Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 gains 12 nominations across 10 categories at The Game Awards 2025! Read on to find out more about Expedition 33’s nominations at The Game Awards.
The Game Awards Nominations Have Been Announced
Expedition 33 Breaking Records
The Game Awards announced their picks for 2025's top games, and leading the charge is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 with a record-breaking 12 nominations across 10 categories. These nominations were announced during a livestream on November 17, hosted by Game Awards executive producer and host Geoff Keighley.
Expedition 33 has been nominated for 10 categories, namely:
⚫︎ Game of the Year
⚫︎ Best Art Direction
⚫︎ Best Audio Design
⚫︎ Best Game Direction
⚫︎ Best Narrative
⚫︎ Best Score and Music
⚫︎ Best Independent Game
⚫︎ Best Debut Indie Game
⚫︎ Best RPG
⚫︎ Best Performance: Ben Starr (Verso), Jennifer English (Maelle), and Charlie Cox (Gustave)
The staggering number of nominations for Expedition 33 marks a new record for the most nominations received by a single game in The Game Awards’ history. For comparison, the second most-nominated games for this year, Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yotei, only received 7 nominations each.
This comes as no surprise, however, since Expedition 33 has risen as one of the biggest indie hits of this year, with fans and critics alike praising it as a masterpiece and a generational classic. We at Game8 gave it a score of 96, calling it a "stroke of genius" and praising its innovative take on turn-based combat and strong worldbuilding. Read our review on one of the year’s most beloved games below:
Not Quite an Easy Sweep for Expedition 33
Despite its widespread critical acclaim, Expedition 33 will have a difficult time securing a win for certain categories, specifically the prestigious Game of the Year award. Alongside Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, other nominees for Game of the Year 2025 include:
⚫︎ Hollow Knight: Silksong
⚫︎ Hades 2
⚫︎ Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
⚫︎ Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
⚫︎ and Donkey Kong Bananza
All of these games will prove to be fierce competition, as all are critically praised and widely popular staples across genres that have, at one point or another, dominated the gaming culture and discourse this year. Hollow Knight: Silksong, in particular, has been an inescapable phenomenon, with it delivering on its 7-year-long hype and being one of the most highly rated games of the year.
Donkey Kong Bananza also stands out as one of the flagship titles for Nintendo’s new Switch 2, as well as being the first 3D Donkey Kong since Donkey Kong 64 for the Nintendo 64. Meanwhile, Death Stranding 2, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, and Hades 2 were all long-awaited sequels to beloved games that have also built upon the strengths of their predecessors and delivered fresh, unique, and fun gameplay experiences.
Expedition 33 also faces strong competition in other categories as well, with it facing off against Silent Hill f and Ghost of Yotei in Best Narrative and Monster Hunter Wilds and The Outer Worlds 2 for Best RPG, among others. However, regardless if it wins in all its categories, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has already made history for its record-breaking number of nominations at The Game Awards, a testament to its cultural significance in the modern gaming landscape.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is out now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam. Read our article on the game to find out more:
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THE GAME AWARDS 2025 Nominees Revealed!
The Game Awards announces Game of the Year 2025 nominees
Game Awards 2025 Nominations Led by ‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’ With Record 12 Nods
