I still remember April 2025 like it was yesterday. That’s when Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 dropped, seemingly out of nowhere, and turned the gaming world on its head. Then, in September, the long-awaited Hollow Knight: Silksong finally emerged from its cocoon and broke the internet—literally. As I sit here in 2026, looking back at the dust that’s settled, it’s clear that these two indie titans defined an entire year of gaming. The big question everyone still debates: which one truly conquered 2025?

Two Very Different Roads to Glory

Clair Obscur was the ultimate underdog. A debut from a tiny French studio called Sandfall Interactive, it had zero expectations and ended up earning a 97% Open Critic score while selling over 5 million copies. No joke, I’ve rarely seen a game come out of left field and punch so far above its weight. Hollow Knight: Silksong, on the other hand, was the sequel to one of the most beloved Metroidvanias ever. Fans had been drooling for years, and when Team Cherry finally launched it across every platform imaginable—PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Switch 2, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X—it steamrolled digital stores everywhere. Let’s be real, I’d never seen a simultaneous digital meltdown like that, with Steam itself buckling under the load.

If we talk exposure, Silksong had the bigger launch window audience, which is why it became an overnight phenomenon almost instantly. Expedition 33 launched on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X alongside Game Pass, which definitely helped it spread, but Silksong crashed onto the scene like an avalanche. The sheer weight of expectation almost crushed the game, yet it still delivered.

The Money Battle: Copies Sold vs. Dollars Earned

Based on October 2025 data, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 moved about 5 million copies across all platforms. Hollow Knight: Silksong, with only six weeks on the market at that point, had already sold 6 million. At a glance, that’s a clear win for Silksong until you factor in pricing. Expedition 33’s standard price was $50, meaning it could have raked in up to $250 million. Silksong was a steal at $20 a pop, so team Cherry likely made around $120 million. The numbers make Expedition 33 look like the richer game on the surface, but I gotta say—earning 6 million sales in just a month and a half is insane momentum. It took Expedition 33 a lot longer to get to 5 million. If we judge by launch-day velocity, Silksong is a freight train that no one could stop.

Critics’ Choice: A Near-Perfect Tie

It’s spooky how close these two are. On Open Critic, both games settled at a staggering 97%. On Metacritic, their averages across all platforms are identical at 91.6—no rounding needed, it’s a dead heat. Dig a little deeper, though, and Silksong snatches a tiny victory. Its original Switch version peaked at a 94, while Expedition 33’s highest score on PS5 was a 93. That one-point edge might sound petty, but in a battle this tight, every decimal counts. Honestly, both are masterpieces, and the critic decision is basically a coin toss.

Changing the Game: Genre Impact

Now this is where things get interesting. Expedition 33 didn’t just review well—it changed the conversation. Its ingenious counter system and clever world map design reminded everyone that turn-based RPGs still have a pulse. I gotta give it credit: after years of modern JRPGs moving away from turn-based combat, a French indie studio came along and made it cool again. The massive success even had fans clamoring for big franchises like Final Fantasy to return to their roots. That’s cultural impact, plain and simple.

Silksong, for all its brilliance, didn’t spark the same genre fire. Hollow Knight already reignited the Metroidvania genre back in 2017. By 2025, the genre was already booming, and Silksong simply poured more excellence into an overflowing ocean. It’s a phenomenal sequel, but it built upon existing love rather than creating a new wave. Some might argue that’s an unfair comparison—but it matters when we’re talking about who left the bigger dent in the industry.

Movies, Merch, and the Difficulty Debate

Here’s a fun curveball: back in January 2025, before Expedition 33 even launched, it had already signed a movie deal with Story Kitchen. At the time, many (including me) thought it was a reckless gamble. Months later, with rave reviews and millions of sales, it looks like a stroke of genius. Sure, game-to-movie adaptations are a minefield, but the interest is there. Silksong won’t be getting a Hollywood deal anytime soon, but it does have a merch train rolling thanks to places like Fangamer—so that’s something.

Then there’s the difficulty conversation. Let’s be real: Silksong is hard. The downward strike attack and high-damage counters sparked a lot of rage-quit posts online. Many fans felt it was significantly tougher than the first Hollow Knight, and that controversy still clings to the game like a stubborn barnacle. Meanwhile, Expedition 33 is also a challenging game, but it offered difficulty settings and classic RPG leveling. If you got stuck, you could just grind a bit and power through. That flexibility meant almost zero negative noise. And no joke, a game can be a 10/10 in every other way, but a tough difficulty curve can poison its reputation fast.

The Verdict: Who Wore the Crown Better?

So, who do I crown the true king of 2025? As much as I adore Silksong and the countless hours I’ve lost to its haunting world, I’ve got to hand it to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. It’s the little game that could—a Cinderella story that not only won hearts but also resurrected a genre. It sold incredibly well, earned a movie deal, and somehow came from a complete unknown to challenge a legendary sequel. Hollow Knight: Silksong is phenomenal, and its sales velocity is the stuff of legend, but it walked a path that had already been paved. Expedition 33 built its own road from scratch, uphill, in the dark. That’s the kind of magic that sticks with you long after the credits roll. And in 2026, while both games rightfully sit on Game of the Year lists, history will likely remember the underdog that roared the loudest.

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