Forza Horizon 6 is one of 12 nominees for the Golden Joystick Awards' biggest prize, and public voting closes Friday, October 30 at 7:59 PM ET.
Quick one, fam. Forza Horizon 6 is nominated for Ultimate Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards 2026, and the public decides this one.
Voting closes Friday, October 30 at 23:59 GMT, which is 7:59 PM ET (the GamesRadar+ announcement rounds it to 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT). The ballot asks you to rank your top three. Vote here: www.gamesradar.com/goldenjoystickawards
Forza Horizon 6 is in the running for Ultimate Game of the Year. You’ve got until Friday night.
Update 8:40 PM ET:
How to vote, step by step
- Go to the official Golden Joystick Awards page on GamesRadar+: www.gamesradar.com/goldenjoystickawards
- Click “Start Voting.”
- Rank your top three from the 12 nominees. Put Forza Horizon 6 at number one.
- Submit your ballot before Friday, October 30 at 23:59 GMT (7:59 PM ET, 4:59 PM PT).
GamesRadar+ also offers voters a free gaming ebook, with titles like 100 Retro Games to Play Before You Die and The History of Videogames.
The deadline, checked
GamesRadar+’s voting page says voting closes “at 23.59 GMT on Friday October 30.” The UK is back on GMT after clocks changed on Sunday, October 25, while the U.S. stays on Eastern Daylight Time until November 1. That puts the cutoff at 7:59 PM ET. GamesRadar+’s host announcement rounds it to “5 pm PT / 8pm ET / midnight GMT.” Either way, vote before 7:59 PM ET to be safe.
Ultimate Game of the Year is the only vote still open
Per GamesRadar+, core voting in the other 21 categories, including PC Game of the Year and Best Visual Design, closed on October 23. Ultimate Game of the Year gets its own window, October 26 to 30, “to allow the judges – and you – more time to play the big autumn / fall releases.” Games released between November 8, 2025 and October 25, 2026 were considered for it.
The key dates, per GamesRadar+:
- Shortlist announced, voting opened: September 25
- Core voting closed: October 23
- Ultimate Game of the Year voting: October 26 to October 30
- Awards ceremony: November 11, live at Troxy in London
Every category with Xbox and PC games in it
Here’s where Xbox’s own games and studios show up across the 2026 nominee lists, per TheGamer. Winners in all of these get revealed November 11.
- Ultimate Game of the Year: Forza Horizon 6 (voting open now)
- Console Game of the Year: Forza Horizon 6
- Best Visual Design: Forza Horizon 6
- Most Wanted: Fable
- Best Expansion: Doom: The Dark Ages – Revelations, World of Warcraft: Midnight
- Still Playing (PC and Console): Minecraft, The Elder Scrolls Online, Call of Duty: Warzone
- Best Game Adaptation: Fallout Season 2
So Forza Horizon 6 is in three categories: Ultimate Game of the Year, Console Game of the Year and Best Visual Design.
And for the PC crowd, here’s the full PC Game of the Year list, per TheGamer:
- Big Walk
- Star Wars Zero Company
- Meccha Chameleon
- Crimson Desert
- Order of the Sinking Star
- The Blood of Dawnwalker
- Esoteric Ebb
- Mewgenics
- Escape From Tarkov
- Valheim
What they’re saying
“The Golden Joystick Awards are the only games awards show chosen by the players,” said Daniel Dawkins, Content Director on the Golden Joystick Awards, per GamesRadar+.
Host Alix Wilton Regan, per GamesRadar+: “If you haven’t cast your vote yet, now’s the time to vote for your Ultimate Game of the Year.”
It's the moment you've all been waiting for. The nominees for Ultimate Game of the Year are…
, Golden Joysticks (@GoldenJoysticks) October 26, 2026
🍸 007 First Light
🚶🏻 Big Walk
🔻 CONTROL Resonant
🗡️ Crimson Desert
🦸 Dispatch
🏁 Forza Horizon 6
⚔️ Phantom Blade Zero
🔴 Pokémon Pokopia
🧑🚀 PRAGMATA
🧟 Resident Evil Requiem
🚀… pic.twitter.com/BcaGT9QP5S
The 12 Ultimate Game of the Year nominees, per GamesRadar+:
- 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
Winners get revealed at the ceremony on November 11, hosted by Alix Wilton Regan and streamed on YouTube, Twitch and X, per GamesRadar+.
OnPoint’s take: Playground made the best-looking open-world racer out there, and this is a fan vote, so the Xbox community actually has the power here. Don’t sleep on it. Plenty of folks forget a ranked ballot means your second and third picks count too, so put Forza at number one and back it up with other games on Xbox and PC you loved. Go vote, then come back and tell us your top three.
Sources
- GamesRadar+, official voting page and dates
- GamesRadar+, nominees and host announcement
- PC Gamer, nominees list
- TheGamer, full nominees in every category
- Golden Joysticks on X, voting reminder (Oct 28)
- Golden Joysticks on X, nominees reveal (Oct 26)
Image: OnPoint 4 Gamers
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