2025 should have been the year where the maw that is Grand Theft Auto's cultural cachet consumed all. It only took five months for Rockstar to release a little oxygen into the room, the studio pushing GTA 6 into 2026 – a small act of mercy that allowed a very different conversation to shape.
The GR+ team came together to determine our GOTY for 2025. Each member submitted a ballot of their pick of the 10 best games of the year in ranked order. We then took those results to help form the ranked list below. It's worth noting that remasters, expansions, and early access games were not eligible for consideration. For everything else, the eligibility window for inclusion and consideration was Dec 1, 2024–Nov 30, 2025.
I have been covering the video game industry for almost two decades in one form or another, and I've long believed that you can learn a lot about the current state of play by examining the games which define any given year. That's certainly true of the best games of 2025 which, when taken together, tell a pretty compelling story about where interactive entertainment is today and where it may be heading in the future.
Below you'll find the GamesRadar+ ranking of the 25 best games of the year, culminating in our pick for Game of the Year 2025. And before you go, we would love for you to share what your GOTY 2025 pick is in the comments below. – Josh West
Editor-in-Chief, GamesRadar+
Games of the Year 2025
25. Mario Kart World
Developer: Nintendo EPD | Platform(s): Nintendo Switch 2
The decade-long reign of Mario Kart 8 finally drew to a close in 2025. Considered to be the pinnacle of kart-racing games, MK8 registered as the most popular title on the Wii U (8.4 million sales) and Nintendo Switch, with the Deluxe release finding its way into 69.5 million homes. So it came as no surprise when Nintendo engineered a sequel to help propel the Switch 2 launch into the stratosphere on day one.
Mario Kart World advances the core foundational design of its predecessor, expanding its scope with an interconnected open world and larger races than ever before. Innovative modes like Knockout Tour demonstrate that Nintendo is still capable of iterating in a genre it conquered long ago, while vibrant visuals and punchy performance ensure that Mario Kart World is undoubtedly an early system showcase. Fun for all ages and designed to thrive in multiplayer scenarios, Mario Kart World is a true delight.
Read Rollin Bishop's full review of Mario Kart World to learn more.
24. Two Point Museum
Developer: Two Point Studios | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
Two Point Studios came into this world with a single purpose: to channel the spirit of Theme Hospital into a new vessel. The success of Two Point Hospital fuelled the creation of Two Point Campus, an entertaining expansion that nonetheless made us question whether the same trick could be pulled indefinitely. If Two Point Museum proves anything, it's that this foundational formula can work for as long as Two Point Studios can locate the appropriate settings.
The simulation is wider and more rewarding here, with Two Point Museum settling into compulsive cycles far faster than its predecessors once the depth of its underlying curation concept reveals itself over time. Establishing a popular exhibit, furnishing it with all manner of oddities and curiosities, feels more like an act of artistic expression than the workings of a demanding role in project management. It's rare to find a business simulation game that feels so full of life.
Read Heather Wald's review of Two Point Museum to learn more.
23. Dying Light: The Beast
Developer: Techland | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
After completing development of Dying Light 2, Techland faced a fork in the road. It could have followed in the footsteps of other independent studios like CDPR, leveraging measures of success to push for increasingly ambitious, risky horizons. Or it could head into the wilderness, taking time to interrogate why Dying Light attracted over 20 million players while its sequel seemed to only sow division. Techland decided to take the second path, and so Dying Light: The Beast was found.
It's remarkable, really, that an act of creative self-restraint led to such strong results. A shift away from a narrative-Legos approach to storytelling and world-building afforded Techland the space to deliver a far narrower, more confident vision. The sprawling playspace is densely detailed; daytime action freedom personified, the night a ballet of tension; combat, visceral and hard-hitting. The Beast is a careful iteration of the Dying Light concept rather than a grand revolution, and is all the better for it.
Read Jasmine Gould-Wilson's full review of Dying Light: The Beast to learn more.
22. Monster Hunter Wilds
Developer: Capcom | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
Monster Hunter World became one of the most important video games in Capcom history when it released in 2018, a revelatory action-RPG that transformed a niche series into a global phenomenon. A long-awaited sequel to the best-selling Capcom title was always going to draw attention and scrutiny in equal measure, which is part of what makes Monster Hunter Wilds feel like such a wild success story.
