The Game Awards 2025: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 stole the show
The Game Awards 2025 had the usual recipe: trophies, trailers, big moments—and a few surprises. But one storyline was crystal clear from start to finish: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 dominated the night and turned into the headline of the ceremony.
The big headline: one game, a whole stack of awards
Game of the Year went to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and it didn’t stop there. The title also swept several “craft” categories—direction, narrative, art, music—plus major genre wins. In other words: it wasn’t just popular, it was recognized as a complete package.
Key winners (quick and readable)
- Game of the Year: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Game Direction: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Narrative: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Art Direction: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Score & Music: Lorien Testard (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
- Best Performance: Jennifer English (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
- Best RPG: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Independent Game: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Debut Indie Game: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
The “long-life” and community categories
- Best Ongoing: No Man’s Sky
- Players’ Voice (fan vote): Wuthering Waves
- Best Mobile Game: Umamusume: Pretty Derby
- Best VR/AR: The Midnight Walk
Esports highlights
- Best Esports Game: Counter-Strike 2
- Best Esports Team: Team Vitality
- Best Esports Athlete: ZywOo
What the results say about 2025 (three takeaways)
1) Strong creative identity beats brand gravity.
A game with a clear vision can outshine bigger names—even in the biggest mainstream awards show.
2) “Ongoing” is about consistency, not hype.
No Man’s Sky winning again is a reminder that long-term support and steady improvements still matter.
3) Fan voting is a real force.
Players’ Voice continues to be its own ecosystem—often reflecting what’s exploding in the wider player community, not just what dominates traditional press coverage.
Bottom line
TGA 2025 felt unusually decisive: one game set the tone, and the rest of the winners reinforced a broader trend—audiences and juries still reward tight single-player craft, while live-service, mobile, and esports keep growing in parallel lanes.
