There was no official, industry-wide top ten for the most anticipated games of 2025. This retrospective brings together ten titles featured in contemporary coverage, selected for their franchise interest, distinctiveness, announced scope and the attention they received at the time. It is an editorial cross-platform selection—not a measured popularity ranking—and release plans have since become history.
Why 2025 anticipation lists differed
“Most anticipated” describes a publication’s editorial choices unless it is tied to a defined measure, such as a dated survey or wishlist count. The lists considered here had different audiences: Gaming.net offered a general selection, TechSpot focused on PC games, and PlayStation Blog highlighted games associated with its platform in early 2025. Their overlap and differences reflect those scopes, not a single consensus ranking.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
DOG MAN: Misson Impawsible - PlayStation 5 | $23.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
WWE 2K25 - PlayStation 5 | $19.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business – PlayStation 5 | $28.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
VGC: The 2025 Guide to Video Games: The 2025 Guide to Video Games | $14.93 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2025 | $6.48 | Buy on Amazon |
Gaming.net’s list, first published November 26, 2024, included Borderlands 4, DOOM: The Dark Ages, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Fable, Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Grand Theft Auto VI. TechSpot’s PC list, published January 26, 2025, included Civilization VII, Avowed, Borderlands 4, DOOM: The Dark Ages, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Fable, Elden Ring Nightreign, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Monster Hunter Wilds and South of Midnight. PlayStation Blog’s December 30, 2024 roundup was specifically about early-2025 games associated with PlayStation. Gaming.net’s 2025 selection, TechSpot’s PC-focused selection and PlayStation’s early-year roundup are useful snapshots of what outlets were discussing, not evidence of a universal ordering.
Ten games that drew attention before or during 2025
The ten below form a cross-platform retrospective selection, not a ranked list. The cited contemporaneous coverage supplies the context for their inclusion. Where the available coverage does not establish a platform, developer, publisher or final release date, this article does not guess.
#1 Best Overall
- 50 Exciting Levels: Explore iconic locations from the Dog Man universe, including the City Hall, Giant Marshmallow Factory, and the Police Station. Each location offers platforming and puzzle-solving challenges.
- Teamwork: Switch between Dog Man and his Supa Buddies, each with their own special abilities, to overcome obstacles and defeat bosses. o Dog Man: Digs underground and glides through the air. o Li’l Petey: Hacks gadgets and fits into small spaces. o 80-HD: Pushes heavy objects and jumps long distances.
- Fun Gadgets: Unlock new gadgets and abilities as you progress, like a grappling hook, rocket boots and power gloves to navigate through the levels. Puzzles and Bosses: Use your brain to solve puzzles and defeat unique bosses. Each boss fight requires clever use of your team’s abilities.
- Humor and Action: Enjoy funny dialogue, amusing interactions, and non-stop action that keeps you engaged in Dog Man’s world. Rewards and Collectibles: Revisit levels with new gadgets to find secret areas, and rescue the missing Comic Club members.
- Art Style: Great animations inspired by the books, with comic-style sound effects that add a fun, cartoonish touch to the action.
1. Grand Theft Auto VI
Gaming.net included Grand Theft Auto VI in its 2025 anticipation list, reflecting the substantial interest surrounding a new entry in the series. The cited list does not provide a premise, developer or publisher detail, platform list, or a final release-history account, so those specifics are not asserted here. Its place in the selection is evidence of editorial attention, not a measured demand ranking.
2. Borderlands 4
Gaming.net described Borderlands 4 as a return to the series’ loot-and-shoot formula. TechSpot also included it in its PC-focused list, making it one of the titles appearing in both selections. Those sources establish that it was anticipated in general gaming and PC coverage; they do not, in the cited material, establish final platform availability or release history.
Rank #2
- RULE BEYOND THE RING: In a franchise first, step outside the ropes and onto The Island for Xbox Series X|S/PlayStation 5—an immersive, WWE-themed world filled with epic arenas, challenges, and live events. Fight to join the Bloodline with “The Original Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns, as you upgrade and customize your MySUPERSTAR through multiple storyline chapters.
- 2K SHOWCASE: THE BLOODLINE'S DYNASTY: The all-new Showcase, hosted by “The Wiseman” Paul Heyman, celebrates one of the most historic family dynasties in wrestling. Relive legendary showdowns or dream matches between The Bloodline and WWE Superstars and Legends.
- EXPANDED GAMEPLAY - Intergender wrestling makes its long-awaited debut in the WWE 2K franchise Additional features include the return of chain wrestling, Underground and Bloodline Rules match types, barricade diving, and more.
- MyGM GOES WORLDWIDE - Take your show on the road with MyGM, now featuring online multiplayer. Draft WWE Superstars and Legends to your show’s roster and lead your brand through multi-week seasons.
