What could end up standing out as one of 2025’s most interesting new games — Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — is almost upon us. Developed by the up-and-coming studio Sandfall Interactive as their debut title, the turn-based JRPG-style experience looks set to blend traditional genre norms with various elements and mechanics from action RPGs and other types of games.
Clair Obscur first caught the eyes of players when it was announced in Summer 2024, and excitement for it has been building ever since it got a deep dive during Microsoft’s 2025 Xbox Developer Direct presentation. Notably, it’s also coming to Xbox Game Pass, so everyone subscribed to that service on both Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC, so there’s plenty of interest from the service’s user base as well.
With many folks keen to check the new RPG out, it makes sense that many are also curious about when exactly the game will release on its various platforms. Luckily, the developers revealed the official release date quite a while ago, and have also recently announced its specific launch times as well. You’ll find all of those details and more below, including a broad overview of the game, preload information, its file size, and more.
What is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33?
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the debut game of the fledgling development studio Sandfall Interactive, and is being published by Kepler Interactive. It’s a 30-hour single player RPG with turn-based combat that’s extremely similar to what you’ll find in JRPGs like Persona or Metaphor: ReFantazio, but the twist is that it also heavily incorporates mechanics from action RPGs.
The result is a blend of turn-based and real-time actions, with players encouraged to strategically choose which moves to combo together and then maximize their effectiveness with rhythmic, carefully timed button presses. On top of that, enemy attacks have to be manually dodged or parried, with successive (and successful) uses of the latter mechanic rewarding you with powerful counter-attacks. All in all, it looks very similar to games like the classic Mario & Luigi RPGs or 2007’s Eternal Sonata, though with plenty of magic-based flair and modern and graceful animations. The core design approach is supported by traditional RPG systems like gear, leveling up stats, and skill trees to progress through.
Notably, the game takes place in a grim, yet vibrant fantasy world directly inspired by the French Baroque period, and features a star-studded voice cast that includes actors from The Lord of the Rings, Baldur’s Gate 3, and FFXVI, among other well-known properties. Narratively, the story follows a group of voyagers from Expedition 33, the latest of many parties sent to stop a malevolent entity known as “the Paintress.” Every year, the Paintress uses her brush to paint a number, and at the end of that year, everyone with an age that matches that number is erased from existence; she counts down annually, and is down to 33 at the start of the game.
At launch, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will be available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (Steam, Epic Games, Xbox app), and PS5. It has an MSRP of $49.99, but the Steam version of the game for PC is actually available to preorder for just $34.59 at CDKeys right now thanks to a great deal. Sadly, there aren’t any discounts on the Xbox and PlayStation editions, though do keep in mind that it’s on Xbox Game Pass.
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 release date and launch times
Many have been patiently waiting for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ever since the game was first revealed in 2024, but luckily, that wait is almost over. That’s because the turn-based RPG is just a few days away now; specifically, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is scheduled to come out on April 24, 2025 on all of its platforms.
Sandfall Interactive has also confirmed that the game will come out at the same time globally at 8:00 a.m. British Summer Time (BST); this means depending on where you live, you’ll be getting access to the title earlier or later than that in the day. Folks in the Americas, for example, will be able to play extremely early in the morning, while fans in eastern regions will have to wait until the afternoon or evening.
For a full overview of when you can expect Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to come out in your time zone, you can either check the official graphic above or the table below that contains all the details from it.
|
Time zone |
Launch time |
|---|---|
|
PDT |
Apr. 24, 12:00 a.m. |
|
CDT |
Apr. 24, 2:00 a.m. |
|
COT |
Apr. 24, 2:00 a.m. |
|
EDT |
Apr. 24, 3:00 a.m. |
|
BRT |
Apr. 24, 4:00 a.m. |
|
BST |
Apr. 24, 8:00 a.m. |
|
CEST |
Apr. 24, 9:00 a.m. |
|
SAST |
Apr. 24, 9:00 a.m. |
|
EET |
Apr. 24, 10:00 a.m. |
|
AST |
Apr. 24, 10:00 a.m. |
|
GST |
Apr. 24, 11:00 a.m. |
|
UTC+7 |
Apr. 24, 2:00 p.m. |
|
UTC+8 |
Apr. 24, 3:00 p.m. |
|
KST |
Apr. 24, 4:00 p.m. |
|
JST |
Apr. 24, 4:00 p.m. |
|
AEST |
Apr. 24, 5:00 p.m. |
|
NZST |
Apr. 24, 7:00 p.m. |
Does Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 have Early Access?
No, there is no Early Access period for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. While it’s become very common for new single player games to offer Early Access to anyone who buys pricier Deluxe or Premium Editions, Sandfall and Kepler Interactive have not done this with Clair Obscur. No matter which edition of the game you buy, you’ll have to wait until April 24.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 launch countdown
Want to check how long you have to wait until you can play Clair Obscur: Expedition 33? This clock is set to tick down until the game’s scheduled launch time, so keep this webpage handy for a live countdown.
When can you preload Clair Obscur: Expedition 33?
One of the best ways to ensure you can jump into a new game right as it releases is to preload it. Preloading is an increasingly common feature that allows you to download and install a game in advance of its actual release, letting you start playing it the second it unlocks instead of having to install it there and then. Though preloading is beneficial for everyone, it’s particularly useful for people that have a slow internet connection.
At the time of writing, preloading is available on Xbox and PC (with the Xbox app version of the game), but not on Steam or PS5. It’s unclear why this is the case right now, and there’s been no official word on whether or not preloading on Steam or PS5 will be possible ahead of launch, too. Hopefully, though, the option is made available on those platforms.
Clair Obscur download size: How big is it?
Unfortunately for hard drives around the world, high production value games have gotten significantly bigger over the years, with many rising past the 100GB mark; this makes it difficult for gamers to keep lots of titles installed and available to play at once. Sandfall Interactive’s new RPG, though, is different. To install Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, you’ll only need about ~43GB (there are slight differences depending on your platform of choice).
That’s incredibly reasonable and accessible compared to most other big-name games, though I will note that Clair Obscur does require having an SSD in your PC. You very likely do if you’re using a system built in recent years, but if you’re playing on an older computer, it’s possible you only have a slower hard-disk drive (HDD). If you’re unsure, make sure to check.
If you need to make room for Clair Obscur, I recommend uninstalling games you aren’t playing much right now or deleting large files that you don’t need anymore from your system. Alternatively, you can always buy one of the best SSDs to add more space to your PC as well.
Clair Obscur has the potential to stand out as one of the best Xbox games and best PC games of the year for fans of turn-based strategy and real-time action alike. It comes out next week on April 24, and will be available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5.
