Minecraft won the Still Playing Award in the PC and consoles category at the Golden Joystick Awards 2026, beating No Man's Sky and Helldivers 2 in the vote. The ceremony for the 44th edition of the British awards took place on November 11, 2026 at the Troxy club in London, hosted by actress Alix Wilton Regan, known for her role in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis.

Minecraft beats No Man's Sky and Helldivers 2

In the Still Playing category for PC and consoles, Minecraft picked up 23% of the vote, ahead of No Man's Sky with 16% and Helldivers 2 with 14%. The award honors games that the community keeps coming back to year after year regardless of new releases, with previous nominees including Apex Legends, Fortnite and Warframe.

For Mojang Studios' game, this is yet another confirmation that the title, which launched in its full version back in 2011, still draws in millions of active players despite competition from dozens of new games released every year.

Fresh sales figures also back up that staying power: the Nintendo Switch 2 version landed on the podium of Japan's Famitsu ranking in its first week of availability, selling 11,754 copies between October 26 and November 1, 2026.

Still Playing Award: no fan voting involved

Unlike most of the 25 categories at the Golden Joystick Awards, which are decided by public online voting, the Still Playing Award is one of five categories decided by journalists, game developers and streamers. On mobile, the same award went to the roguelike card game Balatro, showing that the jury values both long-running giants and fresher hits that have quickly built loyal audiences.

The organizers at GamesRadar didn't publish a full list of nominees for this particular category, only announcing the winners, but simply placing Minecraft alongside Apex Legends and Fortnite confirms the game still matters in conversations about titles with the most active communities.

Resident Evil Requiem and other winners of the night

The night's biggest prize, Ultimate Game of the Year, went to Resident Evil Requiem with 17% of the fan vote, completing a haul of four awards for the title this edition, including Console Game of the Year, Best Game Trailer and Best Lead Performer. Other winners included:

  • PC Game of the Year - Crimson Desert
  • Studio of the Year - Capcom
  • Best Indie Game - Valheim
  • Best Multiplayer Game - Mecha Chameleon

The Golden Joystick Awards has honored games chosen largely by players themselves since 1983, setting it apart from industry events like The Game Awards, where juries and specialist press have the final say.

What this award means for players in Poland

For the Polish Minecraft community, the Still Playing Award is above all confirmation that a game people have been playing for years on their own servers and in survival mode hasn't lost its relevance against the new releases hitting the market every year. Anyone wanting to join this group of dedicated players can download the latest versions from the Minecraft Java Edition or Bedrock Edition sections, then look for company on the list of Minecraft servers run by Polish admins.

It's also worth checking out the overview of versions and updates to see what's changed in the game since your last session, because being in the Still Playing category doesn't mean stagnation: Mojang Studios keeps releasing new snapshots and features that keep players glued to their screens.

Sources