| List of years in video games |
|---|
Thevideo game industry in 2025 is still in the midst oflarge-scale layoffs occurring since 2022, contracting from the large growth that had happened during theCOVID-19 pandemic. Among other hardware,Nintendo released theNintendo Switch 2 console, though along withSony Interactive Entertainment andMicrosoft, had to adjust the pricing on their hardware within the United States and Canada as a result oftariffs placed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
| Category / Organization | 43rdGolden Joystick Awards November 20, 2025[1] | The Game Awards 2025 December 11, 2025 | 29th AnnualD.I.C.E. Awards February 12, 2026 | 26thGame Developers Choice Awards March 12, 2026 | 22ndBritish Academy Games Awards April 17, 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game of the Year | Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | |||||
| Independent / Debut[i] | Indie | Blue Prince, Hollow Knight: Silksong | ||||
| Debut | ||||||
| Mobile / Portable | — | |||||
| VR /AR | ||||||
| Artistic Achievement[i] | Animation | Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | ||||
| Art Direction | ||||||
| Audio[i] | Music | Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | ||||
| Sound Design | Ghost of Yōtei | |||||
| Character or Performance[i] | Leading Role | Jennifer English Maelle,Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | ||||
| Supporting Role | Ben Starr Verso,Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | |||||
| Game Direction or Design[i] | Game Design | — | ||||
| Game Direction | ||||||
| Narrative | Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | |||||
| Technical Achievement | — | |||||
| Multiplayer / Online | Peak | |||||
| Action | — | |||||
| Adventure | — | |||||
| Family | — | |||||
| Fighting | — | |||||
| Role-Playing | — | |||||
| Sports/Racing | Sports | — | ||||
| Racing | ||||||
| Strategy/Simulation | — | |||||
| Social Impact | — | |||||
| Special Award | — | |||||
The following table lists the top-rated games released in 2025 based onMetacritic, which generally considersexpansions as separate entities. The original versions of these games were released in 2025.
| Title | Developer(s) | Publisher(s) | Release | Platform(s) | Average score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hades II | Supergiant Games | September 25, 2025 | Win,NS,NS2 | 95 | |
| Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | Sandfall Interactive | Kepler Interactive | April 24, 2025 | Win,PS5,XSX/S | 92 |
| Blue Prince | Dogubomb | Raw Fury | April 10, 2025 | Win,PS5,XSX/S | 92 |
| Split Fiction | Hazelight Studios | Electronic Arts | March 6, 2025 | Win,PS5,XSX/S,NS2 | 91 |
| Donkey Kong Bananza | Nintendo EPD | Nintendo | July 17, 2025 | NS2 | 91 |
| Hollow Knight: Silksong | Team Cherry | September 4, 2025 | Win,PS4,PS5,XBO,XSX/S,NS,NS2 | 90 | |
| Month | Day(s) | Event |
|---|---|---|
| January | 7–10 | Newgaming accessories andhandheld consoles were revealed during theConsumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025 showcase held at theLas Vegas Convention Center inWinchester, Nevada.[3] |
| February | 11–13 | TheAcademy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosted the 2025 D.I.C.E. Summit and the28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards at theAria Resort and Casino inLas Vegas, Nevada.[4] |
| 25 | Warner Bros. Games closedMonolith Productions,Player First Games, andWB Games San Diego.[5] | |
| March | 12 | Scopely acquired the games division and related intellectual property ofNiantic, Inc. for $3.5 billion, which included Niantic'sPokémon Go andMonster Hunter Now.[6] |
| 17–21 | TheGame Developers Conference, including theGame Developers Choice Awards and theIndependent Game Festival, were held inSan Francisco, California. | |
| 19 | The first industry-wide video game union, the United Videogame Workers-Communication Workers of America, covering both the United States and Canada, was announced.[7] | |
| 25 | Game Informer announced that it had been acquired by Gunzilla Games and re-established themselves as an independent video game news outlet, additionally mentioning a revival of their print magazine and return of all laid off staff members.[8] | |
| 27 | Ubisoft announced the formation ofVantage Studios, a four billion euro subsidiary, with a 25% ownership byTencent, to manage its top franchises, includingAssassin's Creed andFar Cry.[9][10] | |
| April | 2–13 | The 2025London Games Festival, which comprises New Game Plus, theBAFTA Games Awards, Games Finance Market, Screen Play, Now Play This, The Trafalgar Square Games Festival, Side Events and The London Video Game Orchestra were held inLondon, England.[11] |
| 29 | Electronic Arts laid off between 300 and 400 employees, including atRespawn Entertainment andCodemasters.[12][13] | |
