The new games 2025 lineup is shaping up to be the most groundbreaking collection of titles we've seen in years. Gaming is about to enter a golden age with revolutionary releases spanning every genre imaginable.
From the mysterious otherworldly realms of "Split Fiction" to the brutal medieval combat of "Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2," developers are pushing hardware limitations to deliver experiences that seemed impossible just a few years ago. Additionally, beloved franchises like Elden Ring and Doom are evolving in unexpected directions, while fresh IPs such as "South of Midnight" and "Mycopunk" promise to establish entirely new gaming universes.
What makes these 15 upcoming titles particularly special is how they're not just improving graphics or gameplay mechanics — they're fundamentally rethinking what games can be. Whether you're a fan of narrative adventures, adrenaline-pumping action, or strategic challenges, 2025 certainly has something that will redefine your gaming expectations.
Split Fiction
Hazelight Studios' Split Fiction emerges as one of the most innovative new games 2025 has to offer. This co-op adventure follows Mio and Zoe, two aspiring writers trapped in a simulation of their own imaginations by a nefarious tech company trying to steal their creativity.
Split Fiction gameplay overview
Split Fiction thrives on its constantly evolving gameplay mechanics. Unlike traditional co-op experiences, each level introduces entirely new tools and abilities that players must master. The game features an accessible platforming system with jump, double-jump, and air dash capabilities. Furthermore, the split-screen adventure demands coordination between players, with checkpoints generously placed to maintain momentum rather than punish mistakes. Boss battles incorporate multiple phases without forcing complete restarts upon failure.
Split Fiction visual style
The visual presentation alternates between Mio's sci-fi worlds and Zoe's fantasy realms. Each environment boasts distinctive color palettes—cooler tones for sci-fi sections and warmer hues for fantasy areas. Moreover, the game offers stunning vistas with bench sections specifically designed for players to appreciate the scenery.
Split Fiction unique features
The innovative "Side Stories" provide optional mini-adventures that contrast with the main level's genre. Additionally, the game includes a Friend's Pass system allowing one player who owns the game to invite another to join for free. The final chapter, "Split," delivers one of gaming's most memorable finales through boundary-breaking mechanics.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Sandfall Interactive's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 stands among the most anticipated new games 2025, scheduled for release on April 24 for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. This third-person turn-based RPG blends classic JRPG influences with innovative real-time elements.
Clair Obscur gameplay overview
The combat system brilliantly merges turn-based strategy with active gameplay. During your turn, you select between melee attacks to gain Ability Points or spend those points on devastating Skills. Meanwhile, when enemies attack, you must dodge, parry, or jump in real-time to avoid damage. Parrying requires precise timing but rewards with counter-attack opportunities. The game features six playable characters, each with distinct mechanics—Lune generates elemental "Stains" to enhance spells, Maelle switches between combat Stances, whereas Sciel uses magical cards to stack "Foretell" effects on enemies.
Clair Obscur visual style
The game's haunting esthetic draws inspiration from Belle Epoque and Art Deco architecture, creating a melancholy yet breathtaking world. Indeed, the environments feature surreal, dreamlike qualities with floating rock formations and ethereal landscapes. The art direction effectively establishes a sense of unease through disjointedness—simultaneously beautiful and unsettling. Consequently, this visual approach enhances the somber narrative themes of mortality and sacrifice.
Clair Obscur unique features
Players customize characters through an innovative "Pictos" system—special equipable items that boost stats and provide unique perks. As players master Pictos, they unlock passive "Luminas" that can be shared across the party. Furthermore, the game offers multiple difficulty options, including Story, Expeditioner, and Expert modes, making the experience accessible without sacrificing depth. Ultimately, the exploration takes place across an overworld map called "The Continent," where players eventually gain new traversal abilities that unlock previously inaccessible areas.
Elden Ring: Nightreign
FromSoftware's Elden Ring: Nightreign launches May 30, 2025, bringing a fresh co-op perspective to one of the most acclaimed new games 2025. This standalone adventure takes place in Limveld, a parallel world to the original game's starting area.
