There has been an emerging trend of the gaming industry – one that always quietly steals the spotlight and accolades at the end of each year. It’s the unexpected. Every year, we all assume what the biggest games of the year are and while some certainly make the list by the end of it, the real winners are those who quietly work in the background and let the games speak for themselves. This list will be highlighting many big releases and some hidden gems (not you, GTA VI) for the year from a wide variety of genres – some may end up being huge hits.

Marathon - is it Concord 2.0 (or 3.0 now, thanks Highguard) or a breakout hit following the footsteps of ARC Raiders? People can’t seem to decide. Following a year of nothing but awful controversies and showcases, Marathon has made somewhat of a quiet comeback. Despite the unforgettable art scandal, the game has made sturdy progress with the help of its 6-month delay and steady playtests. What’s resulted is an improved, grittier visual uplift and a plethora of requested features, such as proximity chat and solo queue options, since then, with many jaded fans now returning to eagerly cheer on the game’s success. Regardless, the cards are still stacked against Marathon, and fans are waiting with baited breath hoping this won’t be another Concord or Highguard situation.

Leon Kennedy is finally back. Everyone’s already eagerly awaiting RE9, so this one’ll be short – we know the game is already a huge success, the question is whether it’ll land well for the die-hard Resident Evil fans that have been enduring a 5-year-long wait since the last mainline entry (Resident Evil Village). Not to mention, recent Capcom releases like Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Monster Hunter: Wilds have launched with egregious optimisation, especially on PC – fans are hoping the launch of Requiem won’t turn out like those.

Pragmata is another Capcom entry – one that’s going a little under the radar. This sci-fi game mixes real-time gameplay with hacking elements reminiscent of NieR Automata or Bioshock. You play as a spacefarer exploring the secrets of an abandoned Lunar station overrun by hostile AI, while accompanied by a little robot girl that helps you fight in combat, which definitely won’t end in heartbreak. The game has had a turbulent history; however, since its 6-year prior announcement, it has gone through numerous delays, with many speculating that it entered “development hell”. A recently released demo generated some positive buzz, with many charmed by the characters. This might be a make-or-break for Capcom trying to release new IPs – let’s see if this one resonates.

Witcher 3 fans should pay close attention to this, being developed by the game director and many big talents that worked on The Witcher 3 who founded a new studio, Rebel Wolves, to continue their creative output. Already having received a good amount of hype, the game brings a unique vampire spin to a Witcher-style RPG with a dynamic day/night cycle that constantly affects your gameplay and decision making. You have to balance your dual human/vampire needs and use your time sparingly as a precious currency to finish quests and tasks and engage in the varying combat systems within the two roles. The game has a lot of goodwill and trust backing it since it is the creators of The Witcher 3, but many forget that was over 10 years ago; this studio has to prove if they still got it. Rebel Wolves obviously also don’t have the budget or manpower that CD Project Red do, so this is a big swing as a debut game – many are optimistic from all the showcases, fingers crossed it pans out. 

Any fans of Remedy are already incredibly hyped for this one, the reveal was definitely a highlight of the 2025 Game Awards show. Control Resonant looks stunning (as expected from Remedy) with a trippy, gritty almost Prototype look to it. The psychedelic visuals and colour palette are married to its SCP-inspired horror elements and bizarre sci-fi concepts, and likely to have a strangely comedic undertone that Remedy’s recent games do. It seems to be completely diving into action game territory, reminiscent of Devil May Cry or Infamous, and it's likely to be accompanied by a twisting, complex narrative akin to the first game. As much as Remedy’s previous mainline entry, Alan Wake II was a critical success, many have questioned its commercial success and if it was seen positively internally for the studio, and fresh off the complete flop that was their Control universe spinoff game FBC: Firebreak, a lot is still riding on this one to be a financial success. 

Anyone who has heard about and seen Crimson Desert has the same thing to say: ‘This looks utterly insane.’ This wild melting pot of mechanics and gameplay systems has been declared by many as ‘too good to be true’ – the hilariously crazy part about this game is that it is actually real. What once started as an MMORPG eventually transformed into a single-player, narrative driven experience but retained the immense breadth of activities that MMORPGs are known for. There are destructible environments, open world traversal, fishing and arm wrestling mini-games, cinematic set pieces, multiple playable characters, lengthy boss fights – the list just goes on. The sheer amount of variety of gameplay systems and mechanics has already made it stand out, and the hype seems to increase every time the studio shows off yet another trick up its sleeve. One issue, however, is that many are concerned with the performance as it looks to have a ridiculous amount of visual effects and particles that will probably be a heavy load even for consoles – but many are just eager to sink their teeth into the game after a 7 year long wait. 

There’s a ton to look forward to this year – not even highlighting other huge games like Phantom Blade 0, Wolverine and GTA VI – but what I’m looking forward to the most is actually what we don’t know of. Every year, the biggest games seem to just come out of nowhere, last year we had Silksong and Expedition 33, and this year still has many announcements to come. The best games are those that surprise and stick with you long after you finish them, as all good art is supposed to do, and I’m expecting this year to be no different in delivering those special experiences.