2025 Game of the Year: Expedition 33 Falls Short on Steam

If you were keeping an eye on the 2025 gaming scene, the race for Game of the Year seemed pretty cut-and-dry. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 looked poised to grab just about every significant accolade (even with strong contenders like Baldur’s Gate 3, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Alan Wake 2 in the mix). But lo and behold, there’s one Game of the Year prize that’s eluded Expedition 33—the title of highest rated game on Steam. A look at Steam250, which tracks the crème de la crème of Steam reviews for each year, reveals that Expedition 33 landed in fourth place. Stealing the spotlight were the superhero management title Dispatch in third, the co-op horror adventure R.E.P.O. in second, and the top honor going to the drug-dealing simulator, Schedule 1. What’s intriguing is how Dispatch mirrors Expedition 33’s journey—both are passion projects crafted by former Telltale developers. The top two spots? Well, they belong to early access indie games with petite development teams.

At The Game Awards, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 still holds the crown with the most nominations, while Hades 2 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 snagged the ninth and tenth spots, respectively. Meanwhile, Hollow Knight: Silksong finds itself at the bottom of the pack at number 19. It’s worth noting that titles like Donkey Kong Bananza and Death Stranding 2 don’t appear on Steam and are thus not included in this ranking, though it’s hard not to wonder where Donkey Kong would land if it were in the race.

Interestingly, while Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 remains the talk of the town through 2025, Schedule 1 has quietly charmed the Steam community. It’s also worth mentioning that it’s not the only title in the top 50 with a… shall we say, colorful premise. For example, “BRAZILIAN DRUG DEALER 3: I OPENED A PORTAL TO HELL IN THE FAVELA TRYING TO REVIVE MIT AIA I NEED TO CLOSE IT” holds down the number 45 spot, outpacing games like Where Winds Meet and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. Before Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was expected to sweep The Game Awards, Sandfall had its hopes pinned on nabbing an 80 Metacritic score.