There was some fun conversation here at PC Gamer recently about the anachronistic name of The Golden Joystick Awards, which are put on by PC Gamer's publisher. Who even uses a joystick anymore? Flight sim diehards, fighting game enthusiasts, and not many others. So why is it called that? Joysticks, really?

Simply put, the name reflects the age of the awards, which debuted in 1983, making it the longest-running publicly-voted videogame awards show of all time, according to Wikipedia. Back in those days, joysticks were it, and trust me, they weren't the sweet pieces of hardware we have access to now. But we loved 'em! And we used them to play games like the Golden Joysticks' first-ever game of the year, Jetpac. It was a banger!

Here we are, 43 years later, and much has changed: From a tiny ceremony handing out five trophies, the Golden Joysticks have grown to become one of the biggest videogame awards events of the year, watched by millions of people around the world on just about every streaming platform you can name. Yet that name, the Golden Joystick Awards, remains. Frankly, I'm glad about that. A little bit of reliability in this world is good for everyone.

Which leads me to the point: The 44^th annual Golden Joystick Awards has now concluded, and the top gong, as my UK compatriots like to say for some reason—the Ultimate Game of the Year award, for the rest of us—has gone to Resident Evil Requiem, Capcom's latest tale of zombie-fueled bad news.

Can't really argue with that call: PC Gamer's Elie Gould gave Resident Evil Requiem a whopping 92% score in their review, saying it "feels like you're playing a highlight reel of the best moments in the series." Requiem claimed three other wins on the night: Console Game of the Year, Best Game Trailer, and Best Lead Performer for Angela Sant'Albano's turn as Grace Ashcroft.

Crimson Desert won for PC Game of the Year, which surprises me a bit given that it's also on consoles and pretty much the same experience. We liked that one too: Not quite as enthusiastically, but it still earned an enviable 80% review score. "Vast and obtuse in a way that is going to frustrate some and exhilarate others," as reviewer Mollie Taylor put it: "A fascinating journey, even when the destination isn't all that."

Multiplayer hide-and-seek game Meccha Chameleon was the night's other big winner, taking home four awards for Best Multiplayer Game, Best Indie Game (self-published), the Steamers' Choice Award, and Developer's Choice Award. Dispatch won twice, for Best Storytelling and Best Soundtrack, and The Witcher also sort of claimed two wins as well: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered took the trophy for Best Remake/Remaster, while The Witcher 4 won for Most Wanted Game.

So there you have it, 44 years down and hopefully many more to come—all of them bearing that glorious golden name. Here's your full list of 2026 Golden Joystick Awards winners:

As if following up on one of the most acclaimed RPGs of all time wasn't already enough pressure, CD Projekt Red just won Most Wanted Game for The Witcher 4 at the Golden Joystick Awards 2026, and the burden of that "great responsibility" is weighing heavy on the developer.

Taking the stage just before the end of the show when Resident Evil Requiem was announced as the night's big winner, CDPR production director Małgorzata Mitręga appeared slightly stage-frightened as she accepted the award for most anticipated game, beating out Fable and Resident Evil Veronica.

"This is a huge, huge honor for us, but it's also a great responsibility. We all know it," she said. "We are working hard, giving heart and soul there, all the skills we have, passion we have, and moments like that are such a fucking boost for us, for the stamina, to [keep] it going, to deliver [for] you when the time is right."

Of course, CDPR isn't just releasing a sequel to what many consider the defining RPG of its generation, but with the new DLC Songs of the Past coming out in 2027, it's also responsible for expanding on it in a way that feels meaningful and respectful. For example, CDPR has confirmed it worked with an AI company to touch up the Polish voice of Geralt for Songs of the Past after actor Jacek Rozenek's voice changed due to a stroke he suffered in 2019 – but only once they got approval from Rozenek himself.

CD Projekt Red is building the Avengers of RPGs – the house of Cyberpunk 2 and The Witcher 4 adds 3 former Kingdom Come: Deliverance leads to the mix

Avengers: Endgame Encore is set to hit Disney Plus on November 13, and you'll be able to rewatch those wild post-credits scenes as many times you want.

The film was re-released in September in honor of the film's seven-year anniversary, but also to get Marvel fans hyped for Avengers: Doomsday. The Encore version of the film is more or less the same except for four bonus scenes added to the end credits. The scenes in question are: Loki goes back to the past to visit Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter; Doctor Doom has captured Hulk after the events of Spider-Man: Brand New Day; an incursion is coming to destroy the Fox X-Men universe; and Tony Stark appears to be making a Doctor Doom Mask (which is terribly confusing and also lends credence to the rumor that Downey isn't actually playing Doom after all).

These scenes are meant to bridge the gap between Endgame and Doomsday, and will therefore not appear in the latter. We can also assume that that absolutely wild surprise post-credits scene at the end of VisionQuest will also not be in Doomsday, and is another 'gap-bridging' moment.

You can also check out the Avengers: Endgame Encore landing page on Disney Plus should you feel like refreshing the page until the movie finally drops.

Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters in the UK December 16 and in the US on December 18. For more, check out our guides to the Marvel timeline and how to watch the Marvel movies in order.