Gamer communities across the globe are buzzing with excitement as we dive into 2025, and it looks like the year will be packed with groundbreaking releases that are sure to keep players on the edge of their seats. From highly anticipated sequels to fresh new franchises, the gaming landscape is gearing up to deliver an incredible array of titles that promise to redefine the way we experience interactive entertainment. In fact, just the first half of the year alone is shaping up to be a rollercoaster of thrilling, action-packed, and immersive gaming experiences that will have players glued to their screens. With so many titles to look forward to, it can be hard to keep track of what’s coming. But fear not! We’ve compiled a list of the top 10 upcoming games that you absolutely don\’t want to miss, so you can start preparing for an unforgettable year of gaming.
1. Atomfall
Set in an alternate 1960s Britain following a nuclear disaster, this survival-action game combines crafting and combat in a narrative-driven experience. With eerie quarantine zones and a unique vibe, Atomfall lands on March 27th for PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Xbox Game Pass.
Atomfall is an action game played from a first-person perspective. Set in an alternate history in which the 1957 Windscale fire rendered much of the Lake District, Cumbria in radioactive fallout. Players can scavenge for resources and scraps to craft weapons, or use firearms to defeat enemies, though ammunitions are scarce in the game. While Atomfall is labeled as a survival game, players only need to manage the player character\’s health and heart rate. Combat, sprinting and kicking enemies will increase the protagonist\’s heart rate, causing darkened vision and muffled hearing. Stealth tactics can also be employed, and the game can be completed without killing a single enemy. Alternatively, the option to kill every single character in the game also exists.
Official Website: https://atomfall.com/
2. Sid Meier\’s Civilization VII
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The legendary 4X strategy series returns with new innovations. For the first time, Civilization VII is divided into ages-Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern-marked by crisis points where players make decisions that will determine the course of history. It gives way to other parallel history scenarios, including one with Benjamin Franklin building the Great Wall of China. It will be coming on February 11th for PC (Windows, Mac, Linux), PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. Attention, strategy buffs! Here’s your chance to rewrite history!
Civilization VII is a 4X game in which the player leads a human civilization from its early settlements up to an advanced culture. The player utilizes various units, which are representations of military and civilian units, to explore the map, grow their civilization through additional cities, culture, and technology, gather resources of the geography around their settlements, and defeat threats from foreign civilizations also attempting to grow their civilization. The player can win the game based on a number of possible victory conditions, which range from peaceful solutions to full military domination of the world.
Official Website: https://civilization.2k.com/civ-vii/
3. Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Ubisoft returns to the series roots with a great mix of the traditional stealth gameplay and more modern open-world designs. Set in historic Japan, players will get a chance to explore Kyoto, Osaka, and Iga-all while navigating the focused, linear story missions. Coming February 14th, this is a great treat for both old and new fans.
Assassin\’s Creed Shadows is an action-adventure stealth video game that offers new gameplay to fans of its predecessors. An improved version of the Anvil engine was used in developing it, featuring dynamic lighting, immersed environmental interactions, and props that can actually break. The players will be able to use the shadows for cover, as is traditional in such games, or utilize a grappling hook to execute advanced parkour moves.
It features an open world as big as Assassin\’s Creed Origins, with dynamic seasons that change everything. For instance, winter means frozen water and icicles, while spring is full of lush grass and flowers blooming; this adds so much to the strategy and feeling of immersion.
Missions are non-linear, allowing players to approach objectives in whatever manner they choose. Instead of littering maps with objective markers, vantage points are used to scan the environment for interesting points. Alternatively, players can build and train a spy network to gather intel, or even bribe officials to reveal target locations.
This combination of freedom, strategy, and environmental interaction makes Assassin\’s Creed Shadows an innovative and fresh chapter in the series.
Official Website: https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/game/assassins-creed/shadows
4. Assetto Corsa Evo
This beloved racing simulator shifts gears into an open-world format, featuring a map that spans over 600 square miles of the Nürburgring’s real-world terrain. Expect advanced vehicle physics, dynamic weather, and day-night cycles. With VR support, it promises an immersive experience. Early access begins on Steam January 16th, with console versions to follow.
Assetto Corsa EVO sets a new standard for realism and features in the world of multiplatform driving simulators.
Building on the foundation of its predecessor, Assetto Corsa EVO offers an extensive lineup of vehicles from various classes and eras of automotive history. From road cars and timeless classics to cutting-edge hypercars and professional race cars, it showcases the most iconic representations of motoring and motorsport. Each vehicle is meticulously recreated using an advanced system that replicates mechanical, electronic, and aerodynamic performance, paired with highly accurate circuits crafted using state-of-the-art Laserscan technology.
By pushing the boundaries of authenticity, Assetto Corsa EVO elevates the franchise\’s reputation as one of the most acclaimed driving simulations of the past decade.
Official Website: https://assettocorsa.gg/assetto-corsa-evo/
5. Avowed
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Obsidian’s first-person RPG, set in the Pillars of Eternity universe, offers factional intrigue and meaningful player choices. Think Skyrim but with Obsidian’s storytelling mastery. Launching February 18th for Xbox Series and PC, it’ll also be available on Game Pass from day one.
Avowed is an action role-playing game offering both first-person and third-person perspectives. Players can engage in combat using magic, melee weapons, and firearms, employing a diverse arsenal to overcome their enemies. The game introduces a variety of spells, enabling players to execute powerful abilities like freezing foes in ice or trapping them with an Entangle spell. These spells can be seamlessly combined with weapons to create dynamic combos, such as shattering a frozen enemy with a sword strike.
