Sandfall Interactive has released the patch notes for a brand-new Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 update. The patch brings a few important fixes to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, improving Sandfall Interactive’s critically acclaimed RPG yet again, almost one year after its release.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the first game from French studio Sandfall Interactive. The game launched in 2025 to instant critical and commercial success, and sales continued to increase as word of mouth spread about its top-tier turn-based combat mechanics and gut-punch narrative. On review aggregator OpenCritic, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 holds a Top Critic Average of 92, indicating universal acclaim, and later in the year, it took home the coveted Game of the Year award at The Game Awards 2025.
Forget the Painters and Writers, I Want a Clair Obscur Game About the Weirdest Expedition of All
The most fascinating expedition in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is often the butt of the joke, but I think it deserves its own game.
Developer Sandfall Interactive recently launched update 1.5.3 for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The new update is purely focused on fixing some lingering bugs in the game, including some frustrating issues that players had endured when using Clair Obscur: Expedition 33‘s Photo Mode. Facial hair will no longer be blurred in Photo Mode up close when Shading is set to Epic, while issues with the Inner Cone Angle and Outer Cone Angle options have also been resolved. A crash that occurred after defeating Sirene has been fixed, as have a few potential soft lock scenarios throughout the game. There was also a very specific issue causing journals to disappear and become impossible to collect again. Not only has this been fixed, but missing journals have been restored retroactively for those who suffered from the bug.
Although the 1.5.3 update doesn’t add any new Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 content, it’s still good that Sandfall Interactive is committed to improving the game long-term. Given its massive critical acclaim in its current and previous states, it’s under no obligation to further smooth out the experience. Back in October, Sandfall added a fresh location as well as new bosses in a different Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 update to celebrate reaching the 5 million sales milestone, so it isn’t opposed to adding more content to the game. Gamers will just have to wait and see whether the developer adds even more to the game in the future, but nothing has been confirmed at this point.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
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As the game turns one year old in April, many fans are curious to hear about what the future holds for the franchise. The developer has yet to confirm anything one way or the other, with writer Jennifer Svedberg-Yen recently joking that she’d “have to kill you” if she spoke about a Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 sequel. The enormous success of the game means that a sequel might feel like a no-brainer from a financial perspective, but the developer could also choose to challenge itself with a new project instead. There is excitement and opportunity in both possibilities, and Sandfall Interactive now has the kind of reputation that ensures gamers will be watching with great interest, regardless of the path it takes in the future.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Update 1.5.3 Patch Notes
Update On Sirene Crash
- After a thorough internal investigation, the crash that occurred after defeating Sirene can no longer be reproduced on our end. If you keep getting this issue, we’d suggest updating your Windows to the latest version. If the issue persists, please submit a report and we’ll continue investigating.
Bug Fixes & Improvements
Photo Mode
- Fixed facial hair of characters being blurred in the Photo Mode on the close distance if Shading was set to Epic.
- Fixed an issue in Photo mode that prevented the Inner Cone Angle and Outer Cone Angle options from affecting the shape of the preview light source.
- Photo Mode’s spotlight and point light display has been modified to improve their visibility
Gameplay
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Fixed an issue where loading a save while picking up a journal could cause that journal to disappear permanently and become impossible to collect again.
- Missing journals are now also restored retroactively when loading affected saves.
- Fixed a soft lock that could occur, during the Chromatic Glissando encounter in Sirene’s Dress level, when a dead expeditioner equipped with Shortcut and Second Chance pictos was swallowed.
- Fixed an issue on Gestral Beach where using the Rematch option after losing the volleyball minigame could create a blocked save.
- Fixed a visual issue where characters affected by Inverted would not have the correct colour effect applied to their eyes.
Environment
- Fixed various environment issues (collisions, misplaced assets, missing or incorrect footsteps SFX) across Verso’s Drafts, the World Map, and other levels.
- Fixed various lighting issues on Steam Deck in Verso’s Drafts, Endless Tower and Stone Wave Cliffs levels.
- 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
Source: Steam
