The Golden Joystick Awards 2026 are on Wednesday, November 11, and the livestream starts at 1 p.m. ET. Here's how to watch, who's hosting and which 12 games are up for Ultimate Game of the Year.
What time do the Golden Joystick Awards start?
GamesRadar says the livestream starts at 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 11. That's 10 a.m. PT, 6 p.m. GMT and 7 p.m. CET. The ceremony is in London, and this is the show's 44th year.
How to watch the Golden Joystick Awards
GamesRadar lists YouTube, Twitch, Steam, TikTok and X. It also names Future Games Show, PC Gamer, WhatCulture Gaming, IGN, Ginx TV, eClutch, Niconico, Kuaishou and Bilibili as places carrying the stream.
Who's hosting?
Alix Wilton Regan is the host. She plays Lara Croft in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis and Tomb Raider Catalyst. "Get ready for an evening of special guests, spectacular games and plenty of silly jokes," she said when she was announced on October 26.
How many awards are there?
There are 25 categories, and GamesRadar says 22 of them were decided by public votes. The September nominee announcement also listed jury-selected prizes for Streamers' Choice, Breakthrough and Critics' Choice.
The night ends with the biggest one, Ultimate Game of the Year.
The 12 Ultimate Game of the Year nominees
GamesRadar published the field when voting for the category opened on October 26. The nominees are 007 First Light, Big Walk, Control Resonant, Crimson Desert, Dispatch, Forza Horizon 6, Phantom Blade Zero, Pokémon Pokopia, Pragmata, Resident Evil Requiem, Star Wars: Galactic Racer and The Blood of Dawnwalker.
Voting for that category closed on Friday, October 30 at 8 p.m. ET.
"The Golden Joystick Awards are the only games awards show chosen by the players," said Daniel Dawkins, content director on the Golden Joystick Awards.
Which games lead the nominations?
007 First Light and Big Walk led the September nominee list with five nominations each. GamesRadar counted three each for Meccha Chameleon, Mewgenics, The Blood of Dawnwalker, Valheim and Saros.
Why isn't GTA VI nominated?
The voting closed before the game comes out. GamesRadar noted in September that voting ends well ahead of GTA VI's release date, so the game isn't eligible at this year's Golden Joysticks.
It is eligible for The Game Awards on December 10. There's more on that show in The Game Awards 2026: Date, Start Time, How to Watch and How the Voting Works.
This page gets updated with the winners after the show. Who's your Ultimate Game of the Year pick? Come tell us in the CXM Discord.
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