Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 enters The Game Awards 2025 as the undisputed frontrunner after sweeping the Golden Joystick Awards with seven wins and securing a record-breaking 12 TGA nominations. Ghost of Yōtei, despite strong critical reception and seven TGA nominations, didn’t make the cut for the Game of the Year category and now faces an uphill battle in other major categories.
| Game | Awards-season highlight | TGA 2025 nominations | GOTY status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expedition 33 | Won 7 trophies at Golden Joystick Awards 2025, including Ultimate Game of the Year. | Leads with 12 nominations, the most in TGA history. | Nominated for Game of the Year. |
| Ghost of Yotei | Won Console Game of the Year at Golden Joystick Awards 2025. | Earned 7 nominations across major craft categories. | Not nominated for Game of the Year. |
Released on April 24, 2025, Expedition 33 has already sold over 5 million units and earned universal acclaim for its narrative depth, art direction, and voice acting. The French fantasy RPG from Sandfall Interactive dominated the November 20 Golden Joysticks ceremony, claiming Ultimate Game of the Year alongside six other trophies including Best Storytelling and Best Visual Design. This momentum positions it as the clear favorite heading into the December 11 TGA ceremony at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles.
Golden Joystick Results Set the Stage
Expedition 33’s seven-win sweep at the 2025 Golden Joysticks matches the multi-award dominance last seen with Baldur’s Gate 3 in 2023, signaling broad alignment between critics, players, and industry voters. The game took home the fan-voted Ultimate Game of the Year award along with Best Storytelling, Best Visual Design, and four other major honors.
Ghost of Yōtei didn’t leave empty-handed at the Golden Joysticks, securing Console Game of the Year and Best Audio Design. However, the overall narrative from that ceremony belonged to Expedition 33, which swept every single category it was nominated in.
TGA 2025 Nomination Gap Reveals Upset Potential
The Game Awards 2025 nominations announced on November 16 show Expedition 33 leading all games with a historic 12 nominations across Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Independent Game, and three separate Best Performance nods for Charlie Cox, Ben Starr, and Jennifer English. This marks the most nominations ever received by a single game in TGA history.
Ghost of Yōtei trails with seven nominations but was notably excluded from the Game of the Year category entirely. The Sucker Punch sequel earned recognition for Best Art Direction, Best Audio Design, Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Performance (Erika Ishii as Atsu), Best Score & Music, and Best Action/Adventure Game. This GOTY snub represents the most category nominations without a Game of the Year nod in TGA history.
Why Expedition 33 Has the Edge
Expedition 33’s cross-category strength gives it a decisive advantage: nominations spanning creative disciplines (Direction, Narrative, Art), technical categories (Audio, Performance), and even Independent Game showcase the breadth of its appeal to TGA’s international jury. Games that combine heavy representation in GOTY, Direction, and Narrative historically perform well in the final vote because they resonate with diverse jury priorities.
The timing also favors Expedition 33. Released in April 2025, it has had months to build cultural momentum, accumulate player testimonials, and dominate year-end awards discussions. Ghost of Yōtei’s exclusion from the GOTY race means it can only compete for individual craft awards, limiting its overall visibility and eliminating any chance of a surprise GOTY win.
Ghost of Yōtei Still Competes in Major Categories
Despite missing Game of the Year, Ghost of Yōtei remains competitive in several high-profile categories where it goes head-to-head with Expedition 33, including Best Art Direction, Best Game Direction, and Best Narrative. The PlayStation 5 exclusive sequel to Ghost of Tsushima brings refined open-world stealth-action gameplay set in 1603 Ezo, following protagonist Atsu on a revenge-driven journey.
Its wins for Console Game of the Year and Best Audio Design at the Golden Joysticks demonstrate strength in atmospheric presentation and technical polish. If TGA voters prioritize cinematic production values and franchise legacy over indie breakthrough narratives, Ghost of Yōtei could still claim multiple awards on December 11.
