As we head into the last four months of 2025, the number of big releases left in the year is quite daunting. Because I like to make things as difficult for myself as possible, I’m going to try to list the 10 biggest games waiting to be released. I’m sure you’re thinking to yourself that this task can’t be that difficult. After all,  it’s only four more months; how many more games can there be? Well, when I started, I had 24 games listed, and that was with me excluding a few smaller titles. So what’s the criteria? What makes a “big” game? I’m looking for games that can be contenders for the Game Awards, games that I think will end up being massive hits, and games whose upcoming releases may have an effect on the gaming industry at large. Also, it’s my list, so let’s not pretend like I’m not going to slip a few personal favorites in there as well.

11.) Demonschool

Release Date: November 19

I know, I know. What can I say? I lied. This list goes to 11. I honestly have no clue how successful Demonschool will be. Maybe it’s another niche-indie game destined to find a dedicated audience that will praise its greatness for years to come, or this Persona-inspired game will follow in the footsteps of other great games made by smaller studios like Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscure or Dogubomb with Blue Prince and become a massive hit. Either way, this has been one of my most anticipated games for as long as I can remember. With multiple characters to build relationships with and a Persona-style gameloop where players have to determine their day-to-day routine, all while trying to stop hordes of demons, everything about Demonschool is exactly what I’m looking for. If, somehow, you haven’t heard of this one yet, I really hope the mix of the trailer and my enthusiasm is enough to get you excited for Demonschool when it releases on November 19.

10.) Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

Release Date: October 25

We all remember the moment when Black Ops 7 was first announced. It was the end of Xbox’s Summer Game Fest event, and as the trailer progressed, the excitement built. What could this mysterious game be? A new science fiction game from Xbox? With incredible visuals and a unique tone, everyone was on the edge of their seat waiting for the title reveal. Then, as Nine Inch Nails started to play, a new emotion filled everyone watching. Dread. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not throwing any shade at the people who look forward to Call of Duty every year. Video games are meant to be fun, and if Call of Duty is what brings you joy, then have at it. I think we can all agree, though, that ending a press conference by announcing a new Call of Duty like it was something we didn’t know was happening was weird.

With all of that said, Call of Duty is going to be a massive hit. I don’t care what anyone says. No matter how loud the internet gets, when these games release, millions of people go out and buy these games. If anyone thinks Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will be any different, then they don’t know what they’re talking about. With the added pressure of the upcoming Battlefield 6 and fan pushback about how outlandish character skins have gotten in multiplayer, it will be fun to keep an eye on Black Ops 7 as it tries to navigate the rest of the year.

9.) Borderlands 4

Release Date: September 12

Borderlands and studio Gearbox are in such a unique place. They have a franchise that they can continue to release over and over again, and even when one of the entries stumbles, such as Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, it doesn’t appear to slow down the momentum of the franchise. After all, Borderlands 3 has sold over 23 million copies since its release in 2019, but that was 6 years ago, and we’ve seen in the gaming industry that it’s easy to lose the goodwill of a fanbase by making one too many wrong decisions. With that said, it feels like the team at Gearbox has recognized any stumbles they’ve made in the past and, rather than doubling down on them, has corrected course.

Whether it’s the change in writing that once lacked confidence and relied too heavily on telling a joke every five seconds to ensure the audience never got bored, the recognition that finding a legendary weapon should feel like a special moment for the players, or making sure the first person gameplay feels just as good, if not better, than any other FPS on the market, Borderlands 4 looks to take on past criticisms head-on. While I haven’t played a Borderlands game since Borderlands 2, I am looking forward to finally jumping back in and seeing just how much the franchise has changed over the years. That said, as someone who has kept a close eye on the upcoming looter-shooter, it is a bit concerning that Gearbox seems to mostly be giving long-time players attention when discussing the game. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that the game has such a robust end-game to keep its most dedicated players entertained, but maybe someone could help guide me around this new game a little bit.. Could this lack of focus hurt the game’s chances of bringing in players who are either new to Borderlands or haven’t played in a long time? It’s hard to say. After all, from the few things I have seen, it’s managed to get my attention.

8.) Digimon Story: Time Stranger

Release Date: October 2

I know what you’re thinking, but just hear me out. Yes, I have a Digimon game above Call of Duty, but my reasoning is sound. Black Ops 7 is guaranteed to be a big hit. It doesn’t matter what that game does; it’s going to be just as successful as the last game. While I’m sure the teams at Treyarch and Raven Software want to make the best game they can, if Black Ops 7 reviews in the low 7s, it won’t matter. There’s always next year. For Digimon Story: Time Stranger, there is no next year. This is it. It’s clear that Media Visions is putting every dime they can find into this game. With a development time of nearly 8 years, the game’s producer Ryosuke Hara explained, “I genuinely feel like we were able to make this game thanks to the development team’s passion, or rather madness.”

