Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 makes Game Awards history as most nominated game ever

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, from developer Sandfall Interactive, has become the most nominated game in The Game Awards history, with a total 12 nominations to its name this year.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 released back in April, to widespread praise across the industry. It is now rounding out a monumental year with those 12 Game Award nominations, including Game of the Year and best performance nods for Ben Starr, Charlie Cox and Jennifer English.

Sharing word of its nominations, the Clair Obscur team wrote: "What a privilege to be nominated, not only for 2025 GAME OF THE YEAR, but also TWELVE??!! TOTAL NOMINATIONS

"There are so many deserving, precious games from this year, and to be nominated among them makes us SO SO very whee... THANK YOU!!"

Earlier this year, nominated actor Charlie Cox - who voiced Gustave in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - said that even though the game has been met with critical acclaim, he personally feels "like a total fraud". Why? Because it turns out that the actor recorded most of his lines in only about four hours as part of a voice over gig set up by his agent.

As well as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, other games leading the nominations at this year's Game Awards include Death Stranding 2 (seven), Ghost of Yōtei (seven), Hades 2 (six), Hollow Knight: Silksong (five) and Split Fiction (four). Sony, meanwhile, is the most-nominated publisher.

You can check out the full list of Game Awards 2025 nominations below:

GAME OF THE YEAR

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• Hades 2 (Supergiant Games)
• Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver)

BEST GAME DIRECTION

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Ghost Of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Hades 2 (Supergiant Games)
• Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios/EA)

BEST NARRATIVE

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Ghost Of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver)
• Silent Hill f (NeoBards Entertainment/KONAMI)

BEST ART DIRECTION

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Ghost Of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Hades 2 (Supergiant Games)
• Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)

BEST SCORE AND MUSIC

• Christopher Larkin, Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Darren Korb, Hades 2
• Lorien Testard, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Toma Otowa, Ghost Of Yōtei
• Woodkid and Ludvig Forssell, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

BEST AUDIO DESIGN

• Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios/EA)
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Ghost Of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Silent Hill f (NeoBards Entertainment/KONAMI)

BEST PERFORMANCE

• Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Charlie Cox, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Erika Ishii, Ghost Of Yōtei
• Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Konatsu Kato, Silent Hill f
• Troy Baker, Indiana Jones And The Great Circle

INNOVATION IN ACCESSIBILITY

• Assassin's Creed Shadows (Ubisoft)
• Atomfall (Rebellion)
• Doom: The Dark Ages (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
• EA Sports FC 26 (EA Canada/EA Romania/EA)
• South Of Midnight (Compulsion Games/Xbox Game Studios)

GAMES FOR IMPACT

• Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia/AP Thomson/Hexacutable)
• Despelote (Julián Cordero/Sebastián Valbuena/Panic)
• Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Don't Nod Montreal/Don't Nod)
• South Of Midnight (Compulsion Games/Xbox Game Studios)
• Wanderstop (Ivy Road/Annapurna Interactive)

BEST ONGOING

• Final Fantasy 14 (Square Enix)
• Fortnite (Epic Games)
• Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Marvel Rivals (NetEase Games)
• No Man's Sky (Hello Games)

BEST COMMUNITY SUPPORT

• Baldur's Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
• Final Fantasy 14 (Square Enix)
• Fortnite (Epic Games)
• Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• No Man's Sky (Hello Games)

BEST INDEPENDENT GAME

• Absolum (Guard Crush Games/Supamonks/Dotemu)
• Ball x Pit (Kenny Sun/Devolver Digital)
• Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury)
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
• Hades 2 (Supergiant Games)
• Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)

BEST DEBUT INDIE GAME

• Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury)
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
• Despelote (Julián Cordero/Sebastián Valbuena/Panic)
• Dispatch (AdHoc Studio)
• Megabonk (Vedinad)

BEST MOBILE GAME

• Destiny: Rising (NetEase Games)
• Persona 5: The Phantom X (Black Wings Game Studio/Sega)
• Sonic Rumble (Rovio Entertainment/Sega)
• Umamusume: Pretty Derby (Cygames Inc.)
• Wuthering Waves (Kuro Games)

