RPGamer’s Most Anticipated Games: 2025 Edition
As we enter 2025, we come to another year set to be further stacked with magnificent RPG releases. With so many titles on the horizon it can be easy to miss the forest for the trees, so we at RPGamer have come together to help highlight some of our most anticipated titles for the year (and likely for some time beyond). Our volunteers were invited to select some of the games they are most looking forward to and tell us why, and you can read up on all of our choices below.
We hope you enjoy reading about our most anticipated games. This list certainly isn’t an exhaustive one and there will be great titles we’ve missed so please also let us know what games you are looking forward to in the coming year!
Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land
Despite reviewing Atelier Lulua years ago for RPGamer, the Atelier series as a whole never really sucked me in. Then I randomly picked up Atelier Escha & Logy last Christmas and my interest was piqued. I blazed through the Ryza trilogy this year and was absolutely enamoured with the more actiony battle system and an alchemy system I enjoyed for hours at a time. I’m most definitely all-in on new Atelier and excited to see what the latest entry has to offer. Atelier Yumia‘s base building in the field has me intrigued, and I’m always excited to dive deep into a new alchemy system with hopes of busting the game wide open with the stuff I create. After three straight games with the same cast, I’m also interested in learning more about Yumia and her friends. — Matt Masem
Avowed
After being bought by Microsoft, Obsidian Entertainment has had a chance to spread its wings. 2022’s Pentiment is an absolute gem but there was always a desire to see the studio return to a bigger RPG project. Avowed is supposedly just that. Initially pitched as Obsidian’s Skyrim, the game’s scope was reduced to focus on what the developer does best: writing and world-building. The potential for a proper RPG from Obsidian, one that isn’t chasing open-world trends, should be enough to get anyone excited. The fact that it’s also a return trip to Eora, the world of Pillars of Eternity, means the franchise may have more to come and that this new game will get to explore new facets of that setting. — Zack Webster
Borderlands 4
This is a guilty pleasure franchise through and through. From the childish humour that is very hit or miss to the towers of loot that come from defeating wave after wave of enemies, there’s always something fun in a Borderlands game. This is also a good “does it still have it” game, as though the franchise has grown it’s seen less recent acclaim. The live action bomb of a movie has meant the franchise has a lot on the line and a lot to prove. As an optimist who wants to see everything succeed, that means there’s reason for hype behind Borderlands 4. It will be interesting to see where it goes with the story, particularly with a new setting and villain. On top of that, there’s always a long list of weapons to tinker with. This is a decades-old guilty pleasure that hopefully regains some of its old charm, all while finding a new audience. — Ryan Costa
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 simply looks awesome. The visuals are stunning, the narrative setup is fascinating, and what I’ve seen of the combat has me excited to get my hands on it. Furthermore, the UI seems to be taking direct inspiration from the recent Persona games, something I hope more developers do in the future. Daredevil fans rise up!) and Andy Serkis were going to be in the game and now I’m even more excited. While not a whole lot is known about the game, what I’ve seen of it looks incredibly promising. — Ezra Kinnell
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
Citizen Sleeper was one 2022’s surprise hits. Its text-driven storytelling works superbly with its sci-fi setting, weighty subjects, meaningful choices, RPG character management, and simulation elements. Once again giving players the role of a Sleeper, a human consciousness transposed into an artificial body and forced to make tough decisions, Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector promises everything it needs for the numerous fans of its predecessor to get excited. The game is set to be another memorable and emotive experience. — Alex Fuller
Commandos: Origins
Commandos: Origins is one of those games I look forward to in theory but I wonder if I’ll enjoy it in practice. A series returning with a spiritual revival that is led by a new team of developers and updated for modern audiences. I’ve seen this before. While Jagged Alliance 3 was one of the more enjoyable games of 2023, I’ve also seen this go wrong, so I’m a bit skeptical. Especially because I love real-time stealth tactics, which was upheld by the recently closed Mimimi Games (Shadow Tactics, Desperados 3, etc.) and not many others.
The sub-genre was all but dead, and I thought Mimimi’s closure a year ago was the final nail in its coffin. But in 2025, we’ll be getting Commandos: Origins, the original stealth tactics series that popularized the genre. But Mimimi didn’t just uphold the genre. It advanced and innovated aspects of the series that could be seen as annoying, encouraged an easy quicksave system, added extra abilities on soldiers that truly change every engagement, and created large levels with many secrets to encourage replay value. This isn’t the 1990s or the early 2000s anymore, and the Commando series will have to innovate to keep up with the new kids on the block. For me, the question is whether the king is returning to the throne or has the usurper changed the game forever? I can’t wait to find out. — Jahwon Corbett
Demonschool
Demonschool might have a lot of familiar concepts, but it blends them together in a fascinating way. Combining social links, tactical combat, and a delightful mix of sprite work and 3D visuals that remind one of the Sega Saturn means there’s a lot to factor in. When I first played its demo back in 2022, the unique combat stood out as something to watch out for.
Combat is all movement-based with the playable characters able to combo their movements on the grid together to take down enemies. For many years, tactical grid-based combat has evoked comparisons to a game of chess for me, and with low hit point totals and an emphasis on positioning, Demonschool definitely feels like that. Spicing it up with plenty of skills, an interesting story, and intriguing characters, there’s a lot in this title that keeps it high on my list to watch for in 2025. — Ryan Costa
Dragon Quest I-II HD-2D Remake
I have fond memories of playing the first two Dragon Quest games as a kid. My father had picked them up for my mother after returning from a deployment. My sister, mom, and I would all play them over the course of the years and my sister was actually the first one to beat them. So seeing this classic duo get the HD-2D upgrade is like returning to an old friend. Having played the recent Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake and loving all of its quality-of-life improvements and additions, I’m very hyped to see how the first and second entries of the series will fare and the changes that will be brought to them. — Robert Albright
Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate
At the moment we know almost nothing about the game outside of its title, which does make its inclusion on this list optimistic to say the least. However, the Dragon Quest series is my all-time favourite so even just the reveal of its logo is very exciting to me. Dragon Quest XI alone has taken up about 400 hours of my life, beating it three times and getting the platinum trophy twice. I’ve also sunk more than 100 hours into Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince in less than a month. There definitely aren’t any other games I want as badly as this one. — Robert Sinclair
Dream Channel Zero
The new year is always a source of concern, but it’s also the home of fresh ideas and realized dreams. Odencat’s Dream Channel Zero is one of my top picks based on their record of sweet, quirky experiences. Like Meg’s Monster, Dream Channel Zero appears to be using an inviting character design and charming world in service of a novel emotional experience. The surreal, apocalyptic imagery in the trailer has me excited to learn more, and to meet Mac Tonight’s cravat-wearing cousin.
Beyond Odencat’s bona fides, Dream Channel Zero takes place in one of my favorite RPG settings: a game world free from the pesky influence of the player. Like Kid Radd, The Magic Circle, and Wreck-It Ralph before it, Dream Channel Zero explores a world that exists past its sell-by date. Familiar systems have revealed themselves as mere artifice, survivors struggle to find new survival strategies, and the bones of the old world loom over it all. What was I saying about the new year? — Zach Welhouse
Elden Ring: Nightreign
As one of the biggest announcements at the 2024 Game Awards, Elden Ring: Nightreign caught me completely off guard. In a procedurally generated and darker version of Limgrave, the starting area of Elden Ring, Nightreign sees players taking a cooperative, three-player approach to exploring and defeating bosses, although the game can be played solo. During the experience, the world is constantly shrinking, similar to how it does in the battle royale Fortnite.