Elden Ring: Nightreign gameplay overview
Nightreign transforms the Elden Ring formula into a three-player cooperative experience where teams hunt powerful Nightlords. Each expedition spans three in-game days, with a shrinking play area called Night's Tide that steadily contracts your explorable territory. Players begin at level 1 and must quickly gather equipment, defeat enemies, and level up before facing increasingly difficult bosses each night. In fact, the final day culminates in a confrontation with one of eight unique Nightlords. Players can choose from distinct Nightfarers—each with passive abilities, character skills, and ultimate arts—including Wylder, Guardian, Duchess, Raider, Recluse, and Ironeye.
Elden Ring: Nightreign visual style
The game retains Elden Ring's haunting atmosphere while introducing visual elements unique to Limveld. Environments shift with each expedition as different enemies infest castles and fortresses, camps relocate, and the land itself undergoes dramatic transformations. Above all, the visual effects enhance the sense of urgency created by the Night's Tide, with the golden tree serving as a beacon of safety within the protective circle.
Elden Ring: Nightreign unique features
Nightreign introduces innovative traversal mechanics—no fall damage, wall jumping, ledge grabbing, and the ability to summon Spectral Hawks for gliding. Furthermore, the revival system allows teammates to rescue downed players by attacking them. After each expedition, players earn Relics that provide buffs for future runs, creating a meaningful progression system. Notably, while designed for trios, the game supports solo play and, following player feedback, a duo mode is being implemented.
South of Midnight
Compulsion Games' South of Midnight arrives on April 8, 2025, as one of the most stylistically distinctive new games 2025. This action-adventure takes players on a 10-12 hour journey through a mystical interpretation of America's Deep South.
South of Midnight gameplay overview
The gameplay balances exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving as protagonist Hazel searches for her missing mother after a devastating hurricane. Combat occurs in contained arenas where players face shadowy creatures called Haints. Hazel uses a five-strike melee combo alongside magical abilities—Push repels enemies, Pull draws them closer, and Weave immobilizes them. Upon defeating Haints, players can "Unravel" them to regain health. The traversal system feels remarkably fluid, allowing Hazel to double-jump, glide, and wall-run through the atmospheric environments.
South of Midnight visual style
The game's most striking aspect is its handcrafted stop-motion animation esthetic. Characters have a puppet-like quality reminiscent of clay maquettes. Nevertheless, players can toggle this effect off during gameplay if desired. The environments blend Southern Gothic architecture with fantastical elements, creating a dreamlike atmosphere through distinctive lighting that shifts throughout the day.
South of Midnight unique features
Beyond standard abilities, Hazel gains a puppet companion named Crouton who can possess enemies or squeeze through small spaces. The narrative unfolds across 14 chapters presented like a storybook with a dynamic narrator. Also, the soundtrack incorporates authentic Southern musical styles that intensify during significant moments.
Doom: The Dark Ages
Id Software's prequel Doom: The Dark Ages stands as a bold reimagining among new games 2025, shifting the iconic franchise into a medieval-sci-fi setting while serving as a narrative bridge to Doom (2016).
Doom: The Dark Ages gameplay overview
Unlike Doom Eternal's high-flying acrobatics, The Dark Ages embraces a more grounded "stand and fight" combat philosophy. The revolutionary Shield Saw serves as both defensive tool and offensive weapon—allowing players to block, parry green-flashing attacks, and throw it Captain America-style to bisect enemies. This medieval Doom introduces a refined parry system requiring precise timing, creating rhythmic combat encounters as players deflect incoming attacks while retaliating during brief openings. Additionally, the game features a slower, more deliberate pace compared to its predecessors.
Doom: The Dark Ages visual style
The visual presentation blends medieval esthetics with techno-infused elements, creating what the developers call "medieval Doom". Built on the brand-new id Tech 8 engine, the game delivers dynamic ray tracing, softer shadows, higher-fidelity image quality, and increased gore effects. Subsequently, the art direction embraces a darker, grittier style with gothic tinges—a stark contrast to the colorful esthetics of recent entries.
