As award season is coming up, there are a lot of games to consider for the Golden Joystick Awards 2025. For one reason or another, a relatively tiny title has taken the spotlight, beating out heavyweights like Kingdom Come Deliverance II and Ghost of Yotei. It is, of course, none other than surprise hit Clair Obscur Expedition 33.
For a game that seemed like a left-field reveal not too long ago, sitting at the front of the industry’s biggest popularity contest feels unimaginable – no matter how deserved it might be. This is a major moment for the small French developer team Sandfall Interactive, since it pretty much beat out some of the biggest AAA releases this year – at least in nominations.
2025 Golden Joystick Awards Nominees
It’s no news that Clair Obscur has been receiving nothing but praise since launch, and the painterly art style married with the pretty experimental combat system has struck a chord with RPG lovers all around the world. It just goes to show, that you don’t need heavy-action spectacle to make a good RPG.
The slowed-down approach of the turn-based combat system of Expedition 33 blends good timing and rhythm inputs into their battle arenas, and it appears to have worked, as much as it reminds us of JRPGs of old – there’s definitely an audience for it. That hybrid design, paired with the unusual surrealist setting, helped it carve out a unique identity and players are showing their love for it with a ton of nominations for the Golden Joystick Award 2025.
Good news for fans of Clair Obscur is set to continue, with the game’s director confirming the franchise will have a sequel.
It leads the way this year with six nominations, including Studio of the Year. Not far behind, though, are the likes of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Ghost of Yōtei, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II – all of which have four each.
Is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Going To Win This Year?
That’s a good question, but whether Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 actually takes home the top prizes at the Golden Joysticks almost doesn’t matter anymore.The sheer fact that it leads the nomination count has already put it on the same stage as Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yotei, pretty heavy hitters. For a game born out of an experimental French RPG project, that’s a massive victory in itself – no matter if they win or not.
If it does go on to win big? Then we might be looking at the next game to follow the path of Baldur’s Gate 3, a title that starts as a critic’s favorite and ends up reshaping the conversation about what RPGs can be.
