by Victor Lucas, Creator/Host, The Electric Playground
I‘m overwhelmed by what’s coming our way. No, I’m not talking about politics, but the video games we’re about to enjoy will knock our socks off.
Video games will be the escape we need in 2025 … This may be the game industry’s biggest year.
PLAYING WITH POWER … AGAIN
Many games are unannounced mysteries at the moment, but what has been announced is the brand new console from a giant in the industry: the Nintendo Switch 2.
All we’ve seen of the Switch 2’s game catalog so far is a same-but-different glimpse of Mario Kart. We don’t know the game’s official name yet, but I know we want it. And when I say “we,” I say a sizeable chunk of the planet’s gaming population because Mario Kart 8, the previous iteration, has sold upwards of 71 million copies.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will likely be an enhanced Nintendo Switch 2 game. This title has had a tumultuous development history, but the glimpse we’ve seen is beautiful, and it is also for the existing Nintendo Switch.
There will be plenty of other Nintendo Switch 2 games to go crazy for this year, but those will have to wait until Nintendo reveals more this spring. One thing I’m sure of with this new console is that it is almost fully backward compatible and plays existing Nintendo Switch cartridges and digital games, so even on day one, Switch 2 players will have a ton to play.
THE MOST ANTICIPATED VIDEO GAME OF ALL TIME?
Nintendo hasn’t sucked all of the oxygen out of the room as far as massive 2025 game releases go. That may be what Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto VI (GTAVI) does if the rumors of a fall release prove true. Mario Kart 8 is a juggernaut, but Grand Theft Auto V’s sales, across three console generations, positively dwarf Nintendo’s racer with more than 205 million players picking up a copy of the game. So, suggesting that people are excited to play GTAVI is to suggest that people might enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning.
Incidentally, GTAVI, teased more than a year ago with a YouTube video with 238 million views on Rockstar’s channel alone, is presumed to be the most expensive video game ever developed. With a $2 billion budget across more than a decade of production, the game is expected to make more than $3 billion in revenue in its first year.
Sequels to two of the biggest video games ever released and a brand new console from one of Earth’s most beloved game makers — that should wrap up 2025, right? WRONG!
EVEN MORE BLOCKBUSTER GAMES
2025 is packed with giant releases, and many are yet to be revealed.
On August 28, we’ll be playing (and eating!) Snake again in Metal Gear Solid ∆: Snake Eater, a remake of 2004’s Metal Gear Solid 3 with a glossy new look, improved handling for modern players, and some of the best, most memorable boss fights in the biz.
Doom is back this year with a new, in-your-face combat style that echoes fighting from the Middle Ages. This is appropriate because Doom: The Dark Ages is a prequel to the 2016 Doom game.
PlayStation is following up its terrific Ghost of Tsushima with the brand new Ghost of Yotei for the PS5. Set in 1603 Hokkaido, it features a brand new protagonist and some of the most spectacular Japanese scenery ever rendered in a video game.
This year, we will also see Judas, BioShock creator Ken Levine’s latest sci-fi nightmare. Set aboard a generation ship carrying the last of humanity to the Proxima Centauri system, this game deals with conflicting goals for humanity’s future juxtaposed against its overreliance on technology.
We may also see a couple of highly anticipated Marvel games in 2025. Spider-Man developer Insomniac Games might let us claw our way through scumbags in Wolverine. Amy Hennig, the creator of the Uncharted franchise, is at the helm of Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, which will allow us to play as Captain America and Black Panther in an adventure set during World War II.
Borderlands 4, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Civilization VII, Monster Hunter Wilds, Gears of War: E-Day, Fable, and dozens of other properties and imaginative independent releases are coming soon.
Video games will be the escape we need in 2025. Judging by past successes and anticipation, this might be the game industry’s biggest year.
My thumbs are ready.
A version of this feature was originally published in the 2025 edition of The BIG Toy Book. Click here to read the full issue! Want to receive The Toy Book in print? Click here for subscription options!
