Resident Evil Requiem Wins Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards 2026

Awards season already has its first big winner. Resident Evil Requiem has been named Game of the Year (GOTY) at the Golden Joystick Awards 2026, whose ceremony took place tonight, as reported by Movistar eSports. Capcom's horror title comes out on top at one of the longest-running events on the calendar and heads into the final stretch of the year with a head start, right when the awards that make the most noise in the industry are handed out.

Why does it matter? Because a GOTY isn't just a trophy for the display case: it shapes the conversation for weeks, pushes a lot of people to give the game a chance and influences what you'll see on streams, in videos and across social media. On top of that, it was a doubly good night for the Japanese company, since Capcom didn't go home with just the top prize, according to the same source.

What you need to know

• The winner: Resident Evil Requiem is the Golden Joystick Awards 2026 Game of the Year.
• More to celebrate for Capcom: the company picked up at least one other award at the same ceremony, in addition to GOTY.
• When: the ceremony took place tonight and the full list of winners is already out.
• Where to find it: Movistar eSports, the source of the core information in this article, lists all the winners by category.

An award that carries real weight

The Golden Joystick Awards are one of the most storied ceremonies in gaming, and they have one feature that sets them apart: traditionally, it's the public who decides by voting. That changes how the result should be read. We're not talking about a closed jury weighing up technical merits, but about the community saying which game left the biggest mark on them. The fact that the pick is a single-player survival horror, and not a live service title with millions of players logging in every day, says a lot about where the genre is right now.

For Resident Evil, it's also confirmation that the series is still in top form. Few franchises with this many years behind them can claim to still be competing for the biggest award of the night, and even fewer can claim to win it. Capcom has spent a long time proving it knows how to look after its classic properties, and this recognition reinforces that image.

What changes from here

In the short term, Requiem becomes the one to beat at the ceremonies still to come. Winning here guarantees nothing at other awards, but it does put the game in every prediction and gives it a second boost in visibility. If you haven't played it yet, get ready to see it absolutely everywhere over the next few weeks.

The details of which other award Capcom took home and how the rest of the categories played out don't appear in the excerpt of the source we worked from, so we'd rather not report anything we can't confirm: the full list is in the original Movistar eSports story.

Our take

At Underworld Lordz, competitive gaming is what we live for, so we'll say it straight: we think it's great news that the Game of the Year is a single-player experience. The scene needs both. Competitive titles give us tournaments, rankings and rivalries; the big narrative games remind us why we started playing in the first place. The community rewarding a well-made horror campaign is a healthy sign for the whole industry.

That said, it's worth being critical about what these awards mean. A GOTY decided by public vote measures enthusiasm and community size as much as quality, and a series with decades of fans has an edge over new or smaller projects. That takes nothing away from Requiem, but it's best not to treat the result as absolute truth, and instead see it as a snapshot of what excited people most this year.

For content creators, the takeaway is practical: horror works brilliantly live, and an award like this renews audience interest. If you stream or make videos, it's a good time for a series, a challenge or a review with your own voice. Just keep in mind that the competition for that audience is going to be fierce, and the ones who stand out will be those who bring something different from yet another jump-scare playthrough.

What about you?

We've given our verdict, now it's your turn. Drop by the team chat or our Discord and tell us: does Resident Evil Requiem deserve to be Game of the Year, or is your 2026 GOTY something else?