The release date ofClair Obscur: Expedition 33has been revealed at the 2025 Xbox Developer Direct, along with additional details about its story and gameplay. Heavily inspired by classic RPGs,Clair Obscuris a turn-based, narrative focused game set in a dark fantasy version of Belle Époque France. Developed by a small team,Clair Obscurattempts to revive the high-quality, high-production value turn-based RPG, a genre that’s mostly fallen by the wayside in recent years in favor of more action-oriented games. And so far, it looks to be doing a pretty good job.
Firstannounced in June 2024, further details ofClair Obscurwere revealed during a deep dive into its development provided during Xbox’s 2025 Developer Direct. It was one of four games featured,alongsideNinja Gaiden,South of Midnight, andDoom: The Dark Ages, all coming to PC and/or Xbox soon. The Direct gave viewersa closer look at the gameplay, stories, and development processesof all of the above. Here’s everything to know aboutClair Obscur: Expedition 33, based on the most recent information available.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Releases August 10, 2025
Clair Obscur’s Release Date & Platforms
Clair Obscuris currently on sale on certain platforms; players can get it for $45.99 between now and its release date if they order it through Steam or the PlayStation Store (requires a PS Plus subscription).
For PS5 players, or those who would rather own the game outright,Clair Obscuris currently available for pre-orderthrough all major digital platforms. A physical edition is also available, exclusive to GameStop in the US. A Digital Deluxe Edition is also available, including a handful of in-game outfits, for $59.99; the Lumiere Edition includes that, a steelbook case, and an art book; and the Collector’s Edition includes all of the above, plus a Monolith statuette.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Characters & Story
A Dark Fantasy Adventure
Again,Clair Obscuris set in a dark fantasy reimagining of Belle Époque France, centered on a city called Lumiere. It’s set in a world in whichhumanity lives and dies by the will of the Paintress, a mysterious, godlike entity. Each year, she paints a number on her monolith in the sky, and each year, people die as soon as they reach that age. And in recent years, the numbers have been ticking down.
Humanity responds by sending out a series of expeditions, each with a single goal: to kill the Paintress and end her reign.The player controls members of Expedition 33- named after the number on the monolith. Expedition 33 starts as a party of four. Early trailers seem to position Gustave, an engineer who seeks to protect his home city, and his younger foster sister Maelle, orphaned at age three, as the game’s main protagonists. They’ll be joined by Lune, a mage more interested in understanding the Paintress than killing her, and Sciel, a jovial warrior with a dark past.
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Along the way,they’ll make both friends and enemies. The friendly Gestral Monoco surprises the expedition with his ability to communicate with humans, and his incredible combat prowess. The omnipotent-yet-lazy Esquie, the subject of myth in Lumiere, helps them bound across oceans and soar through the skies. They’ll also be tracked by Verso, a mysterious stranger, and run up against Renoir, a fiercely loyal family man.
As Expedition 33 nears its goal, bonds will form, bonds will break, and truths will be revealed. There’s likely to besome great secret behind the Paintressjust waiting to be revealed, but of course, all that will have to wait until the game comes out.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Trailer & Gameplay Details
Clair Obscur’s Combat Explained
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33features turn-based combat styled after that of classic RPGs.Each party member has a role and a unique set of abilities- Sciel might be focused on physical attack, Lune on magic and status effects, and Gustave or Maelle on healing. Actions are taken in a strict order, likely determined by a speed statistic. This means players will have time to be extra strategic with theirClair Obscurbattles, creating powerful synergies between their party members to take down their enemies.
Clair Obscur’s developers have compared its combat to that ofFinal FantasyorPersona. That means a focus on hitting weaknesses and building up towards powerful attacks.FFandPersonamay be worthy comparisons, but from what’s been shown in trailers so far, it looks to draw quite a bit on games likeSuper Mario RPGandLike A Dragonas well. That’s becauseClair Obscuruses timed inputs; players may have to press a certain button within a limited time frame after launching a special attack. Hitting it with perfect timing may cause it to do extra damage, while missing it might cause it to do less - or even miss entirely.
These inputs usually add a sense of urgency to turn-based battles, and can be very satisfying when executed well. During the Developer Direct, members of Sandfall Interactive revealed thatits playtesters initially found the timed inputs inClair Obscurtoo hard; they’ve undergone a fair bit of balancing between now and then, though, and will hopefully strike a good balance between approachability and challenge.
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Between battles, players will explore vast, beautiful fantasy maps, including populated towns and wide-open fields. It’s unknown whetherClair Obscurwill use a more old-school style of random encounters, or incorporate visible enemies on the map. It appears to employ a very muchFF-andDragon Quest-inspired world, in whichplayers unlock new areas of the map by finding new methods of transportation; for example, a boat (or Esquie, filled with air) might help them get across an ocean, and a plane (or Esquie, filled with helium) might help them get over a mountain range.
Clair Obscurhas set lofty goals for itself, and clearly wears its much-lauded inspirations on its sleeve. Fans have so far been impressed by its gorgeously evocative art style, its flashy turn-based combat, and its intriguingly grim fantasy world. WhetherClair Obscur: Expedition 33lives up to those expectations is a question that’ll have to wait until after launch.
Source:Sandfall Interactive/YouTube
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
In the dark fantasy realm of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, players lead a daring team to confront the enigmatic Paintress, whose annual cursed paintings erase citizens of a specific age. Combining turn-based combat with real-time elements like quick-time events, the game offers a dynamic experience. Set against a Belle Époque-inspired backdrop, it features voice talents such as Charlie Cox and Andy Serkis.
