In a year brimming with blockbuster releases, Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has emerged as the undisputed darling of 2025, amassing a jaw-dropping 436 Game of the Year awards from critics, outlets, and ceremonies globally. This French indie RPG, a labor of love from a compact 30-person team over five years, has officially dethroned FromSoftware’s Elden Ring (435 awards in 2022) to become the most awarded game in history. The updated all-time top 5 speaks volumes about the shifting tides in gaming acclaim:
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – 436 awards
- Elden Ring – 435 awards
- The Last of Us Part II – 326 awards
- Baldur’s Gate 3 – 288 awards
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – 281 awards
Beyond the critic sweep, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 dominated fan-driven accolades with 125 Players’ Choice wins, though it narrowly missed the top spot in VGTimes’ reader poll. Milestones abound: It’s the first debut indie to claim The Game Awards’ GOTY, and the inaugural French title to do so — shattering barriers for smaller studios worldwide. Crafted in an alternate Belle Époque France plagued by the Paintress’s annual “Painted Death” curse, the game masterfully blends turn-based strategy with real-time flair, delivering emotional narratives and boss battles that feel like choreographed art. Released April 2025 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S (with day-one Game Pass access), it’s sold over 6 million copies, fueled by word-of-mouth and stellar reviews.
At The Game Awards 2025, Expedition 33 shattered records with 13 nominations and 9 wins, including GOTY, best game design, narrative, art direction, score, RPG, indie game, debut indie, and best performance for Jennifer English (voicing Maelle). This eclipses The Last of Us Part II‘s 7-win haul from 2020, despite some indie award snubs over early AI use in development — which barely dented its momentum. Scores tell the success story: 92% on OpenCritic, 92/100 critic average on Metacritic (with 9.5 user score), and 95% positive on Steam — “Overwhelmingly Positive” territory.
