As we approach the end of 2019, several outlets will be publishing Game of the Year wrap-ups, from sites like our own to Geoff Keighley’s The Game Awards ceremony. One of the biggest video game awards presentations, voted on by the public, is The Golden Joystick Awards, and it just finished up, acknowledging the year’s best games. Golden Joysticks were awarded to a variety of 2019 games across a ton of categories like Best Storytelling, Best Multiplayer Game, and overall Ultimate Game of the Year.
PlayStation exclusive Days Gone took home two awards: Best Storytelling and PlayStation Game of the Year. This is huge for Bend Studio, so many congratulations to all that brought Days Gone together. As for Ultimate Game of the Year, Resident Evil 2 came out on top, and deservedly so. It set a new benchmark for how to properly execute horror while calling back to the beloved tropes from the 1998 original. The Critics’ Choice Award went to Control, a unique new game that embraced the “new weird” in entrancing ways.
The Most Wanted Game award went to none other than Cyberpunk 2077. With all the exciting games on the horizon, this is no small feat, but given CD Projekt Red’s reputation for a high level of quality, it’s easy to see why the fans voted for it.
You can watch the full Golden Joystick awards ceremony below:
The full list of winners can be found below. Congratulations to all the winners:
- BEST STORYTELLING
Days Gone - BEST MULTIPLAYER GAME
Apex Legends - STILL PLAYING AWARD
Minecraft - BEST VISUAL DESIGN
Devil May Cry 5 - BEST INDIE GAME
Outer Wilds - ESPORTS GAME OF THE YEAR
Fortnite - BEST AUDIO
Resident Evil 2 - BEST GAME EXPANSION
GTA Online Diamond Casino & Resort - BEST VR/AR GAME
Beat Saber - BEST GAMING HARDWARE
NVIDIA 20-series Super graphics cards - BEST PERFORMANCE
Logan Marshall-Green (Telling Lies) - BEST STUDIO
Epic Games - BEST NEW STREAMER/BROADCASTER
FaZe EwOk - BREAKTHROUGH AWARD
Untitled Goose Game - MOBILE GAME OF THE YEAR
BTS World - OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION AWARD
Life is Strange - PC GAME OF THE YEAR
World of Warcraft Classic - PLAYSTATION GAME OF THE YEAR
Days Gone - XBOX GAME OF THE YEAR
Gears 5 - NINTENDO GAME OF THE YEAR
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - MOST WANTED GAME
Cyberpunk 2077 - CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARD
Control - LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
Yu Suzuki - ULTIMATE GAME OF THE YEAR
Resident Evil 2
Keep in mind that due to the timing of these awards, some games didn’t qualify for entry this year, instead being pushed into next year’s 2020 awards bracket, which is why you aren’t seeing critical darlings like Death Stranding or Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order appearing here when it’s highly likely they will be granted awards elsewhere.