E-Day was eligible for the Golden Joysticks' biggest award and still missed the 12-game shortlist. Phantom Blade Zero, which wasn't even out yet when the list was announced, made it. Forza Horizon 6 is still carrying the Xbox flag, and voting closes Friday, October 30 at 7:59 PM ET.
Gears of War: E-Day has been out for three weeks, it’s one of the best-reviewed games of the year, and it was eligible for the Golden Joysticks’ biggest prize. It still didn’t make the list.
The Golden Joystick Awards revealed its 12 nominees for Ultimate Game of the Year on October 26, and E-Day isn’t one of them. Pure Xbox put it plainly: there’s “no place for the likes of Halo: Campaign Evolved and Gears of War: E-Day – the latter was technically eligible, but still didn’t make it.” Insider Gaming also listed E-Day among the big names that “all miss out,” next to Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, Ace Combat 8 and Onimusha: Way of the Sword.
Gears of War: E-Day was eligible, it was loved, and it still got left off. Forza has to finish the job.
The one Xbox game that did make it: Forza Horizon 6.
What you need to know
- Gears of War: E-Day launched October 6, 2026 on Xbox Series X|S and PC, per Metacritic and OpenCritic.
- It missed the core categories on timing. Per GamesRadar+’s rules, the core categories only counted games “released between 1st November 2025 and 25th September 2026.” E-Day came out 11 days after that cutoff.
- It was eligible for Ultimate Game of the Year. GamesRadar+’s rules say: “Games released between 8th November, 2025 and 25th October 2026 will be considered for Ultimate Game of the Year.” October 6 is inside that window.
- It still isn’t on the 12-game shortlist. The shortlist is chosen by the Golden Joystick Awards judging panel, made up of editors and contributors from PC Gamer, Future Games Show, Edge, Retro Gamer, GamesRadar and industry experts, per GamesRadar+. The public then votes on that list.
- Halo: Campaign Evolved missed too. It launched July 28, 2026, per Xbox Wire, so it was inside the window as well, and it isn’t on the list, per Pure Xbox.
- Phantom Blade Zero made it even though it wasn’t out yet when the shortlist was announced. It launched October 28 at 10 PM ET (October 29 in the UK), per GamesRadar+ and PC Gamer, three days after the October 25 cutoff. It’s out now and just hit 723,876 players on Steam.
The rule that lets Phantom Blade Zero in
GamesRadar+’s rules page has an exception, word for word:
“Exceptions are sometimes made for games that release early in the Ultimate Game of the Year voting window (e.g. 27th October 2026), which might have already been extensively played or tested by our judges (for example, if we received a copy weeks earlier for an embargoed review).”
When readers asked why Phantom Blade Zero was on the list, Pure Xbox’s Fraser Gilbert pointed to that same rule in the comments. The Golden Joysticks haven’t named which game the exception was used for, but Phantom Blade Zero is the only nominee that came out after the cutoff. Before launch, TheGamer called its inclusion “somewhat surprising as the game hasn’t been released yet.”
GamesRadar+ does own up to the squeeze: “in a competitive year, not every great game can make our shortlist.”
The full Ultimate Game of the Year shortlist
Per the Golden Joysticks, GamesRadar+, Insider Gaming and GameRant:
- 007 First Light
- Big Walk
- CONTROL Resonant
- Crimson Desert
- Dispatch
- Forza Horizon 6
- Phantom Blade Zero
- Pokémon Pokopia
- PRAGMATA
- Resident Evil Requiem
- STAR WARS: Galactic Racer
- The Blood of Dawnwalker
How good is E-Day? The scores say very
- Metacritic: 87 on Xbox Series X, “Generally Favorable,” based on 69 critic reviews.
- OpenCritic: 85 Top Critic Average, with 90% of critics recommending it.
Here’s our E-Day review if you want the full breakdown.
For context, Polygon noted that at launch, Control Resonant and The Blood of Dawnwalker, both on the shortlist, were “hovering at an 83 on Metacritic.”
What critics said, per OpenCritic:
- IGN (9/10), Ryan McCaffrey: “Gears of War: E-Day’s stellar story campaign is complemented by an excellent multiplayer suite, particularly its evolved Horde Siege PvE mode.”
- Tom’s Guide, Tony Polanco: “it’s the must-own Xbox exclusive of 2026.”
- Eurogamer (4/5), Dom Peppiatt: “Gears E-Day proves that looking back can, indeed, help you look forward, too.”
- GameSpot (7/10), Richard Wakeling: “For better or worse, E-Day is distinctly Gears, and I had a good time with it, even if the story is disappointing and the open areas are fairly dull.”
And it’s selling. In a rumor that hasn’t been confirmed, a source told The Verge’s Tom Warren that E-Day is past 400,000 copies sold across Xbox and Steam, and that doesn’t count Game Pass players. More on the 400K rumor here.
How fans are taking it
Plenty of people noticed. Gavin Stevens’ post calling out the list picked up 580 likes:
Not everybody agrees. One Pure Xbox commenter wrote, “Metacritic scores dont determine GOTY,” and some fans on X argued that other highly rated games, like Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave and Ace Combat 8, got left off too.
OnPoint’s take: Let’s be real. E-Day was eligible, it’s sitting at an 87 on Metacritic, and it got passed over while a game that wasn’t even out yet when the list dropped got a spot through the exception. You can’t tell us the judges had time for that one but not for a Gears game that’s been in people’s hands for three weeks. It is what it is, though, and here’s the good news: Xbox is still in this fight. Forza Horizon 6 is on the list, and this part is a fan vote, so the Xbox community has the power. Want to answer the snub? Put Forza at number one and make some noise.
Go vote Forza Horizon 6
Voting closes Friday, October 30 at 23:59 GMT, which is 7:59 PM ET. Here’s how to vote, step by step, plus every category Xbox games are nominated in.
Sources
- GamesRadar+, Golden Joystick Awards rules, dates and judging panel
- Pure Xbox, Fraser Gilbert, Xbox is up for Game of the Year (and comments)
- Insider Gaming, nominees and notable omissions
- GameRant, nominees list
- TheGamer, every nominee
- GamesRadar+, Phantom Blade Zero release times
- PC Gamer, Phantom Blade Zero release times
- Xbox Wire, Halo: Campaign Evolved launches July 28
- Metacritic, Gears of War: E-Day
- OpenCritic, Gears of War: E-Day
- Polygon, E-Day review roundup
- Golden Joysticks on X, shortlist reveal
- Golden Joysticks on X, voting reminder
- Gavin Stevens on X
- The Verge, Tom Warren, Notepad (Oct 29, 2026), E-Day sales rumor
Image: Xbox Game Studios / The Coalition / OnPoint 4 Gamers
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