Do you hear that? Madness! The folks at Media Visions have worked for nearly a decade to pierce the heavens with their pens and keyboards to make the perfect Digimon game. Also, I think it’s important to note that the last time I watched anything Digimon-related, I was 11. In an article from Automatan Media, they mention that Digimon Story will feature more than 450 Digimon. If the story and gameplay can deliver the experience the team is striving for, Digimon Story: Time Stranger looks to recreate everyone’s first time picking up a Pokémon or Persona game. What creatures will we find? Who will be your favorite? In a world where Pokémon is king, I would love to see Digimon Story breathe some new life into the monster-catching genre. Wait. Do you catch Digimon? I guess I’ll find out when the game releases on October 2.

7.) Silent Hill f

Release Date: September 25

When Bloober Team released their remake of Silent Hill 2, everyone was caught off guard by how great it was. Not only did it establish Bloober in the horror genre (their upcoming game Cronos looks great), but it reminded everyone just how good the Silent Hill franchise can be. While Bloober isn’t involved in Silent Hill f, the franchise still finds itself at a crossroads. Recent previews have shown that the franchise looks to be taking things in an interesting direction. First, the game won’t be taking place in Silent Hill. Instead, the story takes place in 1960s Japan and follows a female high school student, Hinako Shimizu. Another interesting addition to the game that isn’t entirely brand new for the series is a focus on melee combat. Images of Hinako Shimizu wielding a bladed weapon, preparing to take down a giant boss, weren’t exactly what I was expecting from a Silent Hill game, but it doesn’t mean it takes away its chances at being a great time.

Still, with the upcoming release, the question has to be asked: was the Silent Hill 2 remake lightning in a bottle for the franchise or the start of a comeback? NeoBards Entertainment Limited looks to take the momentum created by Silent Hill 2 and push it forward with the next entry into the franchise. Of everything I have on this list, Silent Hill f might face the most pressure. While early previews have been positive, that isn’t always an indication of how things will go when a game releases. It’s been 13 years since fans got a new Silent Hill Game (PT doesn’t count), and if Silent Hill f can’t deliver, it might be another 13 years before we take another trip to Silent Hill.

6.) Paralives

Release Date: December 8 (Early Access)

Some games launch with the hopes of establishing a franchise, while others have to deal with the immense pressure of satisfying millions of fans. For Paralives, though, it looks to take on the impossible task of challenging an entire genre. For 25 years, Maxis has been releasing The Sims, and while I’m not someone who claims the series is “bad,” even the most dedicated fan can recognize that the franchise can be incredibly predatory when it comes to adding new content. Even now, as fans are begging for a Sims 5 announcement, it was announced that the reason the franchise would be sticking with Sims 4 was to avoid players needing to give up years of content. While that may sound like EA is looking out for the game’s player-base, I hear this and wonder why the content that’s been added to Sims 4 can’t simply be content that exists in a brand new Sims 5. If the series had any level of competition, though, maybe things would be different. That’s where Paralives comes in.

I want to be clear. I’m not suggesting that Paralives is going to launch with even half the features of Sims 4. After all, Sims 4 has been receiving regular content updates for 11 years, but the smaller team at Paralives Studios doesn’t need to provide beach vacations or jungle adventures. The goal is to deliver a modern game that has the charm of the original Sims games. We saw a similar situation earlier in the year with inZOI, but I think the biggest mistake that game made was trying to convince audiences that it was capable of going head-to-head with the Sims franchise when it was lacking the content that would be needed to do so. For Paralives, it’s launching in early access and isn’t interested in taking down The Sims. Instead, it looks to tell fans of cozy games there’s somewhere else they can for the experience that they love, even if at launch it isn’t the multi-million dollar experience you’re used to.

5.) ARC Raiders

Release Date: October 30

ARC Raiders. The game that ruined Marathon’s hopes of selling gamers a half-finished product. I’m not sure that the extraction shooter genre in its current state will ever be enough to interest me, but even I can admit that ARC Raiders looks like a lot of fun. But what is it about this game that makes it the 6th biggest game left to come out in 2025? Well, I would never say something as outlandish as, an entire genre’s hopes and dreams rest upon this game because that would be ridiculous. Even if ARC Raiders fails at launch, Escape from Tarkov exists. Don’t worry if you don’t know what that is. I felt the exact same way you do now when I started learning about extraction shooters earlier this year. Just know that it’s the most popular game in the genre. So if ARC Raiders fails, it’s not the end of the world. With that said, though, I do think ARC Raiders, especially now that Marathon is M.I.A., is a massive opportunity for the genre to prove to the industry that it isn’t as niche as it currently is. With how the industry works, I think this is a real fork in the road moment. If ARC Raiders hits, get ready for even more Extraction Shooters to be announced over the coming years. If it fails, though, the genre could start drying up pretty fast.

