8 Biggest Snubs at the 2026 Golden Joystick Awards, Ranked

The 2026 Golden Joystick Awards have officially come and gone, with Resident Evil Requiem taking home Ultimate Game of the Year and Meccha Chameleon earning several awards of its own. But as is usually the case with events like this, not every game that deserved recognition actually received it, and some of the biggest releases of 2026 walked away without a single award. In fact, a handful of this year’s highest-rated games weren’t even nominated for Ultimate Game of the Year, despite having more than enough critical acclaim to justify their inclusion.

Of course, a game not winning an award doesn’t necessarily mean it was snubbed, especially when the competition is as strong as it was this year. However, these eight games have a particularly good case for deserving more recognition, whether they were completely overlooked by the Golden Joystick Awards or simply lost in categories where they had a legitimate chance of winning.

8

Sektori

One of 2026’s Highest-Rated Games Wasn’t Nominated for Anything

• Category: None
• Result: Received no nominations

It’s actually pretty surprising that Sektori didn’t receive a single nomination at the 2026 Golden Joystick Awards, especially considering that its Switch 2 version currently has a 94 Metascore. Originally released in November 2025 before launching on Switch 2 in May 2026, Sektori is a fast-paced twin-stick shooter that combines frantic arcade combat with an electronic soundtrack and constantly changing arenas. The game has drawn plenty of comparisons to Geometry Wars, and yet, despite its reception, it was completely absent from this year’s nominations.

What’s particularly strange about Sektori‘s snub is that it seems like a pretty natural candidate for categories like Best Audio Design or Best Visual Design. Of course, there’s an important caveat worth mentioning about its Metascore, as that 94 is based on only nine critic reviews, which is a considerably smaller sample than most of the other games on this list. Still, that doesn’t change how positively those critics received it, and I think its complete absence from the Golden Joystick Awards is worth pointing out. It might not be the biggest name here, but that’s part of what makes it worth bringing up, I’d say.

7

Cairn

Two Nominations Weren’t Enough to Earn It an Award

• Category: Best Indie Game – Self-Published
• Result: Lost to MECCHA CHAMELEON

There aren’t many games out there quite like Cairn, and I think that’s probably one of the best arguments for why it deserved a little more recognition at the Golden Joystick Awards this year. Rather than focusing on combat or traditional exploration, Cairn puts players in control of a climber named Aava, who is determined to reach the summit of Mount Kami. However, getting there isn’t simply a matter of holding a button and watching her climb, as players actually control her individual limbs, carefully choosing where to place her hands and feet while managing the resources needed to survive. It’s a pretty fascinating concept for a game, and critics clearly thought so too, with Cairn earning an 86 Metascore.

Unfortunately, despite being nominated for Best Indie Game – Self-Published and Best Game Trailer, Cairn walked away from the ceremony without winning either award. It actually finished third in the self-published indie category with 14% of the vote, behind Mewgenics and Meccha Chameleon, so it’s not as though the game came particularly close to winning there. But I still think that, if it had won in this category, it would have deserved it, without a doubt.

6

Forza Horizon 6

Lost Best Visual Design by Just 1% of the Vote

• Category: Best Visual Design
• Result: Lost to CONTROL Resonant by 1% of the vote

There’s no denying that Forza Horizon 6 was one of the best-reviewed games of 2026, with its 90 Metascore putting it among the year’s highest-rated releases. This time around, Playground Games took its open-world racing franchise to Japan, giving players an enormous map filled with everything from densely populated urban environments to winding mountain roads. And considering how much attention has always been paid to the series’ vehicle models and environmental detail, it’s not difficult to understand why Forza Horizon 6 received nominations for Best Visual Design, Console Game of the Year, and Ultimate Game of the Year. What is surprising, though, is that it didn’t actually win any of them.

In fact, Forza Horizon 6 came incredibly close to winning Best Visual Design, losing to CONTROL Resonant by just one percentage point. According to the Golden Joystick Awards voting results, CONTROL Resonant received 31% of the vote, while Forza Horizon 6 finished second with 30%, making it one of the closest results of the entire ceremony. Obviously, CONTROL Resonant is a gorgeous game in its own right, so I wouldn’t argue that it was undeserving of the award. But for a racing game that puts so much emphasis on its visuals, coming that close to winning and still leaving empty-handed has to sting a little.

5

Saros

Housemarque’s Returnal Follow-Up Missed Ultimate Game of the Year

• Category: Ultimate Game of the Year
• Result: Not nominated, despite receiving three other nominations

Considering how well-received Returnal was when it launched in 2021, I don’t think anyone was particularly surprised when Housemarque’s Saros ended up being another fantastic action game. Featuring the same sort of frantic, bullet-filled combat that made Returnal so satisfying, Saros builds on that formula with permanent progression systems that allow players to become stronger between attempts. It also features a mysterious alien setting, a greater emphasis on storytelling, and several changes intended to make its gameplay a bit more approachable without sacrificing the challenge. The result was an 87 Metascore based on 136 critic reviews, which is certainly nothing to scoff at.

What makes Saros such an interesting snub is that the Golden Joystick Awards clearly recognized its strengths, nominating it for Console Game of the Year, Best Visual Design, and Best Audio Design. However, it didn’t win any of those awards, and despite receiving three nominations, it somehow wasn’t included among the 12 games competing for Ultimate Game of the Year. I think that’s the more significant omission here, because Saros wasn’t simply praised for looking and sounding good, but also for improving upon the gameplay Housemarque established with Returnal. Apparently, that was enough to earn it recognition in several categories, but not enough for a chance at the ceremony’s biggest award.

