A French studio nobody had heard of three years ago just accomplished what seemed impossible: they beat FromSoftware at the awards game.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has officially claimed the title of most awarded game in history, accumulating 436 Game of the Year distinctions across global outlets. That number surpasses Elden Ring’s previous record of 429 awards, a benchmark many assumed would stand unchallenged for years.
This isn’t just another trophy count. It’s a seismic shift in how the industry recognizes excellence.
The numbers behind the crown
The data comes from meticulous tracking on ResetEra forums, led by user Angie, who has been cataloging every GOTY win for Sandfall Interactive’s RPG since its release. The methodology is rigorous: only outlets active for at least a year, with multi-person editorial teams, and without single-platform bias qualify for inclusion.
Here’s how the updated all-time leaderboard looks:
| Rank | Game | GOTY Awards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | 436 |
| 2 | Elden Ring | 429 |
| 3 | The Last of Us Part II | 326 |
The gap between second and third place tells its own story. Elden Ring and Expedition 33 exist in a tier of their own, separated from even the most celebrated games of the last decade by over a hundred awards.
Why this matters beyond the trophies
What makes this achievement genuinely remarkable isn’t just the final tally. It’s the context surrounding it.
Elden Ring came from FromSoftware, a studio with two decades of cult following and the backing of George R.R. Martin’s name recognition. The Last of Us Part II rode on the legacy of one of PlayStation’s most beloved franchises. Both games had enormous built-in audiences before a single review dropped.
Expedition 33 had none of that. Sandfall Interactive was a new studio. The IP was completely original. The marketing budget couldn’t compete with Sony or Bandai Namco’s war chests. And yet here we are.
The game also holds the record for most Player’s Choice awards in history with 125 wins. That distinction matters because it separates critical consensus from actual player sentiment. When both critics and players agree this strongly, you’re looking at something genuinely special rather than just critical darling status.
The Awards season isn’t over
Perhaps the most staggering detail is that Expedition 33’s count will likely climb higher. Several major ceremonies haven’t happened yet:
The DICE Awards arrive on February 12. The Game Developers Choice Awards follow on March 12. The BAFTA Games Awards land on April 17. Each of these carries significant weight in industry circles, and Expedition 33 enters all of them as the heavy favorite.
The game currently maintains a 70% win rate across all available GOTY awards for 2025. That ratio puts it in the company of Street Fighter II and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, games that defined entire generations of players.
At this point, Sandfall’s RPG is essentially competing against its own ceiling.
What this signals for the industry
The broader implication here extends beyond one game’s trophy case. Expedition 33’s dominance suggests that the audience for ambitious, original RPGs remains enormous, and that players will rally behind quality regardless of studio pedigree.
This should encourage publishers to greenlight more risks. It should give smaller studios hope that breakthrough success remains possible without franchise recognition or massive budgets. Whether the industry actually learns that lesson is another question entirely.
For now, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 sits alone at the summit. A new IP from a new studio, beating legends at their own game.
The real question is whether anyone can challenge this record before the decade ends, or if we just witnessed the kind of cultural moment that only happens once every console generation?