As a diehard veteran and lover of the Souls series and FromSoftware’s other games, what piqued my interest most from the trailer were the strange inclusion of The Nameless King and the Fire Keeper from Dark Souls III. These, among other apparent allusions to Bloodborne and Dark Souls II, raise a lot of questions as to what type of world Nightreign will feature and if players will be facing off against the most fearsome bosses from previous titles. Beyond the strange FromSoftware crossovers, I am most excited to see how the game actually plays, especially with three players, and what balance and item acquisition will look like as each boss is defeated during each in-game day. — Jordan McClain
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is a game I’m eagerly anticipating. As a fan of the original Fantasy Life as well as the Atelier series, I’m excited to dive into a new world filled with crafting, exploration, and adventure. The prospect of spending hours crafting intricate items, from potent potions to dazzling armor, is particularly appealing. Originally planned for 2023, the two additional years of waiting have been agonizing as I’ve been dying to try out the two new jobs — artist and farmer — added to the original dozen from the first game. I’m also quite curious to see how the time-travel mechanic will be implemented. I’ve been craving an amazing Level-5 game for many years now that reminds me of the heights the developer reached on the PlayStation 2 through 4 and the Nintendo 3DS. — Matt Masem
Hades II
After the 2020 release of the fantastic Hades, I was stunned by its innovative and daring approach to expanding roguelike elements beyond gameplay and into storytelling. Outstanding on both fronts and working far better than I could have imagined, I was left wondering if Supergiant Games would continue this formula into another game and, sure enough, Hades II is set to deliver once again.
As a huge Greek mythology buff, I’ve always been fascinated to see how modern audiences and creators interpret the myths, hopes, dreams, and struggles written about so many thousands of years ago. Hades II features the protagonist Melinoë, who is the daughter of Hades and sister of Zagreus, the protagonist of the first game. Since she’s a relatively obscure chthonic goddess, I am excited to see how Melinoë develops and what creative paths the developers decide to take with her conflict and story. Even more, I am eagerly anticipating how her magical abilities will be utilized in the wickedly fast and enthralling combat Hades has to offer. — Jordan McClain
Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road
It’s been nearly ten years since Europe last received a proper Inazuma Eleven title in the form of the series’ fifth installment, Inazuma Eleven GO 2: Chrono Stone, while North America has had to make do with only the first game. Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road has been a long time coming after initially being announced as Inazuma Eleven Ares back in 2016, with Level-5 seemingly not managing to find the right direction for it or finding it tough to translate the series’ gameplay to non-dual-screened handheld systems.
However, the game now forms one of the developer’s busy slates of titles in development, even if all of them have suffered delays in one manner or another. The series has always filled a fun space with its morning cartoon/shounen anime take on the sport that has been built on the back of highly enjoyable speedy gameplay, with plenty of flashiness behind its presentation. 2024’s open betas were encouraging for how the series has evolved for the latest systems, and I’m looking forward to see it finally arrive. — Alex Fuller
The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II
Trails through Daybreak was a much-needed breath of fresh air for Nihon Falcom’s The Legend of Heroes series. While the series has always maintained its great quality of world-building and incredibly deep cast of memorable characters, the ten games spent in Crossbell and Erebonia meant it was about time for a change in the scenery. While it maintains connections of varying strength to the rest of the series, it does bring us a brand new main protagonist, a completely fresh location, and even some significant gameplay alterations to further freshen things up.
The new cast in the Republic of Calvard is an absolute delight, and I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to spend more time with them. I’m also looking forward to how Falcom takes the generally darker direction that the previous game showed, with its antagonist absolutely willing to engage in more directly murderous schemes. Given how much focus Nihon Falcom has put on ensuring its new baseline gameplay was a full success, Trails through Daybreak II has a mighty fine base to build upon. The developer is in as strong a place as it has ever been. — Alex Fuller
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
Nihon Falcom’s Trails series spans many games, and most fans would consider every single game required reading. I am one of those fans, which has always made the Trails in the Sky series’ lack of availability on modern platforms disappointing. The Trails in the Sky series is some of the best the series has to offer, and its continued relevance as the series goes forward means that if one doesn’t have a PC to play them on, the series becomes that much more unapproachable as a result.
Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, a remake of the very first Trails game, is the perfect remedy to this problem. New fans will be able to get sucked into the world of Trails with its chronological start, and the game will be able to take advantage of modern Trails mechanics that didn’t exist back when the original was released. It is an incredibly exciting proposition for any existing or wannabe Trails fan. — Ezra Kinnell
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
Majimaaaaaa innnnnnn Hawaaaaaii!
