Learn from those who came before, and lay the trail for those who come after.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has officially set a new benchmark for Game of the Year success, becoming the most awarded title of all time with the awards season still ongoing.
Community tracking compiled by ResetEra user Angie shows that Sandfall Interactive’s turn-based Action RPG has now reached 436 Game of the Year awards, pushing it past Elden Ring’s previous record of 429. With several major ceremonies yet to announce their winners, that total is not necessarily final.
The shift at the top is notable, given the competition Expedition 33 has overtaken. Elden Ring’s awards run was long viewed as being untouchable, yet Clair Obscur has edged ahead in a far more crowded awards landscape, where more outlets, organisations, and community votes are in play than ever before.
How Expedition 33 stacks up against Elden Ring and other GOTY winners
Behind the new record-holder, the rest of the all-time top five remains stacked with modern heavyweights. The Last of Us Part II sits on 326 awards, followed by Baldur’s Gate 3 with 288, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on 281.
Looking beyond raw totals, Angie’s breakdown highlights how strongly Clair Obscur has performed in player-driven categories. Expedition 33 currently leads all-time in Players’ Choice awards with 125 wins, ahead of The Last of Us Part II on 115, Elden Ring on 97, and Baldur’s Gate 3 on 89.
That level of player support adds weight to its overall awards run, particularly in a year where community voting plays a larger role than ever across multiple platforms and regions.
How Expedition 33 compares to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Street Fighter II
The comparison shifts when Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is measured against historic award sweeps such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Street Fighter II, where dominance is judged by share rather than sheer volume.
When Game of the Year wins are calculated as a percentage of all awards handed out during a release year, Clair Obscur ranks third historically. It has secured roughly 70% of awards issued so far this year, trailing Street Fighter II’s 80% share in 2005, and Ocarina of Time’s 87% in 1998.
As Angie notes, not all award years are directly comparable. Modern awards seasons feature significantly more voting bodies, including gaming press, newspapers, radio stations, podcasts, and community-led outlets. While this inflates overall totals, it also makes consistency across hundreds of votes harder to achieve, reinforcing the scale of Expedition 33’s achievement.
Sandfall’s profile has risen sharply alongside the game’s success. Expedition 33 has pushed the studio into wider conversation, marking a clear step up from its previously low-key status. The game’s impact has extended beyond the industry, with French president Emmanuel Macron publicly acknowledging its achievements.
That momentum has not come without friction. Last month, Expedition 33 was stripped of two awards from the Indie Game Awards, following allegations surrounding the use of generative AI, briefly shifting the narrative during an otherwise dominant awards run. There also has been some contention around whether Expedition 33 was an indie game, given the backing by publisher Kepling Interactive.
Even so, Sandfall continued to focus on the game itself. During The Game Awards, the studio shadow-dropped new DLC alongside Patch 1.5.0, adding the Verso’s Drafts location and a slate of tougher boss encounters designed to challenge late-game players. The update helped keep engagement high as awards season rolled on.
How much further Expedition 33 can extend its lead
Several major ceremonies are still to come, including the Algeria Game Awards, Arab Game Awards, DICE Awards, GDC Awards, GEM Awards, and the BAFTA Games Awards. With more than 621 Game of the Year awards already issued across 2025, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 remains well-positioned to add to its record before the season concludes.
Whether or not it widens the gap significantly, Expedition 33 has already reshaped expectations for modern Game of the Year dominance, standing alongside gaming’s most celebrated titles while surpassing them on sheer consistency.
