Which of Expedition 33’s 12 Game Awards Nominations Will It Actually Win?

The Game Awards are upon us, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has cemented itself as a major frontrunner. It’s not a question of whether or not the Sandfall Interactive RPG will dominate at the ceremony on December 11, but just how hard it will control the night. The fantasy RPG came out of nowhere earlier this year and quickly became one of 2025’s biggest gaming hits. Launching in April on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, the RPG has sold over 5 million copies in the months since.

That’s on top of the overall stellar reviews, cementing the game as a hit with both broad audiences and industry critics. As a result, the game has always been in a good position to dominate the Game Awards. Even fans were somewhat taken aback when Clair Obscur set a Game Awards record by earning 12 nominations. With just a few weeks left before the voting concludes and the awards are handed out, it’s worth looking into just how well the game is set to succeed and if it has what it takes to not just win the biggest award — but potentially all of them.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s 12 Game Awards Nominations, Explained

Following its massive success with audiences earlier this year, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is set to dominate the Game Awards. The nominations were announced earlier this week, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 exceeding the already pretty impressive expectations surrounding the game’s standing at the awards. The game has earned nominations in ten categories: Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score And Music, Best Audio Design, Best Performance, Best Indie Game, Best Debut Indie Game, and Best RPG.

Notably, it has three of the five potential nominations for Best Performance, with Ben Starr, Charlie Cox, and Jennifer English all up for the award. This also gives Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 the Game Awards record for most nominations for a single title in a single year. Some of these nominations, like Game of the Year, Best Game RPG, and Best Performance, make plenty of sense.

Others, like Best Indie Game and Best Debut Indie Game, have been more contentious within the industry and have raised fresh questions about what actually constitutes an “Indie” game and if being from a fresh independent publisher like Sandfall Interactive, but backed by larger companies like Kepler Interactive, still constitutes a fully indie release.

For analysts in the industry, however, these award nominations don’t come as a surprise. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been a shoo-in for a nomination ever since it launched earlier this year, and its enduring place in the year’s releases has made it a frontrunner to win Game of the Year. The actual nominations were a big boon for that award season narrative, which is already taking shape and further entrenching the Sandfall Interactive title as a frontrunner for the Game Awards.

How Hard Will Clair Obscur: Expedition Dominate This Year’s Game Awards?

A full sweep by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 at the Game Awards isn’t impossible, but it would be a very surprising turn of events given the sheer number of awards that the game is up for. The voting public may have a say in the eventual choices, which might also help splinter the vote somewhat and leave the door open for some surprises. However, that was the common conception of the state of the race before the 43rd Golden Joystick Awards. The event is largely voted on by the general public, with only four categories selected entirely by industry critics.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 did phenomenally with the general voting audience, taking home awards for Best Storytelling, Best Visual Design, Best Soundtrack, Best Lead Performer, Best Supporting Performer, and Ultimate Game of the Year. Meanwhile, Sandfall Interactive was named Studio of the Year. In fact, Clair Obscur had a perfect record at the event, winning all 7 awards it was nominated for. All of this goes to show that Clair Obscur isn’t just still resonating with critics and industry insiders, but with the general gaming public as well. Those 7 wins are a testament to the staying power the game has in the current gaming landscape, the groundswell of audience support, and the broader appeal of the game in the larger industry.

There’s no doubt that Clair Obscur is going to do well at the Game Awards. It’s even the undisputed frontrunner to bring the Game of the Year Award home. Other categories, like Best Performance, Best Game RPG, and Best Narrative, also seem like easy victories for the game thanks to its overall popularity and the strength of the title’s overall execution. However, other categories like Best Game Direction, Best Indie Game, Best Score and Music, and Best Art Design could be more contentious. It wouldn’t be surprising to see critics use those categories to highlight other successful releases from this year, like Ghost of Yōtei, Hollow Knight II, Hades 2, or Death Stranding 2. However, especially given the momentum behind the game, it seems like the safe bet is to expect Clair Obscur to clean up at the Game Awards and almost certainly walk away with the top prize.