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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Role-playing (RPG)Turn-based strategy (TBS)AdventureIndie

Time to beat: about 30.9 hours
Plays offline: Yes

Overview

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a 2025 role-playing video game developed by French studio Sandfall Interactive and published by Kepler Interactive. Set in a dark fantasy Belle Époque-inspired universe, the game follows the members of Expedition 33 as they set out to destroy the Paintress, a mysterious entity causing the yearly "Gommage", which results in those at or above an ever-decreasing age being erased from existence. In Expedition 33, the player controls a party of characters from a third-person perspective, exploring areas and engaging in combat. Its turn-based mechanics feature real-time aspects such as quick time events and timed actions in combat.

The project originated in 2019 as Guillaume Broche, a Ubisoft employee who left the company in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to form Sandfall Interactive with friends and contacts, began steadily establishing a core team of 30 developers that came to be supported by various production partners. Inspired by Japanese RPGs that shaped their youth, such as the Final Fantasy and Persona series, the developers at Sandfall sought to create a high-fidelity turn-based role-playing game, a genre they felt AAA studios had neglected. Development began with Unreal Engine 4 and later switched to Unreal Engine 5, providing rendering improvements.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was released for PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S on 24 April 2025, and was available day one on Xbox Game Pass. The game received universal acclaim from critics for its narrative and themes, art direction, game direction, original soundtrack, gameplay, and performances. As of 24 April 2026, it has sold over 8 million units. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 received numerous accolades, and topped various publications' lists of best games of 2025. It became the most awarded title in The Game Awards history, winning nine of the record thirteen nominations it received at The Game Awards 2025, including the paramount Game of the Year recognition. It became the first debut title and second overall title after Baldur's Gate 3 to win Game of the Year from all five major game award ceremonies (Golden Joystick Awards, The Game Awards, D.I.C.E. Awards, GDC Awards, and BAFTA Games Awards).