As if winning nearly every Game of the Year award wasn’t enough, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 fans are now discussing whether it’s good enough to be a worthy Game of the Decade contender.
2025 may not have been as much of a landmark year for gaming as 2023, but it was still packed with stellar releases. Of course, the one that everyone’s been talking about ever since it released is none other than Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which released to little fanfare and ended up winning pretty much everyone over with its fantastic writing, combat, style, and oh so much more.
Considering all of the love for Clair Obscur, it came as no surprise when it ended up sweeping every end-of-year award show, netting it numerous Game of the Year accolades in the process. It was such a hit, in fact, that it managed to break the record for most wins at The Game Awards. As if all of that wasn’t enough, fans are now wondering if it deserves Game of the Decade.
Clair Obscur Fans Are Debating Whether It’s Worthy Of Game Of The Decade
It’s Definitely A Worthy Contender, But The Competition Is Fierce
Ever since Clair Obscur released and had us all going wheee, the phrase “Game of the Decade” has been thrown around for it a lot. Over on the Clair Obscur subreddit, Virtually_Hidden asked fans about this sentiment, noting that the other contenders to the throne are Witcher 3, Baldur’s Gate 3, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Elden Ring, with Clair rivalling most of those games for them.
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Virtually_Hidden wonders whether we’ll ever see a game that “surpasses the combination of E33’s unique and brilliant story along with its smooth compelling gameplay”, all things that make it a Game of the Decade contender. The big question caused quite a debate on the subreddit, with fans sharing how close they think Clair comes to such a massive award.
While Clair fans are obviously going to have very nice things to say about it, the general sentiment is that the game is a worthy contender and part of the top 10, but perhaps not the number one spot. One of the top-voted comments on the thread comes from Redditor DrGevo, who simply said “top 10”. To the point, but it’s something that most seem to agree with.
Redditor DorothyDrangus said that Clair Obscur definitely belongs in the conversation for games released in the ’20s, but that it gets a little more difficult if we’re going back to games like Super Mario Odyssey, Breath of the Wild, and Disco Elysium. In fact, there are some games that directly inspired Sandfall, like Persona 5, that are in that lineup, making a true victory a little harder.
Of course, the real challengers for Game of the Decade are mentioned throughout the thread – Elden Ring and Baldur’s Gate 3. As beloved as Clair Obscur is, a lot of fans agree that those two games are too tough to beat, and likely what would hold Clair back from the crown. Even with that in mind, it’s clear that Clair deserves a spot in the conversation, even if Game of the Decade might be a bit far.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Released
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April 24, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
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Sandfall Interactive
- Publisher(s)
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Kepler Interactive
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