Last year started with a bang and kept getting better. Palworld and Helldivers 2 had surprisingly massive launches in January and February respectively – and a trio of huge December releases (Indiana Jones And The Great Circle, Path Of Exile 2 and Marvel Rivals) kept the cash registers ringing right to the end of 2024.
READ MORE: The 20 best games of 2024
In between all that, we had Black Ops 6 which rejuvenated the Call Of Duty franchise, an epic adventure in a galaxy far, far away in Star Wars Outlaws and the long-awaited Black Myth: Wukong lived up to all that hype and more.
With apologies to your ‘to play’ list, it seems like 2025 is also shaping up to be another blockbuster year. From buzzy new titles to sequels that have been decades in the making, these are the games we’re most excited to get our hands on.
Avowed
Release date: February 18
Platform: Xbox Series X/S, PC
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Originally pitched as Obsidian’s version of Skyrim with a massive open-world, Avowed is set in the same universe as their Pillars Of Eternity series (which itself served as a spiritual successor to the original Baldur’s Gate), Avowed is about as epic as it gets.
Players can choose from a range of combat classes before heading out into the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger. Your goal? Save this beautiful world and your own soul from a deadly plague.
Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii
Release date: February 20
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Last year’s ambitious Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth wrapped up a 20-year storyline and said goodbye to beloved protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. Spin-off title Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii features former gangster Goro Majima, who’s woken up in a tropical paradise with no memory of his previous criminal activities.
Instead of kicking back at a lūʻau though, he decides to become a pirate and sail the seven seas in search of treasure. As you do. Developers have promised an “exhilarating” mix of combat across both land and sea in this “over-the-top” modern-day buccaneer adventure which, at one point, almost focused on tuna-fishing.
Monster Hunter Wilds
Release date: February 28
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Developer: Capcom
Monster Hunter games have players killing or capturing a variety of terrifying-looking beasties across a number of lush environments. The series has always felt grand but Wilds promises the biggest Monster Hunter adventure yet.
You’ll take your custom Hunter into the wilderness to track down a lost expedition party, with a number of different open-world locales to investigate. You can also get your David Attenborough on as developers have created a “realistic ecosystem” within Wilds. Observe the marvels of nature or rush in to protect a fuzzy baby animal from the clutches of a toothy predator. Either way, you haven’t seen anything like this on Planet Earth.
Two Point Museum
Release date: March 4
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Developer: Two Point Studios
Following on from the hilarious, brilliant Two Point Campus and Hospital, the latest instalment in this funny franchise tasks players with creating their own museum. We know, it doesn’t sound like the most exciting of jobs but Two Point creates business management sims with a playful twist.
Build your museum, curate exhibits and educate your visitors to generate buzz. Donations are important to keep things growing but you’ll also want to employ security guards to catch thieves. Players can act out their inner Indiana Jones and head out on expeditions to uncover more treasures as well. Prepare for Two Point Museum to take over your life.
Split Fiction
Release date: March 6
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Developer: Hazelight Studios
The long-awaited follow-up to awards magnet It Takes Two is another gorgeous co-op adventure. This time out, you and a buddy take control of two aspiring writers who accidentally get trapped in a shared simulation of their fictional universes.
Jumping between sci-fi action and fantastical adventure, our plucky heroes have to work together to stop an evil tech genius from stealing their work. There are dragons, Samus Aran-inspired mech suits and a level where you apparently play as a sausage. What more could you want?
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Release date: March 20
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Developer: Ubisoft
There’s a lot riding on Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Developer Ubisoft burned up a lot of goodwill with the bug-infested launch of last year’s Star Wars Outlaws, which then didn’t sell as well as expected. Keen to avoid making the same mistake twice, the studio delayed Shadows by four months. There are also plans to launch 10 Assassin’s Creed games in the next five years, so Shadows really needs to deliver.
Away from all that industry talk though, Shadows looks like it’ll be a genuinely thrilling adventure. Set in 16th century Japan, players will spend their time helping guerrilla warfare expert Naoe and unlikely ally Yasuke, a samurai based on the historical figure of the same name, do battle against a number of threats. There’s also a new Parkour system, which looks like a flipping good time.
Tales Of The Shire: A The Lord Of The Rings Game
Release date: March 25
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Wētā Workshop
When you think of The Lord Of The Rings, you probably imagine sprawling adventures that end with brutal, cinematic battles between the forces of good and evil. We’ve always quite liked the idea of a quiet life in The Shire though, which is exactly what this cosy new game offers. In it, you get to create your own adorable Hobbit and then head out into this idyllic corner of Middle Earth for fun, food and a frolicking good time. Developers have promised “familiar faces” but this is one Lord Of The Rings story that hopefully won’t be interrupted by snarling Orcs or The Dark Lord Sauron.