4

Mewgenics

One of 2026’s Most Acclaimed Indie Games Walked Away Empty-Handed

• Category: Best Indie Game – Self-Published
• Result: Lost to MECCHA CHAMELEON

I’ll admit, Mewgenics is one of those games that sounds absolutely ridiculous when you try to explain it to someone who has never heard of it before. Developed by Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel, the game combines cat breeding with tactical, turn-based roguelike combat, allowing players to develop increasingly strange teams of cats with different abilities and inherited traits. It’s a pretty unusual premise, but considering McMillen’s previous work on The Binding of Isaac and Super Meat Boy, I don’t think anyone should be particularly surprised by that. What’s perhaps more impressive is just how well the whole thing came together, earning an 88 Metascore based on 54 critic reviews.

Unfortunately, Mewgenics didn’t manage to win any of the three categories it was nominated for, including PC Game of the Year, Best Soundtrack, and Best Indie Game – Self-Published. It did come fairly close in that last category, earning 27% of the vote compared to Meccha Chameleon‘s winning 32%, but it ultimately fell short. For a game that takes such an unusual concept and turns it into something so mechanically elaborate, hilarious, and fun, I think it deserved a chance to win in at least one of those categories.

3

Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave

Nintendo’s Acclaimed Strategy RPG Was Left Out of the Biggest Category

• Category: Best Storytelling
• Result: Lost to Dispatch

Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave was one of Nintendo’s biggest releases of 2026, and judging by its critical reception, it certainly lived up to the expectations surrounding it. The strategy RPG launched on September 17 for Switch 2 and quickly earned an 89 Metascore, with IGN awarding it a perfect 10/10, VGC giving it 5/5, and GameSpot scoring it 9/10. It builds on the series’ familiar tactical combat while telling an interconnected story involving four central protagonists, giving players several different perspectives on the events taking place throughout the game. And considering how much emphasis Fire Emblem has always placed on its characters and strategic depth, it’s not difficult to understand why critics were so impressed with this latest entry.

The Golden Joystick Awards actually nominated Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave for Console Game of the Year and Best Storytelling, but it ultimately lost those awards to Resident Evil Requiem and Dispatch, respectively. Neither of those results is particularly difficult to understand, considering how well those games were received, but I do, however, think it’s strange that Fortune’s Weave wasn’t included in the Ultimate Game of the Year shortlist. Granted, it launched just eight days before the original nomination cutoff, which might have contributed to its limited recognition. However, the Ultimate Game of the Year nominees weren’t announced until October 26, giving the organizers considerably more time to evaluate it, and I think Nintendo’s acclaimed strategy RPG should have made that list.

2

Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter

One of the Year’s Highest-Rated JRPGs Received Just One Nomination

• Category: Best Remake / Remaster
• Result: Lost to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered

For a game that was received as well as Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter, it’s pretty remarkable that it only managed to earn one nomination at the 2026 Golden Joystick Awards. The remake launched on September 17 and quickly became one of the year’s highest-rated JRPGs, earning a 91 Metascore on PS5 from 19 reviews as of September 30. It’s also far more than a simple visual upgrade of Nihon Falcom’s classic sequel, featuring completely rebuilt environments, more expressive characters, updated combat, and substantial improvements to its presentation. More importantly, it preserves the excellent character-driven storytelling that made the original so beloved, particularly when it comes to Estelle Bright and her relationships with the people around her.

What makes this omission especially disappointing is that Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter wasn’t even nominated for Best Storytelling, despite that being one of the main reasons critics praised it so highly. In fact, RPG Site awarded it a perfect 10/10, specifically highlighting the quality of its writing and how well the remake presents its most emotional moments. Instead, its only nomination was for Best Remake / Remaster, which it lost to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered. I certainly wouldn’t argue that The Witcher 3 is undeserving of recognition, but considering that Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter is a full remake rather than an enhanced version of an existing game, I think there’s a pretty convincing argument that Falcom’s work deserved more attention.

1

Mina the Hollower

A 90 Metascore Somehow Only Earned It One Nomination

• Category: Best Indie Game – Self-Published
• Result: Lost to MECCHA CHAMELEON

Of all the games that were overlooked at the 2026 Golden Joystick Awards, I think Mina the Hollower has the strongest case for being the biggest snub. Developed by Yacht Club Games, the studio behind Shovel Knight, Mina the Hollower takes inspiration from classic games like The Legend of Zelda and Castlevania, combining their familiar exploration and combat mechanics with a rather unique burrowing system. It also features gorgeous pixel art, challenging enemies, and an interconnected world filled with secrets, making it a pretty appealing game for anyone who enjoys classic action-adventure titles. More importantly, critics absolutely loved it, with the game earning a 90 Metascore based on 69 reviews, including a perfect 10/10 from IGN.

Despite that reception, Mina the Hollower received just one nomination at the Golden Joystick Awards, for Best Indie Game – Self-Published, which it ultimately lost to Meccha Chameleon. It wasn’t nominated for Best Visual Design, Best Soundtrack, or even Ultimate Game of the Year, which I find particularly surprising given how much praise it received throughout the year. I don’t necessarily think Mina the Hollower needed to win Ultimate Game of the Year to receive the recognition it arguably deserves, but I do think it should have at least been given the opportunity to compete for it, especially considering it was one of the highest-rated games of 2026.