3. DOOM: The Dark Ages
Gaming.net framed DOOM: The Dark Ages as a medieval-styled Doom Slayer story. TechSpot also named it among anticipated PC games. That shared inclusion reflects the game’s distinct announced setting and its connection to an established franchise, rather than a common popularity metric.
4. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Gaming.net included Metroid Prime 4: Beyond as a new Samus adventure. The cited contemporary description gives the broad premise, but not enough detail to establish a full platform list, developer or publisher, or a final release-history comparison. It represents the franchise-driven side of pre-release anticipation.
Rank #3
- ROBOCOP IS BACK ON DUTY TO SETTLE UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Experience an all-new scenario set in a tower in chaos. OmniTower.
- FIGHT YOUR WAY TO THE TOP FLOOR: Following RoboCop's decisive victory over Detroit's gangs, a new chapter unfolds in this standalone extension set after the events of RoboCop: Rogue City.
- FACE A DEADLIER CLASS OF CRIMINALS: Prepare to take on a new breed of enemies. OmniTower is packed with high-tech threats - explosive drones, mercenaries in jet packs, androids armed with katanas and more.
- RESTORE ORDER WITH JUSTICE SERVED COLD: When it’s too late to shout "freeze", you can rely on RoboCop’s arsenal to to cool down enemies' ambitions. Choose from a wide range of powerful weapons to serve Justice, including the iconic Auto-9 or the all-new Cryo Cannon. Or destroy mercenaries in hand-to-hand combat with spectacular finishing moves.
- PLAY AS ALEX MURPHY: Experience unique missions with familiar faces which reveal more of the storyline of Unfinished Business. Gameplay blends nervous action and investigation, where your choices can decide the fate of citizens.
5. Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Gaming.net highlighted Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ feudal-Japan setting and two protagonists. PlayStation Blog also included it in its early-2025 roundup. The shared attention came from general gaming coverage and a platform-holder schedule, though the available details here do not specify its announced date or all platform editions.
6. Civilization VII
TechSpot’s PC list singled out Civilization VII’s Antiquity, Exploration and Modern ages as a feature of its design. PlayStation Blog listed the game for PS5 and PS4 with an announced release date of February 11, 2025. That date was a contemporaneous announcement, not a guarantee: PlayStation explicitly warned readers that dates were subject to change.
7. Avowed
TechSpot situated Avowed in the world of Eora and described the option to play from a first- or third-person perspective. Its inclusion in a PC-focused list made it a notable choice for readers interested in a role-playing game with flexible perspective. The cited material does not provide a final release-history account or a complete platform breakdown.
8. Fable
Fable appeared in both Gaming.net’s general list and TechSpot’s PC-focused selection. That overlap makes it a clear example of a franchise attracting attention across more than one editorial audience. The cited descriptions do not establish its detailed premise, platforms, developer or publisher, or final release status, so those particulars are left out.
Best Value
9. Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds appeared on TechSpot’s PC list and in PlayStation Blog’s early-2025 roundup. PlayStation’s announcement listed PS5 and a February 28, 2025 release date; as with the other dates in that roundup, it was subject to change. For anyone choosing a copy, the game name alone is not enough: confirm the specific platform and edition on the product page before buying.
10. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
TechSpot included Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 in its anticipated PC games list. That establishes its place in PC-oriented pre-release coverage, but the cited description does not supply enough information here to make claims about its final release history, supported platforms, or developer and publisher.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What contemporaneous release dates can—and cannot—tell you
PlayStation Blog’s early-2025 roundup gives two clear examples of dated announcements: Civilization VII for PS5 and PS4 on February 11, and Monster Hunter Wilds for PS5 on February 28. The page also listed Dynasty Warriors: Origins for PS5 on January 17, Synduality: Echo of Ada for PS5 on January 23, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 for PC on January 30, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows for February 14. Those dates record what the platform holder announced on December 30, 2024; they should not be presented as current upcoming dates or as a complete final release history. The post itself said, “Note: all release dates are subject to change.”
Release windows and supported platforms can differ by edition and region, and announcement schedules can change. GameSpot maintains a broader schedule that distinguishes dates from windows and lists platforms, but its living page is not a fixed record of what was known at the start of 2025. For a present-day release-status check, consult the current schedule and the platform or publisher listing for the exact game edition; the cited snapshots alone do not establish every title’s final release history.
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Quick Recap
How to use an anticipated-games list when choosing what to play
- Read “most anticipated” as an editorial label. Without a named metric and date, inclusion does not prove a game ranked highest among all players.
- Match the list to your platform. TechSpot’s list was PC-focused; PlayStation Blog’s covered games associated with PlayStation; Gaming.net’s selection was broader. A title’s presence in one does not by itself confirm compatibility with your device.
- Check the exact edition before purchasing. Confirm platform, region, edition and current availability on the listing itself. A game title alone may not identify the compatible product.
- Treat old release dates as historical announcements. A dated roundup records what was planned then, not necessarily the final schedule or a current availability claim.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
