Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 becomes 2025’s top third-party release on Xbox Game Pass

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was the biggest third-party launch on Xbox Game Pass this year.

As Xbox Wire reports, the record is “based on the number of unique users in the first 30 days of availability.”

Sandfall Interactive creative director Guillaume Broche said Xbox’s support helped push the game to more players prior to launch, and that being available day one on Game Pass gave it a much larger reach.

“The turn-based RPG genre has a lot of fans but sometimes it might put people who prefer more real-time action games off, but Game Pass lowered that barrier of entry,” Broche explained. “They could just try it and see how it feels.”

“So a lot of curious players could start the game, explore Lumière and the early game, and realize there’s a lot to enjoy here, even if they weren’t expecting it at first.”

ID@Xbox director Guy Richards added: “From the start, Sandfall’s ambition was clear and we really felt they wanted to create something truly special, something beyond expectations for the team.

“Once we played early builds, we experienced their gripping story, stunning visuals and the mix of JRPG mechanics with French cultural themes that felt fresh and distinctive. It’s the kind of experience we knew Xbox players would love to discover.”

As of October 8, Clair Obscur has sold five million units worldwide. It also managed to reach 3.3 million sales 33 days after release.

GamesIndustry.biz spoke to Sandfall Interactive and Kepler on the success of Clair Obscur back in May.

Most recently, the game was nominated for 12 awards across ten categories at The Game Awards.

It also won six accolades at the Golden Joystick Awards with Sandfall being named Studio of the Year.