History was made in Los Angeles. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 by Sandfall Interactive won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025 — and with 9 wins from 13 nominations, became the most awarded game in the ceremony’s history, surpassing The Last of Us Part II. A French indie studio’s debut game just rewrote the rules of gaming. Earlier in 2025, we covered Expedition 33’s extraordinary launch — the GOTY win was inevitable.
The 9 wins included GOTY, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score/Music, Best Performance (Andy Serkis and Jennifer English), Best RPG, Best Indie, and Best Debut Indie. Guillaume Broche gave a visibly emotional speech; French President Macron issued public congratulations. 8 million copies sold as of that night. Compare with Game Awards 2024, where Astro Bot pulled off the year’s biggest upset.
Reveal highlights: Death Stranding 2 gameplay shown at length. A new FromSoftware project teased. Hollow Knight: Silksong confirmed for a 2026 launch window after years of waiting. A new Hideo Kojima title in a trademark cryptic trailer. The Clair Obscur franchise is confirmed — Sandfall’s journey has only begun.
Source: The Game Awards 2025