BEST VR/AR

• Alien: Rogue Incursion (Survios)
• Arken Age (VitruviusVR)
• Ghost Town (Fireproof Games)
• Marvel's Deadpool VR (Twisted Pixel Games/Oculus Studios)
• The Midnight Walk (MoonHood/Fast Travel Games)

BEST ACTION

• Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios/EA)
• Doom: The Dark Ages (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
• Hades 2 (Supergiant Games)
• Ninja Gaiden 4 (Platinum Games/Team Ninja/Xbox Game Studios)
• Shinobi: Art Of Vengeance (Lizardcube/Sega)

BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE

• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Indiana Jones And The Great Circle (MachineGames/Bethesda Softworks)
• Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
• Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios/EA)

BEST RPG

• Avowed (Obsidian Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios)
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (Warhorse Studios/Deep SIlver)
• The Outer Worlds 2 (Obsidian Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios)
• Monster Hunter Wilds (Capcom)

BEST FIGHTING

• 2XKO (Riot Games)
• Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (Capcom)
• Fatal Fury: City Of The Wolves (SNK Corporation)
• Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection (Digital Eclipse/Atari)
• Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega)

BEST FAMILY

• Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• Lego Party! (SMG Studio/Fictions)
• Lego Voyagers (Light Brick Studios/Annapurna Interactive)
• Mario Kart World (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (Sonic Team/Sega)
• Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios/EA)

BEST SIM/STRATEGY

• The Alters (11 Bit Studios)
• Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles (Square Enix)
• Jurassic World Evolution 3 (Frontier Developments)
• Sid Meier's Civilization 7 (Firaxis Games/2K)
• Tempest Rising (Slipgate Ironworks/3D Realms)
• Two Point Museum (Two Point Studios/Sega)

BEST SPORTS/RACING

• EA Sports FC 26 (EA Canada/EA Romania/EA)
• F1 25 (Codemasters/EA)
• Mario Kart World (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• Rematch (Sloclap/Kepler Interactive)
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (Sonic Team/Sega)

BEST MULTIPLAYER

• Arc Raiders (Embark Studios)
• Battlefield 6 (Electronic Arts)
• Elden Ring Nightreign (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco Entertainment)
• Peak (Aggro Crab/Landfall)
• Split Fiction (Hazelight/EA)

BEST ADAPTATION

• A Minecraft Movie (Legendary Pictures/Mojang/Warner Bros)
• Devil May Cry (Studio Mir/Capcom/Netflix)
• The Last of Us: Season 2 (HBO/PlayStation Productions)
• Splinter Cell: Deathwatch (FOST Studio/Ubisoft/Netflix)
• Until Dawn (Screen Gems/PlayStation Productions)

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME

• 007 First Light (IO Interactive)
• Grand Theft Auto 6 (Rockstar Games)
• Marvel's Wolverine (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Resident Evil Requiem (Capcom)
• The Witcher 4 (CD Projekt Red)

CONTENT CREATOR OF THE YEAR

• Caedrel
• Kai Cenat
• MoistCr1TiKaL
• Sakura Miko
• The Burnt Peanut

BEST ESPORTS GAME

• Counter-Strike 2 (Valve)
• Dota 2 (Valve)
• League Of Legends (Riot)
• Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (Moonton)
• Valorant (Riot)

BEST ESPORTS ATHLETE

• brawk - Brock Somerhalder (Valorant)
• Chovy - Jeong Ji-hoon (League of Legends)
• f0rsakeN - Jason Susanto (Valorant)
• Kakeru - Kakeru Watanabe (Street Fighter)
• MenaRD - Saul Leonardo (Street Fighter)
• Zyw0o - Mathieu Herbaut (Counter-Strike 2)

BEST ESPORTS TEAM

• Gen.G - League of Legends
• NRG - Valorant
• Team Falcons - DOTA 2
• Team Liquid PH - Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
• Team Vitality - Counter-Strike 2

The Game Awards 2025 will take place on Thursday, 11th December, at 7:30pm EST. That's very early in the morning on the 12th, if you are in the UK. Will you be watching?

For more on Clair Obscur, back in October the game's director Guillaume Broche revealed there are still secrets fans are yet to discover, but he wouldn't give any hints. An update for Clair Obscur is also on the cards.