Players can quickly switch between different loadouts, such as dual pistols, dual wands, a two-handed axe, or combinations like sword and shield or wand and shield. The game also includes multiple skill trees, allowing players to unlock progressively stronger abilities, and weapons can be upgraded individually to enhance their effectiveness.
Although not a fully open-world game, Avowed features expansive open zones that encourage exploration and discovery, adding depth to the player experience.
Official Website: https://avowed.obsidian.net/
6. The First Berserker: Kazan
Set in the Dungeon Fighter Online universe, this action RPG explores the origin of the first Berserker, Kazan. With hardcore gameplay and a stunning aesthetic, it’s a single-player prequel set 800 years before the events of DFO. A demo drops January 16th, offering transferable save data to the full game, which launches March 27th for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC.
Official Website: https://khazan.nexon.com/en/main
7. Split Fiction
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From the creators of It Takes Two, this co-op adventure game follows two writers, a sci-fi author and a fantasy novelist, as their worlds collide. With a unique Friends Pass feature allowing cross-platform co-op without requiring two purchases, it’s slated for release on March 6th for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC.
Like Hazelight\’s previous game, It Takes Two, Split Fiction is specifically crafted for split-screen cooperative multiplayer, requiring two players to team up either locally or online. In this action-adventure game, players take on the roles of Zoe and Mio, two authors who find themselves trapped within their own stories. The duo, initially strangers, must collaborate to navigate through intertwining narratives—Mio\’s science fiction tale and Zoe\’s fantasy world—facing numerous dangers along the way.
Played from a third-person perspective, the game combines platforming challenges with combat against hostile enemies. Each stage introduces a distinct, one-time gameplay mechanic, such as commanding dragons or wielding a laser sword. Zoe and Mio possess unique abilities tailored to each stage, requiring players to work together and strategically use their characters\’ skills to overcome obstacles and progress.
Additionally, each stage includes side stories that come with their own gameplay mechanics, further enriching the cooperative experience and encouraging exploration. Split Fiction delivers a dynamic blend of storytelling and gameplay, emphasizing teamwork at every turn.
Official Website: https://www.hazelight.se/games/split-fiction/
8. Killing Floor 3
This co-op FPS leaps forward to 2091, delivering a more dystopian and chaotic world. New enemy AI, six-player cross-play co-op, and a darker setting make this a must-play for fans of the series. Launching in March for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC, it promises to be a thrilling upgrade.
It’s 2091. The world teeters on the edge of chaos, and Nightfall stands as humanity’s final hope against Horzine’s monstrous army of Zeds. The future depends on you—if you can endure the horrors long enough to claim it.
Killing Floor 3 brings the legendary action-horror franchise to new heights. This adrenaline-pumping FPS lets you step into the role of a Nightfall specialist, teaming up with up to five allies to take on relentless waves of Zeds. Fight to survive, earn dosh, master powerful skills, and craft the ultimate arsenal in the battle for humanity\’s survival.
Official Website: https://killingfloor3.com/
9. Monster Hunter Wilds
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Capcom’s latest entry blends the expansive world design of Monster Hunter World with the vertical gameplay of Monster Hunter Rise. Featuring cross-platform multiplayer, it’s set to launch February 28th for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC.
Wilds is an action RPG from a third-person perspective, continuing on with the predecessor\’s legacy. Players will take on the role of a customizable Hunter venturing into the \”Forbidden Lands,\” a sprawling, monster-infested territory, in search of what happened to the missing expedition party.
The gameplay, much like in previous games of the series, involves tracking and fighting huge, powerful monsters. The hunters will be able to capture or slay these creatures for valuable rewards, such as monster parts and other resources. These materials, added to items that can be collected from the environment, will enable players to craft weapons, armor,
consumables, and other necessary equipment with which to take on even stronger monsters.
The world is divided into a variety of biomes, each with extensive open space to explore. One can transition from these wilds into the hunter village-a place to cook meals, replenish supplies, and forge new equipment-with ease. Quests in Wilds do not present themselves in conventional mission format but rather dynamically start once players have discovered their targets during exploration.
A major innovation in Wilds is the Seikret: an omnipresent mount that makes exploration and combat easier. The Seikret points out points of interest and leads players toward objectives, allows them to travel faster, and can be ridden during battles. It also enables Hunters to carry two different weapons while hunting, though armor changes are still only accessible from within the village.
Mixing strategic combat, resource management, and dynamic exploration, Wilds offers an immersive action RPG experience that pushes the boundaries of the series.
Official Website: https://www.monsterhunter.com/wilds/en-uk/
10. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
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The sequel to the acclaimed immersive RPG doubles down on realism with enhanced swordplay, refined archery mechanics, and two expansive maps. Fans of the original can look forward to its release on February 4th for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is an open-world action RPG with first-person perspective, expanding on what had been laid by its predecessor. Players once again have freedom in how they want to conduct missions and tasks, and dynamically, the world and NPCs change around them as they act out their will. According to Warhorse Studios, these changes in society are meant to reflect upon the PC\’s journey throughout, where decisions affect character development even to how their life course would go.
Of course, life simulation does remain one of the core aspects of gameplay, wherein the PC will have to tend to their health by sleeping and eating, as in the first one.
Another big addition in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is the presence of crossbows and early firearms, adding to the arsenal that one can use within the game. Crossbows can now be used while mounted, bringing new possibilities of tactics into battles.
But with better mechanics and more immersive decision-making, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II remains one of the most immersive role-playing games.
