I'm stoking my own hype train for these upcoming 2025 games

I don’t think it’s too late into January to write up a little piece about the games I’m looking forward to. 2025 is shaping up to be another banger year for all. There’s a ludicrous number of superb looking games coming this year, and I’m sure that a good deal are still yet to be announced.

I’m not going to mention GTA VI, though I’m very eager to head back into Vice City after so many years; and while it’s not a game, I think my excitement is off the charts for the Nintendo Switch 2; Dare I put on my clown make-up and hope for Hollow Knight: Silksong to make an appearance?

Promise Mascot Agency

Kaizen Game Works Limited

One of my favourite games of recent years was the detective thriller Paradise Killer, which put you into the role of detective trying to solve a murder in a surreal world. Promise Mascot Agency is the follow-up game from the same developer, and it looks to have kept the humour and personality of their previous game. The best part of Paradise Killer is the characters, all of whom are a bit oddball and rounded out into bizarre caricatures. We’ve only seen a few of the mascots here, and this trend seems to be continuing with Pinky, a severed finger with anger issues, and a cat called Trororo who loves adult content a bit too much.

Two Point Museum

SEGA

Since a child, I’ve been obsessed with museums. It’s something about the condensing of history into one room that captivates me. I know that Two Point Museum will be silly and perhaps a little anarchic, but the idea of cultivating a proper museum display and watching patrons wander the halls between each room is something that has me excited. From the exhibits seen in the trailer it looks like I’ll be able to theme certain areas, and my hope is that there’s a granular interactivity with the guests who observe each exhibit. I want to know what each of these guests feels as they see parts of history, even if it’s a little daft. Two Point Campus was a bit of a miss for me, but I’m hoping this one hooks me in.

Civilization 7

2K

Since bunking off school to go round to my friend's house and play the original Civilization game, I’ve played every instalment. They might not change dramatically between iterations, but that matters not. The balance between political jostling, land expansion, and technological advancements always makes each round you play feel different. Being able to take renowned world leaders or historical figures and put them through the wringer is a blast. I’m eager to get back to the tactical thought processes that only Civilzation VII could conjure.

Suikoden I & II HD Remaster

Konami

The original releases of Suikoden and its sequel are major highlights from my teenage years. I was just getting into RPGs with the advent of the PlayStation, and I kept going back to my local rental shop to hire out these games. The idea of building a huge community of usable characters - over 100 unique fighters - just blew my tiny mind. This series ended up being a favourite and I imported the later titles using websites to translate the story from Japanese, so I knew what was happening. To see Suikoden return this year will be a highlight of 2025, for sure.

Exodus

Wizards of the Coast

Lastly, and perhaps the only big budget game on my list, we’ve got Exodus. When I first started hearing about this game, I blew it off as just another attempt at Mass Effect. Then I started hearing more about the use of time dilation through space travel, and my interest was piqued. To extend this excitement further, my favourite Sci-Fi author, Peter F Hamilton, wrote an accompanying novel which will build up a great deal of the lore. Triple this hype with the Secret Level short, and suddenly I was hooked in and wanting to see everything I could about this space adventure. I hate that my expectations are so high for this one.