Clair Obscur Expedition 33 undeniably earned its status as a gaming phenomenon in 2025, and even beyond, in a year already packed with outstanding releases. It dominated two of the industry’s biggest ceremonies, the Golden Joystick Awards and The Game Awards. More recently, however, other titles have stepped into the spotlight by claiming notable honors of their own. Among them is Hades 2, which was crowned Metacritic’s Game of the Year thanks to an impressive score of 95 for its Nintendo Switch 2 version. Another accolade, this time awarded directly by players, also slipped through the fingers of Sandfall Interactive’s French masterpiece.
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 edged out in gamers’ eyes by a little silk-and-cherry rival
Whether rightly or not, depending on one’s perspective, Clair Obscur Expedition 33 overshadowed many excellent 2025 releases at several major award ceremonies. Fortunately, those titles have found other opportunities to shine. This was especially true at the 2025 Steam Awards, which recently revealed winners across 11 categories, all determined by votes from Steam users.
In this context, Clair Obscur Expedition 33 secured just one award, but a well-earned one: Best Soundtrack, honoring the superb work of composers Lorien Testard and Alice Duport-Percier. However, the game did not take home Steam’s Game of the Year title. That distinction ultimately went to Hollow Knight Silksong, Team Cherry’s long-awaited release, which also won Best Game You Suck At. Meanwhile, Hades 2 claimed the equally deserved award for Best Game on Steam Deck.
It is also worth noting that Clair Obscur Expedition 33 narrowly missed out in other categories where it had strong chances. The Exceptional Narrative award was claimed with style by one of late 2025’s most pleasant surprises, Dispatch, while Outstanding Visual Style went to Silent Hill f. For reference, below is the full list of winners across the 11 categories of the 2025 Steam Awards.
Source: Steam
