Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hits huge sales number on day one

Today, Sandfall Interactive, the team behind the newest hit indie RPG, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 announced they hit a major sales milestone: 500 thousand copies sold. Expedition 33 has been receiving stellar reviews from critics since reviews started releasing a few days ago. To get our take on the new game, check out our review, where we said: “Simply put, Sandfall Interactive’s debut game is a masterclass in presentation, storytelling, and gameplay.” It’s great to see this smaller game break free from the shadow of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, which also launched earlier this week. Many fans were worried about Bethesda’s remaster taking the spotlight, but it seems both games have found their audience.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 sells 500 thousand copies on its first day

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 posted the news today on social media, thanking all its fans for the achievement. This also seems particularly impressive given the post specifically says “copies sold” rather than this being the number of players. Expedition 33 launched day one on Xbox Game Pass, so even though many people likely played the game through that service, it doesn’t seem to have impacted this number. That then makes me wonder, what are the numbers like on Game Pass?

Fans have also widely praised Expedition 33. On Steam, the game has 94% positive reviews out of over six thousand players. On the Xbox store, Expedition 33 has nine hundred reviews and four out of five stars, while the more specific PlayStation store gives it a 4.93 out of five from over three thousand reviews. At this point, even though we aren’t even into the fifth month of the year, Expedition 33 seems like an easy pick for game of the year nominations.

Expedition 33 is created by a French studio but inspired by classic Japanese RPGs. The story follows the latest expedition as they venture out into the world to put a stop to the mysterious paintress, who every year paints a new number. Everyone older than the number painted vanishes, and no previous expeditions have returned. This chilling premise immediately sparks the imagination and Sandfall Interactive appears to have delivered on it. Praise has been lifted towards its worldbuilding, star-studded voice cast, and engaging turn-based combat.

Kepler Interactive, the group publishing Expedition 33, is having a great year, but the success shouldn’t come as a surprise. Just last week, Bionic Bay, another debut indie title, was making headlines for becoming another one of 2025’s best reviewed games. ReMatch, the soccer game from the developers of Sifu, had 100 thousand players join its closed beta weekend. Plus, last year they had several big indie gems like Pacific Drive, Cat Quest 3, Ultros, and Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn. This is quickly becoming an indie publisher to keep an eye on.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

April 24, 2025

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