Launched in 1982 during the infancy of videogaming’s life, the Golden Joystick Awards is the world’s best-known gaming awards.

The Golden Joysticks are the only annual awards voted for by gamers – you awesome lot who go out and buy the games – not a stuffy voting panel of ‘experts’ who haven’t actually ventured into a game store – like this year’s lovely sponsors HMV for example – for 10 years. We reckon this adds both authenticity and relevance to our awards.

As well as being very much a ‘people’s choice’ the Joysticks are also a fixture of the games industry calendar. They stand as one of the few opportunities outside of trade shows like E3 and GamesCom for the vibrant industry to get together under one roof to celebrate the year’s greatest gaming achievements.

Golden Joystick Awards 2012 Winners

Best Action
Winner: Batman: Arkham City
Runners up: Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Uncharted 3:
Drake’s Deception

Best DLC
Winner: Portal 2 (Perpetual Testing Initiative)
Runners up: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Dawnguard),
Batman: Arkham City (Harley Quinn’s Revenge)

Best Downloadable
Winner: Minecraft (360)
Runners up: The Walking Dead, Journey

Best Fighter
Winner: Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition
Runners up: Soul Calibur V, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate
Ninja Storm – Generations

Best Free To Play
Winner: Slender
Runners up: Draw Something, Ghost Recon Commander

Best Handheld
Winner: Uncharted: Golden Abyss
Runners up: Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land

Best MMO
Winner: World of Tanks
Runners up: League of Legends, Star Wars: The Old
Republic

Best Mobile Tablet
Winner: Angry Birds Space
Runners up: Assassin’s Creed: Recollection, Temple Run

Best Racer
Winner: Forza 4
Runners up: Need for Speed: The Run, Twisted Metal

Best RPG
Winner: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Runners up: Diablo III, Mass Effect 3

Best Shooter
Winner: Battlefield 3
Runners up: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Max Payne 3

Best Sports
Winner: FIFA 12
Runners up: SSX, Pro Evolution Soccer 2012

Best Strategy
Winner: Civilization V: Gods and Kings
Runners up: Total War: Shogun 2 – Fall of the Samurai,
Might and Magic: Heroes VI

Outstanding Contribution
FIFA (EA Sports)

One to Watch
Winner: Grand Theft Auto V
Runners up: Assassin’s Creed III, The Elder Scrolls
Online

Top Gaming Moment
Winner: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Throat of the
World
Runners up: Battlefield 3 – ‘Going Hunting’, Mass Effect
3 – Tuchanka Choice

Ultimate Game of the Year
Winner: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Runners up: Battlefield 3, Diablo III

Greatest YouTube Gamer Award
Winner: Yogscast
Runners up: The Syndicate Project, TotalHalibut