Look, 2024 was a pretty great year for games, delivering gems like Metaphor: ReFantazio, Astro Bot, Balatro, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Off the Grid, and more. But we’re an optimistic bunch, and we think 2025 could be even better.

That’s the vibe we’re getting from the early batch of games expected to launch this year, spanning sequels and original titles alike, ranging from Grand Theft Auto 6 to (potentially) Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and plenty more in between.

Wait, let’s linger on that for a moment: GTA 6 is indeed expected to come out later this year, only a dozen years after its predecessor. Let’s hope that promise holds true. And the Nintendo Switch 2 is likely just around the corner, as well.

There’s a lot to get excited about already, and we’ve started highlighting the biggest hitters coming down the pipeline in 2025. You’ll find some of our early picks below for games to keep your eye on, but stay tuned as we’ll be updating this list regularly throughout the year to expand it and swap in newly revealed games.

Grand Theft Auto 6

Release Date: Late 2025
Platforms: PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S

This is undoubtedly the most anticipated game of 2025—and perhaps one of the most eagerly awaited games of all time. The last entry in the Grand Theft Auto franchise remains incredibly popular, bringing in billions of dollars and still boasting 24 million monthly players despite being nearly 12 years old.

That’s part of why we’re all waiting for Grand Theft Auto 6. Set in the fictional state of Leonida, which is quite clearly based on Florida, players will be able to revisit Vice City in a story revolving around two protagonists in what looks to be a Bonnie and Clyde-esque story.

There have been all sorts of rumors around cryptocurrency featuring in the game, whether it’s Bitcoin or Ethereum, or perhaps an original token created by Rockstar Games. But as of now, they’re completely unsubstantiated.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Release Date: February 14
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC

Ubisoft is back with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which will see players transported to 16th century Japan to fight as a Japanese shinobi, Naoe, and a historical samurai, Yasuke. The story will see the two protagonists clash as their respective factions fight as part of the political unification of Japan.

Doom: The Dark Ages

Release Date: 2025
Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5

The eighth core entry into the iconic shooter franchise, Doom: The Dark Ages is set to be developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. The first-person shooter will act as a prequel to the 2016 Doom title, following the franchise protagonist fighting through hell.

But the game promises to set itself apart from the rest of the series by adding dragon riding and focusing on melee battle. It’s a bit of a vibe shift, but not too much—after all, it’s still wildly, hilariously violent.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VII

Release date: February 11
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, and Switch

Fancy world domination, but don’t want to get your shoes dirty? Sid Meier’s Civilization VII, developed by Firaxis, allows you to control famous leaders from history to fulfill your warlord fantasies without the messy part—or, alternatively, strive for greatness without causing so much destruction. It’s up to you.

New to the series will be urban title development, a new diplomacy screen, a new “age” system, and new civilizations at the dawn of every age—and Harriet Tubman as a new leader.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Release Date: 2025
Platform: Nintendo Switch

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was initially announced at E3 2017—yep, that long ago—initially under development by Bandai Namco Studios . However, it moved hands in 2019 to Retro Studios, the team behind the original Prime trilogy.

It does mostly look like more of the same at this point, but given the quality of the previous entries—and how long it’s been since Prime 3 in 2007—fans are likely to be happy with it. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has been announced for Switch, but we suspect it will also release on the upcoming Switch 2 as well.

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet

Release Date: TBA
Platform: PlayStation 5

Naughty Dog’s first totally new IP since The Last of Us, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet takes the third-person action genre to space.

In the trailer, we meet Jordan A. Mun, a bounty hunter on a mission on Sempiria, a planet that hasn’t received any communications for over 600 years. She is in search of a member of the Five Aces crime syndicate, who Mun appears to have history with. Once on the ground, our protagonist shows off a futuristic melee weapon and starts slaying robots. The trailer gives a cool retro-future vibe, and Naughty Dog rarely misses. This is one to be excited for.

Ghost of Yōtei

Release Date: 2025
Platform: PlayStation 5

Sucker Punch Productions’ return after the success of Ghost of Tsushima is not quite a sequel, but definitely (somehow) related—although how exactly is unclear. Set some 300 years after Tsushima, Ghost of Yōtei is expected to have the same stealth action-fighting gameplay loop set in even more beautiful landscapes.