4.) Ghost of Yotei

Release Date: October 2

PlayStation made the decision to focus on multiplayer titles.

• The Last of Us Factions 2: Cancelled.
• God of War Multiplayer: Cancelled.
• Twisted Metal: Cancelled
• Concord: Cancelled after two weeks.
• Fairgame$: More than likely cancelled.
• Marathon: Has been threatened with cancellation.

These are just six of the games that were being worked on. This doesn’t include others like the Horizon multiplayer game that we may or may never officially see. What happened? How could a company that spent the last several generations dominating the market with top-tier single-player focused titles like Spider-Man, The Last of Us, Uncharted, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Bloodborne have made such bad choices? Well, folks, this is what corporate greed looks like. Companies see the success of Fortnite and think they’re capable of getting a slice of that multiplayer money pie. What’s even more baffling for Sony is that the answer was there, looking them right in the face. Ghost of Tsushima Legends was where things should have been heading. Here’s a big Triple-A title from PlayStation, followed by a smaller multiplayer entry that you and your friends can have fun with for three to six months before the next big PlayStation game comes out. Instead, everything needed to be these big “forever” games that would compete with the likes of Fortnite, Apex Legends, and Call of Duty. Sony essentially went out and bought Bungie, the people making Marathon, to help guide their studios while making these titles.

Now, with everything either cancelled or going through drastic changes, Sony finds itself right back where it should have been all along. Ghost of Yotei is coming out in October, and sometime early next year, fans will be getting Ghost of Yotei Legends. Video game development takes too long for stubborn studios to realize what they’re doing is wrong, but if Ghost of Yotei is the success that many believe it will be, and if Legends can find an audience for however long the add-on is supported, maybe Sony will finally see what they should have been doing all along. That said, if, for whatever reason, Ghost stumbles and isn’t the big hit that many expect, it could cause PlayStation to look at its library of games and think that the only thing they should be doing is multiplayer titles. Do you hear that, Ghost of Yotei? If you fail, we might be looking at a Jak and Daxter Overwatch clone… please don’t fail.

3.) Battlefield 6

Release Date: October 10

If Call of Duty feels pressure, then what are they feeling over at EA? For those who don’t remember, there was a time when the Battlefield franchise consistently battled Call of Duty for the number one spot in gaming. They always lost, but the franchise was still at a point where it could challenge the giant franchise. After a few missteps, though, Battlefield had to take a step back and refigure what it means to be a Battlefield game. Now, with Battlefield 6, EA has propped up the franchise in a way that hasn’t been seen in years. With statements from know-nothing executives claiming they’re aiming for 100 million players, the pressure couldn’t be higher for the franchise. This doesn’t just seem like one last chance for the Battlefield franchise, but one last chance for EA. Don’t get me wrong, with franchises like Madden and College Football, I think EA is more than capable of existing, but if Battlefield were to flop, I think it would change what the company seeks to be moving forward. With Dragon Age all but gone, Mass Effect an uknown commodity, Apex Legends experiencing declining numbers and EA admitting that FIFA, its once-cash-cow soccer game, now titled EA Sports FC, failed to meet expectations last year, if Battlefield were to flop at launch or similar to something like Halo Infinite from a few years ago, remain unable to keep its launch audience engaged months after release it could lead to a massive change in the industry. There have been rumors of EA being up for sale for years. With a Battlefield flop, perhaps those rumors could become reality.

2.) Pokémon Z-A

Release Date: October 16

Despite how popular Pokémon is, it feels like all anyone wants to do is complain about how mediocre the games are. Thankfully, Pokémon Z-A has the opportunity to shut everyone up. Unlike a Call of Duty that’s mostly looking to keep people happy to buy the next game and that’s it, Pokémon Z-A looks to be the game that finally unites the fanbase. With the 30th anniversary happening next year, we soon could be living in a world where everyone, all ages and sizes, is in love with Pokémon just in time for the reveal of the 10th generation.

While the three starters are, in my opinion, pretty weak, Pokémon Z-A looks to offset that with a more active battle system that will hopefully keep players more engaged during combat sequences. With the Switch 2, hopefully, Z-A will avoid issues with games in the past that struggled to run smoothly. All in all, Pokémon Z-A was already going to be one of the biggest games of the year, but with the level of quality that’s been shown off so far, this looks to be one of the most exciting Pokémon releases in years.  

1.) Hollow Knight: Silksong

Release Date: September 4

I mean, what is there to say? Seven years in development. One of the most hyped games of all time. Since learning the release date, multiple games have been delayed to get out of Hollow Knight’s way. This is the GTA 6 of indie games.