French studio Sandfall Interactive's JRPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 wins Game of the Year at the New York Game Awards 2026, adding to its awards season success.
© A. Krivonosov
French studio Sandfall Interactive's game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 emerged as the big winner at the New York Game Awards 2026, taking home the Game of the Year award. The New York Videogame Critics Circle (NYVGCC) announced the winners.
For this highly acclaimed single-player JRPG, this isn't the first major accolade. The project won at The Game Awards in December and continues to confidently collect titles during this awards season. In terms of total Game of the Year awards, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has already surpassed Baldur's Gate 3 and climbed to third place in the overall ranking. The season is far from over, however, as the game remains a contender for the DICE Awards, GDC Awards, and awards from specialized gaming publications. At the Steam Awards, the project only lost to Hollow Knight: Silksong, where the outcome was determined by user voting.
The main NYVGCC prize, unofficially known as the Big Apple Award, wasn't the only achievement for the Sandfall Interactive team. Actress Jennifer English, who played the role of Maël, was separately recognized for her performance and received the Great White Way Award.
Other projects also received awards at the New York Game Awards 2026 ceremony. Blue Prince was named Best Indie Game, Blippo+ was honored for Best Writing, and Hades II received the award for Best World Design. The soundtrack for South of Midnight was named Best Music in a Game, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered won Best Remake.
Additional prizes were awarded in categories for mobile games, VR/AR, children's games, and expansions. This year, the special Andrew Yoon Legend Award was presented not to an individual, but to the company The Pokémon Company.