It might still be October with some of the biggest games of the year yet to be released, but it is officially the 2026 Game of the Year season. As always, it kicks off with the reveal of which games are up for awards at this year's Golden Joysticks, and with the nominees for its Ultimate Game of the Year now revealed, the line-up is complete.
The big one is the Ultimate Game of the Year, and 12 titles have been confirmed to be in the running. The expected games are there, including 007 First Light and indie darling Big Walk. With Ultimate nominations now confirmed, those two are the games with the potential to win big at this year's Golden Joysticks as they lead the way in total nominations, sporting six each.
Some of the more surprising titles to be nominated for Ultimate GOTY include Star Wars: Galactic Racer, Pokemon Pokopia, and Dispatch. Surprising for several reasons, but Dispatch, most notably, as its release schedule meant that it technically qualified to win game of the year awards this year and last year.
Phantom Blade Zero is also somewhat surprising as the game hasn't been released yet. Its reviews...
