The Last of Us Part 2 takes the trophy for Best Visual Design at the Golden Joystick Awards 2020

Golden Joystick Awards 2020
(Image credit: Naughty Dog)

The Last of Us 2 has been awarded the Best Visual Design trophy at Golden Joystick Awards 2020. 

Put to a public vote, Naughty Dog's sequel is your winner of this year's best visual design award, beating out a host of other fantastic nominees. With some tough competition this year, the amazing lineup of games in a variety of different genres all pack some truly impressive visuals. From the realistic planes of Microsoft Flight Simulator to add the immersive experience, to the striking artwork of Hades that has its own distinctive flare, players have been treated to a veritable feast for the eyes in imaginative virtual works.

You can see the full list of nominees below: 

  •  Ghost of Tsushima 
  •  Hades 
  •  Ori and the Will of the Wisps  
  •  Spiritfarer 
  •  Microsoft Flight Simulator  
  •  Half-Life Alyx 
  •  The Last of Us Part 2  (winner)
  •  Final Fantasy 7 Remake  

The Last of Us Part's attention to detail is staggering. Since the game launched, we've seen all manner of ways Naughty Dog brought the return of Ellie and Joel to life. Using cutting-edge facial animation technology to capture the performances of its cast, each character is incredibly life-like, allowing players to pick up every subtle expression. The studio even used motion capture technology on real horses to capture the look and movements of the animal. With intricate animations, rich environments, and immersive cutscenes, The Last of Us 2 really shows just how innovative and advanced game design can be, and it really is a sight to behold. 

Congratulations to Naughty Dog for winning this award, and to all of the other incredible nominees who made the shortlist. 

Heather Wald
Senior staff writer

I started out writing for the games section of a student-run website as an undergrad, and continued to write about games in my free time during retail and temp jobs for a number of years. Eventually, I earned an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University, and soon after got my first official role in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and games-related, I then did a brief stint as a freelancer before I landed my role as a staff writer here at 12DOVE. Now I get to write features, previews, and reviews, and when I'm not doing that, you can usually find me lost in any one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, tucking into another delightful indie, or drinking far too much tea for my own good.