The Golden Joystick 2026 nominees are public, and voting opened September 25 across 21 categories. The main ballot closes October 23, followed by a separate Ultimate Game of the Year vote from October 26–30 and the ceremony on November 11, according to the Golden Joystick Awards.
007 First Light and Big Walk lead with five nominations each; Resident Evil Requiem has three, according to GamesRadar+. The ballot also covers hardware and performances, so the nomination leaderboard is only part of the story. We’re more interested in what the awards recognize, and which contenders are conspicuously absent.
TL;DR: Golden Joystick 2026 voting is open across 21 categories through October 23, with 007: First Light and Big Walk leading the nominees at five each. Resident Evil Requiem has three nominations, and GTA 6 is absent from the main ballot because its scheduled release falls outside the eligibility window; a separate Ultimate Game of the Year vote runs October 26–30.
Golden Joystick 2026 Nominees Open Voting
The Golden Joystick Awards’ 2026 shortlist is public, and voting runs from September 25 through October 23, according to the 2026 announcement. The 44th awards opened voting across 21 categories, from Console Game of the Year and PC Game of the Year to Most Wanted Game. That last category isn’t a verdict on what’s worth playing now. It’s a forecast of what players can’t wait to play.
The ballot mixes released games, ongoing titles, performers, hardware and unreleased projects, so the biggest nomination tally tells only part of the story. The more revealing questions are what the categories reward and which contenders are missing altogether.
007 First Light And Big Walk Lead
According to GamesRadar’s September 2026 shortlist report, Big Walk and 007: First Light share the lead with five nominations apiece. Big Walk spans Best Audio Design, Best Indie Game, Best Multiplayer Game, Best Game Trailer and PC Game of the Year. 007: First Light is nominated for Best Soundtrack, Best Storytelling and Console Game of the Year, plus acting awards for Patrick Gibson and Lennie James.
Resident Evil Requiem has three nominations, including Console Game of the Year and Best Supporting Performer for Angela Sant’Albano as Grace Ashcroft, GamesRadar reports. MECCHA CHAMELEON, Mewgenics, The Blood of Dawnwalker, Valheim and SAROS also received three nominations each, according to the same shortlist report.
The spread makes for a more interesting story than a leaderboard. Big Walk’s nominations range from multiplayer and audio to a trailer, while 007: First Light pairs storytelling and soundtrack recognition with acting nods. Resident Evil Requiem’s shortlist includes both a major game category and a performance award. Nomination totals aren’t a verdict on quality. They show which kinds of achievement the ballot recognizes, and the leaders are being recognized in very different ways.
The Ballot Rewards More Than Blockbusters
The Best Indie Game shortlist has 10 nominees, including Big Walk, Denshattack!, Esoteric Ebb, REANIMAL and Valheim, according to GamesRadar’s nominee report. That’s a full contest for indie games, not a side alley in a blockbuster race.
Best Gaming Hardware is its own beast, with six entries: Logitech G PRO X2 SUPERSTRIKE, Razer Viper V4 Pro, Secretlab ATLAS, Sony INZONE M10S II, Steam Controller and Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II, GamesRadar reports. A controller and a game shouldn’t have to fight for the same trophy. At least the ballot gets that.
Most Wanted Game has 20 nominees, including Alien: Isolation 2, Fable, Persona 6, The Witcher 4 and Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, per GamesRadar. That category measures anticipation, while performance awards recognize acting. This is several contests sharing one awards show, not one giant ranking with a mouse awkwardly wedged between sequels.
Why GTA 6 Missed The Main Ballot
GTA 6’s absence from the main Golden Joystick ballot comes down to eligibility, not mystery. The official eligibility rules generally cover games released from November 1, 2025, through September 25, 2026. Ongoing games that launched earlier may qualify for Still Playing and Best Game Expansion, while games due after November 11, 2026, may be considered for Most Wanted.
The judging panel selects the final shortlist from submitted nominations. GamesRadar says the panel includes Future editors, journalists and industry experts, so submitting a nomination doesn’t guarantee a place on the ballot.
GamesRadar reported that GTA 6 was scheduled for November 19, eight days after the ceremony. That timing put it outside the release window for the main awards, though its unreleased status fits Most Wanted. The rules explain why this highly anticipated release couldn’t contend for the full major-award sweep: anticipation is one category, eligibility is another.
Vote Before The Ballot Closes
Readers can vote on the main public ballot until October 23. The official awards page lists the schedule, so check it before assuming one ballot covers everything.
Ultimate Game of the Year voting is separate and runs October 26–30. The October 23 deadline applies to the main ballot, not the later vote. Two windows, because apparently one calendar reminder would be too merciful. The Golden Joystick Awards ceremony is scheduled for November 11, 2026.
Vote Before The Ballot Closes
Open the official Golden Joystick ballot and treat each category as its own question. Want to reward writing? Judge the storytelling, not how many times a title appears elsewhere. Care more about a performance than the game around it? Cast that vote in the performer category. Waiting for a future release? Keep your vote in Most Wanted, where anticipation belongs.
That approach stops one heavily nominated game from collecting automatic votes just because it dominates the shortlist. If your pick is clear, submit it. If a category leaves you cold, take another look at the nominees instead of voting on name recognition alone. The point is to tell the awards what deserves recognition, not to predict the winner.