Mafia: The Old Country
Release date: summer 2025
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Developer: Hangar 13
The fourth entry in the menacing Mafia series takes things back to the beginning. This “gritty mob story” is set in Sciliy’s unforgiving underworld at the turn of the century and you play as Enzo, a newcomer to the Torrisi crime family who has big plans for his own future.
While Mafia 3 was an open-world adventure, The Old Country is a ‘linear, narrative driven” rags to bloody riches story that echoes the first two games in the series, with developers hoping to create a focused, cinematic experience. As well as tying into the series’ history, The Old Country forms the start of a brand new era for Mafia, making it the perfect entry for both new and existing fans.
Borderlands 4
Release date: 2025
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Developer: Gearbox Software
The space western Borderlands series mixes cartoonish humour with hectic, comic book-style violence – and after the more fantastical spin-off Tiny Tina’s Wonderland was released in 2022, developers are getting back to business for this hotly anticipated fourquel.
Deadly new planet Kairos may be brimming with bloodthirsty beasites but there’s also treasure to be found. That’s where you and a fresh team of Vault Hunters come into play, just as long as you can avoid the ferocious Ripper horde. Creators have promised the most ambitious entry in the franchise yet. Hopefully it’ll be good enough to erase the memory of that disastrous film flop…
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
Release date: 2025
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Developer: Konami
Modernising the fifth entry in a beloved series might seem like an odd place to start but really, 2004’s Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater is the perfect introduction to Hideo Kojima’s classic hero.
Set in 1964, the game follows secret agent Solid Snake who is tasked with saving a Russian rocket scientist and sabotaging a Soviet nuclear superweapon. Add in a bit of betrayal, political tension and a whole lot of sneaking about the place, Snake Eater remains the benchmark when it comes to stealth titles. This remake will drag it into the present day, while remaining faithful to the source material. If it’s anything like the recent Silent Hill 2 adaptation, we’re in for a treat.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A
Release date: 2025
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Developer: Game Freak
Last year was the first in more than two decades not to have a mainline Nintendo Pokémon release. Sure, free-to-play mobile trading card game Pocket helped fill the void but we desperately wanted to get out into the world and catch ‘em all.
Z-A is the second entry in the Legends series (after 2022’s promising Arceus), which puts a refreshing twist on the standard Poké-grind. Taking players back to the ninth generation of games, Z-A is set entirely in the French-inspired Lumiose City during an urban redevelopment project. Not much else is known about the story but Mega Evolutions will be making a welcome return, as will the adorable water ninja Froakie. Recent Pokémon games have boasted brilliant ideas that were sadly underdeveloped. Hopefully, the extra time Game Freak has put into this one will make it worth the wait.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
Release date: 2025
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Developer: The Chinese Room
A sequel 20-years in the making, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 follows on from the 2004 original. Set in a world where werewolves and other mythical beasties have secretly shaped human history, your vampire must stay alive by feeding on unsuspecting people while avoiding detection.
Bloodlines 2 takes place in modern day Seattle and players can choose a number of different clans to lead, each with their own special abilities. It’s not all blood lust and bats though. With a group of rebel vampires out to shake up the status quo and your own vampiric conscience to deal with, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into.
Elden Ring: Nightreign
Release date: 2025
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Developer: FromSoftware
Elden Ring is one of the greatest action role-playing games of modern times. Despite a chunky expansion released earlier this year, fans are already talking about a potential sequel – something developers could see happening in the future, but have no immediate plans for.
However, they have been secretly working on a spin-off co-op title, set in a parallel universe to Elden Ring. Each round sees teams of three having to survive for three nights, with a boss battle ending each and every day. Scrape together resources to build a shelter or head out into the brutal land of Limveld with your sword swinging. Whichever way you tackle it, teams will need to make split-second decisions to survive the horrors of the night. Challenges can also be undertaken solo and developers have promised that Nightreign is definitely not a liveservice title, so there won’t be any frustrating hidden costs down the line.
Dispatch
Release date: 2025
Platform: PC and console
Developer: AdHoc Studio
Taking to the stage at The Game Awards 2024, Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul and video game acting legend Laura Bailey announced their new project, Dispatch. Described by developers as “a superhero workplace comedy where choices matter”, Dispatch asks players to take on the role of the hero formerly known as Mecha Man who has to accept a desk job when his suit is destroyed.
“Manage a dysfunctional team of misfit heroes and strategize who to send to emergencies around the city, all while balancing office politics, personal relationships, and your own quest to become a hero,” explains the official listing. Westworld’s Jeffrey Wright is also involved in this playful twist on a typical superhero story.
