Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter, reporting from the awards venue

The game awards have wrapped up, but the party looks set to continue for hours.

Both Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Helldivers 2 have bagged the most awards, each nabbing four, but the Ultimate Game of the Year award went to Black Myth: Wukong.

Now, the wine is flowing, and the 300 people in the ballroom are starting to let their hair down.

It's been a tough old year, people tell me, but today has been a time to reflect and celebrate.

As today's awards are mainly voted on by fans and players, "the gaming community are at the centre of this celebration," says Josh West, editor of GamesRadar.

Rob Pearson from PlayStation Access, the official YouTube channel for PlayStation UK, also tells me, "so often in this industry you are sat behind a computer, so it’s good to come and experience the buzz of a live event."

"It’s a very talented industry; it’s been an uplifting night."

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Tinshui Yeung
Live page editor

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

The Golden Joystick Awards have wrapped up, but fear not, gamers - there's more on the horizon.

The Game Awards, often hailed as the "Oscars of gaming," are set for 12 December, from 19:30 to 23:00 Eastern Time (that's 13 December, 00:30 to 04:00 GMT for us across the pond).

Astro Bot and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth have (again) snagged the most nominations, including Game of the Year. They're up against contenders like Balatro, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Metaphor: Refantazio, and - of course - Black Myth: Wukong for the coveted top prize.

You can check out our reports on the nominations here.

Andrew Rogers
BBC Newsbeat, reporting from the award venue

Image source, Rockstar Games

No doubt, any winners today will put the results on their social media, websites, and Steam store pages.

The question, though – do awards really influence gamers’ spending decisions?

While an award doesn’t guarantee financial success, many believe it makes a big difference. Games now have a longer shelf life – just look at how many are still playing GTA V from 2013 – making the market more crowded. Winning Game of the Year at any awards can boost a game's visibility on digital storefronts.

For smaller indie studios, awards can ensure their survival. Getting funding has become tougher, with investors being more cautious. Becoming an award-winning studio can make you a safer financial bet.

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter, reporting from the awards venue

I've been chatting to Ben Starr, who presented the awards and is just about to tuck into a much-needed dinner.

The necklace he's wearing is from Final Fantasy VIII, worn by Squall Leonhart.

And it has a story behind it.

“I wear it as it is from the video game that made me fall in love with video games,” he says. "My dad bought me the game and he passed away three years ago. So that’s why I wear the necklace.”

"They are widely loved. Twelve million people voted in these Golden Joysticks Awards. It’s an industry we shouldn’t be ashamed of.

"For a long time in my life, I felt I couldn’t talk about my love of games. Now I feel I can.”

We've just heard from you, our readers.

Michael Downie reckons his game of the year so far is Nine Sols, created by the Taiwanese studio Red Candle Games.

"It's been overlooked for awards which is a crying shame because it's genuinely one of my favourite games of all time."

However, he adds, "That being said, I've put over 130 hours into Balatro this year."

We've also heard from Patricia Schofield, a 75-year-old gamer, who's been enjoying some time on Breath of the Wild. "I'm replaying it after Tears of the Kingdom [as it] didn’t please me quite as much."

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter, reporting from the awards venue

I've been speaking to Winter and Phil, who've come from Seattle especially for these awards. Their Another Crab's Treasure won the Best Indie Game - Self-Published.

Phil says: "Being indie self-published means we did not go through a traditional publisher; they got spotted by Xbox and PlayStation."

“We were shocked to get the award. We are a small team of 12 game designers; this was the first game we made."

Winter tells me: “We are a team of newcomers. When we make a game, we are a narrative team; we have a story concept and from that, we decide on how to play the game.”

“We tackle social issues such as pollution in the ocean and try to bring light to them. We present the issues with humour and bluntness.”

Andrew Rogers
BBC Newsbeat, reporting from the awards venue

We had the opportunity to catch up with Briana White just after she won her award for Best Supporting Performer for playing Aerith Gainsborough in FFVII Rebirth.

Holding her trophy, she says: "This feels totally unreal. I'm shaking and I need to stop myself from sobbing."

She also says she was convinced she was going to be dropped from the game altogether, even after she secured the role.

"I really thought they would go with someone really well known and really experienced and they picked me instead."

She added: "Every day we were recording I thought I was going to be recast. Truly - when the game came out I wanted to make sure that was my voice because I thought they might redo it with someone else."

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter, reporting from the awards venue

I've been chatting with Alex Moukala at the awards venue.

He presented one of the awards, The Best Audio Design.

