Golden JoySticks 2024 Recap
As the year comes to a close, it’s award season once again! The 2024 Golden Joystick Awards stand out amongst the crowd as the longest-running video game awards show. Most notably, these awards are not voted on by a panel of judges or critics, and each award accurately represents the opinion of the everyday gamer. This year’s event was a vibrant showcase of storytelling, technical innovation, community passion, and creative excellence. The awards recognized the best and brightest in the gaming world, from major AAA titles to indie breakthroughs.
Here’s a list of every award and the winner. (If you just want to see which games stood out the most, skip to the end of the article.)
Best Audio Design
Winner: Astro Bot
Nominees: Balatro, Robobeat, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Star Wars Outlaws, Still Wakes the Deep
Best Soundtrack
Winner: Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth
Nominees: A Highland Song, Astro Bot, Hauntii, Silent Hill 2, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
Best Storytelling
Winner: Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth
Nominees: 1000xResist, Emio – The Smiling Man, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Tactical Breach Wizards
Best Multiplayer Game
Winner: Helldivers 2
Nominees: Abiotic Factor, EA Sports College Football 25, Sons of the Forest, Tekken 8, The Finals
Best Visual Design
Winner: Black Myth: Wukong
Nominees: Astro Bot, Harold Halibut, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Best Indie Game
Winner: Balatro
Nominees: Animal Well, Arco, Beyond Galaxyland, Conscript, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Thank Goodness You’re Here!, The Plucky Squire, Ultros
Best Indie Game (Self-Published)
Winner: Another Crab’s Treasure
Nominees: Arctic Eggs, Crow Country, Duck Detective: The Secret Salami, I Am Your Beast, Little Kitty, Big City
Studio of the Year
Winner: Team Asobi (Astro Bot)
Best Lead Performer
Winner: Cody Christian (Cloud Strife, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth)
Nominees: Kaiji Tang (Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth), Humberly Gonzalez (Star Wars Outlaws), Luke Roberts (Silent Hill 2)
Best Supporting Performer
Winner: Briana White (Aerith Gainsborough, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth)
Nominees: Abbi Greenland & Helen Goalen (Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II), Dawn M. Bennett (Persona 3 Reload)
Breakthrough Award (Critics' Choice)
Winner: Balatro
Still Playing Award (PC & Console)
Winner: Minecraft
Nominees: Apex Legends, Counter-Strike 2, EA Sports FC, Dota 2, Fortnite
Still Playing Award (Mobile)
Winner: Honkai: Star Rail
Nominees: Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, Free Fire, Roblox, Marvel Snap
PC Game of the Year
Winner: Satisfactory
Console Game of the Year
Winner: Helldivers 2
Most Wanted Game
Winner: Grand Theft Auto VI
Critics' Choice Award
Winner: Helldivers 2
Best Game Expansion
Winner: Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Nominees: Alan Wake 2 Expansion Pass, Destiny 2: The Final Shape, Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred
Best Gaming Hardware
Winner: Steam Deck OLED
Nominees: Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super, Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra
Best Early Access Game
Winner: Lethal Company
Nominees: Enshrouded, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, Hades 2, Manor Lords
Best Game Trailer
Winner: Helldivers 2
Nominees: Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, Sid Meier’s Civilization VII
Streamers' Choice Award
Winner: Chained Together
Best Game Adaptation
Winner: Fallout
Nominees: Borderlands, Halo Season 2, Like a Dragon: Yakuza
Ultimate Game of the Year
Winner: Black Myth: Wukong
Shining Stars
While every game deserves praise, a few shinned above the rest as they won in multiple categories. "Black Myth: Wukong" took home the coveted Ultimate Game of the Year and was also recognized for its stunning visuals, winning Best Visual Design. Meanwhile, "Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth" won Best Storytelling, Best Soundtrack, and Best Leading Performer for Cloud actor Cody Christian and Best Supporting Performer for Aerith's Briana White, cementing its place as one of the year’s most celebrated releases. In a surprise sweep, "Helldivers 2" won Best Multiplayer Game, Best Game Trailer, and Console Game of the Year – as well as the coveted Critics' Choice Award. Its blend of cooperative gameplay and action-packed sequences resonated with players and critics alike. Indie games also had their moment, with "Balatro" winning Best Indie Game and the Breakthrough Award, and Astro Bot winning Best Audio Design and Studio of the Year for Team Asobi, signaling the continued rise of smaller studios making a big impact in the industry.
Takeaways
This year was certainly an interesting one for the games industry. After a wild and incredible 2023, this year had a big act to follow. While I wouldn’t say that this year blew me away in terms of releases, I also couldn’t say I was disappointed. The lack of AAA releases I was hyped about (baring Helldivers 2) taking up all of my time and focus meant I had the time to dive into indies like Astro Bot and Harold Halibut and hang out with friends playing Lethal Company.
I can’t say I’m surprised by any of the Golden Joystick winners, but there were a few that I couldn’t have predicted myself. PC Game of the Year going to Satisfactory might be the category I was most pleasantly surprised about, as it seems like the developers had been working extremely hard to give players the best 1.0 launch possible. I loved seeing Another Crabs Treasure win Best Self-Published Indie as I had been following that game on Tiktok since development, and seeing it get some well-deserved time in the spotlight felt just as rewarding for me as a long-time fan. Best Early Access game going to Lethal Company was maybe the most unexpected, but then I considered how many hours I’ve put into that game with my friends and it made a lot more sense.
How do you feel about the winners of the Golden Joysticks? Do you think we are in for any upsets this year in the coming rewards shows?
