2025 has a lot of potential in the gaming industry and today our team breaks down the titles they’re most excited to play in the New Year.
The 10th annual The Game Awards 2025 was a jam packed monster of game trailers that gave us a look at the year’s best games and tapped into the nostalgia with some really great upcoming titles in longtime series. We also spotlighted our own Game of the Year in the Cinelinx Game Awards earlier this week.
2024 brought a host of great games (big and small), but with the continued rumor for a new Nintendo console on the horizon, along with longtime franchises bringing us more to love, 2025 has the potential to be even bigger.
As such, we’ve tasked our gaming team to limit themselves to up to 5 video game titles they’re looking forward to most in 2025:
Katy
Lunar Remastered Collection – The Lunar Remastered Collection is bringing an amazing RPG series that released in the early 90s to modern consoles in the Spring. I had the great pleasure of falling in love with Lunar 2: Eternal Blue when it was released on the PlayStation in 2000. The original series, chock full of fully animated cutscenes amid the amazing and challenging journey, both originally launched on the Sega CD in 1992 and 1994 respectively. It’s a real gift to fans of the genre.
Pokémon Legends Z-A – I was a huge fan of Pokémon Legends: Arceus when it released in 2022, hardware limitations aside. I’ve been a lifelong fan of the franchise and it was a fun, refreshing take on the adventuring experience.
Rumors of the Switch 2 console have been swirling for years at this point and I’m hoping that Pokémon Legends Z-A is a release for the upgraded system so that people can enjoy the fresh take without as much of the controversy (though we know there will always be something).
Wanderstop – Cozy games are always going to end up on my list and Wanderstop is an adorable new shop management title that is all about change and tea that releases on March 11, 2025.
The game comes from developers Ivy Road, and the team includes Davey Wreden (creator of The Stanley Parable and The Beginner’s Guide), Karla Zimonja (co-creator of Gone Home and Tacoma) and Daniel “C418” Rosenfeld (the music of Minecraft).
Witchbrook – It doesn’t have a 2025 date and I think I’ve had this on my list the last two years, but Witchbrook still remains an exciting title I’m hoping releases in the next year! Another cute cozy game, Witchbrook is a social RPG and coming-of-age story that takes place at Witchbrook College at the bustling seaside town Mossport.
Honorable mentions: Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Civilization VII, Tales of the Shire, Split Fiction, Stage Fright
Jordan
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition – Yes, I know it’s an update for an older game, but I don’t care. I’ve been waiting on this game to come to the Switch since…well, since the Switch launched all those years ago. It’s easily one of the best games of the Wii U era, and I’d happily argue it’s got the top spot for best in the Xenoblade franchise (even though it’s a spinoff). As such, I can’t wait to get the chance to enjoy this once more.
Dune: Awakening – I’ve already informed my family that when Dune: Awakening hits, they’ll have to treat me like I travel for work and am not home. I’m fully prepared to lose hours/days of my life to this game. Even though I’ve never been huge on MMOs, everything I’ve seen about this one has my hype in full gear. Plus it’s DUNE, which is about the only thing which rivals my love of Star Wars.
Ghost of Yōtei – While I still long for Sucker Punch to return to the world of InFAMOUS, there’s no denying Ghost of Tsushima is one of PlayStation’s best games. What I’m thrilled about, is how they’re willing to take risks still, by not making this a simple follow-up, but moving things down the timeline and introducing all new characters and story.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater – I don’t feel I even need to explain this one. My love of Metal Gear as a franchise has been well documented over the years (along with Dustin and S0leb), and this remake looks incredible. On top of bringing the vibes from the original, the gameplay updates to fit more in line with the latter titles feels like the perfect balance. Let’s just hope a big success here gives us the chance to get NEW games with our pal Snake.
Nintendo Switch 2 Goodness – I know this feels like a copout, but considering we know a new Nintendo console is set to arrive next year, it feels worth including. Any new console launch is going to include a slew of launch titles, and Nintendo has the opportunity to drop some big surprises we haven’t even seen yet. From a new Mario (hopefully) or even Star Fox, there’s a lot of franchise power they can bring when the new system arrives.
Honorable Mentions: Pokemon Legends Z-A, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, South of Midnight, Tales of the Shire, Fable
Becky
Little Nightmares III– I love the entire concept of Little Nightmares and after several delays I’m excited to see how Little Nightmares III builds on the concepts of the first two films. While I like the idea of two player co-op, I’m also relieved the game allows one to play with a computer helper if that isn’t possible.
Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist- This is the sequel to Ender Lilies and if Ender Magnolia is anything like it, it will definitely be a game to check out. The game looks absolutely beautiful and I’m looking forward to exploring it and trying to make my way through the combat like I did with Ender Lilies.
Civilization VII- I’m looking forward to Civilization VII if for no other reason than I’m impressed this game finds a way to keep re-inventing itself. That’s impressive in this day and age so I have little trouble recommending this game.
Date Everything!– I don’t normally go for dating games, but the concept of this one is so over the top amazing I absolutely have to check it out. As the title implies, the player can literally date anything in their home via magical glasses that turn ordinary household items into a number of sexy people that can be dated. It sounds like a lot of fun and I’m very excited to check it out.
Tales of the Shire – I love just about any game that takes me back to the world of Lord of the Rings and Tales of the Shire looks like just the sort of game that can scratch that itch. I always wanted to experience life as a hobbit, so this game looks like a lot of fun.
Ryan
Tales of Graces f Remastered (Switch) – The Tales series is one that I hesitate to call “underrated,” but always feels like it ends up overlooked when the discussion turns to great RPG series compared to blockbuster titles like Final Fantasy and Persona. Tales of Graces f is an extremely solid entry in the series, full of some of the best political intrigue I’ve seen in a JRPG title. While the real-time combat it employs might throw some JRPG fans off, I’d highly suggest this one to anyone curious about uncovering ‘hidden gems’ they may have never played before!
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Speaking of Persona, the developers of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 clearly had those games in mind when they started development on this fascinating little number. This turn-based RPG adds in real-time mechanics to add an additional layer of interaction to the usual decision-making process of these games, and then oozes more style than a slime mold of Beyoncé besides. It’s the first game ever for developer Sandfall Interactive, but from what I’ve seen so far, I’m more than ready to give this untested French studio a shot!
Avowed – On the other side of the coin is Avowed, the latest release from the tried and true RPG veterans Obsidian Entertainment. This time around, they’re returning to the well of first-person open-world games, much like their dearly beloved seminal classic Fallout: New Vegas. This time around, they’re going medieval on us with sword-and-sorcery antics over post-apocalyptic shooting sprees, and I could not be happier to see it. If that wasn’t enough, the game also takes place in the world of their Pillars of Eternity series, which are also great games in their own right. All told, the recipe for this one looks too good for the end result to be anything but.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves – As the resident Cinelinx fighting game fanatic, I’ve been eagerly anticipating City of the Wolves since the very first trailer. SNK’s King of Fighters has been my favorite fighting game series, and as one of the two dozen people who actually played Garou: Mark of the Wolves, the game this is presumably a semi-sequel for, I couldn’t be happier to see another new entry into the SNK fighting collection. Even without all its history, City of the Wolves looks to be a fast-paced and fun fighter with a less steep learning curve than a lot of more recent fighting games have made players deal with!
Capcom Fighting Collection 2 – Despite being an SNK guy, I grew up with the classic Capcom fighters, and so I can’t wait for a chance to revisit some of my old favorites. I used to put hours into Capcom vs. SNK 2 on my GameCube back in the day, and with the advent of online play, it will be fun to see just how much rust I can shake off against the real sweats over the internet. All that is really just window dressing to the main event in my eyes, though: Power Stone 2. This game is, hands down, the best party-style low-stakes fighting game that has ever been made, and yes I’ve heard of Smash Brothers and I don’t care. If all this release does is show the world how much ludicrous fun it can have playing Power Stone 2, then it deserves Game of the Year in my book.
Honorable Mentions: Monster Hunter Wilds, Ghost of Yotei, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
Dustin
Metal Gear Solid 3 Delta: Snake Eater – I’ve never been excited for a game more in many years now. I love MGS3, it’s one of the most memorable game in the series, and the remake looks incredible so far. I was hoping to see it released this year, but hopefully the extra time cooking works out. I’m excited to see a new generation of gamers experience the franchise.
Judas – This game came in, got me all excited, then vanished for some time before doing it again recently. I love Bioshock and the art design it has with games, and this looks like a really good version of that. Perhaps just as importantly as this new IP is, it will also ignite the fire to finally work on Bioshock 4, which we’ve been waiting forever for too.
Tormented Souls 2 – This is a classic horror game in every regard, but the first game in the series did everything so incredibly well. In a few quick glimpses of the second one we already see that the level of polish is there and ready to go. I can’t wait to jump back in.
Reanimal – I love Little Nightmares so much, but the developers behind the series (Tarsier) are making a new adventure with this one. While Little Nightmares 3 still looks great (And co-op, hell yes!), I have slightly more interest in this one. Though it still has no official release date.
Bleach: Brave Souls – I’m not expecting too much from the game, being it’s another fighting beat em up game, but it still looks pretty fun. Plus the Bleach fan in me can’t let this one go.
