With the launch of a new Nintendo console, the long-awaited return of one of the biggest gaming franchises, and so much more, there are plenty of new releases for gamers to be excited about in 2025.
2025 is set to be a massive year in gaming. The hotly anticipated debut of a new Nintendo console, the Nintendo Switch 2, will kick things off.
However, that is not the only thing happening in digital entertainment. Also coming this year is a new swath of titles for players on PlayStation 5 (PS5) and Xbox Series X/S as Sony and Microsoft round into the second half of this console generation.
19 Biggest Games Coming in 2025
Civilization 7 (February 11)
Set as one of 2025's early triple-A releases is the long-awaited Sid Meier's Civilization VII (or Civ 7 for short). The upcoming 4X strategy game will bring the beloved gameplay of the Civilization series into the next generation, marking the first numbered release in the series since 2016.
Like all Civilization games before, Civ 7 allows players to live out their power fantasy of building/leading a prosperous society while dealing with conflicts from neighboring factions. Civilization VII is due out on Tuesday, February 11 for PC.
Avowed (February 18)
Avowed is finally ready to see the light of day as Obsidian Entertainment debuts its latest first-person RPG. Set to release on Xbox Series X/S and PC, Avowed offers fans a new look at Obsidian's beloved Pillars of Eternity universe, taking the traditionally top-down role-playing action of the fantasy world and putting players right into the shoes of its main character.
Initially set to debut sometime in 2024 (read more about Avowed's lead-up to release), Avowed was pushed into 2025, coming out on Tuesday, February 18.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (February 20)
Coming off the success of 2024's Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, SEGA's RGG Studios returns with yet another addition to the ever-expanding Yakuza canon (which now included a live-action TV show), this time with Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.
Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii asks, what if the cast of the Yakuza games took up a life of swashbuckling in the Central Pacific? This latest entry into the Like a Dragon franchise will be more like the classic beat-em-up Yakuza games than the massive RPGs of more recent titles. It comes to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on February 20.
Monster Hunter Wilds (February 28)
The hunt begins yet again for Monster Hunter fans on February 28. Capcom's Monster Hunter Wilds is the latest entry into the long-running action RPG series, offering an authentic next-gen Monster Hunter experience.
Wilds is set to build upon the breakthrough success of Monster Hunter World, this time bringing a seamless open world, larger hunting grounds, and changing weather for players to deal with as they hunt the game's iconic catalog of hulking beasts. Monster Hunter Wilds is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC at launch.
Split Fiction (March 6)
Following up on his game-of-the-year-winning success, It Takes Two, director Josef Fares and his team at Hazelight Studios return in 2025 with their latest multiplayer narrative adventure, Split Fiction. The new co-op multiplayer title follows two writers as they become trapped in their own stories: a fantasy adventure and a sci-fi epic.
However, these two genres begin to interweave as players attempt to navigate that pair of writers out of these mysterious and possibly deadly circumstances. Split Fiction arrives on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on March 6.
Assassin's Creed Shadows (March 20)
After over a decade of waiting by fans, the Assassin's Creed franchise finally heads to Japan this year in Assassin's Creed Shadows. Shadows marks the latest entry into the long-running franchise from Ubisoft Quebec (the Assassin's Creed Odyssey) and the first full-scale open-world RPG-style AC game since Valhalla in 2020.
This time, fans will be transported through the Animus to Feudal Japan, taking control of duo protagonists Naoe (a female shinobi) and Yasuke (the real-life first African samurai). Shadows eagle dives onto PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on March 20.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (April 21)
Fighting game fans have had no lack of quality games to dive into over the last couple of years, and that does not look like it is stopping in 2025. The Fatal Fury franchise returns after over 25 years since its previous mainline entry, with Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves.
The 2D fighter will bring the series into the modern age with updated graphics and new online play while honoring the legacy of SNK's beloved franchise from the 1990s. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves will be available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on April 21.
Borderlands 4 (TBA)
While technically the fifth mainline entry into the long-running looter shooter series (which turned into a live-action movie in 2024), Borderlands 4 is set to arrive sometime this year. The latest first-person-shooter RPG from Gearbox Software will again see players assume the role of a super-powered vault hunter as they traverse a colorful sci-fi planet in search of loot.
Major changes to debut in Borderlands 4 include a campaign without loading screens and new vehicle/traversal options (e.g., a grappling hook). The game has no publicly listed release date.
Death Stranding 2 (TBA)
Kojima Productions' second-ever release arrives this year with Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. This PlayStation exclusive returns to the post-apocalyptic America of the first game, as Norman Reedus's deliveryman, Sam Bridges, attempts to save humanity from extinction.
Not many details about the game have been disclosed as of yet, aside from some new castings, including Elle Fanning and Japanese star Shioli Kutsuna. Death Stranding 2 is still listed as coming out in 2025.
