The 40th Golden Joysticks Awards took place yesterday, and while Elden Ring ended up being crowned the ‘ultimate’ game of the year for 2022, there was some Nintendo Switch representation.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was awarded “most wanted game” – beating out similar titles Spider-Man 2, Street Fighter 6, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and the anticipated Bethesda title, Starfield.
On the Nintendo front, Pokémon Legends: Arceus won the Nintendo game of the year. It was up against Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Live A Live, Splatoon 3 and Nintendo Switch Sports.
Some of the Switch nominees in the ‘ultimate’ GOTY category (won by Elden Ring) included Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Bayonetta 3. Here’s the full list of winners from each category (and you can see the list of nominees in each category on GamesRadar+):
- Best Storytelling – Horizon Forbidden West
- Still Playing Award – Genshin Impact
- Best Visual Design – Elden Ring
- Studio of the Year- FromSoftware
- Best Game Expansion – Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course
- Best Early Access Launch – Slime Rancher 2
- Best Indie Game – Cult of the Lamb
- Best Multiplayer Game – Elden Ring
- Best Audio – Metal: Hellsinger
- Best Game Trailer – Goat Simulator 3 Announcement Trailer
- Best Game Community – Final Fantasy 14
- Best Gaming Hardware – Steam Deck
- Breakthrough Award – Vampire Survivors
- Critics’ Choice Award – Elden Ring
- Best Performer – Manon Gage (Marissa Marcel, Immortality)
- Nintendo Game of the Year – Pokemon Legends Arceus
- PC Game of the Year – Return to Monkey Island
- PlayStation Game of the Year – Stray
- Xbox Game of the Year – Grounded
- Most Wanted Game – Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Ultimate Game of the Year – Elden Ring
When Pokémon Legends: Arceus arrived on the Nintendo Switch earlier this year in January, we praised the title as one of the greatest Pokémon games ever made.
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