It’s hard to think of many modern games that are as impactful and historic as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The French “JRPG” immediately became one of the best-rated games of 2025 when it released this Spring, even overshadowing bigger IP making moves in its vicinity, dominating headlines and sales despite launching close to the Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered.
Most of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33‘s prestige can be explained by its consistent ingenuity, creativity, and airtight game design: the game is visually stunning, conceptually inventive, and mechanically impressive, luring in even the most ardent turn-based-combat-haters. These strengths and others are surrounded by a narrative that is at once moving and shocking, with twists and turns that are as unpredictable as they are thought-provoking.
But beyond these face-value aspects is the story of Clair Obscur‘s creation and Sandfall Interactive, which inspires awe of a decidedly different sort. Indeed, Clair Obscur is a bona fide indie success story, a debut from a small studio with little to no prior cultural footprint, that blew everyone away. Clair Obscur‘s industry impact and artistic vision will be celebrated at 2025’s The Game Awards, where it leads with an unprecedented 12 nominations.
Expedition 33 TGA 2025 Nominations
- Game of the Year (WON)
- Best Game Direction (WON)
- Best Narrative (WON)
- Best Art Direction (WON)
- Best Score and Music (WON)
- Best Audio Design
- Best Performance (Charlie Cox as Gustave)
- Best Performance (Ben Starr as Verso)
- Best Performance (Jennifer English as Maelle) (WON)
- Best Independent Game (WON)
- Best Debut Indie Game (WON)
- Best RPG (WON)
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 took home an impressive 9 wins out of 12 nominations. Two of those were in Performance for other actors, but it did win there as well.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Sets Record The Game Awards 2025
Clair Obscur‘s remarkable presence at TGA 2025 was somewhat predictable given its immediate accolades, but it’s still historic. It breaks the record for the most nominations for a single game, in a single year (not counting expansions and the like). Among these nominations were Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, and of course, the coveted Game of the Year award. Seeing that part of Clair Obscur‘s legacy is its status as a breakout hit, it’s not particularly surprising that it would be nominated for Best Debut Indie. It was practically a shoo-in for Best RPG as well.
Worth noting was the game’s impressive representation in the Best Performance category, which contained three of its twelve overall nominations. These nominations honored who many would consider the core trio of Clair Obscur‘s cast: Jennifer English, Charlie Cox, and Ben Starr, all of whom were invaluable for making Expedition 33 what it is. Paired with the Best Narrative nomination, these three Best Performance spots underscore Clair Obscur as one of 2025’s greatest storytelling experiences.
Prior to Expedition 33, The Last of Us 2 was the record holder with 7 awards during the 2020 Game Awards. Expedition 33 now holds that crown.
What Awards Did Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Win at The Game Awards 2025?
The first award Clair Obscur brought home at the ceremony was, perhaps unsurprisingly, Best Independent Game. The honor was accepted by Francois Meurisse and Tom Guillermin, who took the opportunity to underscore Sandfall Interactive’s humble development journey. Fittingly, it also won Best Debut Indie Game.
Clair Obscur‘s sound and visuals were specifically honored as well, as it won both Best Art Direction and Best Score and Music. It snagged Best Narrative too, driving home the breakout exceptionalism of Jennifer Svedberg-Yen debut game script. As for the Best Performance Award… the chips were obviously stacked in Clair Obscur‘s favor. But only one member of its standout cast could win the award: Jennifer English was the one who was ultimately presented with the iconic statuette, hard-earned for her performance as Maelle.
And of course, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ended the night by taking the stage and receiving the coveted honor of Game of the Year. Sandfall Interactive CEO and Creative Director Guillame Broche accepted the award on behalf of the studio, taking the opportunity to announce a free update for Clair Obscur. All in all, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 took home a whopping 9 Game Awards—more than any other single game.
- Released
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April 24, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
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Sandfall Interactive
- Publisher(s)
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Kepler Interactive
