Charming Holiday is a news article writer from the United States who has been working with GameRant since August 2023 and self-publishing since May 2025. He is a former cultural policy advisor who has turned his focus to his lifelong passion of gaming. He lived and worked in South Korea from early 2016 to mid-2019 but has since returned to the greater Chicago area. His first console was the original PlayStation, though he now focuses on the Nintendo Switch and its growing library of first party and indie games. Charming is particularly fond of mystery point-and-click games and action adventure platformers (2D and 3D). Charming hopes to expand his talents into the gaming news industry with the ultimate goal of one day getting to write for and ship a game.
The 44th Annual Golden Joystick Awards announced Capcom’s Resident Evil Requiem as the Ultimate Game of the Year winner for 2026. Resident Evil Requiem is the latest entry in the legendary survival horror franchise and was widely praised by critics and audiences alike for its stunning visuals, intense horror sections, action-packed sequences, and dual protagonists Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy. While 2026 still has a number of gaming releases scheduled, including the impending juggernaut Grand Theft Auto 6, the voting cutoff date for the Golden Joysticks has played into Requiem‘s favor and granted it a major award show victory.
For decades, the Golden Joystick Awards has served as the premiere event for the video game industry to celebrate excellence in development, with dozens of award categories highlighting the best and brightest titles in a given year. The ceremony originally separated Game of the Year winners by release platform, such as PlayStation 2 Game of the Year and GameCube Game of the Year. The Ultimate Game of the Year category was added in 2006 and saw The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion taking home the inaugural prize. Now in 2026, Resident Evil Requiem has added itself to the long-running list of video games that climbed to the top of the charts to earn the title of Ultimate Game of the Year.
Resident Evil Requiem is the 2026 Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards
Capcom officially celebrated the Golden Joystick Awards Ultimate Game of the Year victory for Resident Evil Requiem by issuing a “heartfelt thank you to all Resident Evil fans for [their] undying support.” Resident Evil Requiem not only took home the Ultimate Game of the Year award but also won Console Game of the Year and Best Game Trailer. Angela Sant’Albano additionally took home a win for Best Lead Performer for her portrayal of Grace Ashcroft in Resident Evil Requiem. These latest victories add to a number of wins for the Resident Evil franchise at the Golden Joystick Awards over the years, with the first coming back in 2002 for GameCube Game of the Year.
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Resident Evil fans have posted congratulatory comments for both Capcom and Angela Sant’Albano for their victories at the Golden Joystick Awards 2026. Many players were happy to see Resident Evil Requiem getting to have its time in the spotlight at a video game awards show before the release of Grand Theft Auto 6, a title which a large portion of audiences expect to dominate at The Game Awards 2026. Only time will tell if Requiem can also snag any victories at The Game Awards, but the Ultimate Game of the Year win at the Golden Joystick Awards is already an undeniably big pick-up for Capcom and RE fans.
Of course, many players are more than happy to simply enjoy their favorite games and not worry about whether an award show deems a title worthy of “official” recognition for being one of the best games of 2026 or any other year. That said, events like the Golden Joystick Awards do give studios the opportunity to celebrate the hard work of developers and another chance to thank fans for supporting releases that stood out amongst the seemingly endless ocean of video game releases. For Resident Evil Requiem, the Ultimate Game of the Year victory is another trophy in an ever-growing case of franchise wins, once again showcasing the continued popularity of the iconic series.
- Released
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February 27, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases
