2025 is poised to be an exhilarating period for the world of video games. Nintendo is anticipated to unveil and presumably deliver the next generation of the Switch hardware. Sony will continue to launch titles optimised for the PlayStation 5 Pro to validate its substantial price point. Microsoft will either respond to the PS5 Pro with a revision to the Xbox Series X or further diminish the focus on Xbox consoles in favour of cloud gaming and distributing Xbox titles across other platforms.

Despite all of this, we’re still not as excited about these facets of gaming as we are about the actual games themselves!

If you anticipate upcoming games for your backlog, our list of highly anticipated releases below can assist you with several potential selections. 2025 will be a pivotal year for both the existing console generation and the gaming industry as a whole, and its significance extends beyond Grand Theft Auto 6… sort of!

Grand Theft Auto IV

Release Date: TBC, 2025

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X, PC

Undoubtedly the most eagerly awaited release of 2025, Rockstar is revisiting Vice City with a criminal duo inspired by Bonnie and Clyde. Provided there are no delays, which remain a possibility, this will be the most significant launch of the calendar year; however, a release date has yet to be disclosed.

The anticipation for “Grand Theft Auto VI” is immense. The prior instalment, “Grand Theft Auto V,” has achieved remarkable success, rendering Rockstar Games unnecessary to produce a new title since its initial release in 2013. The company has opted to continually re-release it for each new generation of hardware while profiting significantly from players’ expenditures in GTA Online.

The main question on everyone’s mind: How can Rockstar top the true-to-life aspects found in GTA 5? We’ve visited all the strip clubs, watched television in our homes, played golf, purchased assets like cars and houses, became business moguls, committed endless heists, and visited casinos for a cheeky gamble. So, what amazingness can the next instalment bring? Perhaps our cell phone will now offer the best online casinos, or the protagonists will, in fact, be the first romantic duo in GTA franchise history.

Whatever happens, there isn’t a gaming critic on earth who anticipates GTA 6 to flop, as it’s already been dubbed as the most popular release of 2025 and, potentially, in gaming history!

Doom: The Dark Ages

The forthcoming instalment of a very influential FPS franchise transports Doom Guy to a bleak, medieval-inspired prequel setting during the Dark Ages. Hopefully, this will be the third exceptional Doom game in ten years.

Doom: The Dark Ages transports franchise protagonist Doom Slayer to a rendition of the Middle Ages. The “Doom” franchise’s narrative can be somewhat opaque, and we cannot adequately explore it here; however, there is conjecture that the existence of Doom Slayer in both mediaeval and 21st-century contexts may relate to the distinct temporal dynamics of Hell.

The specific release date remains undisclosed. However, it has been confirmed as a 2025 title; this date will coincide with a simultaneous launch on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, despite the franchise previously being an Xbox exclusive.

Release Date: TBC, 2025

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X, PC

 Monster Hunter Wilds

Wilds appears to culminate several years of exceptional Monster Hunter games. The advancement from the Monster Hunter environment seems to be as anticipated, including a more responsive, realistic, open environment populated with creatures to pursue.

This is the inaugural “Monster Hunter” instalment for current-generation consoles, scheduled for release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It is no longer an underdog seeking to broaden its audience; it is a validated AAA series accompanied by the inherent excitement that it entails.

Release Date: February 2025

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X, PC

Death Stranding 2

After a prominent dispute with Konami, renowned game designer Hideo Kojima departed to pursue independent endeavours, necessitating his abandonment of the “Metal Gear” franchise. While there was much sorrow over the franchise’s progression minus Kojima, there was also significant anticipation regarding the endeavours of Kojima and his crew with their newfound imaginative autonomy. The outcome was the critically lauded “Death Stranding” of 2019.

Now, in 2025, Sam Bridges embarks on a new open-world expedition to restore a post-apocalyptic environment and rescue mankind from annihilation. It appears it will be as peculiar as any Kojima game. We must now await confirmation on the potential release for PC within the same year.

Release Date: TBC, 2025

Platform: PS5

 Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Assassin’s Creed is at last progressing to Japan, resuming the series’ exploration of its origins. In contrast to the recent open-world action Creed games, Shadows reverts to prioritising stealth, following the precedent set by Mirage.

There was a period wherein the Assassin’s Creed franchise saw yearly releases, occasionally launching many games in a single year. Fans ultimately experienced fatigue, leading to a decline in quality; thus, by the mid-2010s, the series began to have a gap of 2-3 years from mainline instalments. The outcome was games that were far more creatively engaging and ceased to seem monotonous. “Assassin’s Creed Mirage,” released in 2023, reverted from the expansive scale of the series, both in terms of game world size and activities, embodying a more streamlined and concentrated journey reminiscent of the franchise’s previous instalments. The forthcoming mainstream instalment, “Assassin’s Creed Shadows,” aims to innovate by being the inaugural chapter set in mediaeval Japan, and we cannot wait!

Release Date: TBC, 2025

Platform: PS5

Honourable Mentions

If we were to cover every major gaming release of 2025, you’d be reading our short reviews for the next week. So, here’s our quick-fire list of honourable mentions:

• Civilisation VII (February 2025)
• Avowed (February 2025)
• Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (TBC 2025)
• Ghost of Yotei (TBC 2025)
• Fable (TBC 2025)
• Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (TBC 2025)
• Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra (TBC 2025)
• Mafia: The Old Country (TBC 2025)
• Borderlands 4 (TBC 2025)
• Dying Light: The Beast (TBC 2025)
• Little Nightmares III (TBC 2025)
• Pokemon A-Z (TBC 2025)
• Dune: Awakening (TBC 2025)