The Golden Joystick Awards are among the more prominent and prestigious game of the year award ceremonies every year. And this year, their picks are amazing. Most people probably expect the end of the year awards season to be a tussle between Red Dead Redemption 2 and God of War, with other games such as Spider-Man and Monster Hunter World maybe getting a few nods, but interestingly enough, literally none of the four games I mentioned ended up winning top honours at the show that aired earlier today.
Instead, the winner was Fortnite. Specifically, Fortnite Battle Royale. Now, to be clear, Fortnite is in fact a great game. It’s a pioneer and forerunner in the live service games area, and its popularity is unrivalled by anything else currently. It’s also had a massive influence on other games on the market already. So yes, it’s an important game, and a good one. I don’t actually have any issues with it winning. I do think it’s amusing that it eked out the top honours when people hadn’t even considered that it might.
God of War did win the best story award, however, as well as best PlayStation Game of the Year, best visual design, and best audio design, while Red Dead Redemption 2 won the critics’ choice award. You can check out the full list of winners below. Fortnite is out on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS, and Android.
- Best Storytelling: God of War
- Best competitive game: Fortnite Battle Royale
- Best cooperative game: Monster Hunter World
- Best visual design: God of War
- Best indie game: Dead Cells
- Best audio: God of War
- Still playing: World of Tanks
- Best performer: Bryan Dechart (Connor from Detroit Become Human)
- Esports game of the year– Overwatch
- Studio of the Year: SIE Santa Monica
- Best VR Games: Skyrim VR
- Mobile Game of the Year: PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
- PC Game of the Year: Subnautica
- PlayStaion Game of the Year: God of War
- Xbox Game of the Year: Forza Horizon 4
- Nintendo Game of the Year: Octopath Traveler
- Breakthrough Award: Unknown Worlds (Subnautica)
- Most Wanted Game: Cyberpunk 2077
- Critic’s Choice Award: Red Dead Redemption 2
- Lifetime Achievement: Hidetaka Miyazaki
- Outstanding Contributions: Xbox adaptive controller
- Ultimate Game of the Year: Fortnite Battle Royale