Doom: The Dark Ages unique features
Beyond standard combat, players can mount cybernetic dragons for aerial dogfights and pilot the massive 30-story Atlan mech suit to battle titanic demons. Likewise, the destructible demon system allows for targeted dismemberment. The game also introduces a more open-ended world design compared to previous entries, offering breathing room to explore battlefields.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Warhorse Studios' highly anticipated Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 arrives on February 4, 2025, setting a new standard for realistic medieval RPGs among new games 2025. After seven years of development, this sequel refines and expands upon everything that made the original a cult classic.
Kingdom Come 2 gameplay overview
The sequel significantly improves combat accessibility without sacrificing depth. Parrying and blocking are more intuitive, yet the system maintains its complexity with smoother learning curves. Combat allows players to defend against multiple attackers from the front, with each weapon type now featuring unique moves and authentic medieval fighting styles. As a result, gameplay feels more satisfying whether engaging in one-on-one duels or facing multiple opponents. The map is nearly twice as large as the original, featuring bustling towns, rural villages, and dense forests that encourage exploration without feeling forced.
Kingdom Come 2 visual style
Despite not using cutting-edge graphics technology, Kingdom Come 2 delivers stunning visuals that run remarkably well across various hardware configurations. The game features luscious forests, smooth animations, and impressive skyboxes that create a breathtaking medieval landscape. Primarily built on a heavily-customized CryEngine, the environments showcase meticulous attention to detail, from historically accurate architecture to dynamic lighting effects. The development team worked with historians, universities, and museums to recreate a believable 15th-century Bohemia.
Kingdom Come 2 unique features
Alongside traditional melee weapons, the sequel introduces crossbows and early firearms that can even be fired while riding horseback. The game expands its social interaction system with three new skills—Appearance, Coercion, and Dominate—complementing the original's Oratory, Charisma, and Intimidation abilities. Quests have been redesigned to offer multiple solutions and dynamic outcomes based on player choices. Players can craft personal weapons and items for trade, adding depth to the economic system. Although maintaining its challenging nature, the game provides better tutorials and help screens that make it more welcoming to newcomers.
Monster Hunter Wilds
Capcom's Monster Hunter Wilds leads February 2025's gaming slate with its February 28 release, evolving the beloved hunting formula with massive open environments and innovative mechanics for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC platforms.
Monster Hunter Wilds gameplay overview
At its core, Wilds introduces the Seikret mount system, allowing players to travel automatically while preparing for battle by sharpening weapons or consuming items. The Focus Mode revolutionizes combat by highlighting monster weak points, enabling targeted strikes for increased damage. Moreover, the game incorporates a wound system where repeatedly striking the same location creates vulnerable spots that can be exploited with Focus Strikes. Players can now equip two different weapons per hunt and switch between them while riding, all while battling through seamlessly connected biomes.
Monster Hunter Wilds visual style
Visually, Wilds delivers substantial improvements over its predecessor. Character models feature higher poly counts, improved facial geometry, and detailed hair cards. The environments span four distinctive biomes—Windward Plains, Scarlet Forest, Oil Basin, and Ice Shard Cliffs—each with unique characteristics. Essentially, the game incorporates ray-traced reflections for water surfaces alongside dense particle effects that enhance the dynamic weather system central to gameplay.
Monster Hunter Wilds unique features
The game's signature feature—the Inclemency system—creates rapidly changing weather conditions throughout hunts, including sand storms, lightning, rain, and fiery eruptions. Additionally, Pop-up Camps function as placeable fast-travel points for restocking items without returning to base. For solo players, NPC Support Hunters provide AI companions with customizable behaviors. Finally, monsters now move in herds with alpha leaders, requiring strategic approaches when tackling groups.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Among the most anticipated new games 2025, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Shadows breaks new ground as the first in the series to feature dual protagonists with distinct playstyles. Set for a November 15 release, this feudal Japan adventure marks a significant evolution for the franchise.
Assassin's Creed Shadows gameplay overview
At the core of Shadows lies the dual protagonist system featuring shinobi Naoe and samurai Yasuke. Players can switch between characters at nearly any point. Naoe excels in traditional stealth gameplay with tools like smoke bombs and sleeping darts, alongside new vertical parkour capabilities. Conversely, Yasuke offers direct combat prowess with precision parrying and powerful sword techniques. The game introduces a contextual hiding system allowing players to blend with crowds or conceal themselves in environmental features. First time in the series, players can cut down bamboo trees to create impromptu hiding spots or pathways.
