Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 shatters records with nine wins at The Game Awards 2025

The 2025 edition of The Game Awards has concluded, and the ceremony belonged almost entirely to a single studio. French developer Sandfall Interactive saw its turn-based RPG, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, sweep most awards it had been nominated for in a manner never before seen in the show's history. Securing the headline Game of the Year trophy was just the cherry on top of a night where the title secured a total of nine awards.

Beyond the top prize, the studio took home hardware for Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, and Best Art Direction. The audio department was similarly celebrated, winning Best Score, while Jennifer English (Maelle) was awarded Best Performance. Given its origins, the title naturally secured both Best Indie Game and Best Debut Indie Game, alongside the Best RPG award. With nine wins from a record-breaking 13 nominations, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has surpassed the previous record held by Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part II, which secured seven awards in 2020.

The sweep was not entirely clean, however. The award for Best Audio Design, which also had Clair Obscur as a nominee, went to Battlefield 6. Additionally, the fan-voted Players' Voice award (in which Clair Obscur was also a nominee) was won by Wuthering Waves. Other winners were Hades 2, which got the Best Action Game award, Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles in the Best Sim/Strategy Game category, and Hollow Knight: Silksong in the Best Action/Adventure Game category. The complete list of winners can be found below:

GAME OF THE YEAR

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive) – Winner
• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• Hades II (Supergiant Games)
• Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver)

BEST GAME DIRECTION

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive) – Winner
• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Hades II (Supergiant Games)
• Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios/EA)

BEST NARRATIVE

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive) – Winner
• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver)
• Silent Hill f (NeoBards Entertainment/KONAMI)

BEST ART DIRECTION

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive) – Winner
• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Hades II (Supergiant Games)
• Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)

BEST SCORE AND MUSIC

• Christopher Larkin, Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Darren Korb, Hades II
• Lorien Testard, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Winner
• Toma Otowa, Ghost of Yōtei
• Woodkid and Ludvig Forssell, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

BEST AUDIO DESIGN

• Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios/EA) – Winner
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Silent Hill f (NeoBards Entertainment/KONAMI)

BEST PERFORMANCE

• Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Charlie Cox, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Erika Ishii, Ghost of Yōtei
• Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Winner
• Konatsu Kato, Silent Hill f
• Troy Baker, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

INNOVATION IN ACCESSIBILITY

• Assassin's Creed Shadows (Ubisoft)
• Atomfall (Rebellion)
• Doom: The Dark Ages (id Software/Bethesda Softworks) – Winner
• EA Sports FC 26 (EA Canada/EA Romania/EA)
• South of Midnight (Compulsion Games/Xbox Game Studios)

GAMES FOR IMPACT

• Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia/AP Thomson/Hexacutable)
• Despelote (Julián Cordero/Sebastián Valbuena/Panic)
• Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Don't Nod Montreal/Don't Nod)
• South of Midnight (Compulsion Games/Xbox Game Studios) – Winner
• Wanderstop (Ivy Road/Annapurna Interactive)

BEST ONGOING GAME

• Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
• Fortnite (Epic Games)
• Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Marvel Rivals (NetEase Games)
• No Man's Sky (Hello Games) – Winner

BEST COMMUNITY SUPPORT

• Baldur's Gate 3 (Larian Studios) – Winner
• Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
• Fortnite (Epic Games)
• Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• No Man's Sky (Hello Games)

BEST INDEPENDENT GAME

• Absolum (Guard Crush Games/Supamonks/Dotemu)
• Ball x Pit (Kenny Sun/Devolver Digital)
• Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury)
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive) – Winner
• Hades II (Supergiant Games)
• Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)

BEST DEBUT INDIE GAME

• Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury)
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive) – Winner
• Despelote (Julián Cordero/Sebastián Valbuena/Panic)
• Dispatch (AdHoc Studio)

BEST MOBILE GAME

• Destiny: Rising (NetEase Games)
• Persona 5: The Phantom X (Black Wings Game Studio/Sega)
• Sonic Rumble (Rovio Entertainment/Sega)
• Umamusume: Pretty Derby (Cygames Inc.) – Winner
• Wuthering Waves (Kuro Games)

