Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has become Xbox Game Pass’s biggest third-party launch of 2025, with the developers at Sandfall Interactive crediting the subscription service for massively expanding the RPG’s reach.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has officially become Xbox Game Pass’s biggest third-party launch of 2025, marking another milestone in the RPG’s astonishing breakout year.
Microsoft confirmed the achievement on Xbox Wire, noting Sandfall Interactive’s indie title drew the highest number of unique players in its first 30 days of any non-Xbox-owned title added to the service this year.
For director Guillaume Broche, the Game Pass debut was pivotal.
Speaking about the milestone, he said the subscription platform let the studio reach players who might never have sampled a turn-based RPG otherwise.
He said: “Game Pass lowered that barrier of entry.
“A lot of curious players could just try it and realise there’s a lot to enjoy here, even if they weren’t expecting it at first.”
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s success didn’t stop with subscriptions, as the game sold one million copies in its first three days, hit 3.3 million in its first month, and has now surpassed five million units worldwide across Xbox, PC, and PlayStation.
With Game Pass included, its total player count is almost certainly far higher.
The RPG also launched during the surprise arrival of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, another Game Pass drop, but publisher Kepler Interactive said the overlap with Bethesda’s title had “no impact” on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s traction.
For Xbox, the news arrives at a useful moment, offering a feel-good boost for Game Pass after its recent price hike.
As for the team at Sandfall, the momentum isn’t slowing, as Broche teased that the game’s next update will add “a bit of whee, and a bit of whoo,” while the studio remains “incredibly moved” by how strongly the adventure has resonated with players.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 becomes 2025’s biggest third-party Xbox Game Pass launch
