Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is nominated for a record-breaking 13 awards at The Game Awards 2025, and while it seems likely it will win most of them, chances are it won’t win all of them. There has been a great deal of hype for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ever since it was first revealed to the world, and it’s safe to say that it has exceeded expectations. Solidifying itself as one of the highest-rated new game releases of the year, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the clear favorite to win Game of the Year at this year’s Game Awards.
The Game Awards, set to take place on December 11, has Expedition 33 competing for Game of the Year against the likes of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Donkey Kong Bananza, Hades 2, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. Despite the heavy opposition, Expedition 33 is most likely going to win the top prize.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Does Two Things I Hate, And It’s Still My Game of the Year
Clair Obscur: Expedition has two of my big pet peeves in an RPG and yet it’s still the best game I played in 2025.
If Expedition 33 wins Game of the Year, it stands to reason that it will sweep the other categories it’s nominated in one by one. Game Awards sweeps have happened in the past, and history is likely to repeat itself. But while it seems obvious that a Game of the Year win for Expedition 33 will lead to Best Game Direction, Best Independent Game, and Best Role Playing Game wins, the beloved game by Sandfall Interactive may have a harder time securing wins in four specific categories.
Every Award Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is Nominated for at The Game Awards 2025
- Game of the Year
- Best Game Direction
- Best Narrative
- Best Art Direction
- Best Score and Music
- Best Audio Design
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Best Performance
- Charlie Cox as Gustave
- Jennifer English as Maelle
- Ben Starr as Verso
- Best Independent Game
- Best Debut Indie Game
- Best Role Playing Game
- Players’ Voice
Why Expedition 33 Might Not Win Best Art Direction
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a beautiful game with a haunting art style that perfectly captures its generally depressing tones. It’s a visual masterpiece as much as it is a gameplay masterpiece and there’s no denying that, but what might cost it in this category is the competition and what exactly voters are looking for. Yes, Expedition 33 looks fantastic, but Ghost of Yotei and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach have photorealistic graphics that may help put them over the top. Other games nominated in the category include Hades 2 and Hollow Knight: Silksong, which both have their strengths, but I think this category will ultimately be a battle between Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2, and Ghost of Yotei.
Why Expedition 33 Might Not Win Best Audio Design
The music in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is nothing short of magnificent. It’s legitimately one of the best video game soundtracks of all time, and the case can be made that it is the best. That’s why I think that Expedition 33 is a surefire bet for Best Score and Music and if it loses in that category, I will be shocked. The game’s audio design is incredibly impressive as well, but not to the point where I don’t think it has serious competition in the category.
When it comes to Best Audio Design, Expedition 33 is up against Battlefield 6, which leverages sound rather brilliantly in its online multiplayer battles, Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yotei, and Silent Hill f. I think Battlefield 6 is the favorite to win here, though ARC Raiders was definitely snubbed and probably would have won the award had it been nominated.
Why Expedition 33 Might Not Win Best Performance
One of the main reasons why Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has earned near-universal praise is because of the emotionally-charged performances that bring its memorable characters to life. These performances have secured Expedition 33 a whopping three nominations in a single category, with Charlie Cox as Gustave, Jennifer English as Maelle, and Ben Starr as Verso all nominated. However, the fact that there are three Expedition 33 performances to choose from may cause the game to lose that category.
Expedition 33 enthusiasts may disagree on who gave the best performance in the game. Some may have loved Cox as Gustave, while others may have preferred Jennifer English as Maelle, and others still may swear by Ben Starr as Verso. The Expedition 33 vote will effectively be split three ways in the Performance category, which gives other actors and their games a better shot at winning.
Besides the Expedition 33 performances, there are three others nominated at The Game Awards 2025. Troy Baker’s impressive portrayal of Indiana Jones from Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which proved to be an absolute dead-ringer for Harrison Ford, is in contention, as is Erika Ishii’s powerful turn as Atsu in Ghost of Yotei. Konatsu Kato, who did an excellent job as Hinako Shimizu in Silent Hill f, is also up for the award. I think Indiana Jones may wind up overlooked because the fact that it originally released in 2024, which could give the edge to Ghost of Yotei. Of course, an Expedition 33 performance could still win, but I have my doubts.
Why Expedition 33 Might Not Win Players’ Voice
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has amassed a huge fanbase that adores the game. That’s why it made it to the finals of the Players’ Voice voting. Unfortunately, it has to contend with not one, but two different gacha games in the form of Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves. Gacha games have rewarded their fans for voting them Players’ Voice by giving away free in-game items, and so that could tip the scales and cost Expedition 33 the Players’ Voice award. Then again, perhaps Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves both being on the ballot will split the gacha vote and work in Expedition 33‘s favor.
Overall, I think Expedition 33 still has a shot of winning all these awards, even if its victory isn’t quite as predictable. It will be interesting to see what awards Expedition 33 manages to win when The Game Awards go live on Thursday, December 11 at 7:00pm CST.
- 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
