Pokémon Pokopia And Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Shortlisted For 'Console Game

Update [Wed 28th Oct 2026, 7am]: The Golden Joystick Awards have now revealed the nominees for the "Ultimate Game of the Year".

Representing Switch 2 is Pokémon Pokopia. It's up against plenty of tough (and respectable) competition. The voting for this category is now open and will close by 30th October 2026.

"The Ultimate Game of the Year award takes place in a separate voting window to allow the judges - and you - more time to play the big autumn / fall releases."

Ultimate Game of the Year nominees

• Dispatch
• The Blood of Dawnwalker
• 007 First Light
• Resident Evil Requiem
• Big Walk
• Forza Horizon 6
• Star Wars: Galactic Racer
• Pokémon Pokopia
• Crimson Desert
• Pragmata
• Control Resonant
• Phantom Blade Zero

Original Story:[Tue 20th Oct, 2026 03:45 BST]:

We're getting closer to that time of year when a lot of game awards are announced and it seems Nintendo is already up for some nominations.

The 44th annual Golden JoyStick Awards for 2026 have now opened voting across 21 categories, and a handful of Nintendo games have been shortlisted.

Firstly, the surprise hit Pokémon Pokopia and the recent Switch 2 release, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave are both up for the "Console Game of the Year" award. These titles are up against heavy-hitters such as Resident Evil Requiem, Pragmata and Forza Horizon 6. Fire Emblem has also been shortlisted for "Best Storytelling".

Console Game of the Year nominees

• Resident Evil Requiem
• Pragmata
• Pokémon Pokopia
• 007 First Light
• Forza Horizon 6
• Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave
• Onimusha: Way of the Sword
• LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
• Saros
• Nioh 3

Apart from this, Star Fox is in the running for the "Best Remake / Remaster" award and Rhythm Heaven Groove has been nominated for "Best Audio Design". Nintendo EPD has also got a nomination for best studio of the year. Some other companies nominated for this award include Square Enix, Capcom and IO Interactive.

Voting will close this week on 23rd October, and the "Ultimate Game of the Year" nomination will open on 26th October. The award winners will be revealed on 11th November 2026. Of course, this is just the start of the award ceremony season, so we'll likely see a lot of the titles mentioned here popping up elsewhere.