On a personal note, 2024 was one of my favorite years for video games in recent memory. It may not have been filled with giant franchise sequels, but it was loaded with surprises that made for an eclectic year. If all goes according to plan, that’s going to change in 2025. And that’s something I didn’t even realize until I sat down to write this list of Digital Trends’ most anticipated games of 2025.
While only a handful of big games have release dates currently, publishers have some major releases slated to release at some point in 2025. That’s, of course, headlined by Grand Theft Auto 6, but there’s so much beyond that (so long as delays don’t derail plans). And this is all before factoring in the Nintendo Switch 2’s impending launch, which will undoubtedly fill the year with some top-tier games that are currently a deep secret. It’s difficult to narrow a “most anticipated” list down to just 10 games this year, but I’ve done my best here. These are the games that should be on your radar in 2025 — at minimum!
Grand Theft Auto 6
We can’t talk about 2025 without talking about Grand Theft Auto 6. Rockstar’s long-awaited open-world game is the most hyped game of all time, putting some huge expectations on it. We still don’t know much about it, but we almost don’t need to at this point. The Grand Theft Auto formula is rock-solid and it’ll just be great to play a new game in the series for the first time in over a decade. I’m especially excited about its Vice City setting, which should give us the modern Florida satire that a series like this is made for Now let’s just hope it doesn’t get delayed into 2026 …
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
We don’t know much about Nintendo’s game lineup for 2025 yet, but what we do know is a big deal. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is set to be one of the Switch’s last big games, delivering a sequel that’s been in the works almost as long as the Switch itself. After its full-scale production reboot midway through its dev cycle, I’m optimistic that Nintendo has a high-quality bar set for this game. That would certainly explain why it handed the project back to Retro Studios, the creators of the Prime series. If Retro can deliver something even half as good as the original Metroid Prime, it’ll be a Game of the Year contender come December.
Doom: The Dark Ages
Xbox has a big year planned, with games like Avowed and Fable set to widen the Series X’s game library. The most exciting release on the docket, though, is easily Doom: The Dark Ages. The sequel to 2020’s Doom: Eternal is essentially a high fantasy spin on the shooter complete with swords and chainsaw shields. Its debut trailer is a jaw-dropping reel of over-the-top action promising a threepeat for Id Games’ modern Doom iteration. So long as the final release ends up being as fun as it looks, it could very well become the best game to come out of Xbox’s Bethesda acquisition yet.
Ghost of Yōtei
At the moment, we don’t have a full picture of Sony’s 2025. We know that the publisher has some more live service games in the works and is still experimenting with mobile, but we’ve yet to see what its full first-party game plans are. What we do know is that Ghost of Yōtei is coming this year, and it already looks promising. While we’ve only seen a teaser thus far, the Ghost of Tsushima follow-up teases another gorgeous open-world game rooted in Japanese history. With a new time period and protagonist creating intrigue already, this one has all the markings of a great single-player adventure on paper.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
While Death Stranding was a bit of a polarizing game when it first released, Hideo Kojima’s oddball package delivery simulator has only become more beloved with time. In 2025, the eccentric visionary will attempt to capitalize on that with Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. While we don’t know too much about how it will actually play, we have seen a ton of footage so far … and it’s all delightfully weird. After all, this is a game featuring a dancing ventriloquist dummy, so it doesn’t look like Kojima Productions is really holding back on this one. Even if it’s still an acquired taste, it certainly sounds like it’ll be one of the year’s most fascinating games.
Elden Ring: Nightreign
How can you not be excited about a FromSoftware game at this point? The developer has an excellent track record, even if games like Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon aren’t for everyone. This year, the studio will get a little experimental with Elden Ring: Nightreign. It’s not a proper sequel to 2022’s Game of the Year; it’s a three-player multiplayer spinoff that seems to take inspiration from Monster Hunter. Can I say for sure that it’ll be great? Absolutely not. This is new ground for FromSoftware, and there’s always a chance that it won’t nail its co-op concept. Even if that’s the case, it’s just exciting to see one of gaming’s great developers try something new.
South of Midnight
While Xbox has a ton of big-name franchises getting new games this year, it’s a new IP that has caught my eye. South of Midnight is the latest game from Compulsion, the studio behind We Happy Few. It’s a Deep South fairy tale that features a Claymation-inspired art style that makes it look like a playable Laika film. When I got a deep look at it back in 2024, I was impressed by all the detail that’s gone into recreating an underrepresented part of America in media. The jury is still out on how it’ll all play, but it certainly looks and sounds gorgeous based on what I’ve seen so far. That’s enough to keep me intrigued.
Shadow Labyrinth
The Game Awards 2024 featured a ton of rapid-fire announcements, so I can forgive you if you missed this one on the preshow. We’re getting a new Pac-Man game in 2025, but it’s unlike anything you’re expecting. Shadow Labyrinth is a dark Metroidvania that remixes ideas from the arcade series into something entirely new and eerie. It’s a tonal left-turn for Bandai Namo, but the project’s debut trailer already highlights an exciting 2D platformer that’s just weird enough to earn my attention. If you want a taste of what it might be like, go check out Secret Level‘s bizarre Pac-Man episode, which ended up being a surprise prequel.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
I’m going to be honest: I don’t know much about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. All I’ve really seen is its stunning debut trailer, which showed off its stylish turn-based combat system and enormous monsters. Frankly, I don’t need to see a second more. The new RPG from Sandfall Interactive looks like an energetic burst of creativity that finds new ways to fuse tradition and modern combat. With stylish UI, promising monster designs, and a mysterious story that has my curiosity piqued, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 could wind up being one of 2025’s biggest surprises.
Blue Prince
It’s always hard to predict what indie games are going to be big in any given year. S0 many of them come out of nowhere or really need to be played to be understood. There is one I can confidently put on your radar now, though, and it’s called Blue Prince. In this impossible-to-adequately-describe game, players control a character who has inherited a dead family’s member’s estate. However, a will decrees that ownership will only pass if the heir can discover its hidden room. Thus kicks off an roguelite-esque adventure where players navigate an ever-changing manor by placing down tiles and trying to uncover the house’s mysteries before running out of stamina. This is the kind of “left-field” indie that’s sure to be a critical darling. Based on what I played at GDC this year, it’s going to be a great one.
