How to watch the Golden Joystick Awards 2020 — see the awards live

Golden Joystick Awards 2020
(Image credit: Future)

The Golden Joystick Awards is one of the largest events in the gaming calendar, and 2020’s show on Tuesday 24 November promises to be no different. 

Now in its 38th interaction, the Golden Joystick Awards 2020 will run through an extensive suite of gaming categories, from best storytelling and best game expansion, to studio of the year and the ultimate game of the year.

The majority winners will be chosen by public vote, cast by millions of gaming fans, while a few select categories will be have their winners chosen by seasoned game critics.  

You can think of the Golden Joystick Awards as a form of shortlist for the games you should play before 2020 comes to a close, or to help you choose what games to dedicate your holiday season to. 

The show will be hosted by Laura Bailey, voice of Abby in The Last of Us Part 2 and Black Widow in Marvel’s Avengers, and Travis Willingham, the voice of Thor in Marvel’s Avengers. And music will come courtesy of Harry Mack and Lara6683, who will be performing a selection of video games music.

You can also expect to see exclusive footage from The Medium and Martha is Dead, as well as cameos and appearances form other big names in gaming. Here’s what you need to know about how to watch the Golden Joystick Awards 2020.  

How to watch the Golden Joystick Awards 2020 live

Taking place on Tuesday November 24, the awards will start 8:30 p.m. BST, 3:30 p.m. ET, and 12:30 p.m. PT. 

And you’ll have a choice of where you can watch the event, as it’ll be streamed live on Twitch Twitch, YouTube, Facebook and GamesRadar. So you can pretty much pick and choose where you want to watch the awards as they happen. 

For people who like to get a little more involved, there’s the #GoldenJoysticks hashtag to use on Twitter. That way you can not only follow  people’s reactions to the winners but also throw your own opinions and reactions into the mix. 

The Golden Joystick Awards 2020 categories 

There are 20 public voted categories covering some of the most important and interesting elements of 2020’s games. And there’s four critics choice awards, which promise to highlight some of the high points in gaming in 2020. There are as follows: 

Public Voted Categories:

Best Storytelling

Best Multiplayer game 

Best Visual Design 

Best Game Expansion 

Mobile Game of the Year 

Best Audio 

Best Indie Game 

Still Playing Award 

Best Studio 

esports Game of the Year 

Best New Streamer or Broadcaster.

Best Family Game 

Best Gaming Community 

Best Performer 

Breakthrough Award 

PC Game of the Year 

Best Gaming Hardware

Playstation Game of the Year 

Xbox Game of the Year 

Nintendo Game of the Year

Most Wanted Game 

Ultimate Game of the Year

Best Performer

Critics' Choice

Critics Choice Awards:

Best Performer

Critics' Choice

Hall of Fame

Breakthrough Award

Outstanding Contribution

For more on the Golden Joystick Awards news, head over to our sibling site GamesRadar

But if you want more from Tom’s Guide we have our own picks for the best games of 2020, such as the best PC games and the best PS5 games so far, and our picks for the best Xbox Series X games thus far.  

Roland Moore-Colyer

Roland Moore-Colyer a Managing Editor at Tom’s Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he’s also got an interest in cars. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face.