Golden Joystick Awards 2021: Ultimate Game of All Time voting now open!

The time has finally arrived – voting has opened for the Golden Joystick Awards 2021 Ultimate Game of All Time and Best Gaming Hardware of All Time.

These are two brand new award categories that have been introduced this year to celebrate 50 years of gaming, are have been designed to let gamers across the world have their say on what the all-time best video game hardware and software is.

👾 Vote now for the Ultimate Game of All Time

🎮 Vote now for the Best Gaming Hardware of All Time

The shortlists for both categories can be seen below, with some really notable games and hardware making the final cut. Only one game and one piece of hardware can be crowned, though, so now it is time to make your voice heard.

There's some obvious titles in here that just had to be in the mix, as well as some that are arguably more questionable. There's also some notable absences. I mean, where is Super Mario World? Doom obviously has a huge shout here just for how influential it has been, essentially single-handedly creating the FPS genre, but then there's titles like Super Mario 64 and The Last of Us in there, too. This is going to be one tough category to win.

Over in the hardware category there is also a heck of a lot of competition, including a roster that includes some of the very finest gaming platforms of all time. The obvious front runner has to be the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), but with PlayStation 2, Xbox 360 and Atari 2600 in there, too, it isn't going to be a procession for the Nintendo console. Also, where the heck is the NEO-GEO AES?!

Speaking on the voting commencing for these two special categories, as well as the shortlists, Daniel Dawkins said that:

"We assembled a diverse panel of industry luminaries to create a 20 game shortlist, considering factors such as critical reception, social impact, commercial success, legacy and influence, plus a measure of personal preference. We hope our shortlist represents the diversity and achievement of our 50-year-old industry, which - by definition - has been forced to exclude some truly exceptional games. You can find out more about the judging process on GamesRadar and we can’t wait to find out which games and hardware the public will vote as their winners."

So, what are you waiting for?

👾 Vote now for the Ultimate Game of All Time

🎮 Vote now for the Best Gaming Hardware of All Time