Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has become the undisputed leader of the gaming awards season, securing an astonishing 180 Game of the Year awards. This puts the title far ahead of every competitor and establishes it as one of the most celebrated releases in recent years. According to analysts from ResetEra, no other game has even come close to matching its level of critical recognition. For comparison, the nearest rival, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, managed to earn only 17 Game of the Year awards, meaning Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 outperformed it by more than ten times.
How the Game of the Year Rankings Are Calculated
The award tally is based on data collected from 257 different media outlets and organizations. These include:
- Gaming websites and online publications
- Print magazines
- Industry award ceremonies
- Entertainment-focused digital platforms
Only overall “Game of the Year” awards are counted. Category-specific wins, such as Best RPG or Best Narrative, are excluded to ensure a fair comparison across titles. Under this methodology, 180 independent sources named Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as the best game of the year — an unprecedented result.
Read also: The Game Awards 2025 Winners — Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Dominates the Ceremony
Top Games by Number of Game of the Year Awards
Here’s how the leading titles stack up:
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — 180 awards
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 — 17 awards
- Hollow Knight: Silksong — 8 awards
- Donkey Kong Bananza — 7 awards
- Blue Prince — 5 awards
- Hades 2 — 5 awards
- Death Stranding 2: On The Beach — 5 awards
The massive gap between first and second place highlights just how dominant Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been throughout the year.
Other Notable Game of the Year Winners
Several additional titles also earned recognition, though on a smaller scale:
- Split Fiction — 4
- Ghost of Yotei — 4
- Dispatch — 3
- Silent Hill f — 3
- Despelote — 2
- Baby Steps — 1
- Horses — 1
- ARC Raiders — 1
- Battlefield 6 — 1
- The Alters — 1
- Deltarune — 1
- Wuthering Waves — 1
- Lost Records: Bloom & Rage — 1
- Trails in the Sky: 1st Chapter — 1
- Anno 117: Pax Romana — 1
- Consume Me — 1
- The Drifter — 1
- Ghost Town — 1
This wide distribution shows how competitive the year was, even though one game clearly stood above the rest.
Controversy at The Indie Game Awards 2025
Interestingly, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 nearly reached 181 awards. However, one Game of the Year title was later revoked following The Indie Game Awards 2025. The organizers cited the game’s use of generative AI during development as the reason for disqualification. As a result, the award was reassigned to Blue Prince, slightly reducing Clair Obscur’s final count but doing little to diminish its overwhelming lead.
A Historic Year for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Even with the controversy, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s achievement remains extraordinary. Securing 180 Game of the Year awards across hundreds of media outlets places it in a rare category of critical success, signaling not only widespread acclaim but also long-term cultural impact within the gaming industry. Whether measured by numbers, influence, or consistency of praise, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has firmly defined this awards season — and possibly the entire year in gaming.
About the Author
