Award season is officially a-go as the Golden Joysticks opens voting for the best console game of 2026. From Resident Evil: Requiem to SAROS, the organization has shortlisted 10 heavy-hitters, of which only one can be crowned king, but a couple of fantastic titles have unfortunately already been snubbed.
As announced on X, the Golden Joysticks have shortlisted the following games for its Console Game of the Year award:
- 007 First Light
- Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave
- Forza Horizon 6
- LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
- Nioh 3
- Onimusha: Way of the Sword
- Pokémon Pokopia
- PRAGMATA
- Resident Evil Requiem
- SAROS
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All of these were pretty fantastic games, and I have reviewed a good chunk of them myself (and even was supposed to review Onimusha, but that review is missing for reasons that’ll become clear in a separate article). Of these, I don’t know which one I could call my favorite. 007 was a fantastic rendition of the iconic James Bond and nailed every single aspect that a story starring the character should have. PRAGMATA was a surprising innovation on Capcom’s part, but Resident Evil: Requiem felt like a pinnacle of its design and production value.
Even Onimusha had many things to offer, meaning Capcom has three out of 10 GOTY contenders, a fact that should serve as a testament to the company’s continuous and consistent quality.
I really loved Nioh 3, though, and it was my first review of the year and definitely a game that set the stage for what has turned out to be one of the best years in gaming, which is to be completed by the release of GTA 6.
But while it seems the Golden Joysticks really went out of its way to select the 10 best games of this year, fans of CONTROL Resonant and Crimson Desert are very upset that neither of these games made the list. I did not play the latest CONTROL, but my amazing colleague Scott Duwe only had great things to say about it. What I did review was Crimson Desert, a game so weird I could hardly formulate a score for it, especially since what I played during the review period is a COMPLETELY different game to what players can get their hands on now.
It’s a huge game, and one that appreciates the player’s intellect and values their freedom to explore and experience its world at their own pace and however they like.
To see neither of these is really disappointing, but when I consider just how many huge and amazing games came out this year, I realize that not everyone could be appeased. No matter which titles you include for any of the awards that are going to crop up in the coming weeks and months, someone will find a reason to be angry, but that proves how great the year was, rather than how poor the jury’s selection.
You can now vote for the Golden Joysticks and make your voice as a player heard on this link.
