Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been one of 2025’s standout hits, and now it’s been confirmed that the game broke records for Xbox Game Pass.
Microsoft announced that Expedition 33 has become the “biggest new third-party game launch on Xbox Game Pass of 2025” based on number of unique users in the first 30 days. It’s not clear what title Expedition 33 took down to become No. 1 for third-party games on Game Pass.
Expedition 33 was developed by Sandfall Interactive, and it was the team’s first game. Creative director Guilllaume Broche said, “This year has been so far beyond what any of us could have imagined, and it’s down to how passionate and supportive our fans have been to make that a reality.”
The game launched the same week this past April as Microsoft’s own Oblivion Remastered, and some feared that Expedition 33 could be overshadowed by the RPG. However, Sandfall said this was not the case and that launching close to Oblivion Remastered had no meaningful effect.
Guy Richards, who works for Xbox, said he understood Sandfall’s ambition from the onset of meeting the team. “Once we played early builds, we experienced their gripping story, stunning visuals, and the mix of JRPG mechanics with French cultural themes that felt fresh and distinctive. It’s the kind of experience we knew Xbox players would love to discover,” Richards said.
Broche said taking a deal from Microsoft to put Expedition 33 on Game Pass worked out for the studio and the game in part because it allowed the game to reach people who “might not have” tried a title like it.
“The turn-based RPG genre has a lot of fans but sometimes it might put people who prefer more real-time action games off, but Game Pass lowered that barrier of entry,” he said. “They could just try it and see how it feels. So a lot of curious players could start the game, explore Lumière and the early game, and realize there’s a lot to enjoy here, even if they weren’t expecting it at first.”
Expedition 33 is available now with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, or it can be purchased outright for $50, though it’s on sale right now for $40. It’s also available on PS5.
Expedition 33 is nominated for 12 awards at The Game Awards, which is the most nominations for a single game in the event’s history. The biggest award it’s up for is Game of the Year. Actor Charlie Cox, who plays Gustave, is nominated for Best Performance, but he wants to share the credit with motion-capture performer Maxence Cazoria.
