Clair Obscur Surpasses Elden Ring in GOTY Awards, But Ocarina of Time Remains Unmatched

According to recent analysis, *Clair Obscur: Expedition 33* has now claimed more individual Game of the Year awards than any other title in gaming history, surpassing even *Elden Ring*.

A member of the community shared some intriguing data, revealing that Sandfall Interactive’s RPG has amassed an impressive 436 individual GOTY awards. This count includes accolades from various publications as well as wins from award shows.

This achievement puts *Clair Obscur* ahead of 2022’s standout title, *Elden Ring*, which has 435 awards. Plus, *Clair Obscur* still has more chances to add to its tally as the awards season continues.

Additionally, *Clair Obscur* has outperformed all other games in terms of players’ choice or readers’ choice GOTY awards, boasting 125 compared to *The Last of Us Part 2*’s 115.

This remarkable success marks a significant milestone for the French development team with their debut title. However, there’s one GOTY record that *Clair Obscur* is unlikely to ever touch. In fact, it’s doubtful that any game will ever break it.

Nintendo’s *The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time* won an astounding 87% of the GOTY awards available in 1998, the year it launched. *Clair Obscur* currently ranks third in this metric, tied with *Elden Ring* at 70%. The second spot is held by 1991’s *Street Fighter 2*, which secured 80%.

The reason it’s improbable for any game to dethrone *Ocarina* is the significant increase in the number of GOTY awards distributed each year over the last three decades. When *Ocarina* was released, the internet publishing boom was just beginning. By 2003, there were 40 GOTY awards, and by 2011, that number had skyrocketed to over 400. For games released in 2024, the total reached 529, and projections for 2025 suggest 621 and counting.

Achieving more than 70% of such a vast and varied pool of awards seems statistically improbable today. The fact that *Clair Obscur* has reached this level is a testament to its cultural impact. (Not to mention that its closest competitor among 2025 titles, *Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2*, has only 38 GOTY awards.)

Yet, it’s fitting that *Ocarina of Time*’s legendary status remains unmatched. In an era when gaming was more homogenous, it was almost universally hailed as the best game available. And who could argue with that?