No seriously, how can anyone not be excited about a new Majima story where he is going to wreak havoc and do stupid things in Hawaii and is also a pirate now? There is a lot to be excited about when it comes to a new Like a Dragon title, and I am looking forward to seeing what new substories Majima will encounter and how the pirate elements will come into the play. I love the idea that Majima will be able to sail between multiple islands and the fact that he is getting a special “Sea Dog” fighting style (whatever that means) could be interesting. While this game’s release is not too far off, I hope Ryū ga Gotoku Studio allows me to defeat enemies with a boating oar! — Sam Wachter
Lunar Remastered Collection
2024 was supposed to be the year that I went back and played many games from the ‘90s that I missed out on during my dark non-RPG years. Suikoden and Lunar were at the top of my list but announced HD remasters of both of those series had me hold off. While my indifference while playing Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes has put a damper on Suikoden, my interest in Lunar has grown with every podcast I’ve listened to and article I’ve read about the series over the past few years. Grandia is one of my top five RPG series of all time, and GungHo did a nice job years ago bringing some of that series forward to modern consoles, so I’m extremely confident they’ll do a good job on the Lunar titles. I can’t wait to dive into these classic titles’ storylines, characters, and battle systems. — Matt Masem
Lurks Within Walls
Indie games never cease to amaze me with little shifts that suddenly make things just feel fresh and exciting. Lurks Within Walls takes classic turn-based first-person dungeon crawling and mixes in terrifying creatures straight from the horror genre. As someone who tends to be very reactive and not great with stealth I’m not confident in most horror games, so making it a turn-based RPG propels it up my most-hyped list. The combat still needs to be seen in detail but health points look to be low in the trailer, which still creates an emphasis on survival to keep things tense.
The premise behind Lurks Within Walls is a classic horror story. The protagonist finds themselves in a quarantined apartment complex. What’s the fun in staying safe though, as inhabitants are contaminated by unknown pathogens and the infection causes some terrifying possibilities. As someone who loves to see a good genre mashup done well with a lot of heart and soul, this indie title looks to tick all those boxes in 2025. — Ryan Costa
Monster Hunter Wilds
Slaying gigantic monsters and reaping the rewards to slay even bigger monsters is already thrilling enough, but what if the experience was even bigger, completely dynamic, and increasingly fluid to explore? The newest trailer and open beta for Monster Hunter Wilds show and displays an experience that features intricate environmental systems and a greater range of movement abilities. Taking place in a new location, the Forbidden Lands, the game will feature completely open regions that can be traversed using a winged Seikret mount. Your mount will also allow carrying multiple weapons at once, making it significantly easier to adapt on the fly and gear up for longer excursions.
The features I’m most excited to experiment with are the active climates and ecosystem interactions. The constantly shifting weather and complex monster interactions provide more immersive methods for both exploration and combat. For example, utilizing herd behavior of certain monster species may provide a great advantage in approaching some monsters or areas. I am tremendously excited to see how this is implemented throughout the Forbidden Lands, since it opens up a rich assortment of gameplay options in a series already known for its engaging mechanics. — Jordan McClain
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma
The Rune Factory/em> series is back in action! Although Rune Factory 5 suffered from performance issues on the Switch, the last numbered title was nevertheless a welcome return to form. Now, while we wait for the sixth game to ripen on the vine (or heat up in the forge, or any other farming or crafting metaphor you prefer), we get to enjoy this spin-off, which takes place in an unexplored region called Azuma.