Fable

Release Date: 2025
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC

Developed by Playground Games, known for racing game Forza Horizon, action role-playing game (RPG) Fable 4 looks to transport us back to the world of Albion for the first time since card game Fable Fortune released in 2017. Fable 4 looks to turn gamers into their own heroes, fighting through enemies using a mixture of swordplay and magic as player choices build or break their reputation.

Elden Ring: Nightreign

Release Date: 2025
Platforms:PS5/PS4, Xbox Series X/S + One, PC

Elden Ring: Nightreign—developed by From Software and published by Bandai Namco—will take place in Limveld, a similar location to Limgrave from the original title. This three-player co-op spinoff throws players through another gauntlet of mythical creatures and challenging boss fights. Have you (and two pals) got what it takes?

Nintendo Switch 2

Release Date: TBD

Yes, the Nintendo Switch 2 is hardware rather than software—but besides Grand Theft Auto 6, is there anything in gaming more broadly anticipated than Nintendo’s next device?

The original Switch has been an undeniable smash after the deeply underwhelming Wii U, and Nintendo has continued to ride its momentum for nearly eight years now. Leaks and reports point to a successor that doesn’t scrap the winning hybrid formula, but makes some key upgrades in terms of power and hopefully durability. We’re ready, Nintendo.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published on December 16, 2023 and was last updated with new information on January 1, 2025.

Crypto gaming franchise Pixelverse is launching a new tactical deck builder game that transforms popular cryptocurrency memes into playable characters, the firm announced Thursday.

MemeBattle will feature characters based on the mascots of Base network meme coins, including Brett, Toshi, Keyboard Cat, Dog in Me, Mr. Miggles, Mochi, Ski Mask Dog, and Mochi.

Players will be able to build squads using the meme coin-based characters and compete in battles to earn rewards. Characters from other crypto projects including Pudgy Penguins, Turbo, and Mew will also be featured.

A Pixelverse representative told Decrypt that the game will launch in January with 10 playable meme coin characters in the initial release.

Base is a prominent Ethereum layer-2 scaling network launched by Coinbase, the popular crypto exchange. The upcoming game builds on Pixelverse’s previous success with PixelTap, a Telegram mini-game that attracted millions of players earlier this year ahead of the project’s PIXFI token launch. Pixelverse also has its own, titular flagship metaverse game.

“Base offers a trusted, scalable platform with low fees and seamless wallet integration, making it the ideal choice for founders in Web3 gaming,” said Pixelverse co-founder Kori Leon, in a statement. “We were excited to work with Brett and other leading meme coins as we’re embracing their rise as digital cultural icons.”

Pixelverse has secured funding from crypto exchange Gate.io’s $50 million Meme Fund, which aims to support meme creators and community-focused projects. Pixelverse has also received backing from venture capital firms including Delphi Ventures and Mechanism Capital.

Popular Telegram tap-to-earn game TapSwap revealed it will launch its TAPS token on The Open Network (TON) alongside an airdrop of rewards for players in the second half of January 2025. 

TAPS will become a critical resource in the TapSwap ecosystem, the developers said, granting holders access to tournaments, staking rewards, and governance participation. 

Whether or not a player receives the TAPS airdrop will be determined by the player’s overall engagement within TapSwap—in other words, how often a player interacted within TapSwap or played the game. Users will need to connect their wallet to receive the airdrop.

What started as a tap-to-earn game on Telegram, in which users repeatedly tap a button on the screen to earn in-game coins, has since evolved. In August, the game added a city builder mode called “Tappy Town,” and achievements accrued through that experience will also affect the likelihood of receiving a TAPS airdrop. 

Alongside the airdrop, the game’s evolution is expected to continue. TapSwap is transitioning into a skill-based platform, offering competitive tournaments to players and “leaving traditional pay-to-win models behind,” a representative for the game told Decrypt. 

The platform has amassed more than 50 million users globally since its launch in February.

Telegram gaming and participation on The Open Network has blossomed this year, led by popular mini apps and games like Hamster Kombat and Notcoin. Notcoin famously dropped more than 35 million players over 80 billion tokens earlier this year, gaining listings from Binance and OKX in the process. 

The Open Network is a layer-1 network created by Nikolai and Pavel Durov, the co-founders of messaging app Telegram. While development began internally, the company dropped the project in 2020 under regulatory scrutiny, leading a community of external developers to continue building the ecosystem.

Its native token, Toncoin (TON), has risen nearly 200% in the last year, pushing it to more than a $16 billion market cap. That’s made it the 16th-largest crypto asset by market capitalization, according to CoinGecko. 

Edited by Andrew Hayward