Questions remain as to whether Wilds has the longevity of its predecessor, although few would debate that this is pure Monster Hunter – the concept distilled and refined to its finest. There's something obviously compelling about the idea of journeying with friends to fell creatures, crafting increasingly audacious weapons from the remains, and then rampaging into combat against even more audacious monsters. Wilds perfects this by stripping out busywork and distraction, and by greatly increasing the depth of buildcrafting and customization. Whether you're solo or with friends, Monster Hunter Wilds is a riot.
Read Austin Wood's full review of Monster Hunter Wilds to learn more.
21. Ninja Gaiden 4
Developer: Team Ninja, PlatinumGames | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
In an era where difficulty has become almost synonymous with the Soulslike genre, what space remains for the traditional character-action game? That was the challenge development partners Team Ninja and PlatinumGames faced as they sought to revive the Ninja Gaiden franchise, some 13 years after Ryu Hayabusa's last 3D outing. Ninja Gaiden 4 is by just about every measure an unabashed success – a blistering combat experience which seems to revel in its balanced, bloodsoaked brutality.
PlatinumGames is perhaps best known for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and the Bayonetta trilogy, a collection of pristine character-action games that match dizzying spectacle with intricate underlying designs packed with punch and personality. That much is true of Ninja Gaiden 4 too, which quickly settles into a thunderous rhythm and never lets up across its runtime. It's frantic, demanding, and comically bloody at times, but we would have accepted nothing less from this franchise. All hail the ultra-violence.
Read Oscar Taylor-Kent's full review of Ninja Gaiden 4 to learn more.
20. Assassin's Creed Shadows
Developer: Ubisoft Quebec | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
It may have taken Ubisoft 18 years to appropriately calibrate the Animus, but Assassin's Creed finally centered its attention on Japan. The setting had been long requested, and is thankfully well delivered. Assassin's Creed Shadows captures the majesty and beauty of feudal Japan, an expansive space that's densely populated with detail and distraction in equal measure. It's a staggering achievement; the sort of landscape that you'll gladly sacrifice hundreds of hours to exploring and uncovering.
In a sense, Shadows is a culmination of the journey Ubisoft has been on through the development of Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla to redefine what Assassin's Creed can be. Dual protagonists in shinobi Naoe and samurai Yasuke mean there's greater harmony between the series' stealthy spine and its action-RPG impulses than ever before; there's a degree of freedom here that is wondrous. So too are improvements to combat, movement, and progression. Assassin's Creed Shadows is an adventure worth taking.
Read Andrew Brown's full review of Assassin's Creed Shadows to learn more.
19. Pokemon Legends Z-A
Developer: Game Freak | Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
It is somewhat ironic that a franchise so entirely centered around the concept of evolution is so incapable of doing so for itself. It's almost as if developer Game Freak has spent the better part of 30 years clutching an Everstone, afraid that letting this peculiar item slip through its fingers could inadvertently alter the appeal of a true titan of popular culture. Perhaps that's why Pokemon Legends Z-A feels so refreshing.
While Legends Z-A is hardly a true shock to the system, Game Freak introduces just enough iteration to revitalize Pokemon in a way that 2022's Scarlet and Violet failed to do. The battle system is the biggest draw with real-time combat that brings a dynamism to encounters in a way the tired turn-based framework never could. If you've been an aspiring trainer for a couple of decades, having routine battle strategies upended is thrilling – as is returning to Lumiose City so many years after Pokemon X and Y.
Read Catherine Lewis' full review of Pokemon Legends Z-A to learn more.
18. Split Fiction
Developer: Hazelight Studios | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
Game director Josef Fares is such a chaos agent that it can be all too easy to forget that Hazelight has been quietly developing some of the best co-op games of the modern era. A Way Out was a sharp declaration of intent, It Takes Two a revelation – so what then of Split Fiction? Calling it a masterwork seems too overt of a suggestion, though there's little doubt that Split Fiction has raised the bar to new heights.
