The Golden Joystick Awards are back with their 34th annual awards program that lets the public vote on select games from the past year in 21 categories. For the first time, the live event will be open to the public from indigO2 at London’s O2 Arena on Friday, November 18.
The nominees for this year are listed as follows (with publisher):
Best Original Game
Abzu – 505 Games
Firewatch – Panic
Furi – The Game Bakers
Hyper Light Drifter – Heart Machine
Inside – Playdead
No Man’s Sky – Hello Games
Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment
Quantum Break – Microsoft Studios
Soma – Frictional Games
Tom Clancy’s The Division – Ubisoft
The Witness – Thekla Inc.
Best Storytelling
Firewatch – Panic
Oxenfree – Night School Studio
Quantum Break – Microsoft Studios
Rise of the Tomb Raider – Square Enix
Soma – Frictional GAmes
Tales from the Borderlands – Telltale Games
The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine – CD Projekt
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Sony Interactive Entertainment
Zero Time Dilemma – Aksys Games
Best Visual Design
Abzu – 505 Games
Battleborn – 2k Games
Brutal – Sony
Dark Souls 3 – Bandai Namco Entertainment
Doom – Bethesda Softworks
Firewatch – Panic
Furi – The Game Breakers
Hyper Light Drifter – Heart Machine
Inside – Playdead
Mirror’s Edge Catalyst – Electronic Arts
No Man’s Sky – Hello Games
Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment
Rise of the Tomb Raider – Square Enix
Soma – Frictional Games
Superhot – Superhot Team
The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine – CD Projekt
The Witness – Thekla Inc.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Sony Interactive Entertainment
Best Audio
Amplitude – Sony Interactive Entertainment
Doom – Bethesda Softworks
Fallout 4 – Bethesda Softworks
Hyper Light Drifter – Heart Machine
I am Setsuna – Square Enix
Inside – Playdead
No Man’s Sky – Hello Games
Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment
Star Wars Battlefront – Electronic Arts
Thumper – Drool
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Sony Interactive Entertainment
Best Multiplayer Game
Broforce – Devolver Digital
Call of Duty Black Ops 3 – Activision
Dark Souls 3 – Bandai Namco Entertainment
FIFA 17 – EA Sports
Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns – ArenaNet
Halo 5: Guardians – Microsoft Studios
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes – Steel Crate Games
Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment
PES 2017 – Konami
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege – Ubisoft
Star Wars Battlefront – Electronic Arts
Street Fighter 5 – Capcom
Tom Clancy’s The Division – Ubisoft
World of Warships – Wargaming
Worms WMD – Team 17
Best Indie Game
Banner Saga 2 – Versus Evil
Firewatch – Panic
Furi – The Game Breakers
Hyper Light Drifter – Heart Machine
Inside – Playdead
No Man’s Sky – Hello Games
Oxenfree – Night School Studio
Pony Island – Daniel Mullins Games
Starbound – Chucklefish Games
Stardew Valley – Chucklefish Games
Superhot – Superhot Team
The Witness – Thekla Inc.
Undertale – Toby Fox
Innovation of the Year
Guitar Hero Live – Activision
HTC Vive – HTC
No Man’s Sky – Hello Games
Oculus Rift – Oculus VR
Playstation VR – Sony
Pokemon GO – Nintendo/Niantic
Quantum Break – Microsoft Studios
Best Gaming Moment
Climbing the tallest building in Mirror’s Edge Catalyst – Electronic Arts
Flying the Falcon in Star Wars Battlefront – Electronic Arts
Play of the game in Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment
Returning to Anor Londo in Dark Souls 3 – Bandai Namco Entertainment
The Brotherhood Of Steel arriving in Fallout 4 – Bethesda Softworks
The Car Chase in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Sony Interactive Entertainment
The ending of Inside – Playdead
Unleashing the BFG 9000 in Doom – Bethesda Softworks
Unlocking the secret of Psalm 46 in The Witness – Thekla Inc.
Most Wanted Game
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 3 – Sega
Days Gone – Sony Interactive Entertainment
God of War – Sony Interactive Entertainment
Horizon Zero Dawn – Sony Interactive Entertainment
Mass Effect Andromeda – Electronic Arts
Resident Evil 7 – Capcom
Scalebound – Microsoft Studios
Sea of Thieves – Microsoft Studios
Shenmue 3 – Ys Net
Spider-Man – Sony Interactive Entertainment
Star Citizen – Cloud Imperium Games
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo
Youtube Personality of the Year
Capgun Tom
Jesse Cox
Amy Lee
TWOSYNC
Samgladiator
Ashley Mariee
Blitzwinger
JMX
Spencer FC
Mr Woofless
Matt HD Gamer
Studio of the Year
343 Industries
Bethesda Game Studios
Blizzard
CD Projekt RED
Creative Assembly
Firaxis
From Software
Hello Games
id Software
Naughty Dog
Niantic
Gaming Platform of the Year
3DS – Nintendo
Apple iOS – Apple
Google Play – Google
PS4 – Sony
Steam – Valve Corporation
Xbox One – Microsoft
Game of the Year
Dark Souls 3 – Bandai Namco Entertainment
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – Square Enix
Doom – Bethesda Softworks
Fallout 4 – Bethesda Softworks
Halo 5 – Microsoft Studios
Hitman – Square Enix
No Man’s Sky – Hello Games
Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment
PES 2017 Konami
Pokemon GO – Nintendo/Niantic
Rise of the Tomb Raider – Square Enix
The Witness – Thekla Inc.
