It’s hardly surprising, considering the game’s world-conquering buzz and considering the relatively sparse year of competition, but last month’s Grand Theft Auto V has now officially been christened with its first industry Game of the Year award.

According to an article on the Tech Radar website, Grand Theft Auto V took the top prize at this year’s Golden Joysticks awards. While the game would have been the favorite to win the award in virtually any other year – thanks to a wealth of critical acclaim and the game’s huge, industry-revitalizing sales – it also had a fairly clear path to victory this year.

That’s not to say that the Rockstar Games crime flagship swept the awards. The Last of Us, a survival horror title on the Playstation 3, made a major impression on Golden Joysticks voters, winning awards in the categories of “Best Storytelling,” “Best Newcomer,” and “Studio of the Year” (for Naughty Dog, the game’s developer). Meanwhile, Bioshock Infinite scored “Best Visual Design,” and Ken Levine, the creator of the Bioshock franchise, was presented with the 2013 Golden Joysticks Lifetime Achievement Award.

But the night still belonged to Grand Theft Auto V. With the current console generation winding down and new systems on the way from both Microsoft and Sony, most gaming studios spent 2013 developing launch titles for the new consoles rather than building last-minute games for the old ones. GTA V will therefore likely stand as the last Game of the Year winner from the Xbox 360 or the Playstation 3.

The Golden Joystick prize will also likely mark the first in a series of gaming industry accolades that Grand Theft Auto V will receive between now and the end of the year. The game was always likely to win the Golden Joysticks award: since 2002, GTA titles have won the award three other times, including back to back wins in 2002 and 2003 – for Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City, respectively – and another victory in 2005, for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

How GTA V will fare with other game of the year awards circuits is a bit more of a mystery. From industry publications to gaming organizations, the number of video game awards presented at the end of any given year is surprisingly vast. Certain entities, including Game Informer and Metacritic – which simply awards its game of the year award to the best reviewed title of the year – have a history of GTA titles topping their lists. On the other hand, other publications, including IGN and Edge, have consistently steered clear of titles from the vastly popular crime franchise.