Designed to be played entirely in split screen (either local or online, mercifully), Split Fiction uses its strict two-player setup to deliver a staggering, consistently brilliant stream of unique scenarios and challenges – each conquered through the power of collaboration. The way Hazelight is able to wield its storybook frame to constantly rewrite the rules of engagement is truly brilliant, as is Split Fiction's ability to constantly subvert expectations with big ideas and bolder executions.
Read Sam Loveridge's full review of Split Fiction to learn more.
17. Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
Developer: Don't Nod | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
When Don't Nod deployed Life is Strange in 2015, it was a true turning point for a model of adventure game best epitomized by studios like LucasArts Games and Telltale Games. It also cast an exceptionally long shadow, setting a benchmark for quality and execution that's been virtually unreachable. Until the release of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage that is. Having spent five years experimenting outside of the genre it once redefined, Don't Nod returned with plenty to say.
While it's true that nostalgia is wielded as a weapon for self-reflection for those of the Gen X and Y persuasion, the way Lost Records is able to playfully reckon with its '90s setting is brilliant. The ability to seamlessly record anything and everything around you, piecing together little home movies, makes the personal playable – fostering real connection with the world and those who inhibit it before Bloom & Rage veers into strange, unfamiliar, inescapable territories.
Read Rachel Watts' full review of Lost Records: Bloom and Rage – Tape 1 to learn more.
16. Battlefield 6
Developer: Battlefield Studios | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
The reports of Battlefield's death were greatly exaggerated. It's astonishing that developer DICE was able to rally after the cataclysmic launch of Battlefield 2042, where a toxic combination of trend watching and over indulgence left an iconic FPS franchise fighting for relevance in a fast-moving market. And so DICE joined forces with three other studios at EA to plot a new offensive. Battlefield 6 is a resounding success.
While it's undoubtedly a love letter to the Battlefield 3 and 4 eras of all-out-warfare, the latest installment has plenty of new ideas to bring to the table. The grand-scale multiplayer experience is effectively unrivaled – particularly at a time where the genre's frontline has been drawn between battle royale and extraction shooters. Cooperation is key, bravery and bold action is rewarded, while the push and pull of its battle rhythms always makes it feel as if you're just inches away from victory or defeat.
Read Joel Franey's full review of Battlefield 6 to learn more.
15. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Developer: Kojima Productions | Platform(s): PS5
There's an almost paradoxical tension at the heart of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. It wasn't the labyrinthine storytelling that defined the original adventure, but rather the friction that was generated through its interlocking systems and mechanics. Yet, Kojima Productions so clearly worked to sand down as many rough edges as it could for its Australia-set sequel – did the studio, helmed by iconic writer and director Hideo Kojima, not risk dispelling some of the magic?
That Death Stranding 2 is able to so resolutely succeed, even as it shifted focus away from long, solitary hikes across hostile, barren territories, speaks to its absolute quality. Movement and inventory management is slick, careful refinement making even the smallest action feel gratifying. Combat is greatly improved, making On the Beach feel like an expansive, Metal Gear Solid 5-inspired sandbox. And the social connective tissue tying everything together is better implemented, fueling a more well-rounded, albeit still utterly bizarre experience that's a must-play for all PS5 owners.
Read Oscar Taylor-Kent's full review of Death Stranding 2 for more.
14. Peak
Developer: Aggro Crab | Platform(s): PC
It's been a pretty torrid year for the video game industry. Mass layoffs, studio closures, consolidations, and increasingly widespread use of generative AI (automating work which could have otherwise been done by people working behind the polygons) all point to a core unsustainability in the market. But then something like Peak comes along, shifting no fewer than 10 million copies in just two months.
Peak is proof that a small, creative group of developers with a smart, central idea can still cut through the noise and find monstrous success. It's you plus three friends communicating over proximity chat, facing a massive mountain to climb together. A simple concept that belies the utter carnage that's created as players clumsily grasp at outreached hands, battle diminishing stamina bars, and manage fraying relationships as teamwork crumbles across increasingly hostile terrain. Peak is an essential co-op game, and undoubtedly some of the most fun you can have online with your buddies this year.
Read Ali Jones' review of Peak to learn more.
