As 2024 comes to a close and we are finishing up our favorite video games of the year, we can’t help but think about what is coming next. 2025 is looking to be an incredible year for the industry. Some of our favorite game studios are returning with installments to iconic franchises, nostalgic reboots and much more. Our only question is: what video game releasing in 2025 are you most excited to dive into?
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Lost Records Bloom & Rage
Kicking off our most anticipated video games list for 2025 is DONT NOD’s Lost Records Bloom & Rage. We are beyond excited to dive back into an adventure where the choices you make throughout matter and have lasting effects on how the story plays out. This time, we are split between 1995 and 2022. In the present day, four friends are thrown back together to face long-buried secrets that tore them apart.
Lost Records Bloom & Rage will be released in two parts. Tape 1 releases on February 18, 2025, and Tape 2 releases on March 18, 2025. Players can find it on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Seris X/S.
Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game
From developers Wētā Workshop comes Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game. In this life simulation RPG, players get to live the cozy life of a less adventurous Hobbit. Explore the small town of Bywater but not too much because this game focuses on living the laid-back life of a Hobbit in the Shire. Cook delicious meals, decorate your very own Hobbit hole and most importantly, kick up your giant, hairy feet.
Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game releases on March 25, 2025, for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and the Nintendo Switch.
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Outbound
We’ve all seen those van influencers on social media and thought about ditching our existence for a minimalist, nomad lifestyle, right? If you dream of traveling the countryside in a cozy, vintage Volkswagen but can’t get down with a composting toilet, Square Glade Games’ Outbound is the game for you. Drive the open roads of a utopian future and explore the lush world. You’ll start with an empty van and a dream that you’ll build into a home. Outbound is a low-stakes crafting, survival sandbox where players scavenge materials and craft necessities, and mod their camper to adapt to new, changing landscapes. You don’t have to transverse the world alone, though, as the game promises cooperative play with four players.
Outbound is set to release in 2025 for PC via Steam before making the jump to consoles.
Mistfall Hunter
Bellring Games is taking the action-adventure RPG world by storm with Mistfall Hunter. The player-vs-player vs. environment playstyle is beautifully told through an incredible fantasy world. It occurs after a war between gods, leaving terrifying repercussions on the world, including Glydenmist, a corrosive force that warps the souls of the living and turns them into monsters. Players take on the role of hunters who set out to help cleanse the world of these nightmares. It looks incredible and spooky and is a must-play in our books.
Mistfall Hunter will release sometime in 2025 for PC via Steam and Xbox Series X/S.
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Doom: The Dark Ages
Doom: The Dark Ages is a prequel to Doom with a medieval twist. From iD Software and Bethesda Softworks, the first-person shooter occurs in Argent D’Nur during the Unholy Wars. Play as the Doom Slayer as he rises to become the kingdom’s last hope against the forces of Hell. The details are still pretty scarce on this one, but they had me at medieval Doom.
Doom: The Dark Ages releases sometime in 2025 on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Grave Seasons
Grave Seasons is part farming simulator and part murder mystery, making it one of the most unique games promised to come out next year. Fall in love with the local flora and fauna, all while romancing the secretive townsfolk. Plant your crops, fish, mine and explore the strange, ancient town of Ashenridge while solving a supernatural mystery. Navigating the haunted region is not for the faint of heart, as developers Perfect Garbage and Blumhouse Games warn players of horror content and mature themes. Players, beware, you’re in for a scare.
Grave Seasons is expected to release on PC via Steam in 2025.
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The Sinking City 2
Frogwares returns with The Sinking City 2, a second tale in their Lovecraftian journey. This is a third-person survival horror game in which players head to Arham, a sprawling labyrinth where eldritch horrors lurk. We love a good Lovecraftian horror story, and the team proved they had it in them with The Sinking City. This time, the game was created in Unreal Engine 5, bringing the entire project to a new level. We are excited to see this world come to life before our eyes.
The Sinking City 2 will release in 2025 for PC via Steam via Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Hello Kitty Island Adventure from Sunblink takes place on an island inhabited by various Sanrio characters. In this open-world adventure simulation game, players complete quests, play mini-games, and solve puzzles to discover the mysteries of the magical island. On your quest to restore a theme park, make friends with your favorite Sanrio characters, including Kuromi, PomPom and Hello Kitty. While this game is nothing new to Apple device players, 2025 brings Hello Kitty Island Adventures to even more platforms.
Hello Kitty Island Adventure releases on January 30, 2025, for PC via Steam, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and the Nintendo Switch.
Carmen Sandiego
We hope t025 continues the nostalgia train, and Gameloft’s revival of the Carmen Sandiego franchise is helping make this true. This time around, players finally get the chance to control the scarlet super thief herself as they navigate the world of espionage, solving puzzles and putting a stop to VILE. The new game is based on the Netflix series that was released in 2019, and we hope it continues to expand on it. We are excited to dive back into this world and relive memories from our childhood in a new way.
Carmen Sandiego is set to release in 2025. We expect to see it first on iOS and Android via Netflix, then on PC via Steam, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch.
This article was written alongside Cassie Holguin and Lauren Darnell.
Who I Am: A nerd by the strictest definition. I enjoy diving straight into my favorite fandoms without a care in the world. I live on video/board games, fantasy movies and TV, and all things geeky.
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