Assassin's Creed Shadows visual style
Set in 16th century feudal Japan, Shadows depicts Kyoto and Edo with exceptional historical accuracy. The visual design embraces authentic architectural styles and period-appropriate clothing. Seasonal changes affect gameplay environments, with cherry blossoms in spring and snow-covered landscapes in winter. The lighting system creates dramatic shadows that enhance both stealth opportunities and visual storytelling throughout the narrative.
Assassin's Creed Shadows unique features
Primarily, the game introduces a reputation system where actions affect how NPCs respond to each character. Yasuke's combat incorporates stance-switching mechanics borrowed from Japanese sword-fighting traditions. For stealth enthusiasts, Naoe can use unique animal companions to distract guards or scout areas. The storyline weaves historical figures like Oda Nobunaga into the narrative while exploring themes of cultural identity and belonging.
The First Berserker: Khazan
Neople's The First Berserker: Khazan stands out among new games 2025 with its dark fantasy setting 800 years before the events of Dungeon Fighter Online. Players control General Khazan, once revered but falsely accused of treason, now seeking vengeance with supernatural powers.
Khazan gameplay overview
The core combat revolves around the exhaustion mechanic—attacks damage both health and stamina bars. Once an enemy's stamina depletes, they enter an exhausted state, opening them to devastating Brutal Attacks. Players can choose from three distinct weapon types: the aggressive Dual Wield for unrelenting offense, the methodical Greatsword for powerful strikes, or the Spear for fluid, combo-driven combat. The "see and respond" philosophy demands precise observation and timing for parries, dodges, and counterattacks.
Khazan visual style
The game showcases a striking 3D cel-shaded art style that blends anime esthetics with realistic textures. This innovative fusion creates vibrant, animated qualities while maintaining photorealistic depth. Throughout the adventure, bold outlines and high-contrast visuals amplify emotional weight in key scenes, offering a refreshing departure from typical photorealistic approaches.
Khazan unique features
Primarily, the skill point system allows players to unlock various abilities and reset them anytime. Boss battles serve as major progression points, requiring strategic thinking against foes with unique attack patterns. Interestingly, dying repeatedly against bosses yields Lacrima (experience) based on damage dealt, encouraging persistence rather than frustration.
Blue Prince
Dogubomb's Blue Prince emerges as an intellectual powerhouse among new games 2025, fusing puzzle-solving with roguelike elements in a mysterious shifting manor called Mt. Holly.
Blue Prince gameplay overview
At its heart, Blue Prince presents players with a compelling challenge—find the elusive Room 46 within a constantly reconfiguring estate. Each day begins with 50 steps that deplete when moving between rooms. Upon reaching doors, players draft one of three randomly presented room blueprints. This drafting mechanic creates a strategic layer where players must carefully plan their path through the mansion. The estate resets daily, erasing progress but preserving knowledge gained. Accordingly, puzzles range from simple box riddles to complex multi-room mysteries that span multiple days.
Blue Prince visual style
The game adopts a striking cel-shaded esthetic reminiscent of Telltale games. This clean, geometric design enhances the mansion's mysterious nature through a minimalist approach. Room categories are color-coded—red rooms typically carry drawbacks, while green rooms often contain valuable gems. Till now, this distinctive visual identity has helped establish Blue Prince as one of the most stylistically confident games in recent memory.
Blue Prince unique features
In light of its roguelike structure, permanent progression comes through knowledge and occasional permanent upgrades. The Coat Check room allows players to store items for subsequent runs. Under those circumstances, players gradually unravel a narrative involving blackmail, political intrigue, and a missing children's book author.
Lost Records: Bloom and Rage
Don't Nod's narrative adventure Lost Records: Bloom & Rage joins the new games 2025 lineup with a dual-timeline story spanning 1995 and 2022. Four teenage girls form unbreakable bonds before a mysterious event forces them to promise never to speak again—until they reunite 27 years later.