13. Dispatch
Developer: AdHoc Studio | Platform(s): PC, PS5
It's difficult to pinpoint the exact reason the episodic model Telltale Games pioneered fell out of favor, eventually leading to the studio shuttering in 2018. You could point to a lack of real forward momentum in design principles, or uneven release schedules which led to long delays between instalments, and plenty more besides. AdHoc Studio, staffed by former Telltale developers, has reckoned with these realities and delivered something that is truly definitive in Dispatch.
An interactive animated TV show as much as it is anything else, Dispatch saw its eight episode run deploy over three weeks like clockwork – a scheduling miracle that helped make this feel like a prestige release from Netflix or Prime Video. It certainly didn't hurt that every batch of episodes arrived with exceptional production values, and enough points of interaction to put you in control of the narrative. Factor in an all-star cast and Dispatch is a definitive superhero workplace comedy.
Read Oscar Taylor-Kent's all episodes review of Dispatch to learn more.
12. Avowed
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment | Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series X
2025 is the year Obsidian Entertainment emerged as one of Microsoft Gaming's shrewdest acquisitions. The studio launched two RPGs and a survival game into early access; what's staggering is how high the quality is for all three titles. Avowed launched early into this year and was undoubtedly the biggest risk of the group, a fully fledged role-playing game set in the wider Pillars of Eternity universe. This project could quite easily have gotten caught between two worlds.
Instead, Obsidian delivered one of the best fantasy RPGs of the year. Rather than act as an anchor, the lore of Eora was carefully woven into the fabric of the Living Lands – achieving balance between depth and approachability. The decision to focus on larger explorable zones rather than a seamless space paid dividends, allowing Obsidian to pack more detail and warped beauty into its landscapes, while a variety of combat setups ensure encounters never lose their magic.
Read Anna Koselke's full review of Avowed to learn more.
11. Blue Prince
Developer: Dogubomb | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
Blue Prince is special. It's also difficult to accurately describe, pushing anyone trying to explain this puzzle-adventure game into a series of 'what ifs'. What if Myst was reimagined as a roguelike? What if Mark Z. Danielewski's inimitable novel House of Leaves was adapted into a video game? What if an experience ostensibly about architectural drafting was one of the most engrossing games of the year?
Blue Prince is all of these things and none of them at all; a true curiosity. Each day you are tasked with exploring a mansion with an ever-shifting layout, your footsteps the key expendable resource determining when the 45-room space resets to zero. Randomized cards help you plot new routes around the mansion, with rooms leading to everywhere or nowhere at all – circuitous loops develop, only hastening a desire to solve the puzzle. The roguelike genre is saturated with smart video games, but Blue Prince shows there's still plenty of room for creative developers to innovate.
Read Oscar Taylor-Kent's full review of Blue Prince to learn more.
GOTY 2025: The Top 10
10. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Developer: Warhorse Studios | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
When this console generation draws to a close, it's likely that we'll view it as an era defined by the strength of its RPGs. From Baldur's Gate 3 to Elden Ring and beyond, we've been absolutely spoiled for choice. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 will undoubtedly be a part of that conversation, which is shocking when you consider just how purposefully hostile this realistic medieval RPG can be at times.
Warhorse Studios has delivered a massive, sprawling adventure that refuses to compromise on its core creative vision – a video game where friction and frustration are treated as features, rather than bugs. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 builds an exceptional experience around the hardships of existing in 1403, effortlessly immersing you into the period with rich storytelling, system-heavy progression and combat, and a lush visual design. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is an ambitious video game that succeeds on its unwavering commitment to kicking players down a few pegs.
Read Alan Wen's full review of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 to learn more.
9. The Outer Worlds 2
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
The Outer Worlds 2 is a really interesting example of what a bigger budget can unlock for a fantastic development team. When the original The Outer Worlds released in 2019 from Obsidian Entertainment and publisher Private Division, it was clear that a great concept was being throttled by a restricted scope. What then of its sequel, built in partnership between Obsidian and Xbox Game Studios? Well, it's undoubtedly one of the best RPGs of the year.
The Outer Worlds 2 is a clear love letter to Fallout: New Vegas, with Obsidian inspired by the depth and flexibility of its legendary 2010 RPG. But that isn't to say that this venture across the Arcadia colony system is some sort of throwback. The Outer Worlds 2 is a rich RPG with an expansive creative vision, with deep character building, nuanced storytelling, and exceptionally slick combat propelling the series to new heights. Whisper it, but The Outer Worlds 2 may just be Obsidian's best game to date.
