
Release Date: April 24, 2025
A third-person jRPG featuring a fantasy world inspired by the French belle epoque period. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 allows us to lead a team of diverse characters tasked with defeating a hostile deity called the Paintress. We engage in turn-based battles with action elements (parries, dodges, QTE's). The game runs on Unreal Engine 5.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a third-person jRPG with a turn-based combat system. The title is inspired by the Belle Epoque, a French artistic period from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. This is the debut project of Sandfall Interactive studio. The game was released by Kepler Interactive, which has Pacific Drive in their portfolio.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was made available on the release day on subscription services PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass. It is also available for purchase through traditional distribution, including Steam.
In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 we arrive in a fantasy land full of surrealistic opponents. A powerful, deadly creature called the Paintress watches over the land. Once a year she awakens and paints a number on her Monolith. Everyone who is at this age turns into dust and dies.
The plot of the game focuses on an expedition, the goal of which is to defeat the Paintress and stop the cycle before it consumes the generation of 33-year-olds. The expedition includes engineer Gustav, his sister Maelle, researcher Lune, and warrior Sciel. They travel the ruined continent during their journey and other companions and friendly legendary creatures join them.
We watch the action in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from behind our character (TPP view).
During the adventure, we lead a three-person team (formed from six playable characters), improving the statistics, skills and equipment of its members. Depending on the style of play, we can create unique configurations and synergies between heroes. Each member of the team specializes in a different way of fighting.
Exploring diverse locations, we discover secrets, such as mysterious places and hidden tasks, as well as learn the fate of previous expeditions sent against the Paintress.
Turn-based combat typical for the jRPG genre is interwoven with real-time skill elements, mainly implemented in the form of QTE sequences. Battles involve rhythmic creation of defensive combinations, consisting of dodges and parries, as well as launching counters and series of attacks, during which we can manually aim at the weak spots of enemies.
Unlike many traditional team-based RPG games, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 does not offer extensive romance options with companions. Romantic bits are woven into the main storyline and individual side quests. However, there is no shortage of classic relationship building with companions and learning about their past while resting at the camp.
The game is powered by Unreal Engine 5 technology, which allowed for the creation of detailed and artistic locations.
Platforms:
PC Windows
PlayStation 5
Xbox Series X/S
Developer: Sandfall Interactive
Publisher: Kepler Interactive
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Review: A beautiful tour de force
Simply put, Sandfall Interactive’s debut game is a masterclass in presentation, storytelling, and gameplay. It’s a game you need to play to experience.
Last update: April 11, 2025
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 guide is the best tips and tricks, for combat, character development. We describe all characters, upgrades, weapons, skills, all enemies and bosses, system requirements, game length, trophies.
April 2, 2025
It's remaster time, again! There are also several ambitious AA games on the horizon and a highly awaited RTS.
The developers of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 have made it clear what they think about using „creative” AI for game development.
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Jacob Blazewicz
December 4, 2025
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from Sandfall Interactive has won the hearts of players, becoming this year's biggest third-party launch on Xbox Game Pass.
video games
Kamil Kleszyk
December 4, 2025
Despite huge success and awards, the developers of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 don't want to change. The Sandfall Interactive team will continue to bet on emotional stories.
video games
Krzysztof Kaluzinski
December 1, 2025
Charlie Cox, who earned a Game Award nomination for voicing Gustave in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, points out that the performance was not just him.
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Matt Buckley
November 24, 2025
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 dominated the nominations for TGA 2025, which shocked the game's developers. Swen Vincke spoke about the list of nominees, praising the picks.
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Martin Bukowski
November 18, 2025
I hope Charlie Cox at least recalls Gustave’s last line, “For those who come after, right?” Though we can forgive him, he doesn’t really play “computer games” anymore.
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Olga Racinowska
November 18, 2025
Expedition 33 was expected to earn many Game Awards nominations, but it is impressive just how many nominations it has earned. Plus other snubs and surprises.
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Matt Buckley
November 17, 2025
The developers of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 are not afraid to take risks in storytelling. According to the boss of the studio, most games approach the storyline too cautiously.
video games
Martin Bukowski
October 15, 2025
The creators of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 also don't plan to expand the team beyond its size, even as they are already working on another authentic project.
video games
Jacob Blazewicz
October 10, 2025
The limited budget was one of the elements that helped make Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 a huge hit. The game's Creative Director also revealed the importance of proper estimation of gameplay time.
video games
Maciej Gaffke
October 9, 2025
Top downloads for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Video Game:
trainer Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Trainer v.1.0 Plus 33 (01052025) - May 4, 2025
trainer Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Trainer v.1.0+ Plus 33 (28042025) - May 3, 2025
mod Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - ClairObscurFix v.0.0.13 - September 9, 2025
mod Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Optimized Tweaks COE33 - Reduced Stutter Improved Performance Lower Latency Better Frametimes v.1.0 - May 1, 2025
mod Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Force PS5 Controller Icons v.5.1.0 - May 4, 2025
mod Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Optimax - Performance (Stutter FPS Latency Fix) v.4.5 - July 1, 2025
mod Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Camera FOV - World FOV v.1.0 - May 30, 2025
mod Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Reduced Light Flickering v.1 - May 29, 2025
System Requirements for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Video Game:
PC / Windows
Minimum System Requirements:
(30 fps, 1080p) Intel Core i7-7800K / AMD Ryzen 5 1600X, 8 GB RAM, graphic card 6 GB GeForce GTX 1060 / Radeon RX 5600 XT, 55 GB SSD, Windows 10 64-bit.
Recommended System Requirements:
(60 fps, 1080p) Intel Core i7-12700K / AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, 16 GB RAM, graphic card 8 GB GeForce RTX 3060 Ti / 16 GB Radeon RX 6800 XT, 55 GB SSD, Windows 11 64-bit.
Game Ratings for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Video Game.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Review: A beautiful tour de force
Simply put, Sandfall Interactive’s debut game is a masterclass in presentation, storytelling, and gameplay. It’s a game you need to play to experience.
Game is Recomended by 100% of Critics. There are 198 Critic Reviews.
Windows Central: 4.5 / 5 by Brendan Lowry
Sandfall Interactive's debut RPG perfectly fuses the deep strategy of turn-based combat with the satisfying challenge and mastery of real-time action games, resulting in a wholly unique experience that sets itself apart. Together with the game's stellar storytelling, jaw-dropping presentation, and good overall performance, that makes it one of 2025's must-play titles — and a huge release for Xbox Game Pass.
Thumb Culture: 5 / 5
I find myself really enjoying Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. I’m looking forward to finishing the main story and seeing what a run through with a little more challenge is like. Despite being my first real game of this format and style, I found it to be fairly easy to pick up on for the most part. With it’s breathtaking visuals, engaging combat, and unique narrative arc, I couldn’t see giving Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 anything less than the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Digitally Downloaded: 5 / 5 by Matt Sainsbury
My gut tells me that as respected and successful as this game has already been, it’s only really getting started and over time will sit alongside the likes of NieR, and Planescape: Torment as the most literary and intelligent games ever made. Goddard, Camus and Sartre would be proud (well, perhaps not, existentialists are not a particularly jovial bunch by reputation).
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Average score from votes. 4 players anticipated the game.