After I put together this list of our most anticipated games of 2025, I realized that every single entry is a sequel. That wasn’t in any way intentional on my part, but it does show just how dependent the industry has become on established IP. That said, there are plenty of games that just barely missed this list that aren’t sequels, remakes, or reboots. And if years past are any guide, there’s a good chance those will end up being my favorites of the year.
Of course, 2025 will also be the year that Nintendo launches its next console. There are some upcoming Switch games we have a feeling will end up being Switch 2 titles, but Nintendo will also inevitably have a few huge surprises in store, as it did with Super Mario Odyssey in 2017. All of that is to say that these lists of most anticipated games are always shots in the dark.
Most anticipated games of 2025
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Release date: 2025
- Platforms: PS5
BGR’s Game of the Year for 2019 is getting a sequel next year, and if it’s possible, it looks more inscrutable than its predecessor. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach sees Sam Porter Bridges set out to connect humanity beyond the United Cities of America and save the world while deciding whether or not we should have connected in the first place. The unreal cast will include Norman Reedus, Troy Baker, Léa Seydoux, Elle Fanning, and George Miller.
Doom: The Dark Ages
- Release date: 2025
- Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Much like Astro Bot this year, Doom: The Dark Ages isn’t going to break any new ground in 2025 but will make its mark by delivering unadulterated joy to gamers. id Software’s Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal (2020) brought the classic FPS franchise screaming into the modern era with fast-paced combat, larger-than-life monsters, and perfectly-tuned levels. The Dark Ages will rewind the story, but hopefully give the long-running series another exciting upgrade as it makes the leap to the next generation of consoles.
Elden Ring Nightreign
- Release date: 2025
- Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC
We’re not getting a sequel to Elden Ring in 2025, but we are getting a cooperative action game set in its iconic open world. Elden Ring Nightreign takes place in a procedurally generated version of Limgrave, in which teams of up to three players will fight and improve their characters over three days in preparation for a final boss at the end of the final day.
Ghost of Yotei
- Release date: 2025
- Platforms: PS5
Ghost of Yotei is the upcoming sequel to another former Game of the Year contender. Set more than 300 years after Ghost of Tsushima, Sucker Punch’s next open-world action-adventure game moves the action to Hokkaido, Japan. The new protagonist is a female warrior named Atsu (voiced by Erika Ishii), who is on a quest for vengeance.
Grand Theft Auto 6
- Release date: 2025
- Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Considering how little we’ve heard about Grand Theft Auto 6 since Rockstar Games shared the first trailer over a year ago, I’d be shocked if it actually dropped in 2025.
Nevertheless, that’s the scheduled year of GTA 6’s release, and until that changes, it’s without a doubt the most anticipated game of 2025. We know the game will take place in and around Vice City and features two male and female criminal partners as the main characters.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
- Release date: Feb. 21, 2025
- Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is back with another Like a Dragon entry in 2025, but this is the first one to center fully around Kiryu Kazuma’s rival, Goro Majima. Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii picks up six months after Infinite Wealth, as Majima wakes up on an island without any memory of how he got there. He eventually forms a pirate crew with which he strikes out on a naval adventure to find lost treasure. It was developed as an expansion to Infinite Wealth, but as the scope of the game expanded, it eventually turned into a standalone game of its own.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
- Release date: 2025
- Platforms: Switch
It’s been well over seven years since Nintendo first announced Metroid Prime 4, but we’re finally going to be able to play it in 2025. We still don’t know much about it, but we finally got a glimpse at the gameplay during a Nintendo Direct presentation earlier this year. We also wouldn’t be too surprised if this one ended up being a Switch 2 launch title.
Monster Hunter Wilds
- Release date: Feb. 28, 2025
- Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Finally, I can’t help but wait with bated breath for the next Monster Hunter game after its 2018 entry took the top spot on our 2018 Game of the Year list. Monster Hunter Wilds features the most open world of any title in the series to date, giving players more freedom to explore at their own pace as they hunt down giant monsters and slay them to upgrade their gear. I got the chance to see the game in action at Summer Game Fest, and it blew me away.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A
- Release date: 2025
- Platforms: Switch
Pokémon Legends: Arceus was an unfortunate case of a game fighting against the hardware you played it on. If its successor, Z-A, ends up bringing the open-world Pokémon action of the original to the Switch 2, it could be the biggest leap forward the franchise has ever seen. Either way, it’s one we’re eager to hear more about in the new year.
Slay the Spire 2
- Release date: 2025 (Early Access)
- Platforms: PC
Roguelite deck-building games are a dime a dozen nowadays, but Slay the Spire truly brought the genre into vogue in 2019. Six years later, the grandfather of the genre returns with a sequel, introducing new characters and mechanics to its addictive formula. Don’t be surprised if Slay the Spire 2 ends up being the Balatro of 2025.
