Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 dominated The Game Awards 2025 in a way that surpassed even Larian’s Baldur’s gate 3.
The turn-based RPG won Game of the Year and set a new all-time record for most awards won by a single game at the ceremony. It swept through nearly every major category it was nominated for, leaving established franchises and highly anticipated sequels empty-handed.
Expedition 33 took home Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Best Role-Playing Game, Best Soundtrack, Best Independent Game, and Best Debut Indie. The wins put it ahead of previous heavy hitters like Elden Ring, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Red Dead Redemption 2 in terms of sheer trophy count at a single ceremony.
The game didn’t achieve a complete sweep in every category it was in. Battlefield 6 won Best Audio Design, while Hades II claimed Best Action Game. Interestingly, Expedition 33 lost the fan-voted Player’s Voice award to gacha game Wuthering Waves.
But the scale of the wins still caught many off guard. Death Stranding 2 was expected by many to take Best Game Direction. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II was seen as the frontrunner for Best RPG given its deep systemic design and quest structure. Ghost of Yōtei, Silent Hill F, and Hollow Knight: Silksong left without wins despite strong showings in their respective categories.
Expedition 33 comes from a new studio of industry veterans backed by publisher funding, the French government, and Microsoft support. Its budget sits around $10 million with a team of over 100 people. This places it in the AA space rather than traditional indie territory, which sparked debate around its wins in the independent game categories.
The game blends painterly art direction with realistic environments and features a heavily produced orchestral score. Its turn-based combat system modernizes classic JRPG formulas. Players have compared its emotional storytelling to Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy X.
Previous Game of the Year winners rarely sweep multiple major categories in the same year. The direction award especially tends to go to a different title than GOTY. Expedition 33‘s performance signals that high-production turn-based RPGs can capture both critical acclaim and broad mainstream appeal.
The ceremony featured a packed slate of world premieres. Larian Studios revealed Divinity, its follow-up to Baldur’s Gate 3. Control 2 got a major showcase, and a new Star Wars title called Fate of the Old Republic opened the show strong.
The final reveal got people talking
The show saved its final world premiere slot for Highguard, a brand new multiplayer hero shooter.
Highguard showed PvP arena combat with horses for traversal and destructible environments. It’s developed by former Titanfall team members and appears positioned as a free-to-play live service title with MOBA-like objectives. The game aims to launch or enter public testing in January.
The placement surprised many. The final reveal slot at The Game Awards typically goes to legacy franchises or massive AAA announcements. Putting an unproven new IP in that spot rather than closing with Divinity or Control 2 became a notable talking point.
The ceremony also showcased updates for Phantom Blade 0, Exodus, multiple soulslike action games, and a Star Wars racing title. The reveal slate leaned heavy on hero shooters, live service games, and dark fantasy action titles set in feudal Asian or medieval settings.
