Video games are a billion-dollar industry that grows annually. However, each industry year caters to different trends and fans; some may not reach the same heights as others. 1998 and 2007 are typically considered the best gaming years. Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Tekken 3, Half-Life, Baldur’s Gate, Super Mario Galaxy, BioShock, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Oblivion, and Mass Effect were released. Baldur’s Gate 3, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Sea of Stars, Lies of P, Alan Wake 2, Street Fighter 6, and many others seem to fit inside 2023’s timeline.
Even with several titles postponed into 2026, 2025 could match or exceed these goals. Since 2018, I’ve published Game Rant’s most anticipated games of each year list, and I can confidently state that this year’s lineup is unmatched. PlayStation and Xbox are firing on all cylinders, Nintendo has the Switch 2 (even if its games are unknown), and major AAA games are set to start the year. February alone may break the bank, and a new Elden Ring game and Grand Theft Auto 6 could be released in the same year. In 2025, there are many games to anticipate.
This list only covers games with a 2025 release date/window, but delays are conceivable. This list is sorted by release date. Sorted alphabetically for ambiguous 2025 release windows.
Sunderfolk (2025)
If you like Dungeons & Dragons, play this game when it comes out. After playing it, it topped my list of anticipated games for next year. Development studio Secret Door briefly introduced the game when I previewed it. I froze when they said our phones would be controllers—everything in me opposed it. Then we played it, and I loved it.
Sunderfolk is a turn-based tactical RPG with couch co-op inspired by tabletop games. Each team of four players can explore unexplained happenings in the underground Sunderlands using one of six animal-based avatars/classes (Arcanist, Bard, Berserker, Pyromancer, Ranger, or Rogue). Players can interact with Arden NPCs to improve the village, build Fate Decks, and enjoy a lively hub between missions.
I liked how it felt like a tabletop game. Most D&D/tabletop games make natural tradeoffs. Replicating gaming can compromise RP. Thanks to its presentation, Sunderfolk felt uncompromising. I’m introverted, but it seemed like my home table even though I played with strangers. It had laughs, amusing gaming situations, shouts, and good roleplaying.
South of Midnight (2025)
South of Midnight is a third-person action-adventure game about Hazel, who discovers magic power while exploring Deep South mythos and animals. Hazel comes from Properso, a “gothic fantasy American Deep South Setting,” destroyed by a storm. The action-adventure game will focus on battle, exploration, and puzzles, but nothing else is known.
I was immediately drawn to that twang as a Deep Southern. Video games rarely examine the Deep South, and while this sounds more Louisiana-based than anything else (where the Deep South currently receives most of its depiction), I’m curious to see how it incorporates Southern mythos and culture. I’ll riot if I don’t hear one “Y’all’d’ve.”.
Revenge of the Savage Planet (May 2025)
Despite many challenges, a sequel to the Savage Planet IP is coming in 2025. Players must explore ARY-26, a colorful planet with strange lifeforms, gameplay interactions, and enjoyable co-op. Revenge of the Savage Planet retains the game’s appeal while improving it smartly. The map helps completionists, but the game still promotes quirky exploration.
The Outer Worlds 2 (2025)
Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2 are the two role-playing games that Obsidian Entertainment intends to release in 2025 with some strategy. It would appear that Avowed is effectively beginning the year, thus fans should anticipate this one to be released later in the year (in all likelihood). This sequel to The Outer Worlds takes place in a different solar system, introduces a new cast of characters, and tells a story that centers on the appearance of rifts in various parts of the environment. In this game, players take on the role of an Earth Directorate Agent tasked with discovering the cause of these rifts, all while the solar system itself is being torn apart by a conflict between factions.
Grand Theft Auto 6 (Fall 2025)
Regarding generalizations, I do not like the phrase “of all time” because it is frequently nothing more than absolute hyperbole. Furthermore, I would argue that the phrase “of all time” also encompasses the future. When we declare that something is the “something of all time,” we are essentially stating that it will never become any better at any point in time. But let me back up. Grand Theft Auto 6 is the one thing that makes this hyperbole appear less extreme than it actually is. It should come as no surprise that Grand Theft Auto 5 is the most profitable entertainment product ever, but the fact that it is so stunning lends a great deal of credence to the assertion that Grand Theft Auto 6 is more anticipated than any other game in history.
As of right now, Grand Theft Auto 6 is already making waves for the year 2025. According to reports, several game creators and companies hesitate to declare release dates because they fear Rockstar will come in and announce it. You might as well get rid of the entire month that it is released, in all honesty. In the open-world crime game, players can return to the state of Leonida and Vice City while following the story of Lucia and her boyfriend, who has not yet been formally identified (?). Fans will be flocking in droves to the game.
If Grand Theft Auto 6 is released, it will be a defining moment for 2025; nevertheless, there is some conjecture that it will slip into 2026. That is a possibility for every game on this list, but it seems more likely for Grand Theft Auto 6. All we can do is wait and see, but it doesn’t make a difference. Rockstar could shadow-dropped the game tomorrow, and it would sell out immediately.