Golden Joystick Award for Game of the Year

Last updated

The Golden Joystick Award for Game of the Year is an award presented annually at the Golden Joystick Awards ceremony, which has its winners voted in by the British general public. [1] [2] The award is given in honor to the best video game released in a particular year. The first Golden Joystick Awards were held in 1983, with the Ultimate Play the Game–developed shooter Jetpac winning Game of the Year. [3]

The award was initially given to 8-bit computer games, as 8-bit microcomputers were the most popular home video game platforms in the UK market for much of the 1980s. Following the rise of 16-bit home computers and 8-bit game consoles in the late 1980s, they began awarding separate Game of the Year awards for 8-bit computers, 16-bit computers and game consoles from 1989. [4] From 1991, they began awarding a single Game of the Year award for all platforms. [5]

The award was originally given under the Game of the Year name and held this name from the original 1983 ceremony to the 2002 ceremony, with the exception of the 1991/1992 ceremonies, and later again in 2013 and 2014. From 1988 to 1990, the Golden Joystick Awards handed out several Game of the Year awards, for an 8-bit computer game, 16-bit computer game, and console game. During the 1991 ceremony, the award was presented as the Overall Game of the Year (including all systems), in order to distinguish it from another category (16-bit Game of the Year, specifically for 16-bit computers), before switching back for the 1992/93 ceremony. In 1996/97, the top award was once again given under the Game of the Year name. However, the Golden Joystick Awards were put on hiatus until 2002. Returning for one year under its original name, the award was then presented as the Ultimate Game of the Year for the 2003 ceremony, a moniker it held until 2012, and then again from 2015 onwards.

