Golden Joystick Awards 2026 Opens Ultimate Game of the Year Voting

The 2026 Golden Joystick Awards has opened voting for its Ultimate Game of the Year prize, the final public ballot of this year’s awards. The 12-game shortlist spans major franchises, anticipated releases and smaller projects, and players can cast a vote before the window closes on October 30. The ceremony and winners announcement are set for November 11.

The Ultimate Game of the Year vote follows the main round of public voting, which covered 21 categories and closed on October 23. The separate window gives players another chance to weigh in after the awards’ judges assembled the final shortlist. GamesRadar’s live ballot lists 12 nominees: 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 and The Blood of Dawnwalker.

A shortlist spanning genres and studio sizes

The nominees do not point toward a single dominant style of game. Action and adventure projects sit alongside a narrative-focused indie release, a cooperative game and several large franchise entries. That range is one reason the public vote can be difficult: players are comparing games that may differ in scale, genre, audience and release strategy, rather than choosing among direct competitors.

The list includes established names such as James Bond, Pokémon, Star Wars and Resident Evil, alongside new or less familiar projects including Big Walk and Dispatch. Forza Horizon 6 represents a major racing series, while CONTROL Resonant and Crimson Desert are among the action-led entries. The final category includes games that have reached very different communities over the past year, making it less a genre award than a broad vote on which release left the strongest impression.

The 12 nominees are the eligible shortlist for this award, not a complete ranking. The organizer has not published vote totals or a current standings table, so there is no evidence about which game is leading. The result will only be known at the November ceremony. Players should cast a ballot based on their own experience rather than treating online polls or fan campaigns as official indicators.

How the Ultimate Game of the Year vote fits the awards

The Golden Joystick Awards are public-voted across most of their categories. This year’s first ballot covered 21 categories, including awards such as PC Game of the Year, Console Game of the Year, Best Visual Design and Most Wanted Game. That voting period ended October 23. Ultimate Game of the Year has its own window, opening October 26 after the shortlist was revealed.

The schedule matters for anyone who has been following the earlier categories: the first vote is already closed, but the separate top prize is now open. The official voting page is the place to review the nominees and submit a choice. The current window ends October 30, and the awards ceremony is scheduled for November 11 in London, with the event also streamed globally.

The gap between the two voting periods lets the Ultimate Game of the Year shortlist be treated as its own decision. The awards organization said this later window gives judges and players more time with autumn releases before the final nominees are selected. As a result, the timing should not be confused with a reopening of the 21 earlier categories. Those results will be handled as part of the wider ceremony, while the current public ballot concerns this one top award.

What players should know before voting

Voters can compare the 12 games on the official GamesRadar page and choose the one they consider the year’s best. If a nominee is unfamiliar, players may want to check its official store page or a review before deciding. The ballot is a preference vote, so there is no requirement to select a game because it has the largest budget, the most nominations or the most visible marketing campaign.

Players should also be aware of the deadline. The official schedule states that Ultimate Game of the Year voting runs from October 26 through October 30. GamesRadar lists the closing time as 5 p.m. Pacific / 8 p.m. Eastern / midnight GMT on Friday, October 30. Those times cross into October 31 for locations east of Greenwich, so voters in Nigeria should check the current ballot page and local conversion before leaving their vote to the final hours.

The organizers have not said that voting is limited to one particular console or game store. The public ballot is hosted online through the awards page. Users should follow the on-page instructions and confirm that their vote has been accepted; we are not reproducing a separate vote link or asking readers to share account details.

The ceremony is set for November 11

The 44th Golden Joystick Awards ceremony is scheduled for November 11 in London, with the winners revealed during the show. GamesRadar has also announced actor Alix Wilton Regan as host. The event is expected to be streamed through GamesRadar and other participating gaming outlets, including YouTube, Twitch and X, according to the organizer’s announcement.

The Ultimate Game of the Year winner will be decided after the current ballot closes. That leaves several days between the voting deadline and the ceremony for the final count and production of the live event. The shortlist announcement is the immediate news; the winner remains unknown until the show.

For players, the ballot is a chance to recognize the game they personally found most memorable across a year with a wide range of releases. The most useful next step is simple: review the shortlist, choose one of the 12 nominees, and submit the vote through the official awards page before October 30. The result will be announced on November 11.

Sources: Golden Joystick Awards 2026 official voting page · GamesRadar+ announcement on shortlist and voting · Games Press organizer release