Kicking Off the Year With a Bang: January 2025’s Most Exciting Game Releases

Freedom Wars Remastered

• Release Date — January 9, 2025
• Publisher — Bandai Namco
• Developer — Dimps Corporation
• Genre — Action RPG, JRPG
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch

One of the more exciting games releasing early in 2025, and the first major release of the year, is the remaster of Freedom Wars. This underrated PlayStation Vita hidden gem is a game that more than deserves a new audience. As a slave born into a million-year prison sentence, it’s up to you and your fellow inmates to shave years off of your sentence by battling monsters. The excellent combat of Freedom Wars (which involves grappling and tripping up massive foes using a thorned whip) is what will get you hooked on the title, but its excellent post-apocalyptic dystopian sci-fi narrative will keep you coming back for more. Freedom Wars was one of the most successful games on the PS Vita, so it’s a treat to see it arrive on modern platforms in what’s promising to be a “definitive” release of an excellent ARPG.

Hyper Light Breaker

• Release Date — January 14, 2025
• Publisher — Arc Games
• Developer — Heart Machine
• Genre — Action, Adventure, RPG, Roguelike
• Platforms — PC (Early Access)

As a massive fan of Hyper Light Drifter, the next game set in that universe is one of my most anticipated games for 2025. January 14 will see the Early Access launch of Hyper Light Breaker, the first official follow-up to Hyper Light Drifter, utilizing that game’s setting and aesthetic while switching up the gameplay elements. Unlike the original, which was often compared to 16-bit classics like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Super Metroid, Hyper Light Breaker is a co-op-focused action roguelike that utilizes procedural generation and some tough-yet-satisfying combat to ensure that no two runs are ever the same. Notably, the developers have been open about the narrative elements still playing a major role in Hyper Light Breaker, so it will be interesting to see how the title balances its story and gameplay.

Broken Alliance

• Release Date — January 15, 2025
• Publisher — Placeholder Gameworks, Hawthorn Games
• Developer — Placeholder Gameworks
• Genre — Strategy RPG, CRPG, Turn-based Tactics
• Platforms — PC (Early Access)

One of my favorite demos I played in 2024 was for an upcoming strategy RPG called Broken Alliance. Akin to classics like Heroes of Might & Magic and treading similar ground to other modern indie strategy RPGs like Songs of Conquest, Broken Alliance mixes turn-based tactics combat with a sprawling and original fantasy world that begs to be explored. There are some light strategy elements at play in that players must gather specific resources from each region before progressing through the story, but the stars of the show in Broken Alliance are undoubtedly its excellent and snappy combat along with its captivating world and interesting characters. The demo for Broken Alliance that’s currently available only left me wanting to see more, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the full game.

Blade Chimera

• Release Date — January 16, 2025
• Publisher — PLAYISM, WSS playground
• Developer — Team Ladybug, WSS playground
• Genre — Metroidvania, Hack and Slash, Action RPG
• Platforms — PC, Nintendo Switch

Another game with an excellent demo showing in 2024 is Ladybug’s upcoming new Metroidvania Blade Chimera. Team Ladybug has established itself as one of the most interesting and talented indie developers working today, delivering games with a keen understanding of mixing accessibility with satisfying gameplay. Additionally, it also happens to be one of the most talented studios when it comes to designing games with some absolutely breathtaking pixel art. Blade Chimera follows in the footsteps of the excellent Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth by blending traditional Metroidvania gameplay with some interesting polarity-shifting mechanics and awe-inducing spectacle. Both Deedlit and Touhou Luna Nights are excellent Metroidvanias from Team Ladybug, and Blade Chimera looks no different.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD

• Release Date — January 16, 2025
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Developer — Retro Studios, Forever Entertainment
• Genre — Platformer
• Platforms — Nintendo Switch

While it would’ve been a bit more exciting to get a ground-up remake of the first Donkey Kong Country Returns in the same visual style as the excellent Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, I’ll settle for having one of Nintendo’s greatest platformers finally available on the Switch. The recent confirmation that the Switch 2 will be backward compatible follows suit from Nintendo continually porting more and more of its most beloved titles in the company’s back catalog to the current-gen Switch, and the prospect of buying a new Nintendo console with thousands of games instantly available is positioning the Big N to have a big win in 2025. Needless to say, a platformer fan’s Switch library just wouldn’t feel complete without Donkey Kong Country Returns, and the new HD upscale takes an already great-looking game and smoothes it out for modern displays.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins

