Game Awards 2025: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Makes History with Record-Breaking Nine Wins
A Historic Night for Independent Gaming
The Game Awards 2025 took place on December 11, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, marking another milestone in gaming’s biggest annual celebration. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 led the ceremony with thirteen nominations and nine wins, the most in the show’s history, including Game of the Year. This independent title from French developer Sandfall Interactive became the first French-developed Game of the Year winner.
Dominant Performance Across Categories
Beyond Game of the Year, Expedition 33 won awards for Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Performance (Jennifer English as Maelle), Best Debut Indie Game, Best Independent Game, and Best RPG. It triumphed in nearly every category it competed in, picking up nine awards in total, surpassing The Last of Us Part II’s previous record of seven wins.
The game’s success wasn’t limited to critical acclaim. Clair Obscur rose to prominence thanks to strong word-of-mouth and its inclusion on the Xbox Game Pass Service, which allowed regular gamers and critics alike to try the game out without committing to a full purchase.
Other Notable Winners and Announcements
Whilst Clair Obscur dominated the night, other titles also earned recognition. Wuthering Waves, a Chinese game with a huge mobile audience, won the Players’ Voice award, the only category completely determined by public online votes. No Man’s Sky won Best Ongoing Game for the second time, having done so in 2020.
The ceremony, which featured presentations from celebrity guests including David Harbour, Dan Houser, Rahul Kohli, and Lenny Kravitz, and a musical performance from Evanescence, also included numerous exciting game announcements. Several new games were announced, including Control Resonant, Divinity, Mega Man: Dual Override, Tomb Raider: Catalyst, and Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic.
Significance for the Gaming Industry
2025 marked the first year in which multiple Game of the Year nominees were independent games, representing a 50/50 split. This demonstrates a significant shift in the industry’s landscape, where independent developers can compete equally with major studios for the industry’s highest honours. The game demonstrates the outsized impact a small team can have on the broader market.
The Game Awards 2025 not only celebrated the year’s best games but also showcased the evolving nature of the gaming industry, where creativity, innovation, and artistic vision matter more than budget size. For UK gamers and developers alike, this represents an encouraging trend towards recognising diverse voices and independent talent in the global gaming community.