Friends, it's once again time to set sail on the stormy seas of democracy and answer a vital question: which are the best games of 2026 according to a set of 22 distinct categories? Also there are three other categories, but they're chosen by judges and not the public, so it's less the stormy seas of democracy and more the technocratic autobahn of experience-based decision-making.
It's time for the Golden Joystick Awards 2026, is what I'm saying, and you (yes, you) are invited to watch when the big show airs at 10 am PT / 1 pm ET / 6 pm GMT / 7 pm CEST on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.
This year's host is Alix Wilton Regan, most recently the voice of Lara Croft in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, but most notably for me the voice of Alt Cunningham in Cyberpunk 2077, Specialist Traynor in Mass Effect 3, and Loghain's lieutenant Cauthrien in Dragon Age: Origins. Real heads know.
The show goes out on every streaming platform you've heard of and perhaps a few you haven't. You can watch the ceremony live via YouTube, Twitch, Steam, TikTok and X as well as Future Games Show, PC Gamer, WhatCulture Gaming, IGN, Ginx TV, eClutch, Niconico, Kuaishou and Bilibili.
There are a whole bunch of games in the running for the GJAs numerous gongs, and I genuinely don't know which of them will come out ahead. We've got 007 First Light, Big Walk, Crimson Desert, Control Resonant, Dispatch, Forza Horizon 6, Meccha Chamelon, Mewgenics, Resident Evil Requiem, and plenty more. It's a gamut of games—a game-ut—and you'll have to tune in to see which ones go home with their arms heaving with trophies.
