Golden Joystick Awards 2026: Date, Time, Nominees, How to Watch
The Golden Joystick Awards 2026 take place on November 11 in London, with the ceremony at 5:30 p.m. GMT. Here are the Ultimate Game of the Year nominees, the voting deadline, eligibility rules and where to stream the show.
- The Golden Joystick Awards 2026 are on Wednesday, November 11, at the Troxy in London, with the ceremony scheduled for 5:30 p.m. GMT.
- Twelve games are up for Ultimate Game of the Year, and the public vote closes at midnight GMT on October 30.
- GTA 6 launches after the show and is not nominated; The Game Awards follow on December 10, with nominees due mid-November.
The Golden Joystick Awards 2026 take place on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at the Troxy in London. The organiser's evening schedule puts the awards ceremony at 5:30 p.m. GMT (17:30 UTC), which is 12:30 p.m. ET, 9:30 a.m. PT, 6:30 p.m. CET, 11:00 p.m. IST and 4:30 a.m. AEDT on November 12. The show streams worldwide, and fans can still vote for Ultimate Game of the Year until October 30.
As of October 27, 2026, the shortlists are public and voting in the 21 main categories has closed. This guide covers the schedule, the nominees, how the eligibility rules work, and how to watch from anywhere.
When are the Golden Joystick Awards 2026?
Future, the UK publisher behind GamesRadar+ and PC Gamer, runs the awards. Its official event site lists the ceremony for November 11 at the Troxy, and the On the Night page gives the venue as 490 Commercial Road in east London. The evening runs as follows, all in London time (GMT):
- 4:30 p.m.: drinks reception
- 5:30 p.m.: awards ceremony
- 8:00 p.m.: dinner
- 9:30 p.m.: after-party
That schedule is for people attending in person. As of October 27, Future had not published a separate start time for the livestream, so the online broadcast could begin slightly before or after 5:30 p.m. GMT.
This year's show is earlier than usual. Recent ceremonies were held on November 21, 2024 and November 20, 2025, according to Wikipedia's history of the awards.
How to watch the Golden Joystick Awards
The ceremony will be streamed live worldwide, according to Future's press release. Windows Central's report, republished on Yahoo, lists YouTube, Twitch and X, plus the Future Games Show, GamesRadar+ and PC Gamer channels. Inven Global also names YouTube, Twitch and X. The host is actor Alix Wilton Regan, joined by guest presenters.
How to vote for Ultimate Game of the Year
Public voting for the 21 main categories closed on October 23. The only vote still open is Ultimate Game of the Year, which runs from October 26 to October 30 on GamesRadar+'s Golden Joystick Awards page. Windows Central gives the deadline as 5 p.m. PT, 8 p.m. ET and midnight GMT. Because UK clocks have already changed, that is 00:00 UTC on Saturday, October 31 (1 a.m. CET, 5:30 a.m. IST and 11 a.m. AEDT).
The 12 Ultimate Game of the Year nominees, confirmed by Windows Central, Game Rant and Inven Global, are:
- 007 First Light
- Big Walk
- Control Resonant
- Crimson Desert
- Dispatch
- Forza Horizon 6
- Phantom Blade Zero
- Pokémon Pokopia
- Pragmata
- Resident Evil Requiem
- Star Wars: Galactic Racer
- The Blood of Dawnwalker
Game Rant notes that Dispatch just missed last year's cutoff, which is why it is competing now. Phantom Blade Zero launches on October 29, a day before voting closes.
The 2026 categories and leading nominees
Future's September 25 announcement lists 21 public-vote categories, from Best Storytelling and Best Soundtrack to PC Game of the Year, Console Game of the Year, Studio of the Year and Most Wanted Game. Ultimate Game of the Year and three panel-chosen awards (Streamers' Choice, Breakthrough and Critics' Choice) bring the total to 25.
Future said 007 First Light and Big Walk lead with six nominations each, with Resident Evil Requiem on four. TheGamer's full nominee list matches that count once the Ultimate Game of the Year nods are included. Some highlights from the shortlists:
- Console Game of the Year: nominees include Pokémon Pokopia, 007 First Light, Saros, Forza Horizon 6, Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata.
- PC Game of the Year: nominees include Big Walk, Crimson Desert, The Blood of Dawnwalker, Mewgenics and Valheim.
- Studio of the Year: Capcom, House House, Nintendo EPD, Square Enix, IO Interactive and Frogwares.
- Most Wanted: a long list that includes The Witcher 4, Fable, Kingdom Hearts 4 and Persona 6.
- Best Lead Performer: nominees include Patrick Gibson (007 First Light), Aaron Paul (Dispatch) and Angela Sant'Albano (Resident Evil Requiem).
- Best Game Adaptation: TV and film projects including Fallout Season 2, Mortal Kombat 2 and Devil May Cry Season 2.