Read Heather Wald's full review of The Outer Worlds 2.
8. Elden Ring Nightreign
Developer: FromSoftware | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
Elden Ring was our Game of the Year for 2022, our staff captivated by the billowing scale and complexity of FromSoftware's opus. The promise of more was unsurprisingly well received, even if Nightreign did threaten to take a somewhat unfamiliar shape. The honed, measured design of Elden Ring's first area, Limgrave, replaced by a procedurally generated Limveld – home now to three-player cooperative action. A big gamble, but FromSoftware is always up for a challenge.
Elden Ring Nightreign takes the underlying combat principles which defined the original adventure and hastens them, shoving your group into increasingly difficult encounters across a three-day cycle to prepare for battle with a final boss. It's frantic and frenetic, the threat of a shrinking gameplay circle and risk of sacrificing all of your progress in death a compelling wrinkle to the Soulslike standard FromSoftware established long ago. Nightreign is a big change of pace, and a fun new challenge for genre veterans.
Read Will Sawyer's full review of Elden Ring Nightreign to learn more.
7. Ghost of Yotei
Developer: Sucker Punch | Platform(s): PS5
It's funny to think there was a time where many believed that 2025 would be a slow year for the PS5. It's an exceptionally silly observation in hindsight, although few could have predicted that Sucker Punch would deliver a defining system showcase in Ghost of Yotei. The platform recently celebrated its fifth anniversary and here we are with an open-world adventure that feels truly boundary-pushing.
Whether you're coming in for the striking vibrance of its environments or the sheer violence of its expertly crafted samurai combat, Ghost of Yotei is a wonderfully smart sequel. Sucker Punch shifted the action a few hundred years beyond the events of Ghost of Tsushima, a decision which allows the studio to take some bigger swings with its revenge thriller story, open-ended approach to exploration, and meditative progression systems. If you're after an open world game where beauty and brutality is in equal measure, don't delay your dive into the wilds of Ghost of Yotei.
Read Andrew Brown's full review of Ghost of Yotei to learn more.
6. Silent Hill f
Developer: NeoBards Entertainment | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
It's been three years since Konami embarked on its Silent Hill redemption tour. A salvo of new video games were announced all at once, an effort designed to return some relevance to a franchise that's been on life support ever since the great Silent Hills debacle of 2015. The Message hardly set the world alight, although Bloober's remake of Silent Hill 2 demonstrated that the series still holds some power.
And so all eyes turned to Silent Hill f, a standalone spinoff that shifted perspective away from misty, rural American to the fictional Japanese town of Ebisugaoka. An inspired decision, with developer NeoBards Entertainment engineering one of the series' most oppressive atmospheres to date. Unsettling storytelling and a more robust approach to combat encounters makes this one of the strongest original Silent Hill adventures in decades, and a sharp declaration that Silent Hill still has plenty to offer the horror genre.
Read Oscar Taylor-Kent's full review of Silent Hill f to learn more.
5. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Developer: MachineGames | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X
You may be wondering why a video game that was released in 2024 is on our list of the best games of 2025 to begin with, let alone ranked so highly. Well, that's easy: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle landed on PC and Xbox Series X after our voting cutoff, making it eligible for this year's showing. As for why it's a top contender: MachineGames overdelivered with this original Indy adventure.
Anchored by an exceptional performance from Troy Baker, expertly capturing the gravitas and mannerisms of Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an exceptional globetrotting journey that may as well have been unearthed from some hidden Steven Spielberg archive. The blend of first and third-person perspectives sells the idea that you are embodying one of the most iconic characters of all time with ease, while the grandiose puzzle solving and slapstick combat only adds to the authenticity of this adventure.
Read Josh West's full review of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to learn more.
4. Hollow Knight: Silksong
Developer: Team Cherry | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X
The weight of expectation should have been crushing for Team Cherry. Hollow Knight was a slow burn success story that effectively redefined what a modern Metroidvania could be, making its sequel one of the most anticipated video games on the planet. Team Cherry worked for six years in relative silence, the internet filling the void with an exhaustive flood of memes, rumors, and speculation. Could Silksong ever truly live up to the hype that had been thrust upon it?
