Resident Evil Requiem Leads the 44th Golden Joystick Awards Winners
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Published: Nov 13, 2026
Modified: Nov 13, 2026
The 44th Golden Joystick Awards have officially announced their 2026 winners, with Resident Evil Requiem claiming Ultimate Game of the Year and Console Game of the Year, while Crimson Desert secured PC Game of the Year. However, the results extended far beyond these two headline victories.
MECCHA CHAMELEON collected four awards, Dispatch won two major categories, and Capcom was named Studio of the Year, making this year's ceremony a significant showcase of the variety of games attracting attention across the industry.
Held in London on November 11, 2026, Golden Joystick Awards featured 25 categories covering everything from storytelling and multiplayer experiences to gaming hardware, performances, remasters, and upcoming releases. Most awards were decided through public voting, giving players around the world a direct role in determining the results.
Resident Evil Requiem Takes the Biggest Awards of the Night
The most prominent result of the 2026 Golden Joystick Awards was undoubtedly Resident Evil Requiem. Capcom's survival horror title secured four awards, including the ceremony's highest honor, Ultimate Game of the Year.
Its victories covered several different aspects of the game rather than being limited to its overall popularity. The title also received Console Game of the Year, Best Game Trailer for its Evil Has Always Had a Name promotional video, and Best Lead Performer for Angela Sant'Albano's portrayal of Grace Ashcroft.
The results demonstrate how a successful game can attract recognition across multiple areas, including its overall experience, presentation, and character performances. Rather than winning only through one particularly popular feature, Resident Evil Requiem received recognition across several categories.
Another noteworthy achievement was Capcom's Studio of the Year victory. Combined with the company's other award-winning projects and performances, Capcom was associated with seven awards across the ceremony, further highlighting its strong showing in 2026.
Ultimate Game of the Year Was a Close Competition
Although Resident Evil Requiem ultimately claimed the top prize, the final voting results show that the competition was considerably closer than a straightforward victory might suggest.
According to the reported public voting percentages, Resident Evil Requiem received 17% of the votes, followed by Phantom Blade Zero with 16% and Crimson Desert with 15%.
| Game | Ultimate Game of the Year Vote |
|---|---|
| Resident Evil Requiem | 17% |
| Phantom Blade Zero | 16% |
| Crimson Desert | 15% |
The narrow difference between the three leading games makes this result particularly interesting. Phantom Blade Zero finished just one percentage point behind the winner, while Crimson Desert was only two points away.
For players following the 2026 awards season, this result provides an early indication of how differently audiences have responded to several prominent releases. It also shows why the Ultimate Game of the Year category deserves attention beyond simply identifying its winner: the distribution of votes reveals how competitive the final selection was.
Crimson Desert, Dispatch and MECCHA CHAMELEON Also Make Their Mark
While Resident Evil Requiem dominated the headline categories, several other games delivered equally interesting results in their respective fields.
Crimson Desert, developed by Pearl Abyss, won PC Game of the Year. This was an important achievement for the open-world action-adventure title, particularly because it competed against a varied selection of PC games, including Valheim, Escape from Tarkov, Big Walk, and The Blood of Dawnwalker.
However, the award should be viewed within its actual category rather than as an overall Game of the Year victory. Resident Evil Requiem received the Ultimate Game of the Year award, while Crimson Desert earned the highest recognition specifically for PC gaming.
Meanwhile, Dispatch secured two awards: Best Storytelling and Best Soundtrack. These victories highlight the importance of narrative presentation and musical composition as distinct elements of game development.
MECCHA CHAMELEON was another major success story. The indie title won Best Multiplayer Game and Best Indie Game – Self-Published, while also receiving Streamers' Choice and Developers' Choice.
Its four-award performance placed it alongside Resident Evil Requiem as one of the ceremony's most successful individual games.
What makes this particularly interesting is the contrast between the winners. While Resident Evil Requiem dominated the major console and overall categories, MECCHA CHAMELEON attracted recognition from both the streaming and development communities, alongside its public-voted victories.
Full Golden Joystick Awards 2026 Winners List
The 2026 ceremony covered 25 categories, offering a broader picture of the games, studios, performances, and hardware that received recognition this year.
