I thought I’d have run out of good things to say about Clair Obscur Expedition 33 by now, but it just keeps delivering. The spectacular turn-based RPG from French studio Sandfall Interactive has taken the world by storm, managing to outpace the early sales of similar games such as Metaphor Refantazio, and has even eclipsed Oblivion Remastered’s player count despite the Bethesda game’s bigger launch. Now, more than a week after it first released, Expedition 33 continues to grow, to the point that it’s managed to set a new record on the Valve platform.
Typically, most games on Steam, particularly single-player games, tend to be at their most popular over the opening weekend. When the player count grows for the second week, you know you’ve got something truly special on your hands. The likes of Elden Ring and Baldur’s Gate 3 both managed week-two climbs, and both ended up as runaway Game of the Year winners. Seeing Clair Obscur Expedition 33 manage to achieve the same now is a promising sign that word of the turn-based RPG’s excellence is continuing to spread.
It’s easy to see why. Sandfall has built something truly special; I still vividly remember being blown away by its surrealist style and beautiful battles back at Gamescom 2024, so I wasn’t too shocked to read Josh hailing it as “an essential turn-based RPG that is both a love letter to its inspirations and a potential vision of the genre’s future” in our Clair Obscur Expedition 33 review. It wastes no time in immediately pulling you into its gorgeously rendered fantasy world and making you care about its stakes, even before you’ve had a chance to be wooed by its best-in-class combat.
There’s a tremendous amount of heart on show here, from Sandfall’s unapologetically French nods such as robotic mime fights and baguette-sporting outfits to the game’s immediately likeable, believable cast. That sense of personality among the roster is amplified tremendously by the way each member of your team brings unique combat mechanics to the battlefield, which only serves to make strategizing even more fun. It’s also a wonderfully silly game at times; a welcome interlude between the more haunting moments, and a show of confidence that, when things get serious, you’ll be fully invested regardless of the jokes.
Following its launch weekend high of 121,422, Expedition 33 has climbed to a new concurrent player count peak of 129,461 on Saturday May 3, and I wouldn’t be shocked if it topped that number again. While those numbers aren’t at the level of Elden Ring and BG3, it’s worth remembering that Expedition 33 is also available on Game Pass, making its sales even more impressive – and, as mentioned, it’s speeding past even 2024 GotY contenders Metaphor Refantazio and FF7 Rebirth, a fact likely helped by its slightly lower entry price. With the GTA 6 release date no longer due in 2025, perhaps this really could be Sandfall’s year.
If you want to discover what you’re missing, Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is available on Steam for $49.99 / £41.99. You can also play it via the Xbox app, where it’s included with a subscription to PC Game Pass. Find it right here if you think you’ve got what it takes to destroy the Paintress.
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