The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom wins Nintendo Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards 2023
The Breath of the Wild sequel was definitely worth the wait
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was one of 2023's most anticipated games, so it's no surprise that it won Nintendo Game of the Year at The Golden Joysticks 2023 powered by Intel.
Released back in May of this year, fans are still discovering hidden details about Tears of the Kingdom six months later. There have been a lot of great games to keep you busy on the Nintendo Switch this year, including Fire Emblem Engage, Metroid Prime Remastered, and Pikmin 4, but none are quite as beloved as Link's latest open-world adventure - it is after all the fastest-selling Zelda game in history.
You can find a full list of the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 nominees below:
- Pikmin 4
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (winner)
- Fire Emblem Engage
- Metroid Prime Remastered
- Octopath Traveller 2
- Fae Farm
One of the highlights of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's release is seeing players' creations using Link's new Ultrahand and Fuse abilities. Some have been impressive like the controllable mech and the Star Wars-inspired Podracer whereas others have been extremely cursed like the skeleton plane and all of the Korok torture devices.
In our The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom review, we described the Breath of the Wild sequel as "a rich, robust experience that builds on what came before." We also praised its new powers, evocative and intriguing storybook narrative, and the way it managed to make Hyrule feel fresh again despite being a follow-up to 2017's Breath of the Wild.
"Tears of the Kingdom sets a standard for immersive gameplay that most major games don't even try to achieve, let alone match. So yes, though almost intimidatingly big at times, Tears of the Kingdom manages to keep focus and provide a rich, robust experience that builds on what came before."
Discover the best games of 2023 at the best prices by checking out the Golden Joystick Awards Steam sale page
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After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training. My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.