Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Celebrates First Anniversary with Free Patch v1.5.5

Sandfall Interactive released Patch v1.5.5 for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 on April 24, 2026, exactly one year after the game’s original launch. The free update adds anniversary hairstyles for every party member and fixes a handful of bugs. It is a small but fitting gesture from a studio whose debut game sold 8 million copies and won 9 awards at The Game Awards 2025.

What Is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33?

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a turn-based RPG set in a Belle Epoque-inspired world where a mysterious being called the Paintress erases entire age groups from existence each year by painting a number on her monolith. Players control Expedition 33, a group of soldiers who set out to kill her before she paints the number 33 and wipes them from the world. The game blends classic JRPG structure with real-time action inputs during combat, a richly emotional story, and one of the most acclaimed soundtracks in recent memory.

What Is in Patch v1.5.5

The update is intentionally light. Sandfall Interactive described it as “a fun little update” rather than a major content drop, and the full notas del parche reflect that tone. Here is everything included:

New Content

Gustave’s Anniversary Haircut: Available at the Gestral Merchant near Stone Wave Cliffs.
Verso, Maelle, Lune, Sciel, and Monoco Anniversary Haircuts: All five available at the World Map Merchant near Grosse Tete.

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue where the Danseuse outfit for Lune and Sciel made the character menu “too obscur.”
Fixed an issue where rest points could not be opened in various locations when in-world dialogue was playing.
Fixed collision issues in various locations.
Fixed and re-adjusted achievement description text that was incorrectly modified in a prior patch.

“Thank you so much for all your support this past year!! We wish you a wonderful anniversary and hope you enjoy some cake to celebrate with us!” — Sandfall Interactive

One Year of Expedition 33: By the Numbers

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 launched on April 24, 2025 and immediately broke records for a debut RPG. The growth from launch to today tells the full story:

Milestone	Copies Sold	Timeframe
Launch day	500,000	Within 24 hours
Early launch	1,000,000	Within 3 days
First weeks	2,000,000	Within 12 days
Named milestone	3,300,000	Within 33 days
Autumn 2025	5,000,000	By October 2025
First anniversary	8,000,000	April 2026

The game also holds the record as the biggest third-party title launch on Xbox Game Pass in 2025, according to Xbox Wire. It remains one of the highest-rated RPGs of the decade on both Metacritic and OpenCritic, with critics consistently citing its battle system, soundtrack, and emotional storytelling as the standout qualities.

The Awards Sweep

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 dominated The Game Awards 2025, winning 9 awards out of 10 nominations. That haul set a new record for the ceremony. The wins included Game of the Year, Best Narrative, Best Music, and Best Performance. According to BBC News, no game in the show’s history had previously won as many awards in a single night. The achievement is particularly striking given that Sandfall Interactive is a small French studio that released its first ever game, with no major publisher backing the development.

Post-Launch Support to Date

Sandfall Interactive has supported the game consistently since launch with free content updates. The most significant was Patch v1.5.0 in December 2025, which added a new location, additional late-game bosses, new character costumes, and expanded language support. The timing, launching days after the Game Awards sweep, made it one of the most celebrated post-launch updates of the year.

Subsequently, Patch v1.4.0 in March 2026 added the Battle Retry feature, one of the most requested quality-of-life improvements from the community since launch. Players had been vocal about wanting the option to restart difficult encounters without losing progress. The response to its addition was overwhelmingly positive across Reddit and Steam reviews. Patch v1.5.5 is the latest in a post-launch cycle that has remained entirely free since day one.

What Comes Next for Sandfall Interactive?

Sandfall Interactive has made no public announcement about their next project. The studio has not confirmed whether it is working on a sequel, a new IP, or any expansion to the Expedition 33 world. Given the scale of the game’s success, the industry is watching closely. A studio that delivered one of the most acclaimed RPGs in years on its first attempt has earned the right to take its time with whatever comes next.

Bottom Line

Patch v1.5.5 is not a landmark update, and it does not need to be. Sandfall Interactive shipped one of the most celebrated RPGs in years, supported it generously for twelve months at no cost, and marked the anniversary with a warm and characterful gesture. The new hairstyles are a small treat for the millions of players who spent time with Gustave, Maelle, Lune, and the rest of the expedition. Whatever Sandfall Interactive builds next, the industry will be watching.