Voting is open for the Golden Joystick awards 2021

The Golden Joystick Awards 2021
(Image credit: Future)

While 2021 has been a sleepier year for games, that doesn't mean we haven't seen some absolute bangers grace our monitors this year. We've seen a strong library of releases over the last 12 months, and now you get to decide which ones were the best of the best. The 39th Golden Joystick awards are upon us, so get your voting caps on.

There's a bunch of categories for you to have your say on like best game expansion, best performer, and that one game you can't quite put down even after all these years. There's a great mix of both big-budget blockbusters and fantastic indie hits to choose from. The PC Game of the Year category featuring some of our favourite Top 100 games—including Wildermyth, Hitman 3 and Old World.

It's also the 50th anniversary of videogames, which somehow feels both far too long and too short for games to have existed. Computer Space, the first coin-operated arcade machine launched in November 1971, marking the birth of commercial gaming. To celebrate our weird and wonderful hobby, there are two special categories this year—the Ultimate Game of All Time and Best Gaming Hardware of All Time. Voting doesn't open for these until November 8, so you've got plenty of time to think about your all-time fave.

Voting for all other categories is open right now on the Golden Joystick Awards website, running until 4pm PDT/7pm EDT/11pm GMT on November 5. The winners will be announced on November 23.

Mollie Taylor
Features Producer

Mollie spent her early childhood deeply invested in games like Killer Instinct, Toontown and Audition Online, which continue to form the pillars of her personality today. She joined PC Gamer in 2020 as a news writer and now lends her expertise to write a wealth of features, guides and reviews with a dash of chaos. She can often be found causing mischief in Final Fantasy 14, using those experiences to write neat things about her favourite MMO. When she's not staring at her bunny girl she can be found sweating out rhythm games, pretending to be good at fighting games or spending far too much money at her local arcade.  

Read more
Game of the Year
PC Gamer's Game of the Year Awards 2024
Should Age of Empires and Quake be in the 'World Video Game Hall of Fame'? You can vote for them to be inducted this year
A game of Pong at nil all.
The BAFTAs dares to ask the internet: 'What is the most influential videogame of all time?'
Wall mounted Govee x Evangelion lights are affixed to a surface covered in fake foliage. Figurines of characters Rei and Asuka wearing plugsuits from the anime series can be vaguely made out. This whole layer of the image has been blurred. Seen clearly over the top of the blurred portion of the image are the words 'PC Gamer. The Wildcard 2024.'
PC Gamer Hardware Awards: 2024's wild cards—the best of the rest
Monster Hunter Wilds - a player in armor cheers
The best PC games right now
PC Gamer Hardware Awards 2024 logo on a black background
PC Gamer Hardware Awards 2024: The winners in every category of PC gaming greatness from the past 12 months of tech
Latest in Events & Conferences
Nolan North and Jennifer English, who will be hosting the Future Games Show's Spring Showcase.
Jennifer English (Shadowheart) and Nolan North (Nathan Drake) will be the illustrious hosts of the Future Games Show this year
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree's Rellana
AGDQ 2025 kicks off this weekend, featuring an Elden Ring saxophone boss rush, an 'All Romances' run of Fallout: New Vegas, and some of the worst games ever made
Key art for the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted
How to watch the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted 2024
Golden Joystick awards 2024 banner
The 42nd annual Golden Joystick Awards are live now—watch the whole show here
Promo for the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted, showing host Frankie Ward.
The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted returns with announcements and reveals galore this December 5
Key art for the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted
Here are the nominees for PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted
Latest in News
Assassin's Creed Shadows promo image
Ubisoft scores a legendary ratio against Elon Musk on his own platform—which hopefully marks a final end to all the Assassin's Creed Shadows' culture war nonsense
Tzarina Katarin Bokha, the Ice Queen of Kislev
Total War: Warhammer 3 rolls out a cool Kislev overhaul, changes befitting Tzeench’s magic, new projectile units and creakier skeletal horses
An image of a golden first place award from Geoguessr
'We're actually getting GeoGuessr on Steam before GTA 6': the Google Street View puzzler arrives on Valve's platform this April
Napster client circa 1999
Former music-pirating platform Napster to be reborn rather ironically as a metaverse for musicians to connect with their fans after $207 million deal
The snazzy red and black HyperX Cloud Alpha wireless headphones float in a teal void. The microphone is attached to the headset.
The best wireless gaming headset is now even better in the Amazon Big Spring Sale, boasting a more than $50 discount
A chip being held up in an Intel fab
Intel is reportedly 'working to finalize commitments from Nvidia' as a foundry partner, suggesting gaming potential for the 18A node