BEST VR/AR GAME

• Alien: Rogue Incursion (Survios)
• Arken Age (VitruviusVR)
• Ghost Town (Fireproof Games)
• Marvel's Deadpool VR (Twisted Pixel Games/Oculus Studios)
• The Midnight Walk (MoonHood/Fast Travel Games) – Winner

BEST ACTION GAME

• Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios/EA)
• Doom: The Dark Ages (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
• Hades II (Supergiant Games) – Winner
• Ninja Gaiden 4 (Platinum Games/Team Ninja/Xbox Game Studios)
• Shinobi: Art of Vengeance (Lizardcube/Sega)

BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE GAME

• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (MachineGames/Bethesda Softworks)
• Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry) – Winner
• Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios/EA)

BEST RPG

• Avowed (Obsidian Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios)
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive) – Winner
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver)
• The Outer Worlds 2 (Obsidian Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios)
• Monster Hunter Wilds (Capcom)

BEST FIGHTING GAME

• 2XKO (Riot Games)
• Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (Capcom)
• Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (SNK Corporation) – Winner
• Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection (Digital Eclipse/Atari)
• Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega)

BEST FAMILY GAME

• Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo) – Winner
• LEGO Party! (SMG Studio/Fictions)
• LEGO Voyagers (Light Brick Studios/Annapurna Interactive)
• Mario Kart World (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (Sonic Team/Sega)
• Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios/EA)

BEST SIM/STRATEGY GAME

• The Alters (11 Bit Studios)
• FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles (Square Enix) – Winner
• Jurassic World Evolution 3 (Frontier Developments)
• Sid Meier's Civilization VII (Firaxis Games/2K)
• Tempest Rising (Slipgate Ironworks/3D Realms)
• Two Point Museum (Two Point Studios/Sega)

BEST SPORTS/RACING GAME

• EA Sports FC 26 (EA Canada/EA Romania/EA)
• F1 25 (Codemasters/EA)
• Mario Kart World (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo) – Winner
• Rematch (Sloclap/Kepler Interactive)
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (Sonic Team/Sega)

BEST MULTIPLAYER GAME

• Arc Raiders (Embark Studios) – Winner
• Battlefield 6 (Electronic Arts)
• Elden Ring Nightreign (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco Entertainment)
• Peak (Aggro Crab/Landfall)
• Split Fiction (Hazelight/EA)

BEST ADAPTATION

• A Minecraft Movie (Legendary Pictures/Mojang/Warner Bros)
• Devil May Cry (Studio Mir/Capcom/Netflix)
• The Last of Us: Season 2 (HBO/PlayStation Productions) – Winner
• Splinter Cell: Deathwatch (FOST Studio/Ubisoft/Netflix)
• Until Dawn (Screen Gems/PlayStation Productions)

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME

• 007 First Light (IO Interactive)
• Grand Theft Auto VI (Rockstar Games) – Winner
• Marvel's Wolverine (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Resident Evil Requiem (Capcom)
• The Witcher IV (CD Projekt Red)

PLAYERS' VOICE

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
• Dispatch (AdHoc Studio)
• Genshin Impact (miHoYo/HoYoverse)
• Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
• Wuthering Waves (Kuro Games) – Winner

CONTENT CREATOR OF THE YEAR

• Caedrel
• Kai Cenat
• MoistCr1TiKaL – Winner
• Sakura Miko
• The Burnt Peanut

BEST ESPORTS GAME

• Counter-Strike 2 (Valve) – Winner
• DOTA 2 (Valve)
• League of Legends (Riot)
• Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (Moonton)
• Valorant (Riot)

BEST ESPORTS ATHLETE

• brawk – Brock Somerhalder (Valorant)
• Chovy – Jeong Ji-hoon (League of Legends) – Winner
• f0rsakeN – Jason Susanto (Valorant)
• Kakeru – Kakeru Watanabe (Street Fighter)
• MenaRD – Saul Leonardo (Street Fighter)
• Zyw0o – Mathieu Herbaut (Counter-Strike 2)

BEST ESPORTS TEAM

• Gen.G – League of Legends
• NRG – Valorant
• Team Falcons – DOTA 2
• Team Liquid PH – Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
• Team Vitality – Counter-Strike 2 – Winner

KitGuru says: Do you agree with the winners? Was Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 a worthy winner of so many awards?

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