The 2025 horror-game slate included cinematic choice-driven horror, zombie survival, co-op creature hunts and puzzle adventures—but the original release windows did not all hold. Of the eight games in this preview, official listings confirm that Little Nightmares III launched on October 10, 2025, while Directive 8020 moved to May 12, 2026. Here is what each game offered in the original 2025 preview, with the dates treated as historical expectations rather than promises.
Which horror games were expected in 2025?
Andrew Highton’s March 6, 2025, Insider Gaming feature grouped eight very different games under the year’s horror releases: Directive 8020, Dying Light: The Beast, Killing Floor 3, Little Nightmares III, Reanimal, State of Decay 3, The Midnight Walk and The Sinking City 2. The feature itself warned that dates could change. Its descriptions below are best read as a snapshot of what was anticipated at the time, not as confirmation of current availability or platforms.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Resident Evil Requiem Amazon Exclusive Edition - PlayStation 5 | $49.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Project Songbird - PlayStation 5 | $29.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Cronos - PlayStation 5 | $28.15 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Resident Evil 4 - PS5 | $15.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Resident Evil 7 biohazard Gold Edition - PlayStation 5 | $15.99 | Buy on Amazon |
For comparison, the roundup’s main distinctions are the kind of horror each game emphasizes, whether its hook is solo or cooperative, and how firm its 2025 window was. The available sources do not establish platform availability or a verified current release outcome for most of the eight, so those details are not inferred here.
The eight games, and what their 2025 expectations meant
Directive 8020
The March 2025 preview described this as the latest entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology, built around exploration aboard the Cassiopeia, consequential story choices and quick-time events. That points to cinematic, decision-led horror rather than a wave shooter or open-world survival game. Bandai Namco Europe’s current horror catalog lists Directive 8020 for May 12, 2026, so the 2025 expectation did not hold. Bandai Namco Europe’s horror catalog is the source for that current listing.
#1 Best Overall
- Amazon Exclusive - 2 sided poster included in every game!
- Grace Ashcroft, an FBI intelligence analyst who is introverted and easily scared, representing a new type of character for the Resident Evil series. Grace will experience horror from the same perspective as the player as she learns to overcome her fears throughout the course of the story.
- For the first time ever in Resident Evil history, players will be able to freely switch between both first- and third-person perspectives throughout the game.
- An Anniversary to Remember: With March 2026 marking the Resident Evil series’ 30-year anniversary, Resident Evil Requiem marks its own milestone in the franchise.
- Pre-orders for Resident Evil Requiem are now open, with the bonus of Grace’s costume: Apocalypse. Please note that the picture weapon does not come with the costume, but it can be obtained in-game.
Dying Light: The Beast
In the original preview, Kyle Crane’s return was framed as a separate sequel to Dying Light 2. The anticipated draw was the series’ parkour and day-night danger contrast, joined by a “beast within” gameplay hook. These are descriptions from the March 2025 preview; the available current sources do not verify a release date, platforms or whether the forecast was fulfilled.
Killing Floor 3
The preview singled out successive zombie waves, grotesque Zed enemies and the returning M.E.A.T. system. GameSpot’s January 10, 2025, roundup characterizes the series as cooperative PvE wave-based horde shooting with over-the-top enemies, a useful distinction from the more story-led or puzzle-led games on this list. Neither source establishes the game’s current release status or platforms here. GameSpot’s horror-game roundup provides the series context.
Rank #2
- A dark, enthralling 4-5 hour narrative to keep you hooked and guessing until the end. Gorgeous visuals as you traverse numerous and diverse environments, presented with a cinematic, film-like aesthetic. Ranged and melee combat with upgradeable weapons to help you survive your nightmarish journey.
- A stellar voice cast, starring Valerie Rose Lohman (What Remains of Edith Finch, Wolfenstein: Youngblood), Jonah Scott (Dying Light 2: Stay Human, Date Everything), and Aleks Le (Persona 3: Reload, Marvel Rivals, Ghost of Yotei).
- A beautifully dynamic and haunting soundtrack composed and performed by Jacob Noska, and Jonah Henthorne: members of the band Auric Echoes.
- The puzzles you encounter are more than your standard key hunt. Project Songbird rewards those with an eye for detail, making each puzzle a challenge of creativity and wits.
- The combat of Project Songbird offers a variety of approaches inspired by the classics of the survival horror genre. Melee and gunplay is slow and weighty, and ammo is incredibly scarce. However, combat isn't your only option, as you have a multitude of tools at your disposal to aid in sneaking past any creatures that wish to do you harm.
Little Nightmares III
The 2025 preview highlighted a change in development studio—Supermassive Games took over—and introduced Low and Alone, with cooperative play added to the series. Bandai Namco Europe’s catalog confirms the game, styled Little Nightmares III, was released on October 10, 2025. That makes it the clearest confirmed 2025 launch among the entries for which the available official listing supplies a release date. The catalog does not specify platform availability in the cited material. Bandai Namco Europe’s horror catalog.
Reanimal
The preview presented Reanimal as a new IP from Tarsier Studios, the developer of the first two Little Nightmares games. Its described ingredients were puzzles, escape, avoiding enemies and cooperative play, making it the list’s most clearly puzzle-and-evasion-oriented premise. The available sources do not verify a 2025 release outcome, date or platforms.