So far, I’ve found plenty to get excited about. For starters, the visuals are gorgeous, and the combat looks both fluid and fun. Because this isn’t a mainline entry, Marvelous also has more freedom to experiment — we’ve already seen a town-building feature as well as some new weapon types on the horizon. Moreover, it seems like players will once again be able to romance their preferred bachelor or bachelorette, regardless of whether they’ve selected female protagonist Kaguya or male protagonist Subaru. Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is shaping up to be a game for all seasons. — Casey Pritt
Suikoden I & II HD Remaster
I won’t lie, I’m beyond excited to replay Suikoden I & II in glorious HD and I am so thrilled that there is a new translation for Suikoden II. Jowy will finally not have four names! Personally, I’m excited to spend time with old friends, cry at the same scenes I always do, and be constantly reminded why the Suikoden series is considered top-tier for RPG storytelling. In all seriousness, I am so happy that Konami is bringing the series back so that younger RPGamers can finally get their hands on these two fantastic games, full of political intrigue, delightful characters, and unique army battles. Thankfully, we only have to wait until March to get our hands on these classic JRPGs. — Sam Wachter
Stray Children
Anyone who knows anything about the weirder side of Japanese role-playing games has experienced something connected to developer Love-de-Lic, or its current descendant Onion Games. The people who brought the world deconstructions of Dragon Quest, tiny cleaning robots, industrial satire, and kissy-face life adventure simulators are following up the weirdness with one more RPG, Stray Children. It looks like a Burtonesque romp through a world where adults are incomprehensible eldritch forces against whom children struggle for understanding and appreciation, and I’m on board with that. At the very least it won’t be dull. — Michael Baker
The Time I Have Left
There are always a lot of great RPGs released every year. 2025 is no different with many storied franchises and unique titles quickly filling release dates to make every month look fun for RPGamers. Since larger titles will always rise to the top, I take a look at smaller titles to see if any of them catch my eye. Beyond Demonschool and SacriFire finally coming out, which I’m already beyond hyped for, there’s another indie I’d like to highlight. Developer Ground Game Atelier is making The Time I Have Left, a turn-based RPG that has a lot of style and a very interesting premise.
The Time I Have Left is a game about escaping an underground facility in six hours before the mysterious Miasma kills protagonist Aline. What the Miasma is and how Aline ended up at the bottom of this Colony 7 facility are already interesting mysteries to consider. Beyond the tempting mystery though there’s a battle system that looks very stylish and trailers show a decent amount of combat options to keep things fresh. I hope to see more of this intriguing title in the coming months and have high expectations for an enjoyable adventure. Unfortunately, the Kickstarter failed for this title. It will still be worked on but slower and as a passion project for the developer. Here’s hoping with The Time I Have Left and other titles that sleeper-hit indie gems keep getting worked on and released and find their audiences. — Ryan Costa
Usual June
Some of my favorite stories growing up were detective stories. Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, or Alex Cross, I enjoyed them, but as many of us know, those stories could be a bit difficult to translate to interactive media like video games. It’s not cool when the detective just “figures out” the case with no adventure or action to keep the player engaged. Even detective games I’ve played in recent years, such as Disco Elysium or Shadows of Doubt, have little or slightly mediocre combat. But then I saw Usual June. And the game made me think, “Maybe this one will get what I kinda want.”
While not strictly an RPG, Usual June is a new IP from Finji (Tunic, I Was a Teenage Exocolonist, etc.) that follows a girl who’s trying to investigate the dangerous mysteries of her town while taking on monsters and other creatures of the night. The game just sounds fun. I enjoyed Finji’s other major release, Tunic, in some ways. The classic Zelda combat was fun and the bosses were probably the best part of the game, feeling like real challenges that weren’t insurmountable. The only major issue for me was the mystery elements of the guidebook, which I found frustrating, but I am hopeful that Usual June isn’t going to be like that. The demo that came out for Steam Next Fest was one for the game’s combat, and it’s great. The action is fun, the gameplay is quick, the hits are heavy, and the game sounds good. Now I look forward to the full release to find out more about the world, characters, and potential mysteries. — Jahwon Corbett
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition
The Nintendo Wii U obviously didn’t light the world on fire, but it nonetheless managed to get a few beloved titles. While most of those games made it to other platforms, one game until now stood out as being trapped on the system: Monolith Soft’s Xenoblade Chronicles X. Now Nintendo is finally bringing the game to Switch, joining the rest of its incredibly successful series.
Xenoblade Chronicles X stands apart from the rest of the series with its setting, taking place after humanity flees Earth after being caught in an intergalactic war. Rather than following a pre-designed protagonist, players control a customised character helping to establish a new home for humanity in the New Los Angeles (NLA) colony on the planet Mira. Its massive open world packed full of wildlife and impressive vistas is a delight to explore, particularly once players get the freedom of their mecha units. Add to that the promise of some new story content, and the opportunity for many RPGamers who missed out on the stellar title is one not to be missed. — Alex Fuller
We hope you enjoyed reading about our most anticipated games. Please let us know what games you are looking forward to in the year (or further) ahead either through the comments, social media, or our dedicated Discord server!
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