Lost Records gameplay overview
Players control Swann, a quirky introvert navigating friendships through dialog choices that affect relationships with visual heart/broken heart indicators. The story unfolds through both timelines, with choices in 1995 impacting events in 2022. Swann's camcorder serves as a primary gameplay mechanic, allowing players to film friends, nature, and surroundings to create "memoirs". These recorded clips can be rearranged and edited into montages, though some players might find the collection aspect tedious.
Lost Records visual style
Visually, the game delivers impressive character models with remarkable attention to detail—from Nora's acne-covered face to authentic 90s environments filled with VHS tapes and period toys. The game cleverly splits perspectives between third-person in 1995 and first-person in 2022. Additionally, environments showcase stunning photorealistic qualities that create a dreamlike atmosphere.
Lost Records unique features
Perhaps most intriguing is how the game alternates between past and present, with adult voices occasionally filtering into flashbacks as narration. The estimated 10-12 hour playtime offers accessibility options including motion sickness settings and readable text.
Mario Kart World
Nintendo's Mario Kart World headlines the new games 2025 roster as a premier Nintendo Switch 2 launch title on June 5, completely reimagining the beloved racing series with groundbreaking innovations.
Mario Kart World gameplay overview
This revolutionary entry transforms traditional racing by connecting all courses in a vast, seamless world where players drive directly from one track to another. For the first time, races support up to 24 drivers simultaneously, doubling the previous capacity. The Knockout Tour mode eliminates racers who fall behind at checkpoints, creating intense elimination-style competitions. Furthermore, the Free Roam mode allows players to explore the entire interconnected world at their leisure, discovering hidden P-switches that activate special missions.
Mario Kart World visual style
Visually, the game delivers stunning 1440p resolution without relying on temporal upsampling techniques. The consistent 60fps performance during standard gameplay ensures smooth racing action even with 24 racers onscreen. Throughout gameplay, dynamic weather systems and a day-night cycle (completing every 24 minutes) dramatically alter the visual atmosphere and racing conditions. Whenever lightning strikes, it now triggers rainstorms that affect driving conditions.
Mario Kart World unique features
Primarily, new movement mechanics transform the racing experience—players can grind on rails, jump off walls, and skim across water. The innovative Charge Jump allows racers to leap over hazards or reach high-up rails. Alongside traditional racing, players can collect "Dash Foods" like burgers and sushi throughout the world to unlock special character outfits. The Rewind feature permits players to briefly turn back time to retry difficult jumps.
Donkey Kong Bananza
Nintendo's Donkey Kong Bananza joins the new games 2025 lineup as a groundbreaking 3D platformer centered around one satisfying mechanic: destruction. After a 25-year absence from 3D adventures, DK returns with impressive demolition abilities.
Donkey Kong Bananza gameplay overview
At its core, Bananza thrives on letting players smash through virtually everything. DK can punch walls, dive through floors, rip chunks from terrain, and throw debris at enemies. Progression comes through collecting Banandium Gems to unlock skills like health upgrades, stronger punches, and improved collection radius. The adventure takes place across distinct themed layers including Lagoon, Canyon, and Forest, each presenting unique environmental challenges. A second player can join locally as Pauline, using vocal blasts to break walls and defeat enemies.
Donkey Kong Bananza visual style
Built as a Switch 2 showcase, Bananza delivers impressive visuals with vibrant environments and remarkable destructibility. Each biome features distinctive materials with unique sound effects—wood chips away while metal produces a satisfying "clang". Currently, the game occasionally struggles with framerate issues during intense destruction sequences.
Donkey Kong Bananza unique features
Primarily, DK can transform into different forms via Bananza powers—the Kong form enhances strength, Zebra enables water-dashing, and Ostrich allows gliding with egg bombs. Challenge Courses provide optional puzzles and platforming challenges. Most excitingly, these include 2D side-scrolling sections reminiscent of Donkey Kong Country.
The Alters
11 Bit Studios' The Alters stands among the most thought-provoking new games 2025, offering a philosophical sci-fi survival experience centered on the concept of alternative life paths.