| May | 2 | Rockstar Games issued a statement announcing a delay forGrand Theft Auto VI, pushing its release date to May 26, 2026.[14] |
| 9–11 | Evo Japan 2025 was held atTokyo Big Sight inTokyo.[15] | |
| 22 | Super Nintendo World opened to the public alongsideUniversal Epic Universe inFlorida.[16] | |
| ThePac-Man franchise celebrated its 45th anniversary in Japan.[17] | ||
| June | 6–9 | Several streamed presentations were shown as part of the 2025Summer Game Fest, including a live show on June 6 at theYouTube Theater inLos Angeles.[18] |
| July | 2 | Microsoft laid off about 4% of its workforce, leading to the closure ofThe Initiative, layoffs at several Microsoft Gaming studios, and the cancellation of several games.[19] |
| 9 | SAG-AFTRA members voted to ratify a new interactive media contract negotiated with game developers and publishers, ending theyear-long strike impacting voice actors.[20] | |
| 29 | Atari SA announced plans to acquire a controlling interest ofThunderful Group for about 4.5 million euro.[21] | |
| August | 1–3 | The 2025Evolution Championship Series was held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Winchester, Nevada.[22] |
| 20–24 | Gamescom 2025 was held inCologne, Germany.[23] | |
| September | 13 | TheSuper Mario franchise celebrated its 40th anniversary in Japan.[24] |
| 25–28 | Tokyo Game Show 2025 was held in theMakuhari Messe, inChiba, Japan.[25] | |
| 29 | Electronic Arts announced its intent to be acquired as a private company by the Saudi ArabianPublic Investment Fund,Silver Lake andAffinity Partners for $55 billion, to close by June 2026 pending approvals.[26] | |
| November | 6 | Rockstar Games issued a statement announcing a delay forGrand Theft Auto VI, pushing its release date to November 19, 2026.[27] |
| December | 11 | The Game Awards 2025 is scheduled to be held at thePeacock Theater in Los Angeles.[28] |
| 31 | Doug Bowser will retire as president and CEO ofNintendo of America, with executive vice president of revenue, marketing and consumer experienceDevon Pritchard succeeding as president and former president of Nintendo of EuropeSatoru Shibata succeeding as CEO respectively.[29] |

| Month | Day | Console | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15 | MSI Claw 8 AI+ | Micro-Star International |
| February | 14 | Lenovo Legion Go S | Lenovo[62] |
| June | 5 | Nintendo Switch 2 | Nintendo |
| October | 16 | ROG Xbox Ally,ROG Xbox Ally X | Asus |
| December | 5 | Intellivision Sprint | Atari SA |
| TBA | TBA | Acer Nitro Blaze 8 | Acer |
| TBA | TBA | Acer Nitro Blaze 11 | Acer |
| TBA | TBA | Atari Gamestation Go | My Arcade[63] |
| TBA | TBA | Lenovo Legion Go 2 | Lenovo |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| Title | Platform(s) | Genre(s) | Developer(s) | Month ending | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earthblade | Win | Action platformer | Extremely OK Games | January | [1168] |
| Transformers: Reactivate | Win, consoles | Action | Splash Damage | [1169] | |
| Football Manager 25 | Win,NS,iOS,Droid,PS5,XBO,XSX/S | Sports management | Sports Interactive | February | [1170] |
| Wonder Woman | Win,PS5,XSX/S | Action | Monolith Productions | [1171] | |
| UntitledTitanfall game | Unknown | First-person shooter | Respawn Entertainment | April | [12] |
| Battle Aces | Win | Real-time strategy | Uncapped Games | May | [1172] |
| Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link | iOS,Droid | Action role-playing | Square Enix | [1173] | |
| Project Bifrost | Unknown | Unknown | People Can Fly | June | [1174] |
| Project Gemini | |||||
| Everwild | Win,XSX/S | Action-adventure | Rare | July | [1175] |
| Perfect Dark | First-person shooter | The Initiative,Crystal Dynamics | [1176] | ||
| Project Blackbird | Unknown | MMORPG | ZeniMax Online Studios | [1177] | |
| Contraband | Win,XSX/S | Action-adventure | Avalanche Studios Group | August | [1178] |
| Title | Platform(s) | Genre(s) | Developer(s) | Servers shutdown date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spectre Divide | Win,PS5,XSX/S | First-person shooter | Mountaintop Studios | April 17, 2025 | [1179] |
| War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius[h] | iOS,Droid | Tactical role-playing | Square Enix, Gumi Inc | May 29, 2025 | [1180] |
| Dauntless | Win,NS,PS5,XBO,XSX/S | Action role-playing | Phoenix Labs | May 30, 2025 | [1181] |
| MultiVersus | Win,PS4,PS5,XBO,XSX/S | Fighting | Player First Games | [1182] | |
| XDefiant[l] | Win,PS5,XSX/S | First-person shooter | Ubisoft San Francisco | June 3, 2025 | [1183] |
| Resident Evil Re:Verse | Win,PS4,PS5,XBO,XSX/S | Third-person shooter,horror | Capcom | June 30, 2025 | [1184] |
| Star Wars: Hunters | Win,NS,iOS,Droid | Action | Zynga,NaturalMotion | October 1, 2025 | [1185] |
| Final Fantasy Brave Exvius[m] | iOS,Droid,Amazon Fire | Role-playing | Alim | October 31, 2025 | [1186] |
Set to release on February 14.
