Resident Evil Requiem won Ultimate Game of the Year at the 44th Golden Joystick Awards in London on November 11, 2026. The Capcom survival horror entry took 17 percent of the public vote, finishing one point ahead of Phantom Blade Zero and two points ahead of Crimson Desert in one of the closest top prize races in recent memory.
Quick Facts: Event: 44th Golden Joystick Awards, held in London on November 11, 2026. Ultimate Game of the Year: Resident Evil Requiem with 17 percent of the public vote. Runners-up: Phantom Blade Zero with 16 percent and Crimson Desert with 15 percent. Studio of the Year: Capcom. Most Wanted Game: The Witcher 4.
Requiem takes the top prize in a tight public vote
Requiem beat a field of 12 nominees for the main award, a field that included 007 First Light, Big Walk, Control Resonant, Crimson Desert, Dispatch, Forza Horizon 6, Phantom Blade Zero, Pokemon Pokopia, Pragmata, Star Wars: Galactic Racer and The Blood of Dawnwalker, according to vote reporting from Insider Gaming. Control Resonant and The Blood of Dawnwalker rounded out the top five behind the top three, which shows how split the public vote was this year.
The win capped a four award night for Requiem. Alongside Ultimate Game of the Year it won Console Game of the Year, Best Game Trailer for its Evil Always Has a Name promo, and Best Lead Performer for Angela Sant'Albano and her portrayal of Grace Ashcroft. Capcom has more Resident Evil in the pipeline beyond Requiem, including a Veronica remake reportedly delayed to fall 2027, so this result puts extra attention on where the series goes next.
Capcom and Meccha Chameleon split the night
Capcom was named Studio of the Year and collected seven trophies across Requiem, Pragmata and Onimusha: Way of the Sword. Onimusha took Best Audio Design while Grace Saif won Best Supporting Performer for playing Diana in Pragmata, which underlines how broad the Capcom showing was beyond the headline prize. For wider context on the Capcom slate, our Capcom TGS 2026 roundup covers the reveals that set up this run.
The surprise of the ceremony was Meccha Chameleon, a small indie hide and seek game that matched Requiem with four awards. It won Developers Choice and Streamers Choice, added Best Multiplayer Game, and took Best Indie Game in the self published bracket. As the full winners rundown on GamesRadar notes, two of those were player voted and two were jury voted, which makes the tie with a Resident Evil flagship genuinely unusual.
Dispatch also doubled up with Best Storytelling and Best Soundtrack, confirming its status as one of the best written games of the year across both the public and jury votes.
PC and console categories spread the wealth
Crimson Desert took PC Game of the Year, which adds to a strong awards season for the Pearl Abyss RPG after it also earned a PlayStation Players Choice nomination. Requiem took the console prize, so the two biggest platform awards went to the two biggest vote getters of the night.
Elsewhere, Control Resonant won Best Visual Design, Valheim won Best Indie Game, Subnautica 2 won Best Early Access Game, and Doom: The Dark Ages Revelations won Best Game Expansion. The Witcher ended the night with two wins of its own, with The Witcher 4 named Most Wanted Game and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered taking Best Remake or Remaster. Big Walk won Critics Choice, Iron Lung won Best Game Adaptation, the Steam Controller won Best Gaming Hardware, Balatro won the Still Playing award on mobile and Minecraft won it on PC and console.
What the results say about the road ahead
The tight 17 to 16 to 15 split at the top suggests there is no runaway favorite as awards season begins, which should make the coming jury voted ceremonies harder to predict than usual. A public vote this close between a horror sequel, a wuxia action RPG and an open world epic points to a year where different voting bodies could easily crown different champions.
The Most Wanted award for The Witcher 4 also sets an early marker for next year, since that category has a habit of previewing the games that dominate the following awards cycle. With Requiem now holding the first major game of the year prize of the season, every remaining ceremony will be framed as a response to this result.
Who won Ultimate Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards 2026
Resident Evil Requiem won Ultimate Game of the Year with 17 percent of the public vote. It also won Console Game of the Year, Best Game Trailer and Best Lead Performer on the same night.
How close was the Ultimate Game of the Year vote
Very close. Requiem took 17 percent, Phantom Blade Zero finished second with 16 percent and Crimson Desert finished third with 15 percent. Control Resonant and The Blood of Dawnwalker completed the top five.
Which studio won the most awards on the night
Capcom won Studio of the Year and seven trophies in total across Resident Evil Requiem, Pragmata and Onimusha: Way of the Sword. Indie standout Meccha Chameleon matched Requiem with four awards of its own.
Which game is the Most Wanted for next year
The Witcher 4 won Most Wanted Game, which marks it as the release the Golden Joystick audience is most looking forward to. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered also won Best Remake or Remaster on the same night.
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