Subnautica 2
Release date: 2025 (early access)
Platform: Xbox Series X/S, PC
Developer: Unknown Worlds Entertainment
Action survival game Subnautica had players exploring the dangerous depths of an alien ocean as they looked to escape the vicious planet 4546B after crash-landing on its soggy shores. With a number of murderous plants and animals to contend with, it was a vast, brutal environment. Subnautica 2 looks set to dial up the intensity even further.
Due to launch in early access this year, the sequel will feature a shiny new planet, the ability to alter your character’s DNA to utilise different abilities and a fresh array of rampaging terrors. There’s also a multiplayer option for the first time, so you won’t find yourself alone in the murky deep.
DOOM: The Dark Ages
Release date: 2025
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Developer: id Software
The follow-up to 2020’s brutal, brilliant DOOM: Eternal is also a prequel to the original 2016 reboot of the genre-defining first-person shooter franchise. Got all that? Players will once again take control of the DOOM slayer as they fight through various violent obstacles, hopefully soundtracked by deliciously menacing bursts of industrial metal.
“Experience the epic cinematic origin story of the DOOM Slayer’s rage,” teases an official description while developers have issued a warning over the “blood and gore, intense violence and strong language”. If you ask us, that’s exactly what we want from DOOM.
Dune: Awakening
Release date: 2025
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Developer: Funcom
Spin-off prequel Dune Prophecy proved a surprise hit when it landed on screens last year – and Awakening will expand the sci-fi universe even further. Set in an alternative reality where Paul was never born, a war of assassins is currently raging across the sandy, Spice-rich planet of Arrakis. Your job? Find the lost Fremen and try to avoid getting eaten by a giant Sandworm.
How you do that is entirely up to you, thanks to Dune: Awakening’s open world. Scavenge resources and build a shelter to protect you from enemies and Arrakis’ terrible weather or seek riches through combat, crafting and exploration. “In a world shared by hundreds of other players, will you rise to lead a Great House and control the flow of spice itself?” asks an official logline.
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
Release date: 2025
Platform: PlayStation 5
Developer: Kojima Productions
Based on the casting rumours alone, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach might be the most star-studded video game in history. Norman Reedus returns as Sam Porter Bridges and is joined by newcomers Elle Fanning and Shioli Kutsuna alongside Mad Max director George Miller. The likes of Elijah Wood and Conan O’ Brien have also been spotted hanging out with creator Hideo Kojima – and with a movie adaptation in the works, our money is on Death Stranding 2: On The Beach proving a cinematic marvel.
The celebrated original also featured a mind-blowing soundtrack and Kojima has spent the past few months sharing selfies with musicians like Caroline Polachek, Bring Me The Horizon and Nine Inch Nails. Expectations couldn’t be higher.
Grand Theft Auto 6
Release date: 2025
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Developer: Rockstar Games
Perhaps the most anticipated game ever? Fans have been speculating about Grand Theft Auto 6 for over 10 years now but all the hype reached fever pitch last year thanks to a brief teaser trailer that quickly shattered all sorts of viewing records.
We know that GTA 6 returns to the Miami-inspired Vice City of previous games and will probably focus on two protagonists that are based on notorious outlaws Bonnie and Clyde. Apart from that though, developers Rockstar have been keeping details on the down-low. As of yet, there isn’t even an official release date…
Deadlock
Release date: TBA
Platform: PC
Developer: Valve
Valve know a thing or two about great games. Not only are they responsible for Steam and the portable Steam Deck, the acclaimed studio has released the likes of Half-Life, Counter-Strike and Portal over the years. Their next project is multiplayer hero shooter Deadlock, which got off to an auspicious start when playtesters were forbidden from talking about it.
Those rules have since relaxed and the lucky bastards already playing Deadlock haven’t stopped talking about how amazing it is. There are already a lot of ways to blast your mates online but Deadlock seems like it’ll add a dose of complexity to the mindless violence.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Release date: TBC
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Team Cherry
We want to be optimistic in 2025, which is why Hollow Knight: Silksong has made this list. The game was first announced back in 2019 and had been due to come out in 2023 before it was delayed. There have been whispers of an imminent launch (an official Xbox store page, an Australian rating) but Team Cherry still hasn’t given fans a firm release window.
Usually the silence would be cause to worry but the original platformer, set in a fallen kingdom plagued by a mysterious disease, was such a delight – and Cherry have had so long to work on it – there’s little chance this sequel fails to deliver.
The post The biggest and most exciting video games coming out in 2025 appeared first on NME.