Tape 1 will still launch as planned on February 18.
X-Out: Resurfaced hits PC, PS5, and Switch on February 20, 2025.
Despera Drops first launched for Switch on November 30, 2023 in Japan, followed by March 6, 2025 worldwide.
Wanderstop will launch for Xbox Series alongside its previously announced PlayStation 5 and PC (Steam) versions on March 11.
Scheduled to launch on March 13, 2025
Due out on March 27.
Game launches on Thursday for Switch, PS5, PS4, PC.
PROGRESS ORDERS will launch on April 10, 2025, in Japan.
Due out for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store on April 17.
PC version due out on April 24.
Due out on April 24 for Switch in Japan, May 8 for PC.
Day-and-date with its Japanese release.
Visual novel game due out on April 24, 2025.
The release of Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade, originally scheduled for April 24, has been postponed to May 15.
Game of Thrones: Kingsroad is set to leave early access and launch on May 21.
Frontwing and Bushiroad will release the PC visual novel Perennial Dusk: Kinsenka worldwide on May 29, 2025.
Due out for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC via Steam
Alongside its previously announced PlayStation 5 and Switch 2 versions on June 5.
Now launching alongside Switch 2 version.
No Sun To Worship is heading to all consoles on the 18th of this month.
Due out alongside other versions on June 19.
June 19, 2025.
First launched for PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, and Humble Store on June 26.
Both the global PC release and Japanese Switch release are due out on June 26.
Due out on June 27.
Due out alongside other versions.
Due out on July 15.
Due out for Switch 2 on July 17.
Due out on July 18.
Will officially launch on July 24, 2025.
Due out on July 24.
Due out on July 25.
Due out on July 25.
On August 5.
Due out for Switch and PC via Steam on August 7.
Due out alongside Switch and PC on August 27.
Due out on August 28 in Japan.
Release Date: Sep 5, 2025
Due out alongside the other versions on September 15.
Alongside its previously planned Steam release on September 17.
Due out for PlayStation 5, Switch, and PC via Steam on September 19 worldwide.
Day and date with the Japanese release.
Republic of Pirates is coming to PlayStation 5 (PS5) and Xbox Series X|S on September 25.
Switch 2 version will follow at a later date.
Due out on September 30.
Due out on October 2.
Steam launch delayed to October 8 [...] will still launch digitally for Nintendo Switch on November 27.
Due out on October 9.
STARBITES will also launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and Switch on October 16 in Japan.
Due out on October 21.
Alongside its previously announced PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC (Steam, Epic Games Store) versions on October 23.
PC version launched today.
Earth vs. Mars (New release on Steam, Oct. 29)
Day and date with the Switch 2 and Switch versions.
Due out on October 31.
Due out on November 20.
Day and date with the Japanese release.
Due out on November 27 in Japan.
Due out on November 27.
Due out on November 27.
Due out on November 27 in Japan.
Due out on December 3.
The first title, Tail of the Sun, will launch for Switch and PC via Steam on December 16 in Japan.
The full game is set to launch for PC via Steam sometime in 2025.
It is expected to remain in Early Access at least until the end of 2025.
Planned Release Date: 2025
A full release will follow for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC.
Planned Release Date: 2025
DoubleShake Status: Currently in-development, ETA: 2025
A full release will follow for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC.
We intend to stay in Early Access for 7 to 10 months.
We have decided to shift the release window to Winter in order to further refine the game.
It is expected to remain in Early Access for about six months.
Due out in 2025.
MATCHO is currently developed for PC Windows with its release set to 2025 - at the same time, we are aiming to release the game on PlayStation 5.
"This isn't a major delay," Yacht Club Games assures.
Due out in 2025.
Due out in late 2025 to early 2026.
Nirvana Noir is set to launch between late 2025 and early 2026.
We're still working toward a 2025 release.
Due out for PC via Steam this winter.
Are you aiming for a mid-next year release? I won't commit to anything specific, but we're looking at next year.
Due out this winter.
This is all in the efforts to finalize the 1.0 version of the game for release on Switch and PlayStation 5 in the summer.
The game is expected to remain in Early Access for around 12 months.
Due out first for PC in 2025.
Due out this winter.
Planned Release Date: 2025
Full release to follow in 2025.
We have decided to postpone the release of "TSURUGIHIME" in order to further improve the quality of the game, which we were planning to release within 2024.
It is expected to remain in Early Access for around one year.
Planned Release Date: Q4 2025
The anime will debut in Japan on April 5 at 10:30 p.m. on Tokyo MX.