Since the announcement ofGrand Theft Auto 6’s delay out of 2025, there has been a lot of speculation on what could be Game of the Year for 2025, now that the juggernaut that isGTA 6has been delayed until July 13, 2025. In its absence, there could be a surprise frontrunner for the coveted title at The Game Awards 2025, which will take place on December 11. There have been a lot of critically well-received games so far this year, but it one game might be getting more attention than the others.
In a Reddit post by–clapped–, fans are speculating thatClair Obscur: Expedition 33is now the most likely to take home Game of the Year for 2025. –clapped–sawGTA 6 as the only major competitor forExpedition 33, saying:“And I think this [GTA 6] was the only game standing in the way of Expedition 33.“Humble-Criticism6762felt thatExpedition 33’s quality would have made it a contender, even againstGTA 6, saying:“To be honest, I thought it had a huge chance even if GTA6 did release in 2025.”
Clair Obscur Leads The 2025 GOTY Options
A Surprise Hit
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33recently took over the sleeper hitBlue Princeto become thehighest-rated game of 2025 so far on Metacritic. The game alsocurrently has one of the highest user scores of any game in history on Metacritic, sitting at a 9.7 score with over 6300 user reviews. It’s been praised for its story, impressive visual presentation, original turn-based combat system, and stellar soundtrack.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33has also created some discourse thanks to its high-quality and lower-than-average $49.99 asking price, especially when compared toMario Kart World’s $80 price tag.
The game has sold welldespite being released the same weekThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remasteredwas announced and shadow-dropped, movinghalf a million copies within a dayand keeping up the momentum since.Expedition 33’s publisher, Keplar Interactive, said theOblivionremaster might have helped the gameby drawing attention to two quality RPGs in the same week. It’s also available on Xbox Game Pass, but that clearly hasn’t stopped people from purchasing the title individually.
It’s Still Too Early To Predict GOTY 2025
Despite The Love For Expedition 33, It’s Too Early To Be Talking About GOTY
Despite the passionate love forExpedition 33,it’s too early to predict a Game of the Year for 2025in any awards show. A lot of great games have been released this year so far, likeMonster Hunter Wilds,Split Fiction,Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2,Blue Prince, and several others. We now have an earlier release date forBorderlands 4than originally announced, as well as anOctober 2 release date forGhost of Yotei, the highly-anticipated follow-up toGhost of Tsushima, so there is a lot to come still for 2025.
Still, despite themixed reactions toGTA 6getting delayed, fans seem to have a lot to look forward to this year. And given howClair Obscur: Expedition 33came out of virtually nowhere for a lot of people, there could still be several surprises in store for the rest of the year. In any case,Grand Theft Auto 6leaving 2025 might give more opportunities for other games to shine, likeExpedition 33has, and that could be quite exciting.
Source:–clapped–/Reddit,Humble-Criticism6762/Reddit
Grand Theft Auto 6
Grand Theft Auto VI is an installment in Rockstar Games' wildly successful franchise. Set in a new location after the events of Grand Theft Auto V, VI will see players arrive in a new sprawling city where they can explore the world they want while completing various story and side quests while taking whatever vehicles players desire.