Within minutes of its release, Hollow Knight: Silksong brought the world to a standstill. It literally crashed Steam. And what did millions of payers find when they were finally able to step into the unfamiliar land of Pharloom? A mesmerizing, utterly uncompromising sequel that wields its blunt edges as a mark of honor. The challenge dramatically increased, combat imbued with fluidity, platforming sections far more unforgiving; and yet, at its heart, Silksong is brilliance personified.
Read Oscar Taylor-Kent's review of Hollow Knight Silksong to learn more.
3. Donkey Kong Bananza
Developer: Nintendo EPD | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X
The Nintendo Switch 2 was always going to be a hit on day one. Its predecessor is on track to outstrip the Nintendo DS as the best-selling Nintendo console of all time, so it's no surprise that millions were ready to leap onto a more technically proficient system. The question mark here was always what Nintendo would align within the launch window to keep players hooked into the ecosystem. Who'd have thought Donkey Kong would be entrusted to carry that great burden?
For his first starring role in a 3D adventure in over two decades, Donkey Kong absolutely smashed it out of the park. Donkey Kong Bananza has echoes of Super Mario Odyssey in its underlying DNA, though Nintendo has gone out of its way to imbue this experience with dazzling personality and transformational gameplay hooks. Destruction shines bright in Bananza, and the opportunity to really dig into the depths of some iconic Nintendo level designs should not be missed.
Read Dustin Bailey's full review for Donkey Kong Bananza.
2. Hades 2
Developer: Supergiant Games | Platform(s): PC, Switch, Switch 2
Supergiant Games develops brilliant video games with outrageous consistency. What it doesn't do is develop sequels. There are legions of players who were left wanting more from the worlds Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre inhabited, but it was Hades' labyrinthine underworld that the studio couldn't resist returning to. A cynic may point to the success of Hades as the sole reason for Hades 2's existence, but it's quite clear that Supergiant had more that it wanted to say.
Hades 2 is a phenomenal roguelite dungeon crawler. A best-in-class addition to the genre, setting new standards for combat, characterization, and progression. Supergiant routes many of its freshest ideas through Melinoë, a new protagonist who shines in expanded, vibrant playspaces. Refined combat allows for more skillful expression, while buildcrafting finds new depth through a wider selection of tools and divine boons. Hades 2 is a more than worthy successor to the game that redefined the roguelite forever.
Read Ali Jones' final review of Hades 2 to learn more.
GOTY 2025
1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Developer: Sandfall Interactive | Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
The rise of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been meteoric. The debut from Sandfall Interactive started the year in relative obscurity, on the radar of few beyond true genre enthusiasts. By the year's end, this stunning RPG is clearly the defining video game experience of 2025. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 cleaned house at our reader-voted Golden Joystick Awards, and was the clear GOTY 2025 choice from the GamesRadar+ team by a considerable margin. Let's dig into why.
At its heart, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a love letter to the Hironobu Sakaguchi games of old. The father of the Final Fantasy series clearly left a lasting mark on the relatively small group of developers who make up Sandfall Interactive, inspiring the studio to deliver a high-fidelity, turn-based RPG the likes of which are so rarely seen in the modern era. In many ways, Expedition 33 picks up where legendary Xbox 360 exclusive Lost Odyssey left this style of game back in 2007.
There's a similar commitment to storytelling excellence, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 quickly establishing an exceptionally vast, layered world to tumble into with ease. Lost Odyssey also had this perverse obsession with trying to make players cry, another aspect which shines in Expedition 33 through its expressive character development and wonderful performances. And then there's the combat, another modern interpretation of classic turn-based battle systems that gradually reveals its tactical depth through streams of challenging encounters.
I say all this not to accuse Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 with being some sort of throwback, succeeding off of pure nostalgia alone. But rather because it's worth highlighting just how long the wait has been for a studio to pick up this particular baton and run with it. Expedition 33 pushes the genre forward with its flexible and expressive systems, with real-time actions helping to heighten the tension of every turn-based encounter. Progression is nuanced, the world-building precious; the story and soundtrack work in perfect harmony to create this gripping, heartbreaking atmosphere that you can't turn away from.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a transformative RPG that should be experienced by everyone.
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