Winners

YearGameDeveloperPublisherGenrePlatform(s)Ref.
1983
(1st) 		Jetpac Ultimate Play the Game Ultimate Play the Game Shooter VIC-20
ZX Spectrum 		[3]
1984
(2nd) 		Knight Lore Ultimate Play the Game Ultimate Play the Game Action-adventure ZX Spectrum [3]
1985
(3rd) 		The Way of the Exploding Fist Beam Software Melbourne House Fighting Commodore 64 [3]
1986
(4th) 		Gauntlet Atari Games U.S. Gold Hack and slash Amstrad CPC
Commodore 64
MSX
ZX Spectrum 		[6]
1987
(5th) 		Out Run Sega AM2 U.S. Gold Arcade racing Amstrad CPC
Commodore 64
MSX
ZX Spectrum 		[7]
1988
(6th) 		Operation Wolf (8-bit computers) Taito Ocean Software Light gun shooter Amstrad CPC
Commodore 64
MSX
ZX Spectrum 		[4]
Speedball (16-bit computers) The Bitmap Brothers Image Works Sports Amiga
Atari ST 		[3]
Thunder Blade (game consoles) Sega Sega Combat flight simulator Master System [4]
1989
(7th) 		The Untouchables (8-bit computers) Ocean Software Ocean Software Side-scroller Amstrad CPC
Commodore 64
MSX
ZX Spectrum 		[3]
Kick Off (16-bit computers) Dino Dini Anco Software Sports Atari ST [3]
1990
(8th) 		Rick Dangerous 2 (8-bit computers) Core Design Micro Style Platform Amstrad CPC
Commodore 64
ZX Spectrum 		[3]
Kick Off 2 (16-bit computers) Dino Dini Anco Software Sports Atari ST [3]
Mega Man (8-bit consoles) Capcom Nintendo Action-platformer NES [8]
John Madden Football (16-bit consoles) Park Place Productions Electronic Arts Sports (American football) Sega Mega Drive
1991
(9th) 		Sonic the Hedgehog Sonic Team Sega Platform Sega Mega Drive [5]
1992
(10th) 		Street Fighter II Capcom Capcom Fighting Super NES [9]
1994
(12th) 		Super Mario All-Stars (consoles) Nintendo EAD Nintendo Platformer Super NES [10]
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (handheld) Nintendo EAD Nintendo Platformer Game Boy
1996 / 1997
(14th) 		Super Mario 64 Nintendo EAD Nintendo Platformer Nintendo 64 [3]
2002
(20th) 		Grand Theft Auto III DMA Design Rockstar Games Action-adventure
Third-person shooter 		PlayStation 2
Windows
Xbox 		[3]
2003
(21st) 		Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Rockstar North Rockstar Games Action-adventure
Third-person shooter 		PlayStation 2
Windows
Xbox 		[3]
2004
(22nd) 		Doom 3 id Software Activision First-person shooter Windows [3]
2005
(23rd) 		Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Rockstar North Rockstar Games Action-adventure
Third-person shooter 		PlayStation 2
Windows
Xbox 		[3]
2006
(24th) 		The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Bethesda Game Studios Bethesda Softworks
2K Games 		Action role-playing Windows
Xbox 360
PlayStation 3 		[11]
2007
(25th) 		Gears of War Epic Games Microsoft Game Studios Third-person shooter Windows
Xbox 360 		[12]
2008
(26th) 		Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Infinity Ward Activision First-person shooter Windows
Xbox 360
PlayStation 3 		[13]
2009
(27th) 		Fallout 3 Bethesda Game Studios Bethesda Softworks Action role-playing Windows
Xbox 360
PlayStation 3 		[14]
2010
(28th) 		Mass Effect 2 BioWare Electronic Arts Action role-playing Windows
Xbox 360
PlayStation 3 		[15]
2011
(29th) 		Portal 2 Valve Valve
Electronic Arts 		Puzzle platformer Windows
OS X
Linux
Xbox 360
PlayStation 3 		[16]
2012
(30th) 		The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Bethesda Game Studios Bethesda Softworks Action role-playing Windows
Xbox 360
PlayStation 3 		[17]
2013
(31st) 		Grand Theft Auto V Rockstar North Rockstar Games Action-adventure PlayStation 3
Windows
Xbox 360 		[18]
2014
(32nd) 		Dark Souls II FromSoftware Bandai Namco Entertainment Action role-playing PlayStation 3
Windows
Xbox 360 		[19]
2015
(33rd) 		The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt CD Projekt Red CD Projekt Action-adventure PlayStation 4
Windows
Xbox One 		[20]
2016
(34th) 		Dark Souls III FromSoftware Bandai Namco Entertainment Action role-playing PlayStation 4
Windows
Xbox One 		[21]
2017
(35th) 		The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Nintendo EPD Nintendo Action-adventure Nintendo Switch
Wii U 		[22]
2018
(36th) 		Fortnite Battle Royale Epic Games Epic Games Battle royale Various [23]
2019
(37th)		 Resident Evil 2 Capcom R&D Division 1 Capcom Survival horror PlayStation 4
Windows
Xbox One 		[24]
2020
(38th)		 The Last of Us Part II Naughty Dog Sony Interactive Entertainment Action-adventure PlayStation 4 [25]
2021
(39th)		 Resident Evil Village Capcom R&D Division 1 Capcom Survival horror PlayStation 5
Windows
Xbox Series X/S 		[26]
2022
(40th)		 Elden Ring FromSoftware Bandai Namco Entertainment Action role-playing PlayStation 5
Windows
Xbox Series X/S 		[27]
2023
(41st)		 Baldur's Gate 3 Larian Studios Larian Studios Role-playing PlayStation 5
Windows
Xbox Series X/S 		[28]
2024
(42nd)		 Black Myth: Wukong Game Science Game Science Action role-playing PlayStation 5
Windows
Xbox Series X/S 		[29]

Related Research Articles

<i>Chase H.Q.</i> 1987 video game

Chase H.Q. is a vehicular combat racing game, originally released as an arcade video game by Taito in 1988. It is sometimes seen as a spiritual successor to Taito's earlier Full Throttle. The player assumes the role of a police officer named Tony Gibson, member of the "Chase Special Investigation Department". Along with his partner, Raymond Broady, he must stop fleeing criminals in high-speed pursuits in a black Porsche 928.

1997 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Final Fantasy VII, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, GoldenEye 007, Star Fox 64, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, Quake II, Mega Man Legends, Riven, Tomb Raider II, Dark Rift, Tekken 3 and Virtua Striker 2, along with new titles such as Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, Gran Turismo, Diablo, Grand Theft Auto and Fallout.

<i>Computer and Video Games</i> UK magazine and website

Computer and Video Games was a UK-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot website was launched in 1999 and closed in February 2015. CVG was the longest-running video game media brand in the world. Several CVG writers led the creation of Video Games Chronicle in 2019.

