Golden Joystick Awards 2026: Resident Evil Requiem wins, Capcom takes seven trophies

The 44th Golden Joystick Awards were handed out in London on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, and the game that topped the list of Golden Joystick Awards nominees was Capcom's horror title Resident Evil Requiem. It won Ultimate Game of the Year with 17% of the public vote, just ahead of Phantom Blade Zero on 16% and Crimson Desert on 15%. Capcom was also named Studio of the Year, and its games won seven trophies in all.

The Golden Joysticks, now in their 44th edition, are decided mostly by players voting online. That makes the results a useful reading of what players themselves enjoyed this year, not only what critics praised. For young gamers in India, who follow the same global releases on PC, console and phone, the winners list works as a short guide to the year's most talked-about games.

The top prize was unusually close. Resident Evil Requiem won Ultimate Game of the Year by a single percentage point over Phantom Blade Zero, with Crimson Desert one more point behind. A spread that tight means no single game dominated the vote, and players' favourites were split across horror, action and open-world adventure.

The night was also a strong one for a single publisher. Beyond Requiem's four wins, Capcom collected Best Supporting Performer for Grace Saif, who plays Diana in Pragmata, and Best Audio Design for Onimusha: Way of the Sword, before taking Studio of the Year itself.

At the other end of the scale, the indie game Meccha Chameleon matched Requiem's tally of four awards. Two of those, Streamers' Choice and Developers' Choice, came from people who make and broadcast games for a living, which suggests a small title can earn respect inside the industry, not just with players. Valheim won Best Indie Game, and Big Walk took the Critics' Choice prize. The results also covered more than new releases: the Steam Controller won Best Gaming Hardware, Balatro won the Still Playing award for mobile, Control Resonant won Best Visual Design and Doom: The Dark Ages - Revelations won Best Game Expansion.

Peepals calculation: Capcom's seven trophies out of 25 categories come to 28% of all awards (7 / 25 = 0.28), and Requiem and Meccha Chameleon together won 8 of 25, or 32%. The top three games in the Ultimate Game of the Year vote took 48% between them (17 + 16 + 15), so more than half of the votes, 52%, went to other games on the shortlist. Our calculation from the reported figures.

For readers, the list is a starting point, not a buying order: check which winners run on the device you own and read reviews before spending.

Short-term: Award wins usually bring a burst of attention, sales and streams for the winners.

Long-term: Capcom's run of wins strengthens its standing as a studio that can deliver both big-budget horror and new series, while the success of Meccha Chameleon shows that small teams can still compete for attention in a year crowded with large releases.

Who is affected: Players in India and abroad deciding what to play next, game streamers and content creators choosing what to cover, students thinking about careers in game design, voice acting or audio, and the studios that won or lost.

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