Hannan Mundia 
The Golden Joystick Awards 2023 handed out awards for a variety of categories, but maybe it should have had a separate show just for Baldur’s Gate 3.
The 2023 Golden Joystick Awards have wrapped and honored some of the best games this year, and some other titles from the past and future. As ever, it was held in London and livestreamed on most major streaming platforms. Being the first major award show of 2023, many gamers were wondering which games stand out in this award ceremony.
It was an incredibly crowded year when it comes to great video games, but it’s not necessarily obvious given the results. Developer Larian Studios must be having a party right now because Baldur’s Gate 3 went home with an astounding seven awards. That doesn’t mean other games didn’t get a chance to shine, but it was a show dominated by the popular RPG.
Baldur’s Gate 3 wins Game of the Year Award, six more in Golden Joystick Awards
Baldur’s Gate 3 won the first major Game of the Year Award for 2023 at the Golden Joystick Awards.
2023 has been an enormously crowded year of games to the point where major releases are being pushed back to avoid getting lost in the shuffle. The fact that Baldur’s Gate 3 dominated the awards while competing with the likes of Street Fighter 6, Diablo 4, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Alan Wake 2, Armored Core 6, and many others speaks to its quality.
Alongside the Game of the Year, it won awards for best storytelling, best visual design, best game community, and PC Game of the Year. Baldur’s Gate 3 creators Larian Studios won best studio while best supporting performer went to Neil Newbon, who voiced Astarion. The game cleaned up at the Golden Joystick Awards, but it wasn’t the only winner.
All Golden Joystick Awards 2023 winners
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Mortal Kombat 1, and Final Fantasy 16 were also among the big winners at the event. Here’s the full lineup of victors:
| CATEGORY | WINNER |
| Best Storytelling | Baldur’s Gate 3 |
| Still Plating Award | No Man’s Sky |
| Best Visual Design | Baldur’s Gate 3 |
| Studio of the Year | Larian Studios (Baldur’s Gate 3) |
| Best Game Expansion | Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty |
| Best Indie Game | Sea of Stars |
| Best VR Game | Horizon: Call of the Mountain |
| Best Multiplayer Game | Mortal Kombat 1 |
| Best Audio | Final Fantasy 16 |
| Best Game Trailer | Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty |
| Best Streaming Game | Valorant |
| Best Game Community | Baldur’s Gate 3 |
| Best Gaming Hardware | PSVR 2 |
| Breakthrough Award | Cocoon, Geometric Interactive |
| Critics’ Choice Award | Alan Wake 2 |
| Best Lead Performer | Ben Starr (Clive in Final Fantasy 16) |
| Best Supporting Performer | Neil Newbon (Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3) |
| Nintendo Game of the Year | The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom |
| PC Game of the Year | Baldur’s Gate 3 |
| Xbox Game of the Year | Starfield |
| Playstation Game of the Year | Resident Evil 4 |
| Most Wanted Game | Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth |
| Ultimate Game of the Year | Baldur’s Gate 3 |
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has enjoyed great sales and was considered a competitor to Baldur’s Gate 3 for Game of the Year honors, but fell short. No Man’s Sky was once again honored for its regular content updates while Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was dubbed one of the biggest games to look forward to next year.
Now that The Golden Joystick Awards 2023 has ended, players are anticipating the The Game Awards 2023 even more. With reports of the Grand Theft Auto 6 debut trailer and Elden Ring DLC reveal rumored to be coming at the event, it’s likely to be big. It will be interesting to see if Baldur’s Gate 3 once again steals the show by dominating the podium.