FromSoftware, Inc. is a Japanese video game development and publishing company. It was founded by Naotoshi Zin in Tokyo on November 1, 1986. Initially a developer of business software, the company released their first video game, King's Field, for the PlayStation in 1994. Its success shifted FromSoftware to focus fully on games, with them producing two more King's Field games before the first release of the mecha shooter series Armored Core in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Joystick Awards</span> Annual video game award ceremony

The Golden Joystick Awards, also known as the People's Gaming Awards, is a video game award ceremony; it awards the best video games of the year, as voted for originally by the British general public, but is now a global event that can be voted online via GamesRadar+. As of 2023, the ceremony was in its 41st year. It is the longest-running video game award ceremony, launched in 1983, and the second-oldest video game award ceremony after the Arcade Awards, launched in 1981.

<i>Need for Speed: Most Wanted</i> (2012 video game) 2012 open world racing video game

Need for Speed: Most Wanted is a 2012 racing game developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts. Most Wanted is the nineteenth title in the Need for Speed series and was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, iOS and Android, beginning in North America in 2012. A Wii U version, under the title Need for Speed: Most Wanted U, was released in 2013. Like its predecessor, the 2010 Hot Pursuit title, the game is a revival of the original 2005 Most Wanted title.

The Coalition is a Canadian video game developer based in Vancouver. A subsidiary of Xbox Game Studios, a division of Microsoft Gaming, the company was founded in 2010 as Zipline Studios. Following the release of its debut game, Relic Rescue (2011), Zipline was renamed Microsoft Game Studios Vancouver. In February 2012, the studio released the flight simulator Microsoft Flight. Later that year, in November, Microsoft Game Studios Vancouver was rebranded as Black Tusk Studios. After Microsoft acquired the rights to the franchise Gears of War in 2014, the studio was commissioned to develop new games in the series. Black Tusk was renamed The Coalition in June 2015, and in August released Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, a remaster of the original Gears of War (2006). In the ensuing years, the studio developed Gears of War 4 (2016) and Gears 5 (2019). It also collaborated with Mediatonic and Splash Damage to develop the real-time strategy Gears Pop! (2019) and the turn-based tactics Gears Tactics (2020), respectively.

Make Something Unreal, also known as $1,000,000 Make Something Unreal Contest and Make Something Unreal Live, was a series of video game development competitions organised by Epic Games which began in 2004, with subsequent competitions in 2008, 2012, and 2013. The contests aimed to reward developers who created mods using the Unreal game engine. Make Something Unreal has not returned since the event in 2013. Epic Games has since launched Epic MegaGrants, a grant based scheme, in 2019.

The British Academy Video Games Award for Performer is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in honor of the best performance featured in a game "from voice artistry through to motion capture".

The British Academy Video Games Award for Debut Game is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is given in honor of the best first game from any studio or individual.

The British Academy Video Games Award for Multiplayer is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is given in honor of "the best multiplayer game experience, including social, online or offline". The award was formerly known as the British Academy Video Games Award for Online Multiplayer at the 2005, 2012 and 2013 ceremonies.

The British Academy Video Games Award for Game Design is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is given in honor of "the best game design that captivates and engages the player", including recognition of elements such as game mechanics, use of controls, level and world structure, and pacing.

<i>Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire</i> 2018 video game

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is a 2018 role-playing video game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Versus Evil. It is the sequel to 2015's Pillars of Eternity, and was released for Windows, Linux, macOS in May 2018, and for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in January 2020. A version for the Nintendo Switch was originally announced in 2018, but has been ultimately cancelled in February 2022 after multiple delays. The game was announced in January 2017 with a crowdfunding campaign on Fig, where it reached its funding goal within a day.

<i>Into the Breach</i> 2018 turn-based strategy video game

Into the Breach is a turn-based strategy video game developed and published by indie studio Subset Games, consisting of Justin Ma and Matthew Davis. Into the Breach is their second game, following FTL: Faster Than Light. It features writing by Chris Avellone and music composed by Ben Prunty. It was released for Microsoft Windows in February 2018, for macOS and Nintendo Switch in August 2018, and for Linux in April 2020. A version for iOS and Android mobile devices was published by Netflix in July 2022.