The following table brings together the complete winners list published by the awards organizers.
| Award Category | 2026 Winner |
|---|---|
| Ultimate Game of the Year | Resident Evil Requiem |
| Console Game of the Year | Resident Evil Requiem |
| PC Game of the Year | Crimson Desert |
| Best Storytelling | Dispatch |
| Best Soundtrack | Dispatch |
| Best Audio Design | Onimusha: Way of the Sword |
| Best Multiplayer Game | MECCHA CHAMELEON |
| Best Visual Design | CONTROL Resonant |
| Best Game Expansion | DOOM: The Dark Ages |
| Best Indie Game – Self-Published | MECCHA CHAMELEON |
| Best Indie Game | Valheim |
| Best Early Access Game | Subnautica 2 |
| Best Gaming Hardware | Steam Controller |
| Studio of the Year | Capcom |
| Still Playing – Mobile | Balatro |
| Still Playing – PC & Console | Minecraft |
| Streamers' Choice | MECCHA CHAMELEON |
| Developers' Choice | MECCHA CHAMELEON |
| Critics' Choice | Big Walk |
| Best Game Trailer | Resident Evil Requiem |
| Best Remake / Remaster | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered |
| Best Game Adaptation | Iron Lung |
| Best Supporting Performer | Grace Saif – PRAGMATA |
| Best Lead Performer | Angela Sant'Albano – Resident Evil Requiem |
| Most Wanted Game | The Witcher 4 |
Several additional results deserve attention beyond the leading games.
Valheim received Best Indie Game, while Subnautica 2 won Best Early Access Game. These awards recognize different aspects of the independent and ongoing-development gaming landscape, rather than focusing exclusively on large-budget releases.
The hardware category also produced an interesting winner. Valve's Steam Controller took Best Gaming Hardware, while Minecraft won Still Playing – PC & Console and Balatro received the corresponding mobile award.
For players who regularly follow established live-service and long-running games, these categories are particularly relevant. They recognize continued player engagement rather than judging only the newest releases.
What the 2026 Results Reveal About the Gaming Industry?
One of the most interesting aspects of this year's Golden Joystick Awards is the diversity of its winners.
The results did not concentrate all recognition within a single franchise or development studio. Instead, different games succeeded in categories that reflect their individual strengths.
For example, Resident Evil Requiem secured recognition for its overall experience, console performance, trailer, and lead acting. Dispatch succeeded in narrative and soundtrack categories, while MECCHA CHAMELEON demonstrated that smaller-scale projects could compete successfully for both player and industry recognition.
The voting structure is also worth considering. According to the organizers, 22 of the 25 categories were determined by public voting. The remaining three were Critics' Choice, Streamers' Choice, and Developers' Choice, which were selected through their respective judging processes. This means the awards combine direct player preferences with recognition from different parts of the gaming industry.
For players, this distinction matters because the awards do not represent one single measurement of game quality. Public voting reflects the preferences of participating players, while the other categories offer different perspectives on creative and professional recognition.
The Most Wanted Game award provides another interesting snapshot of player expectations. The Witcher 4 won the category, demonstrating strong anticipation for the next major entry in CD Projekt Red's fantasy RPG franchise.
Meanwhile, several other highly anticipated projects appeared among the nominees, including 007 First Light, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, and Phantom Blade Zero. Their presence illustrates the range of games attracting attention beyond the titles that already secured major awards.
It is also important not to confuse award nominees with winners or future Game of the Year predictions. For instance, Grand Theft Auto VI and a rumored The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake should not be presented as confirmed contenders in the 2026 Golden Joystick results without supporting evidence. Neither appears in the verified Ultimate Game of the Year shortlist.
What Comes Next After the Golden Joystick Awards?
The conclusion of the 44th Golden Joystick Awards marks an important point in the 2026 gaming awards calendar, but it does not settle every debate about which game deserves to be considered the year's best.
Resident Evil Requiem has secured a major early victory, Crimson Desert has established itself as the PC Game of the Year winner, and MECCHA CHAMELEON has demonstrated that indie projects can achieve considerable recognition across multiple categories.
At the same time, Dispatch, Valheim, Subnautica 2, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered all received recognition for different strengths.
For players, the full winners list offers more than a ranking of popular games. It provides an opportunity to discover titles that might otherwise have escaped their attention and to see which aspects of gaming received the strongest recognition from players, critics, creators, and developers.
With other major gaming awards still ahead, Golden Joystick results provide an interesting starting point for the remainder of the 2026 awards season.
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