20 Recent Incredible Video Games That Came Out Of NOWHERE

5. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

It’s wild to think about a time when Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 wasn’t on basically every gamer’s radar, especially considering its star-studded cast, featuring actors like Daredevil’s Charlie Cox and Ben Starr, one of the most prolific video game voice actors of the past decade. 

The turn-based RPG sees a party of adventurers seeking to destroy the Paintress, a being that erases everyone at or above a certain age from existence each year. Though its initial announcement at the Xbox Games Showcase in the summer of 2024 did drive up some hype, many players had long forgotten about the game by the time it was released in April 2025. 

Of course, now Expedition 33 is absolutely unavoidable, and with good reason. It’s one of the most lauded video games of the past several decades, receiving near-universal acclaim and breaking the record for most nominations and wins at The Game Awards, being nominated across 13 categories and winning 9 of them. Clair Obscur left a huge mark on the world of gaming, and will certainly be talked about for years to come.