The Alters gameplay overview
Playing as Jan Dolski, the sole survivor of an expedition to a distant planet, you must create alternate versions of yourself to escape. The gameplay balances resource collection, base maintenance, and relationship management. Each day passes in real-time, with one second equaling one in-game minute. Players explore hazardous environments to collect resources, establish mining nodes, and solve puzzles. Time management becomes crucial as you assign different versions of Jan to tasks based on their specialized skills.
The Alters visual style
Visually, the game features a distinctive wheel-shaped mobile base that houses all living quarters and workstations. This massive structure must constantly move to stay ahead of the deadly radioactive sun. The environments showcase breathtaking alien landscapes with a unique chromatic palette emphasizing magenta. Anomalies and Rapidium—the substance used to create alters—are rendered with stunning visual effects that make players pause to admire their surroundings.
The Alters unique features
At its core, the game revolves around creating "alters"—alternative versions of Jan formed by changing pivotal life decisions. Through the quantum computer's "Tree of Life," players select branching points from Jan's history to create alters with different skills and personalities. Beyond their practical functions, alters have distinct emotional states requiring attention. This creates profound moral questions about identity, regret, and choice.
Mycopunk
Pigeons at Play's Mycopunk emerges as a standout co-op shooter among new games 2025, bringing players to the fungus-infected planet of New Atlas as robots working for the Saxon Corporation.
Mycopunk gameplay overview
Players select from four distinct robot classes with complementary abilities: Wrangler (lasso-wielding cowboy with dash jump), Bruiser (tanky shield-deployer), Scrapper (jetpack user with deployable grapple poles), or Glider (support-focused with healing capabilities). Combat involves exterminating sentient fungal enemies that have infected machinery, creating spider-like crawlers and fearsome amalgamations that grow stronger by stealing limbs from defeated foes. The game features customizable difficulty with three swarm intensity levels and six threat tiers, affecting enemy strength and resource rewards.
Mycopunk visual style
The game sports a vibrant cel-shaded esthetic that stands out from typical shooter palettes. Environments span four distinct locations including sparse forests, desert areas, and abandoned cities. Enemies showcase unique fungal-mechanical designs—purple spindly legs on basic enemies and larger foes with laser beams, bombs, and energy weapons. This visual approach enhances the game's satirical anti-capitalist undertones.
Mycopunk unique features
Primarily, Mycopunk's innovative weapon system eliminates ammo hunting—using one weapon recharges the other. Further enhancing gameplay, upgrades utilize a hexagonal grid system where modifications appear as DNA-like threads players must fit together like puzzle pieces. Mission variety ranges from escorting vehicles to powering planetary railguns against rival corporations. The game functions impressively both solo and cooperatively, with various movement abilities creating dynamic traversal options.
Conclusion
As we look toward 2025, the gaming landscape stands poised for a truly revolutionary year. These fifteen upcoming titles certainly showcase the remarkable diversity and innovation driving the industry forward. From the cooperative storytelling of Split Fiction to the medieval authenticity of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, developers clearly aren't just improving graphics—they're fundamentally rethinking what games can be.
Undoubtedly, the technological leaps enable entirely new experiences. Mario Kart World transforms a beloved racing series into an interconnected playground, while Doom: The Dark Ages boldly reimagines a classic franchise in a medieval setting. Furthermore, fresh IPs like Mycopunk and South of Midnight bring wholly original worlds filled with distinct visual styles and gameplay mechanics that would have seemed impossible just a few years ago.
What makes this lineup particularly exciting is how it caters to every type of player. Strategy enthusiasts will find depth in Blue Prince's roguelike puzzles, whereas action fans can look forward to Elden Ring: Nightreign's cooperative hunts. Additionally, narrative-driven players have Lost Records: Bloom & Rage's emotional dual-timeline story awaiting them.
The future of gaming looks exceptionally bright with these titles. Whether you prefer sprawling open worlds, tight narrative experiences, or cooperative adventures, 2025 offers something groundbreaking for every player. Though still months away, these fifteen games already demonstrate why 2025 might become one of gaming's most memorable years. The only question remaining is: which of these mind-blowing experiences will you play first?