Rank #3
- Cronos: The New Dawn is a brutal third-person survival horror where you fight for the future by salvaging the past. Burn monsters before they merge. Extract souls from the living. Adapt or die.
- Set in a grim world where Eastern European brutalism meets retro-futurist technology, Cronos: The New Dawn lets you experience a gripping story that straddles the line between past and future.
- The enemies you’ll encounter are nightmarish creatures, born from the remnants of humanity – defeating them will require you to make full use of your arsenal.
- The creatures you kill won’t stay dead for long. Fallen enemies can be absorbed by others - through a grotesque process called Merging - to become faster, tougher, and far deadlier.
- This physical edition of Cronos: The New Dawn comes with bonus in-game content and a set of collectible stickers.
State of Decay 3
Unlike a firm 2025 date, the original feature explicitly treated this game’s timing as uncertain and suggested 2026 or 2027 as possibilities. That was a forecast made in March 2025, not a current release update. The sources available here do not establish whether the game has since received a date or confirm its release status or platforms.
The Midnight Walk
The game appeared in the original eight, but the available feature passage does not provide enough detail to responsibly summarize its premise or gameplay. Nor do the current sources cited here establish its release outcome, date or platforms. It remains part of the historical list, but a more specific description would go beyond the evidence available.
Rank #4
- Reawaken a Classic – Resident Evil 4 preserves the essence of the original game, now reconstructed using Capcom’s proprietary RE Engine to deliver realistic visuals and additional narrative depth to the iconic story that was not possible at the time of the original release.
- Modernized Gameplay – The team from 2019’s Resident Evil 2 returns to build upon the series’ modern approach to survival horror. Engage in frenzied combat with the Ganados villagers, explore a European village gripped by madness, and solve puzzles to access new areas and collect useful items for Leon and Ashley’s constant struggle to survive.
- Overwhelming Hordes – Face hordes of rabid enemies that threaten to overwhelm Leon with even more diverse methods of attack than in the original release.
- Survive on a Knife’s Edge – Years of intense training have taught Leon new ways to use his knife, helping to even the odds against the unrelenting onslaught of enemies. By parrying enemy attacks, you can avoid debilitating damage and evade lunging enemies seeking to grab Leon and hold him in place. Make smart use of scavenged knives to deliver precise finishing moves on vulnerable enemies, and even use the element of surprise to quietly dispatch unsuspecting foes before they break.
- Survive on a Knife’s Edge – Years of intense training have taught Leon new ways to use his knife, helping to even the odds against the unrelenting onslaught of enemies. By parrying enemy attacks, you can avoid debilitating damage and evade lunging enemies seeking to grab Leon and hold him in place. Make smart use of scavenged knives to deliver precise finishing moves on vulnerable enemies, and even use the element of surprise to quietly dispatch unsuspecting foes before they break.
The Sinking City 2
The March 2025 preview described a Lovecraftian horror game combining attack-oriented gameplay, detective mechanics and large monsters. Those elements suggest a different balance from the list’s cinematic choices and co-op wave combat, but they remain preview descriptions rather than a refreshed account of the game. Current release status, date and platforms are not established by the available sources.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read the 2025 release dates now
A list labelled “coming in 2025” is no longer a reliable release calendar. Its entries mixed expectations with differing levels of certainty: State of Decay 3 was explicitly considered unlikely to arrive that year, and the currently listed 2026 date for Directive 8020 shows why preview windows should not be treated as guarantees. Conversely, Bandai Namco’s current catalog verifies that Little Nightmares III did arrive in 2025.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Best Value
- FEAR COMES HOME -- Fear, combat, exploration, and item management: these are the four pillars of survival horror, a genre that has never been more masterfully executed than in the gameplay of Resident Evil. The horror continues in the ground-breaking Resident Evil 7. Step into the new Isolated View and experience true survival horror in a world created by the all-new RE Engine.
- DEEP IN THE BAYOU - When Ethan Winters opened his inbox, the last thing he expected was to find an email from his wife; she had been missing for three years. The message was simple: "Come get me," and an address in Louisiana. This leads Ethan to a decrepit mansion in the heart of the bayou. The place has a seriously creepy vibe, but Ethan continues his search – until a stranger attacks him and knocks him unconscious. Ethan has no idea what awaits him when he wakes up...for he is now in the clutches of the Baker family.
- A NEW PERSPECTIVE -- In RESIDENT EVIL 7, we're changing the way you interact with the world. For this next major entry in the series, play from a first-person point of view, dramatically increasing your ability to become fully absorbed in the world we have created.
- NEW FOR PLAYSTATION5 – Upgraded features new to the PlayStation5 version of the game include a higher frame rate, 3D audio, added ray tracing, and engaging DualSense support for Haptic Feedback and Adaptive Triggers.
One major horror release outside the original eight also demonstrates how much the year’s slate extended beyond that roundup: Konami announced that Silent Hill f launched on September 25, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, Epic Games and Windows. Its official description places the story in 1960s Japan and follows Shimizu Hinako in Ebisugaoka. Konami confirmed a physical Day One edition and digital Standard and Deluxe editions. Konami’s official Silent Hill f page gives the launch and edition details.
Quick Recap
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.
