The Witcher legend Doug Cockle agrees "there's so many great games this year," but Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the highlight: "It's such a beautifully written game, and beautifully conceived and achieved"

1. Games
2. JRPGs
3. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

The Witcher legend Doug Cockle agrees "there's so many great games this year," but Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the highlight: "It's such a beautifully written game, and beautifully conceived and achieved" News By Ashley Bardhan Contributions from Ali Jones published 20 November 2025

Many people are saying this

Comments (0) ()

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Sandfall Interactive)

We've been blessed with an excess of great games this year, like House Flipper 2 - Scooby-Doo DLC, or Cheese Rolling, CheeseCatToe, and Cheese Racer. Oh yeah, and there was Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which you might have heard of. The Witcher's Geralt actor Doug Cockle certainly has.

I'm deflecting with cheese because 2025 has undeniably been the year of Sandfall Interactive's oui, oui, French JRPG Clair Obscur, which has just amassed a record-breaking number of nominations at The Game Awards. The game was inescapable. If you listened to all the chatter, you'd think Clair Obscur single-handedly brought back turn-based combat and invented the AA game. Well, these accolades are at least partly true, which is why Cockle says Clair Obscur is "a highlight of the year."

"There's so many great games this year," Cockle tells GamesRadar+, and I hope he isn't forgetting Bongo Cat when he says that. "But [...] I lean towards Clair Obscur as just a highlight of the year."

You may like

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is your Ultimate Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards 2025, because of course it is
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's record-high nominations at The Game Awards proves what I've been saying for the past 8 months
• Sandfall says Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 winning GOTY "isn't something we aim for," and even though it would be a "nice little bonus," it's rooting for Megabonk

"It's such a beautifully written game," he continues, "and beautifully conceived, and achieved, as well. So, yeah – I wouldn't be surprised if Clair Obscur is a big winner." Indeed Sandfall's game nabbed the big ticket Ultimate Game of the Year prize at today's Golden Joystick Awards, as well as other laurels like Best Soundtrack.

Jennifer English secured the title of Best Lead Performer at The Golden Joystick Awards for her role as Clair Obscur's Maelle, then Ben Starr was rewarded with Best Supporting Performer for his performance as Verso. Next, we can look forward to seeing Clair Obscur usurp Geoff Keighley at The Game Awards when it airs on December 11.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is your Ultimate Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards 2025, because of course it is.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. CATEGORIES PS5 PC Gaming Xbox Series X Platforms PlayStation Xbox Ashley BardhanSenior Writer

Ashley is a Senior Writer at GamesRadar+. She's been a staff writer at Kotaku and Inverse, too, and she's written freelance pieces about horror and women in games for sites like Rolling Stone, Vulture, IGN, and Polygon. When she's not covering gaming news, she's usually working on expanding her doll collection while watching Saw movies one through 11.

With contributions from

• Ali JonesManaging Editor, News

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is your Ultimate Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards 2025, because of course it is    Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's record-high nominations at The Game Awards proves what I've been saying for the past 8 months    Sandfall says Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 winning GOTY "isn't something we aim for," and even though it would be a "nice little bonus," it's rooting for Megabonk    RPGs reign supreme as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ties Baldur's Gate 3's record-breaking Golden Joystick Awards haul    Not even Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 devs can believe it's the most-nominated Game Awards title in history: "There are so many deserving, precious games from this year"    As Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 surpasses Baldur's Gate 3 on Game Award nominations, Larian publishing lead says it's "intensely hopeful" to see a new IP from a fledgling team do so well    Latest in JRPGs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's record-high nominations at The Game Awards proves what I've been saying for the past 8 months    Former Square Enix exec says "we would love to make more Yoko Taro games," but "the audience size isn't big enough for the costs" if you ignore the Nier games that are big enough for the costs    2016's Tales of Berseria is getting remastered, leaving some JRPG fans puzzled as to why a mere 9-year-old game is getting this treatment before some much older entries    Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 actor Ben Starr can "sympathize" with Daredevil lead Charlie Cox's bewilderment over the French JRPG's success, because he "didn't expect it to be this big" either    Final Fantasy 14 actor speaks out after backlash for her Dawntrail role, says MMO director Yoshi-P apologized on behalf of Square Enix: "He was very kind"    At 100+ hours, Dragon Quest 7 is an enormous JRPG, so in the Reimagined remake "a few of the stories which weren't 100% relevant to the main storyline have just been cut entirely"    Latest in News The Witcher legend Doug Cockle agrees "there's so many great games this year," but Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the highlight: "It's such a beautifully written game, and beautifully conceived and achieved"    Geralt's game actor says he was "sad" to see Henry Cavill go, but that Liam Hemsworth "holds up pretty well" in The Witcher season 4: "He's made it his own character"    Telltale Games veterans' superhero comedy game Dispatch uses a familiar system to track your choices, helping players painstakingly map out how to get every single ending    The Witcher 3 director says his upcoming RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker isn't "going fully into the vampire fantasy," and expect some Dishonored vibes    Lady Dimitrescu actor Maggie Robertson is keen to return as the iconic villain in future Resident Evil games: "we really found something with her"    Even as Xbox drifts away from consoles and exclusives, former exec says the Xbox 360 set Microsoft up for success: "Look at them now, continuing to be the powerhouse – the global powerhouse"    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

1. 1This enthralling team board game is perfect for playing with family this Thanksgiving
2. 2Kirby Air Riders review: "This racer is also equal parts fighting game, minigame collection, and roguelike – and I'm shocked at how well that works"
3. 3Demonschool review: "This Persona-inspired RPG is full of fun, flair, and ready to chomp away at your free time"
4. 4Morsels review: "The Binding of Isaac style roguelike shooting gets somehow grosser, but struggles to set itself apart"
5. 5Dispatch review: "Critical Role fans rejoice – episodic gaming has been superheroically saved by this incredibly charming band of misfits"

1. 1Wicked: For Good review: "Builds to an incredibly cathartic conclusion, but isn't quite as captivating as Part 1"
2. 2The Running Man review: "Some fun action and Glen Powell's star power aren't enough to energize this disappointing Stephen King adaptation"
3. 3Predator: Badlands review: "Die-hard fans may be disappointed, but as a blockbuster action-adventure, Badlands kills it"
4. 4Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc review "Storytelling just as compelling as the chainsaws, devils, and visually excessive fight scenes"
5. 5Tron: Ares review: "Misses out by swapping the Grid for the real world"

1. 1Pluribus season 1 review: "Easily one of the year's best dramas"
2. 2The Witcher season 4 review: "The Henry Cavill-less fourth season is the best yet"
3. 3IT: Welcome to Derry review: "A supremely confident step back into the history of Stephen King's cursed town and killer clown"
4. 4Splinter Cell: Deathwatch review: "A pale imitation of the long-dormant stealth franchise"
5. 5Marvel Zombies review: "A fun expansion of the What If episode with delightful MCU Easter eggs and truly gross R-rated kills"