What you need to know
- Voting for the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 has officially opened as of this morning.
- This is the oldest-running video game award event.
- You can cast you vote now in various categories such as PC Game of the Year and Xbox Game of the Year.
- Nominees in various categories include Baldur's Gate 3, Starfield, Hi-Fi Rush, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and many more.
Voting for the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 officially opened this morning, with fans able to vote for their favorite video games within 17 different categories, including a category for PC Game of the Year and Xbox Game of the Year. Voting closes on Oct. 20, 2023, so make sure to get your votes in before then if you want to participate.
The first in-person Golden Joystick Awards event since 2019 will be held this year on Oct. 27, 2023, which is an exciting return to form. Some of the biggest Golden Joystick Award 2023 nominees in various categories for this year are Baldur's Gate 3, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Starfield, Hi-Fi Rush, Dave the Diver, Street Fighter 6, and many more.
Certain big games that haven't released yet such as Alan Wake 2, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and Assassin's Creed Mirage aren't nominees for the People's Choice Awards. However, games released between Sep. 29, 2023 and Nov. 10, 2023 will be considered for the critic-led awards, as well as public-voted awards for Ultimate Game of the Year, Best Lead Performer, and Best Supporting Performer. So Spider-Man 2, Alan Wake 2, and Assassin's Creed Mirage might still have the chance of walking away as winners during the big event on Nov. 10, 2023.
You can cast your Golden Joystick Award 2023 votes now.
PC Game of the Year nominees
- Baldur's Gate 3
- Diablo IV
- Dave the Diver
- Tchia
- System Shock
- Shadow Gambit
Xbox Game of the Year nominees
- Starfield
- Chants of Sennaar
- Hi-Fi Rush
- Planet of Lana
- Dead Space
- Pentiment
The Golden Joystick Awards also known as the People's Game Awards have been going on since 1983, which makes it the longest-running video game awards event to date. Due to the pandemic, the last few events have not been able to be held in person, however, that changes this year as the 41st ceremony takes place at Royal Lancaster London on Nov. 10, 2023.
Windows Central's take
This has been an unexpected doozy of a year in terms of gaming, which means that gaming enthusiasts are eating well in 2023. However, the task of choosing a game of the year among so many stellar hits is quite the challenge.
- KOTOR Remake might be cancelled
- Latest Starfield update makes me sad
- Buy an Xbox and get Starfield for free
- Series S was owned more than Series X
- Xbox games with 120 FPS
Personally, my vote for PC game of the year is Baldur's Gate 3, due to its fun cast of characters, polished gameplay, and dynamic plot that provides so many different choices for players to experience. Larian Studios' title is the new standard for RPGs to live up to and provides tons of replay value thanks to the several different races, classes, and decisions players can choose from.
As far as Xbox Game of the Year goes, Starfield is an appealing option, but I'm going to have to go for Pentiment instead. Although I played Obsidian Entertainment's game months ago I still find myself thinking about its unexpectedly deep plot, illuminated manuscript art style, and the decisions I made. It's a fantastic little game that you really shouldn't miss out on if you haven't played it yet. Plus, it's on Xbox Game Pass, so it's easy to dive into if you're already subscribed.
