Skip to main content
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • Videos
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
    • G+RLS Podcast
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
  • Home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Videos
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
    • G+RLS Podcast
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Trending
  • Prime Day PS5 deals
  • Golden Joystick Awards 2026
  • Deal of the Day
  • Countdown to GTA 6
  • G+RLS Podcast
  • Join our monthly RPG Club
  • Submit your clips. Win prizes
  • RPG Hub
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

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


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
  1. Games
  2. RPGs
  3. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 gets dethroned as Metacritic's best-rated game of 2025 by Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom's Switch 2 upgrades

News
By Iain Harris
Published 19 June 2025

In the end, though, aren't we all winners?

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

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
(Image credit: Sandfall Interactive)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
12
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Subscribe to our newsletter

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's run as Metacritic's best-rated game of 2025 has come to an end, and by two familiar faces to boot – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are once again hogging the top honors because a Switch 2 upgrade says they can.

If you look at Metacritic's best-rated category for the year, Tears of the Kingdom is currently taking the top spot with a score of 95, whereas Breath of the Wild is in second with 93 – the latter being the same score as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, funnily enough.

The duo of upgrade packs offers roughly the same to upgrade your experience on the Switch 2: higher resolution, improved frame rates, HDR support, and more. You've also got the Zelda Notes feature through the Nintendo Switch App that includes item sharing and access to a navigation tool to track Korok Seeds and Shrine locations.

Latest Videos FromGamesRadar+
Watch full video here:

While all of that has been enough to knock Clair Obscur down the pecking order, it is worth noting that neither Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom have got more than 13 reviews, whereas the J'RPG has 84 at the time of writing.

It's also more amusing than significant. While publishers are increasingly placing a lot of value in what a game's Metacritic score, the worst that's happening here is someone in a marketing department having to put an asterisk on a claim that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is Metacritic's highest-rated game of the year.

You may like
  • In Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter, a young woman stands with a sword A remake of a 20-year-old cult JRPG is now the best-rated game of 2026
  • Close-up shot of Maelle with bubbles behind her Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 on Switch 2 is a "big technical challenge" but Sandfall is "interested"
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild artwork of Link looking over his shoulder as he stands on a hilltop overlooking Hyrule The best Zelda games of all time

Heck, it's also only June. Something else can come along and place itself over all three of 'em.

Regardless of what happens, though, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has cemented itself as one of the best releases of the year, and plenty can feel optimistic about its award prospects. As we lay out in our Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review, that's some good game.

A vital piece of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's story literally came to the RPG's lead writer in a dream: "I realized, 'Oh actually, this story might work.'"

CATEGORIES
PC Gaming PS5 Xbox Series X Platforms PlayStation Xbox
Iain Harris
Iain Harris
Social Links Navigation
News Editor, Games

I joined GamesRadar+ in May 2022 following stints at PCGamesN and PocketGamer.Biz, with some freelance for Kotaku UK, RockPaperShotgun, and VG24/7 thrown in for good measure. When I'm not running the news team on the games side, you'll find me putting News Editor duties to one side to play the hottest JRPG of 20 years ago or pillaging the depths of Final Fantasy 14 for a swanky new cloak – the more colourful, the better.

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.

Read more
In Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter, a young woman stands with a sword
JRPGs A remake of a 20-year-old cult JRPG is now the best-rated game of 2026
 
 
Close-up shot of Maelle with bubbles behind her
RPGs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 on Switch 2 is a "big technical challenge" but Sandfall is "interested"
 
 
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild artwork of Link looking over his shoulder as he stands on a hilltop overlooking Hyrule
The Legend of Zelda The best Zelda games of all time
 
 
Best Switch 2 games banner image showing the GamesRadar+ logo in the center, with Switch 2 games Pokemon Pokopia, Star Fox, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Final Fantasy 7 Intergrade
Games The 20 best Switch 2 games to play in 2026
 
 
Geralt attacking a person in The Witcher 3 Remastered.
The Witcher The Witcher 3 Remastered Metacritic score makes it the best version yet and 2026's top-scoring game
 
 
Gustave fights a mime
RPGs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 devs were told that "no one" would like one of the RPG's best systems
 
 
Latest in RPGs
A healer stood in front of a white wall in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
RPGs Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 boss says using AI to replace devs is a "fundamentally flawed idea"
 
 
The Witcher 3 Remastered glitch where an NPC's face has been reduced to just eyeballs and teeth
The Witcher The Witcher 3 Remastered players are being haunted by the ghost of Assassin's Creed Unity
 
 
The Elder Scrolls Online
The Elder Scrolls Elder Scrolls Online is prioritizing combat less for content that has you "looking in every nook"
 
 
Fable
RPGs Fable creator was "a little bit worried" about the upcoming reboot at first, but now he "can't wait"
 
 
Bethesda
The Elder Scrolls Skyrim modder forgoes trend of AI-powered crossovers, brings Elden Ring's combat to the RPG himself
 
 
Elden Ring
RPGs Baldur's Gate 3 and Elden Ring are "North Stars" for Tencent as it eyes next Larian or FromSoftware
 
 
Latest in News
GTA 6 reveal trailer screenshot showing a young blonde woman standing near a sunny rooftop pool, wearing a white and gold bikini
Grand Theft Auto Sony's digital future is good due to "convenience" and games like GTA 6 being "too big," dev says
 
 
Paul Bettany as Vision in VisionQuest
Marvel TV Shows Ahead of VisionQuest premiere, Marvel releases first three WandaVision episodes for free on YouTube
 
 
Death Stranding 2
Open World Games Hideo Kojima wrote Higgs just for Troy Baker, and it's "one of the kindest things" he's ever done
 
 
Star Wars Galactic Racer Biddy Blas talking to Shade.
Racing Games Star Wars Galactic Racer introduces "the best Glup Shitto ever," fans say
 
 
Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen in Clayface
DC Movies Clayface director says "you feel the shadow of Batman inherently" in the Gotham-set DC movie
 
 
Master Chief kitted out in his signature green armor in Halo: Campaign Evolved
Halo Former Halo art director claps back at founding Xbox member for implying 343 Industries had a "laziness" problem
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. "It's important to make that shift"
    1
    RPG creator says Sony's all-digital future is good for devs as discs "can't win in terms of convenience" and games like GTA 6 are "too big" for them anyway
  2. 2
    Clayface director says "you feel the shadow of Batman inherently" in the Gotham-set DC movie
  3. 3
    VisionQuest showrunner says they've purposely kept one "chilling" and "heartbreaking" character out of promo for the show: "I can't wait for everyone to see it"
  4. 4
    These Star Wars helmets are so good it's like they were stolen from a movie set, and they just got a massive price cut
  5. 5
    Hideo Kojima writing a whole Death Stranding character just for him is "one of the kindest things" he's ever done, says Higgs actor Troy Baker

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...