Total War: Warhammer – Sega
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Sony Interactive Entertainment
XCOM 2 – 2K Games
Performance of the Year
Doug Cockle – The Witcher 3: Blood & Wine
Camilla Luddington – Rise of the Tomb Raider
Cissy Jones – Firewatch
Elia Toufexis – Far Cry Primal/Deus Ex Mankind Divided
Nolan North – Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Rich Sommer – Firewatch
Shawn Ashmore – Quantum Break
Victoria Atkin – Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate
PlayStation Game of the Year
Abzu – 505 Games
Amplitude – Sony Interactive Entertainment
Firewatch – Panic
Gravity Rush Remastered – Sony Interactive Entertainment
I Am Setsuna – Square Enix
No Man’s Sky – Hello Games
Ratchet & Clank – Sony Interactive Entertainment
Salt and Sanctuary – Ska Studios
Severed – DrinkBox Studios
Street Fighter 5 – Capcom
The Last Guardian – Sony Interactive Entertainment
The Witness – Thekla Inc.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Sony Interactive Entertainment
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection – Sony Interactive Entertainment
Yakuza 5 – Sega
Nintendo Game of the Year
Fire Emblem Fates – Nintendo
Kirby: Planet Robobot – Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes – Nintendo
Monster Hunter Generations – Capcom
Pokken Tournament – The Pokemon Company
Tokyo Mirage sessions #FE – Nintendo
Xenoblade Chronicles X – Nintendo
Yo-Kai Watch – Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD – Nintendo
PC Game of the Year
Sid Meier’s Civilization 6 – 2K Games
Doom – Bethesda Softworks
Master of Orion: Conquer the Stars – Wargaming
Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment
Stardew Valley – Chucklefish Games
Sellaris – Paradox Interactive
Total War: Warhammer – Sega
Undertale – Toby Fox
World of Warships – Wargaming
XCOM 2 – 2K Games
Xbox Game of the Year
Ark: Survival Evolved – Studio Wildcard
Elite: Dangerous – Frontier Developments
Forza Horizon 3 – Microsoft Studios
Forza Motorsports 6 – Microsoft Studios
Halo 5: Guardians – Microsoft Studios
Inside – Playdead
Killer Instinct Season 3 – Microsoft Studios
Quantum Break – Microsoft Studios
ReCore – Microsoft Studios
Rise of the Tomb Raider – Square Enix
Competitive Game of the Year
Call of Duty Black Ops 3 – Activision
Counter Strike: Global Offensive – Valve Corporation
Dota 2 – Valve Corporation
FIFA 17 – EA Sports
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft – Blizzard Entertainment
Heroes of the Storm – Blizzard Entertainment
Killer Instinct Season 3 – Microsoft Studios
League of Legends – Riot Games
Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment
Smite – Hi-Rez Studios
Starcraft 2: Legacy of the Void – Blizzard Entertainment
Street Fighter 5 – Capcom
Competitive Play of the Year
Coldzera’s jumping AWP quad kill at MLG Columbus – CS:GO
s1mple’s double AWP noscope at ESL One Cologne – CS:GO
Huni quad kill at the 2015 World Championships – League of Legends
w33’s Sunstrike, Echo Stomp cancel and Tornado snipe – Dota 2
Suma1l’s clutch Sacred Arrow at The International 2016 – Dota 2
Justin Wong’s comeback against Flocker at EVO 2016 – Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3
LI Joe’s V Trigger dodge at EVO 2016 – Street Fighter 5
Daigo’s ’magic pixel’ comeback at the Capcom Cup Final – Street Fighter 5
Best Handheld or Mobile Game
Alphabear – Spry Fox
Clash Royale – Supercell
Downwell – Devolver Digital
Fire Emblem Fates – Nintendo
Monster Hunter Generations – Capcom
Peter Panic – Adult Swim Games
Pokemon GO – Nintendo/Niantic
Severed – DrinkBox Studios
The Room 3 – Fireproof Studios
Zero Time Dilemma – Aksys Games