Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is Game Pass's Best Third-Party Launch
No other third-party title has had a better start in 2025
A strong favorite for the upcoming Game Awards, where it aspires to be crowned Game of the Year and has received a record number of nominations, it's easy to predict that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will achieve great success in the coming months, receiving awards and accolades from many quarters. Players have also expressed their favor for Sandfall's work with excellent sales, and now new confirmation has arrived.
The best third-party launch on Game Pass
Released on Game Pass on day one, Expedition 33 has captured the hearts of the service's users: as reported by the Xbox blog, the game has become the best launch of a new third-party game on Game Pass in 2025. This data refers to the number of unique players in the first 30 days. This is by no means a given, considering that other high-profile titles, such as Hollow Knight: Silksong, also arrived on Game Pass on day one. If you still don't know what makes Expedition 33 special, we explain it to you in our review.