Doom: The Dark Ages (TBA)
Nothing is cooler than a boomerang chainsaw shield, and Doom: the Dark Ages promises to give players that and more. iD Software's new entry into the demon-slaying shooter takes players back in time, setting its iconic brand of bloody action in a unique alternate take on the Middle Ages.
In the brief glimpse of gameplay shown so far, fans were treated to some exciting new additions to the game, such as a skull-shredding machine gun with ammo made from small bits of bone, a new shield to counter enemy attacks, and a Doomguy medieval mech.
Elden Ring: Nightreign (TBA)
Venture back to the Lands Between, except this time with friends. Elden Ring: Nightreign debuted as a part of the 2024 Game Awards ceremony, showing off a cooperative boss-battling experience set in the world of From Software's 2022 smash hit.
The game will take place in a procedurally generated version of Elden Ring's Limgrave region. It will offer fans unlimited replayability as they take on various threats over three-day cycles before coming back and upgrading and then setting out on their quest again. No release date for Nightreign has been listed.
Fable 4 (TBA)
Fable 4 (or simply Fable) is rumored to arrive sometime in 2025 finally; no specific release date has been confirmed. Reviving Xbox's beloved RPG franchise, Fable 4 comes from Forza Horizon studio Playground Games, promising a massive fantasy RPG mixed with the series' signature brand of humor.
The game has been coming for a long time, as it was first announced in July 2020. So, it would make sense that a 2025 release would be on the way. According to some experts, the game could come sometime "between October and December 2025."
Ghost of Yotei (TBA)
If Assassin's Creed Shadows does not give gamers quite that open-world Japan-set RPG fix, then Ghost of Yotei surely will. Yotei follows up on Sucker Punch Productions' last game, Ghost of Tsushima, setting players on an epic adventure in Feudal Japan.
The game takes place roughly 367 years after the events of the first, with players taking control of another dangerous samurai known as Atsu. Not much is known about Ghost of Yotei (including a release date), but fans do know that the upcoming PS5 sequel will feature a female protagonist and allow for more control over the hero's story than ever before.
Grand Theft Auto VI (TBA)
No, this is not a drill. After more than a decade of waiting, Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6) is supposed to arrive sometime in 2025. Fans have been ravenous for the next entry into the beloved Rockstar Games franchise, counting down the days until another look at the game is made public.
GTA 6 takes players back to the series' fictionalized Florida location, Leonida, mainly centered on the sprawling Vice City. The game will be yet another open-world crime saga, this time telling the story of a criminal couple known as Lucia and Jason. GTA 6 is expected this year, but there are no guarantees.
Hades 2 (TBA)
Another game not guaranteed for this year is Supergiant Games' Hades 2. The Ancient Greece-set rogue-like dungeon-crawler was released into Early Access in May 2024 and has received significant updates since then.
Some speculated that the game's full release could be imminent, but that is pure speculation.
Mario Kart 9 (TBA)
Although technically not officially announced yet, Mario Kart 9 is a solid bet for 2025. The long-rumored follow-up to the mega-hit Mario Kart 8 was recently shown off in the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal trailer; however, it was not named and appeared as a game being played on the new device.
Word on the street is that the next Mario Kart game will be a launch title for Switch 2, which will likely come with changes to shake up the Mario Kart formulas.
Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra (TBA)
One of the first games confirmed with a 2025 release date was Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra. As the first game from former Uncharted director Amy Hennig's SkyDance New Media, 1943 is set to be a unique take on the Marvel universe, focusing on both Black Panther and Captain America during the events of World War II.
Fans have gotten a brief glimpse of Marvel 1943, thanks to a short trailer and some leaked cut scene footage, but the exact specifics of what players will be doing from scene to scene remain unknown.
Metroid Prime 4 (TBA)
Another title rumored to be included in the Nintendo Switch 2's launch lineup is the long-awaited Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. After nearly a decade since its initial reveal, Retro Studios may finally be ready to debut its next Metroid Prime game in 2025.
As part of the game's official re-reveal in 2024, fans saw the game's take on the classic 3D Metroid formula and a 2025 release window, with a specific date still being kept under wraps.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A (TBA)
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is yet another big name on Nintendo's supposed 2025 release plans, as the game was announced to arrive sometime this year. Details on the game remain nebulous, but it should occur in Pokémon X and Y's Kalos region while building up on the ground-breaking gameplay of the original Legends: Areceus.
The Legends sub-franchise operates more like a third-person action game than a top-down RPG of the traditional Pokémon titles, offering an entire open world to explore and more involved minute-to-minute battling/catching than its turn-based predecessor.
Every game on this list is expected to be released sometime in 2025.
