The Golden Joystick Awards 2024: A Celebration of Gaming Excellence, with a Focus on Indie Titles
The Golden Joystick Awards, a prestigious celebration of gaming achievements since 1983, returns on November 21, 2024, for its 42nd year. This year's awards, recognizing games released between November 11, 2023, and October 4, 2024, showcase a significant rise in recognition for indie games. Titles like Balatro and Lorelei and the Laser Eyes have earned multiple nominations, highlighting the growing influence of smaller developers.
A notable addition this year is a new category dedicated to self-published indie games, acknowledging the expanding definition of "indie" and celebrating developers without the backing of major publishers.
Key Award Categories and Nominees:
The awards span 19 categories, including:
- 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, Death Stranding 2, Helldivers 2, Kingmakers, Sid Meier’s Civilization VII, The Plucky Squire
- 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 & Console/PC): (See full lists in original article)
- 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, Best Supporting Performer, Best Storytelling, Best Visual Design: (See full lists in original article)
- Most Wanted Game: (See full list in original article)
- 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
Voting and Controversy:
Fan voting is currently open on the official website, with a shortlist to be revealed on November 4th. The Ultimate Game of the Year category will be announced separately. The omission of several fan favorites, including Black Myth: Wukong, from the initial Game of the Year nominations has sparked significant online discussion and criticism. Organizers have clarified that the Ultimate Game of the Year shortlist is yet to be released.
Voting participants receive a free ebook.