Fortnite is an online video game and game platform developed by Epic Games and released in 2017. It is available in six distinct game mode versions that otherwise share the same general gameplay and game engine: Fortnite Battle Royale, a free-to-play battle royale game in which up to 100 players fight to be the last person standing; Fortnite: Save the World, a cooperative hybrid tower defense-shooter and survival game in which up to four players fight off zombie-like creatures and defend objects with traps and fortifications they can build; Fortnite Creative, in which players are given complete freedom to create worlds and battle arenas; Lego Fortnite, an open world survival game; Rocket Racing, a racing game; and Fortnite Festival, a rhythm game.

References

  1. ↑ Weston, D.B. (2012). Greatest Moments in Video Game History. p. 47. ASIN   B008ULZ55G.
  2. ↑ Gleyo, Fritz (31 October 2015). "'The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt' Wins Ultimate Game Of The Year At Golden Joysticks 2015, Sweeps Four Other Awards". Tech Times. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Golden Joysticks Awards' Ultimate List of Ultimate Games: 1983 - 2015". GamesRadar+ . 15 October 2015. p. 2. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 "Golden Joystick Awards 1989". Computer and Video Games (92). Future Publishing: 62–63. June 1989.
  5. 1 2 Jim Douglas, ed. (May 1992). "News: Luvvies! Dahlings!". The One (44). EMAP: 17.
  6. ↑ "Golden Joystick Awards". Computer and Video Games (66). EMAP: 101. April 1987.
  7. ↑ "Golden Joystick Awards 1988". Computer and Video Games (79). Future Publishing: 39. May 1988.
  8. ↑ "The Golden Joystick Awards '91". Computer and Video Games (115). EMAP: 10. June 1991.
  9. ↑ "12 hot facts about the Golden Joystick Awards". GamesRadar+ . 14 September 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  10. ↑ "News". Nintendo Magazine System . No. 22. July 1994. pp. 10–1.
  11. ↑ Orry, James (30 October 2006). "Oblivion takes home the shiniest golden joystick". VideoGamer.com. Pro-G Media. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  12. ↑ "Golden Joysticks shift into Gears". GameSpot . 29 October 2007. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  13. ↑ "Joystick gold for action shooter". BBC . 31 October 2008. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  14. ↑ Fahey, Mike (30 October 2009). "Fallout 3 Wins The Golden Joysticks". Kotaku . Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  15. ↑ Cocker, Guy (30 October 2010). "Mass Effect 2 wins Golden Joystick double". GameSpot . Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  16. ↑ Whitworth, Dan (21 October 2011). "Golden Joystick Awards: Portal 2 named ultimate game". BBC . Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  17. ↑ Nunneley, Stephany (26 October 2012). "2012 Golden Joystick Awards – Skyrim wins Ultimate Game of the Year". VG247 . Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  18. ↑ Nunneley, Stephany (25 October 2013). "Golden Joystick Awards: GTA 5 gets Game of The Year, The Last of Us wins three awards". VG247 . Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  19. ↑ Nunneley, Stephany (24 October 2014). "Dark Souls 2 wins Game of the Year at Golden Joystick Awards". VG247 . Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  20. ↑ "Golden Joysticks 2015: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt wins five gaming awards". BBC . 30 October 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  21. ↑ "Overwatch and Dark Souls 3 win big at this year's Golden Joystick Awards". PC Gamer . 18 November 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  22. ↑ "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild named ultimate game at the Golden Joysticks". BBC News. 17 November 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  23. ↑ Sheridan, Connor (16 November 2018). "Golden Joystick Awards 2018 winners: God of War wins big but Fortnite gets Victory Royale". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  24. ↑ "Golden Joysticks: Resident Evil 2 wins big award". BBC News . BBC. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  25. ↑ Tyrer, Ben (24 November 2020). "Every winner at the Golden Joystick Awards 2020". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  26. ↑ Weber, Rachel (November 23, 2021). "Resident Evil Village is the Golden Joysticks 2021 Ultimate Game of the Year".
  27. ↑ Loveridge, Sam (22 November 2022). "Here are all the Golden Joystick Awards 2022 winners". Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  28. ↑ Loveridge, Sam (November 11, 2023). "Here are all the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 winners".
  29. ↑ Jones, Ali (21 November 2024). "Here are all the Golden Joystick Awards 2024 winners". GamesRadar+.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.