In one of the first of the many notable award ceremonies to come, Black Myth: Wukong has been crowned the Ultimate Game of the Year at the 42nd annual Golden Joystick Awards. The award ceremony was held in London on November 21.
Now in its 42nd edition, the Golden Joystick Awards featured 24 award categories and dozens of AAA and indie titles. Unlike other award ceremonies where a select list of jury determines the winners, Golden Joystick Awards relies on fan votes to determine the winners in almost all the categories.
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Only three categories (Critics’ Choice, Breakthrough, and Streamers’ Choice) are decided by a panel comprising both creators and critics. This year’s award ceremony attracted over 12 million ballots across the voting categories.
While Black Myth: Wukong took home the top prize, the game has also been nominated in several other award ceremonies in the Game of the Year category—and we anticipate the win at the 42nd Golden Joystick Awards is only the start of several more laurels for the game. Here is the full list of the nominees and winners.
Full list of the 42nd annual Golden Joystick Awards nominees and winners
Ultimate Game of the Year
- Animal Well
- Astro Bot
- Balatro
- Black Myth: Wukong (WINNER)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Helldivers 2
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Satisfactory
- Silent Hill 2
- Tekken 8
Studio of the Year
- 11 Bit Studios
- Arrowhead Game Studios
- Capcom
- Digital Eclipse
- Team ASOBI (WINNER)
- Visual Concepts
PC Game of the Year
- Animal Well
- Balatro
- Frostpunk 2
- Satisfactory (WINNER)
- Tactical Breach Wizards
- UFO 50
Console Game of the Year
- Astro Bot
- Dragon’s Dogma 2
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Helldivers 2 (WINNER)
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
- The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Most Wanted Game
- Atomfall
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows
- Sid Meier’s Civilization VII
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Deadlock
- Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
- Doom: The Dark Ages
- Exodus
- Fable
- Ghost of Yotei
- Grand Theft Auto VI (WINNER)
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Light No Fire
- Mafia: The Old Country
- Monster Hunter Wilds
- Skate
- Slay the Spire 2
- South of Midnight
Best Storytelling
- 1000xResist
- Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (WINNER)
- Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
- Tactical Breach Wizards
Best Visual Design
- Astro Bot
- Black Myth: Wukong (WINNER)
- Harold Halibut
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Best Multiplayer Game
- Abiotic Factor
- EA Sports College Football 25
- Helldivers 2 (WINNER)
- Sons Of The Forest
- Tekken 8
- The Finals
Best Audio Design
- Astro Bot (WINNER)
- Balatro
- Robobeat
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Star Wars Outlaws
- Still Wakes the Deep
Best Game Expansion
- Alan Wake 2 Expansion Pass
- Destiny 2: The Final Shape
- Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred
- Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (WINNER)
- God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla
- World of Warcraft: The War Within
Best Indie Game – Self-Published
- Arctic Eggs
- Another Crab’s Treasure (WINNER)
- Crow Country
- Duck Detective: The Secret Salami
- I Am Your Beast
- Little Kitty, Big City
- Riven
- Tactical Breach Wizards
- Tiny Glade
- UFO 50
Best Indie Game
- Animal Well
- Arco
- Balatro (WINNER)
- Beyond Galaxyland
- Conscript
- Indika
- Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
- Thank Goodness You’re Here!
- The Plucky Squire
- Ultros
Best Soundtrack
- A Highland Song
- Astro Bot
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (WINNER)
- Hauntii
- Silent Hill 2
- Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
Best Early Access Game
- Enshrouded
- Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
- Hades 2
- Manor Lords
- Lethal Company (WINNER)
- Palworld
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 (WINNER)
Best Game Trailer
- Caravan Sandwitch – Launch Trailer
- Death Stranding 2: On The Beach – State of Play Announce Trailer
- Helldivers 2 – “The Fight for Freedom Begins” Launch Trailer (WINNER)
- Kingmakers – Official Announcement Trailer
- Sid Meier’s Civilization VII – Narrator Reveal Trailer
- The Plucky Squire – Launch Trailer
Best Game Adaptation
- Borderlands
- Fallout (WINNER)
- Halo Season 2
- Knuckles
- Like a Dragon: Yakuza
- Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft
Best Lead Performer
- Cody Christian as Cloud Strife in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (WINNER)
- Kaiji Tang as Ichiban Kasuga in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Humberly Gonzalez as Kay Vess in Star Wars Outlaws
- Luke Roberts as James Sunderland in Silent Hill 2
- Melina Juergens as Senua in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Sonequa Martin-Green as Alvilda in Asgard’s Wrath 2
Best Supporting Performer
- Abbi Greenland & Helen Goalen as The Furies in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Briana White as Aerith Gainsborough in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (WINNER)
- Dawn M. Bennett as Aigis in Persona 3 Reload
- Debra Wilson as Amanda Waller in Suicide Squad
- Matt Berry as Herbert in Thank Goodness You’re Here!
- Neve McIntosh as Suze in Still Wakes the Deep
Still Play Award – Mobile
- Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile
- Free Fire
- Honkai: Star Rail (WINNER)
- Roblox
- Marvel Snap
- Monopoly Go!
- Mini Motorways
- PUBG: Battlegrounds
- Squad Busters
- Star Wars: Hunters
- Subway Surfers
- The Sims Mobile
Still Playing Award – Console & PC
- Apex Legends
- Counter-Strike 2
- EA Sports FC
- Dota 2
- Fortnite
- GTA Online
- Minecraft (WINNER)
- Naraka: Bladepoint
- Roblox
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
- Valorant
- Warframe
The 42nd Golden Joystick Awards winners chosen by critics
Streamers’ Choice Award
Chained Together
Breakthrough Award
Balatro
Critics’ Choice Award
Helldivers 2
Expect surprises from Black Myth: Wukong later this year, says director
Feng Ji, the director of Black Myth: Wukong told fans of the game based on Chinese Mythology to expect “surprises” from the game later this year. He made the statement during his acceptance speech after receiving the award for the Ultimate Game of the Year. “There might just be some surprises waiting for you later this year,” he said.
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The statement has received different interpretations with some suggesting that it could be a port for the Xbox platform. However, there are also those who interpreted the statement as a possible DLC since Ji’s surprise statement came after he said, “you might have already completed our game.”
While the year is almost drawing to a close, one place where gamers should expect big announcements and reveals is The Game Awards which will be held on Friday, December 13, 2024. However, there is also the possibility that Game Science may announce the surprise they have in store for gamers on a neutral day.
Black Myth: Wukong is one of 2024’s most successful games. It sold over 20 million units in its first month and has received generally favorable reviews. It received an average Metascore of 81 on PC and 76 on PS5.
Which of the award winners are you most excited about? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
