2025 is, without a doubt in my mind, an all-time great year for gaming. Big examples range from the high-profile launch of a new console in the Nintendo Switch 2, all the way to surprising indies like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 taking the industry by storm. Looking ahead to the second part of the year, the momentum isn’t letting up in the slightest. I wanted to highlight a few games in particular that will help deliver on the potential of this year being as great as it is. To keep this list interesting, only games with a confirmed release date are going to be included. With that said, here are my top five most anticipated games coming out for the rest of 2025.
5. Directive 8020
Supermassive is back with another Dark Pictures Anthology entry in the interactive survival horror genre. The Dark Pictures Anthology started as a great concept on paper, every year releasing a new game with a different horror trope as the focus, but in practice, the quality was inconsistent to varying degrees. With three years between Directive 8020 and the last Dark Pictures game, the time away looks to have the series back on track. This isn’t just another reiteration of the past formula either. In Directive 8020, gameplay has changed by adding in direct control with live combat and stealth sections. Quick time events aren’t entirely gone, but introducing third person action makes encounters more tense when you step out of a shadow too quickly, just to come face to face with the alien threat.
4. The Outer Worlds 2
Obsidian Entertainment’s third game of 2025 may just well be its best. The Outer Worlds 2 is building upon what made the original such a critical darling back in 2019. The satirical take on megacorporations, an in depth character creator, as well as being a true RPG in every sense helped propel the original into being a critical success. Now, with more time and full backing from the megacorporation above Xbox, the sequel looks to build upon that beloved foundation with more impressive visuals, new slick-looking gameplay, and a fresh adventure that players can fully immerse themselves in and have some laughs along the way. A sequel can often improve on the first entry in many ways, and Outer Worlds 2 is looking to follow that path.
3. Jurassic World Evolution 3
Managing a dinosaur theme park is such an easy win of a game idea, and Frontier Developments are looking to put out another great entry in this fantastic series. While building your own Jurassic Park, you have to focus on keeping guests happy while controlling the chaos that ensues from having a park filled with dinosaurs. The Jurassic World Evolution games have given me hundreds of hours of entertainment, and the new features here are calling me to add to that playtime. Park creation has been expanded, allowing finer control of the day-to-day operations of your world, but the addition of juvenile dinosaurs will see you raise generations of dinosaurs, giving a more personal touch to the park compared to merely managing nameless attractions.
2. Borderlands 4
A classic gaming franchise at this point, Borderlands 4 initially had me cautiously excited, but recent coverage has me fully back on the bandwagon. After the formula grew a bit stale in Borderlands 3, everything I have seen about the current project has reinvigorated me. Different directions were taken at every turn, starting with the writing team and style moving away from the meme culture of the last one. Also, with the game finally leaving behind Pandora, the cast, locations, and overall vibes can be expected to be quite different from what came before. Gameplay was never my issue with the series, so fixing up the low points of the third game have me very excited to see what’s in store in Borderlands 4.
1. Ghost Of Yotei
Positioned as PlayStation’s marquee title for the year, Ghost of Yotei has looked impressive at every step. It is a clean slate for players, featuring a new time period and protagonist, allowing anyone to jump into a classic revenge tale. Taking advantage of new weapons and ways to fight in a non-linear quest line, the follow up is pushing for a different way to experience Japan but still looks close enough to our memories of Ghost of Tsushima to keep fans happy. The only question I have is if gamers are exhausted of being assassins in feudal Japan yet, but my hopes are set high that this game will deliver like its predecessor.