Like Alix Wilton Regan, he told me: “It’s been a really difficult year for the video games industry, so it’s a boost for us to be here and celebrate this.”

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter, reporting from the awards venue

I have just spoken to Alix Wilton Regan.

The actress and producer has starred as in major games like Aya in Assassin's Creed Origins and Alt Cunningham in Cyberpunk 2077.

She says that the game industry had a very difficult year.

“It is amazing to celebrate those who survived 2024. There were significant layoffs at the start of the year and throughout, so we celebrate those who made it through.

“The atmosphere here at the Golden Joysticks is joyous, especially as it’s voted for by the public. It’s a gamers' game award show.”

Best Storytelling - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Best Visual Design - Black Myth: Wukong

Best Multiplayer Game - Helldivers 2

Best Audio Design - Astro Bot

Best Game Expansion - Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

Best Indie Game- Self Published - Another Crab's Treasure

Best Indie Game - Balatro

Studio of the Year - Team ASOBI

Best Soundtrack - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Best Game Trailer - Helldivers 2 - “The Fight for Freedom Begins” Launch Trailer

Best Early Access Game - Lethal Company

Still Playing - Mobile - Honkai: Star Rail

Still Playing - PC and Console - Minecraft

Streamer’s Choice Award - Chained Together

Breakthrough Award - Balatro

Best Gaming Hardware - Steam Deck OLED

Best Game Adaptation - Fallout

Best Supporting Performer - Briana White as Aerith Gainsborough in FF VII Rebirth

Best Lead Performer - Cody Christian as Cloud Strife in FF VII Rebirth

PC Game of the Year - Satisfactory

Console Game of the Year - Helldivers 2

Critics’ Choice Award - Helldivers 2

Most Wanted Game - Grand Theft Auto VI

Ultimate Game of the Year - Black Myth: Wukong

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter, reporting from the awards venue

Image source, Golden Joystick Awards

Everyone's been cheering and whooping for their favourite games.

There's a real sense of support and community in the industry. It's absolutely electric.

The event is bringing together people who share this big love for gaming.

For one night, they're all united.

The action role-playing game (ARPG) developed by the Chinese company Game Science draws its inspiration from the 16th-century Chinese novel, Journey to the West. It's considered a rare instance of popular media showcasing Chinese stories to a global audience.

However, the game hasn't been without controversy. Many players were upset after Game Science sent them a list of topics to avoid while livestreaming, including “feminist propaganda, fetishisation, and other content that instigates negative discourse”.

Despite this, within 24 hours of its release, it became the second most-played game ever on the streaming platform Steam, with over 2.1 million concurrent players. It has also shifted 20 million units in its first month, placing it among the fastest-selling games ever.

Read more about Black Myth’s controversy here.

Image source, Rockstar Games

The highly anticipated new game from the GTA series is set to release in autumn 2025.

Its predecessor, Grand Theft Auto V, was released in 2013, 11 years earlier.

According to IGN, GTA V is the third best-selling video game of all time, with over 200 million copies sold by the end of July 2024.

So, it's clear why this game has become a must-have for gamers.

Image source, PlayStation Publishing

The award is chosen by a panel of journalists and writers assembled by the organiser, Future plc.

Image source, PlayStation Publishing

The third-person co-op shooter game from Arrowhead Game Studios, published by Sony, is available on PC and PS5.

In Helldivers 2, you can team up with friends or strangers to tackle an intergalactic showdown, aiming to clear the galaxy of escalating threats.

As with many shooter games, there's a smorgasbord of weapons, armour, and abilities to choose from. There's also a heroic campaign where you take on insect foes known as Terminids, who are out to destroy Democracy, and robots called Automatons, who have a vendetta against Freedom.

On Metacritic, it has a "Generally Favourable" score of 82 out of 100.

Image source, Coffee Stain Publishing

Satisfactory is a factory simulation game from Swedish developers Coffee Stain Studios.

The 3D first-person open-world building setup might give gamers a hint of Minecraft nostalgia, although the graphics are in a league of their own. There's more on your plate too - resource management, technology development, and setting up pipelines for smooth operations - not to mention the occasional alien scuffle.

Image source, Golden Joystick Awards

Looks like Final Fantasy VII is really sweeping up a hefty haul of awards.

The performers indeed have quite the challenge voicing this game, given the massive popularity of the original.

It's no exaggeration to say there's no nominee under more pressure than Briana White, who plays Aerith Gainsborough in FFVII Rebirth.

Just think about THAT moment.

"It's what gamers think about when they think about the greatest gaming moments," White once told the BBC.

Catch her interview here.