Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 wins big at Golden Joystick Awards

Various cast and designers who worked on the game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 standing on stage celebrating their win. The chief executive is on the left of the picture whilst there is someone in the middle taking a picture with their phone.Image source, Golden Joystick Awards
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Critically acclaimed role-playing game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won seven awards

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has swept the Golden Joystick Awards - picking up seven gongs including the main prize.

The critically acclaimed role-playing game (RPG) won Ultimate Game of the Year at the event - one of the oldest and biggest public-voted gaming award shows.

Inspired by old-school, turn-based RPGs, it was made by a core team of about 30 people at developer Sandfall Interactive's offices in France.

Guillaume Broche, chief executive and creative director of Sandfall, thanked the voters and his team as they collected the top prize.

"It's been an unbelievable year for us. We still don't really fathom everything that is going on," he said.

A screenshot from Clair Obscur shows a character with shoulder-length dark hair looking back over her shoulder at the viewer. She wears a red beret, large, red-rimmed sunglasses and a white tank top with thin grey stripes. A knapsack with a baguette poking out of it is slung over her shoulder.Image source, Sandfall Interactive
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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was one of the year's most talked-about video games

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has impressed critics and been praised for its storyline, battles and performances following its release earlier this year.

Two actors who appear in the game - Jennifer English and Ben Starr - picked up the Best Lead Performer and Best Supporting Performer awards, respectively.

The game also won Best Soundtrack, Best Storytelling and Best Visual Design, while Sandfall Interactive won Studio of the Year.

It is also tipped to win big at this year's Game Awards next month after receiving 12 nominations.

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And despite Grand Theft Auto 6 being delayed, it hasn't stopped it from picking up two awards before its even out, winning Most Wanted Game and Best Game Trailer.

Elsewhere, the Critics Choice award went to Donkey Kong Bananza - one of the first big releases on Nintendo's new Switch 2 console.

YouTuber Elz the Witch presented the Streamers Choice award, which went to survival climbing game Peak.

More than 21 million public votes were cast to pick the winners across 22 categories at this year's Golden Joystick Awards.

Four other awards - Critics' Choice Award, Hall of Fame, Breakthrough Award and Streamers' Choice - were chosen by critics.

Screenshot from Donkey Kong Bananza! shows the titular ape celebrating as fragments of a golden banana he has just uncovered explode and fill the screen around him. He grins widely as he jumps in the air, clenched fist outstretched towards the viewer. Next to him, a small, purple rock with blue gem eyes also leaps for joy.Image source, Nintendo
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Donkey Kong Bananza was a key title in this year's Nintendo Switch 2 line-up

The full list of Golden Joystick Awards 2025 winners are:

Best Storytelling - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Best Audio Design - Ghost of Yōtei

Best Multiplayer Game - PEAK

Best Visual Design - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Best Game Expansion - Lies of P: Overture

Best Indie Game Self Published - Hollow Knight: Silksong

Best Indie Game - Blue Prince

Studio of the Year - Sandfall Interactive

Best Early Access Game - R.E.P.O

Best Soundtrack - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Best Game Trailer - Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 2

Still Playing - Mobile - Pokémon GO

Still Playing - Consoles & PC - Minecraft

Streamers' Choice - PEAK

Best Remake / Remaster - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

Breakthrough Award - Schedule I

Best Gaming Hardware - AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D

Best Game Adaptation - Arcane Season 2

Best Supporting Performer - Ben Starr

Best Lead Performer - Jennifer English

Hall of Fame - The Sims

PC Game of the Year - Hollow Knight: Silksong

Console Game of the Year - Ghost of Yōtei

Critics' Choice Award - Donkey Kong Bananza

Most Wanted Game - Grand Theft Auto VI

Ultimate Game of the Year - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

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