The accolades kept coming for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, as the hit 2025 RPG was named Game of the Year during the 29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards ceremony. Alongside Expedition 33, other 2025 games took home some honors from the D.I.C.E. Awards as well, including Blue Prince, Hades 2, and Ghost of Yotei.
It's no secret that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has won the favor of players and critics alike since it's April 2025 launch. Sandfall Interactive's RPG has captivated audiences with its compelling story, turn-based gameplay, and memorable music tracks. During the 2025 edition of The Game Awards, Expedition 33 won a record-setting nine awards, including the coveted Game of the Year honor. Following The Game Awards, Expedition 33 shadow-dropped a free content update as a way to express gratitude to its players. The December update introduced an endgame dungeon for battle-tested Expedition 33 players to take on.
"Possibly Ancient" Customs Reportedly Confiscates Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Art Book for Bizarre Reason
A Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 official art book is confiscated by customs officers, who seem to have mistaken it for an ancient text.
Expedition 33 Wins Another GOTY Honor
Weeks after Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was nominated for seven D.I.C.E. Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) handed the hit RPG some more hardware for the trophy case. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Game of the Year during the 29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards on February 12. Along with the GOTY honor, Expedition 33 also won Role-Playing Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction, Outstanding Achievement in Story, and Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction. Ergo, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won five of the seven awards it was nominated for. Meggan Scavio, President of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, said, “The games recognized at this year’s D.I.C.E. Awards showcase the extraordinary range of talent and creativity that define our industry. It’s inspiring to see how these developers continue to elevate interactive entertainment through innovation, storytelling, and meaningful player experiences.”
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
However, Expedition 33 was not the only big winner during the 29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards show. Ghost of Yotei was selected for the Adventure Game of the Year award, and won Outstanding Achievement in Character for Atsu, and Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition. The victories came just hours after Ghost of Yotei revealed its free Legends DLC during the February 12 State of Play broadcast. Ghost of Yotei: Legends goes live on Tuesday, March 10. Along with Expedition 33 and Ghost of Yotei, two more games took home multiple honors during the D.I.C.E Awards. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach won the Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design, and Outstanding Technical Achievement categories. Additionally, Blue Prince took home the Outstanding Achievement in Game Design, and Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game. Other honors went to Mario Kart World for Racing Game of the Year, Hades 2 for Action Game of the Year, and ARC Raiders for Online Game of the Year.
Expedition 33's Trophy Count Continues to Grow
With its five wins at the 29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has won over 440 Game of the Year awards from different organizations across the globe. In late January 2026, a Resetera post claimed that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won more awards than Elden Ring did, as the latter took home 429 honors since its 2022 launch. Although Expedition 33 did not win every single award it has been nominated for so far, the fact that it has won hundreds of accolades in under a year is a feat that is unlikely to be surpassed anytime soon.
However, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 may not yet be done bringing new players to the fold. Rumors of a potential Switch 2 port of Expedition 33 made the rounds on social media in early 2026, though nothing official has been confirmed by Sandfall Interactive. Whether Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 makes the jump to Nintendo's latest console remains to be seen.
29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Winners
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
South of Midnight
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Outstanding Achievement in Character
Ghost of Yotei – Atsu
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
Ghost of Yotei
Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Outstanding Achievement in Story
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Outstanding Technical Achievement
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Action Game of the Year
Hades 2
Adventure Game of the Year
Ghost of Yotei
Family Game of the Year
LEGO Party!
Fighting Game of the Year
Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection
Racing Game of the Year
Mario Kart World
Role-Playing Game of the Year
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Sports Game of the Year
Rematch
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
The Alters
Online Game of the Year
Arc Raiders
Immersive Reality Technical Achievement
Hotel Infinity
Immersive Reality Game of the Year
Ghost Town
Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game
Blue Prince
Mobile Game of the Year
Persona 5: The Phantom X
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
Blue Prince
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Game of the Year
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 92 /100 Critics Rec: 98%
- Released
- April 24, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Sandfall Interactive
- Publisher(s)
- Kepler Interactive
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Turn-Based RPG, JRPG, Fantasy