Future's content director for the awards, Daniel Dawkins, called this "one of our most open and unpredictable years yet" in the press release.
Who is eligible, and why GTA 6 is missing
The official rules set different release windows for different awards:
- Main public-vote categories: games released from November 1, 2025 to September 25, 2026.
- Ultimate Game of the Year: November 8, 2025 to October 25, 2026, with exceptions for games judges have already played extensively.
- Panel-chosen awards: November 20, 2025 to November 11, 2026.
- Most Wanted: games releasing after November 11, 2026.
GTA 6 launches on November 19, eight days after the show, so it cannot compete for this year's game awards. Game Rant expects it to qualify next year. It is also absent from the 2026 Most Wanted shortlist. Last year, Future said GTA 6 was among the games that won more than one award. Likewise, the Ocarina of Time remake, out November 5, falls outside the public-vote windows but inside the panel awards window.
Past Ultimate Game of the Year winners
The Golden Joysticks began in 1983 and are described as the longest-running public-voted video game awards. Recent Ultimate Game of the Year winners, per Wikipedia:
- 2025: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- 2024: Black Myth: Wukong
- 2023: Baldur's Gate 3
- 2022: Elden Ring
- 2021: Resident Evil Village
- 2020: The Last of Us Part II
- 2019: Resident Evil 2
Future says a record 21 million public votes were cast in 2025, when Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won seven awards.
What comes next: The Game Awards 2026
The Golden Joysticks are the first big awards show of the season. The Game Awards follow on Thursday, December 10, 2026, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, according to the show's August announcement. As of October 27, the official site says only that nominees are "coming mid-November", with no exact day. Limited public tickets go on sale on October 29 at 10 a.m. PT, per The Game Awards' ticket notice.
What to watch for
- October 30: the Ultimate Game of the Year vote closes at midnight GMT.
- Early November: Future's confirmation of the livestream start time.
- November 11: winners in all 25 awards, announced live from London.
- Mid-November: The Game Awards 2026 nominees, date to be confirmed.
Our take
On paper, this is an open year. The nominations are spread across many games, the top two titles hold only six nods each, and the Ultimate Game of the Year list mixes blockbusters such as Resident Evil Requiem with smaller games such as Big Walk. Because the show falls before GTA 6's launch, the result will reflect the year without Rockstar's game. That makes the Golden Joysticks a cleaner snapshot of 2026's other releases than awards held after November 19.
Frequently asked questions
When are the Golden Joystick Awards 2026?
The ceremony is on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at the Troxy in London. The organiser's schedule lists the awards ceremony at 5:30 p.m. GMT, which is 12:30 p.m. ET and 11 p.m. IST. A separate livestream start time had not been announced as of October 27.
How can I watch the Golden Joystick Awards?
The show streams live worldwide. Reports list YouTube, Twitch and X, plus the Future Games Show, GamesRadar+ and PC Gamer channels.
How do I vote for Ultimate Game of the Year?
Vote on GamesRadar+'s Golden Joystick Awards page before 5 p.m. PT, 8 p.m. ET or midnight GMT on October 30, 2026. Voting in the other 21 categories closed on October 23.
Is GTA 6 nominated at the Golden Joysticks 2026?
No. GTA 6 launches on November 19, after the November 11 ceremony, so it falls outside this year's release windows. It does not appear on the 2026 shortlists.
Who won Ultimate Game of the Year in 2025?
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Ultimate Game of the Year in 2025 and took seven awards in total. Black Myth: Wukong won in 2024.
Sources
- Golden Joystick Awards 2026, Future plc (Future Events)
- Golden Joystick Awards 2026: Rules, Future plc (Future Events)
- Golden Joystick Awards 2026: On the Night, Future plc (Future Events)
- Voting is Open in the 44th Golden Joystick Awards, Games Press (Future press release)
- Golden Joystick Awards 2026: Vote for your Ultimate Game of the Year, GamesRadar+
- Golden Joystick's "Ultimate Game of the Year" nominees are revealed, and votes are open until October 30, Windows Central (via Yahoo)
- Golden Joystick Awards 'Ultimate GOTY' Voting Begins... Crimson Desert Nominated, Inven Global
- Big Walk, Galactic Racer, And Dispatch Among Nominees For Golden Joysticks Game Of The Year, TheGamer
- The Golden Joysticks Announces Its Game of the Year Nominees, Game Rant
- Golden Joystick Awards, Wikipedia
- The Game Awards, The Game Awards
- TGA Returns December 10, 2026, The Game Awards
- Public Tickets on Sale October 29, The Game Awards
How we wrote this
GessyMorgan explainers are built from public reporting and official sources. This post draws on the 13 sources listed above, each linked where we use it. It was drafted with AI assistance and checked against those sources before publishing. We did not test products, attend events or interview anyone for this article. Facts are current as of October 27, 2026, and we update the post when they change.