• Release Date — January 16, 2025
• Publisher — Koei Tecmo
• Developer — Koei Tecmo
• Genre — Mousou, Hack and Slash, Action, Spectacle Fighter
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Any fan of mousou games can attest to them having their time and place, often serving as a nice palate cleanser in-between more demanding titles by just letting players cut loose against literally thousands of enemies in grand-spectacle fights. The Dynasty Warriors series has always scratched that itch for mindless hack-and-slash fun, and Dynasty Warriors: Origins is a kind of soft reboot that the franchise desperately needed. The Warriors games have been mostly focused on adapting various licenses in the last several years (Legend of Zelda, Fire Emblem, etc.), so it’s nice to see a new mainline entry in the franchise that takes players back to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms-inspired settings the series is known for. If the demo is any indication, players are in store for the best-looking Dynasty Warriors game yet.

Tales of Graces f Remastered

• Release Date — January 16, 2025
• Publisher — Bandai Namco
• Developer — TOSE
• Genre — JRPG, Action RPG
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

The Tales series, despite some standout entries, remains fairly niche in the West. Though it doesn’t quite have the profile of Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest in its native Japan, the Tales games are still largely beloved by many JRPG fans, with more than 15 mainline entries spread across several console generations. 2009’s Tales of Graces is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed Tales of Symphonia, and its original release on the Wii led to an eventual port to PS3 as Tales of Graces f, which is now receiving its own remaster on PC and modern consoles to help bring more attention to the franchise ahead of Bandai Namco’s plans to continue remastering and remaking classic games in the Tales franchise. The Tales games can be hit or miss, but Graces is definitely a series highlight.

Things Too Ugly

• Release Date — January 16, 2025
• Publisher — Baltoro Games
• Developer — Professor Space Games
• Genre — Adventure, Puzzle, Indie
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Experimental, narrative-led puzzle games are quickly becoming a staple of the indie development scene, and one of the most exciting ones to release in quite some time is the upcoming Things Too Ugly. Players take on the role of a night shift worker at the mysterious TEREBRO, Inc. corporation in 1986, using antiquated and era-appropriate technology to uncover an intriguing mystery that threatens the safety and security of the company. Interestingly, the previews for the game showcase that players have some agency in how the game’s narrative pans out based on their actions, which is something not seen too often in the puzzle genre and an interesting wrinkle to help the game stand out from similar titles. Fans of analog horror and mystery and satire of corporate bureaucracy should definitely keep an eye on this one.

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist

• Release Date — January 22, 2025
• Publisher — Binary Haze Interactive
• Developer — Adglobe, Live Wire
• Genre — Metroidvania, Action RPG, Hack and Slash
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Adglobe and Live Wire’s Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights is one of the best modern Metroidvania titles, so it’s little surprise that the game’s sequel is already shaping up to be one of 2025’s standout releases. The aptly named Ender Magnolia has been in Early Access for the better part of a year, and in that time the title is already proving to be a worthy follow-up to its predecessor. What makes the full release even more exciting, though, is that it’s essentially going to be bringing the remaining 60% of the game with it. Ender Magnolia is already a phenomenal experience in its current EA state. Imagining what’s in store with 20+ more hours of content is quite the enticing proposition and one that Metroidvania fans shouldn’t ignore.

Apocalyptic Shadow

• Release Date — January 24, 2025
• Publisher — EasternDR
• Developer — EasternDR
• Genre — Adventure, Shooter, Stealth, Survival
• Platforms — PC

One of my personal most anticipated games is one that most players likely haven’t heard of. Coming from indie developer EasternDR, Apocalyptic Shadow is essentially what you would get if you made a top-down, 2DS.T.A.L.K.E.R. Players wander around a fictional Eastern European setting, scavenging for supplies and managing a limited inventory while fighting off threats both human and non-human. But while the general formula sounds incredibly similar to S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Apocalyptic Shadow‘s 2D perspective allows for some interesting elements regarding stealth and positioning, making the inevitable firefights more strategic. Playing through the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and its sequel this year were two of my gaming highlights. I can’t wait to get a similar experience from Apocalyptic Shadow from a vastly different perspective.

Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O.

• Release Date — January 27, 2025
• Publisher — Sega
• Developer — Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
• Genre — Fighting
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 4

Sega’s Virtua Fighter is one of the most important and foundational games in the transition from 2D to 3D fighting, so it’s surprising to see them essentially abandon the franchise following Virtua Fighter 5 and its many, many re-releases. Thankfully, Sega has been picking out gems from its back catalog to reimagine for a modern audience, and one of the first candidates to see the light of day is a new version of Virtua Fighter 5 arriving for PC and consoles ahead of RGG Studio’s series reboot.

Virtua Fighter 5 is a complex and mechanically deep fighter with rewarding gameplay and some stunning visuals, and Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. is already shaping up to be the definitive release of one of the best modern fighting games. Hopefully, the game will prove to be successful ahead of the upcoming new entry in the series, prompting Sega to devote more resources to keeping the franchise alive.

Tails of Iron II: Whiskers of Winter

• Release Date — January 28, 2025
• Publisher — United Label
• Developer — Odd Bug Studio
• Genre — Action RPG, Soulslike
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

The original Tails of Iron practically came out of nowhere. A 2D Soulslike with a Game of Thrones-inspired narrative and voice acting from Doug Cockle (voice of Geralt from The Witcher series)?! Sign me up. The first game was an excellent surprise, delivering some solid (yet challenging) combat and storytelling alongside a compelling visual style, and the sequel looks to deliver more of what made its predecessor so great. Aside from a new setting and some expansions to the combat and settlement-building mechanics, Tails of Iron II is shaping up to do what the best sequels do: give fans more of what they loved about the first game while not trying to fix what isn’t broken.

The Stone of Madness

• Release Date — January 28, 2025
• Publisher — Tripwire Presents
• Developer — The Game Kitchen
• Genre — Real-time Tactics, Stealth
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

The Game Kitchen is set to have a busy 2025. Not only is the Blasephmous developer working on the next new Ninja Gaiden game, it’s also developing a real-time stealth tactics game with The Stone of Madness. Following in the footsteps of Mimimi Games’ Shadow Tactics and Shadow Gambit, The Stone of Madness sees players control a group of 6 characters in real-time, orchestrating their actions and watching them play out while trying to escape an Inquisiton-era prison. Truthfully, it’s a setting in which no one other than The Game Kitchen could do justice. TGK has already proven itself adept at bringing Andalusian Spain to life in the Blasphemous series, and I can’t wait to see it do the same with a real-time tactics/stealth game set during the Spanish Inquisition.

Eternal Strands

• Release Date — January 28, 2025
• Publisher — Yellow Brick Games
• Developer — Yellow Brick Games
• Genre — Action, Adventure
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Few studios have the kind of track record that BioWare does, so when one of its lead developers leaves to form a new studio and create original games, fans take notice. Former Dragon Age series lead Mike Laidlaw, along with several veterans from other AAA studios, would form Yellow Brick Games in 2020, and Eternal Strands serves as the team’s debut title. Pulling together influences from across a wide variety of beloved games (with Breath of the Wild, Shadow of the Colossus, and Dragon’s Dogma cited as its primary inspiration), Eternal Strands is positioned as a title that adheres to a very specific school of action game design, emphasizing satisfying combat and mechanics while delivering a narrative that drives the player forward from one high-spectacle encounter to the next.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

• Release Date — January 30, 2025
• Publisher — Rebellion
• Developer — Rebellion
• Genre — Shooter, Stealth, Action
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Rebellion’s Sniper Elite series is one that has built a strong following thanks to understanding its fundamentals. Rather than focus on varied mission design, unique objectives, or adding new wrinkles to the gameplay, each Sniper Elite game takes what works in previous series entries and simply refines it to make it look better, run better, and deliver more World War II-set stealth action thrills. Sniper Elite: Resistance is a fun-looking spin-off and follow-up to the excellent Sniper Elite 5, and it’s bringing both a brand-new single-player campaign with some impressive semi-open-world stealth sandboxes as well as the many multiplayer modes from its predecessor (including the new asynchronous mode and the ability to play through the entire campaign in co-op).