GS95UE
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super
- Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra
- Steam Deck OLED
Studio of the Year
- 11 Bit Studios
- Arrowhead Game Studios
- Capcom
- Digital Eclipse
- Team ASOBI
- Visual Concepts
PC Game of the Year
- Animal Well
- Balatro
- Frostpunk 2
- Satisfactory
- Tactical Breach Wizards
- UFO 50
Fan voting is open now on the official website. The Ultimate Game of the Year nominees will be announced later. The shortlist will be revealed November 4th, with voting running from November 4th to 8th, 2024. Games released between October 4th and November 21st, 2024, are still eligible for Best Performance and Ultimate Game of the Year. Voters receive a free ebook.
Controversy Surrounding Game of the Year Nominees
The absence of certain fan favorites, such as Metaphor: ReFantazio, Space Marine 2, and Black Myth: Wukong, from the Game of the Year categories has sparked significant online discussion. The organizers have addressed the concerns, clarifying that the Ultimate Game of the Year shortlist is yet to be announced.
