- Popular Japanese publication Famitsu has hailed Expedition 33 as its “Super Popular Game Of The Year.”
- 191 notable Japanese developers and voice actors were polled, and Sandfall’s RPG came out on top.
- Ghost of Yotei took the second spot, and Urban Legend Demolition Center came in 3rd place.
Expedition 33 has shaken up the gaming industry, winning multiple awards since its launch. While there has been some controversy due to its AI use, many studios are now looking at the project as a source of inspiration for their AAA endeavors.
The game also appears to be a mega hit among Japanese audiences, as it was named Game of the Year by 191 polled big-name developers and actors in Japan.
Why it matters: Expedition 33 being favored as the top choice among 191 popular Japanese developers confirms that the RPG has been quite well-received by industry figures there, instead of only being popular among gamers.

The popular Japanese publication Famitsu has declared Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as its ‘Super Popular Game Of The Year.’ This annual award is given only to projects that receive the most votes from all-time great Japanese industry developers.
The list of developers who participated in the voting includes the following:
- Yuki Nishio (CD PROJEKT RED, Cyberpunk 2077)
- Yoshinori Kitase (Square Enix, Final Fantasy)
- Akifumi Nakanishi (Capcom, Resident Evil Requiem)
- Naoki Yoshida (Square Enix, Final Fantasy 14)
- Katsuhiro Harada (Bandai Namco Studios, Tekken)
- Hideki Kamiya (Clovers, Bayonetta)
Despite being impressive in its own right, Ghost of Yotei fell behind Expedition 33 and came in second. On a side note, Ghost of Yotei failed to win any awards at The Game Awards 2025, but PlayStation named it GOTY at its own annual awards event.
Urban Legend Demolition Center hogged the third place, followed by Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World.

Expedition 33 was also called the ‘representative title of 2025’ by Famitsu, as the project also proved its significance among Japanese gamers and developers.
Do you think Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 winning all this recognition from developers cements its place as one of the best RPGs in gaming’s history? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion on the Tech4Gamers forum.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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