by
Mark Nielsen
, posted 8 hours ago / 1,168 Views
While 2024 was by no means a weak year for games, it was a bit of a calm one when it came to big releases to established franchises. The same definitely cannot be said for 2025 – not, at least, as things look right now. Whether it’s the return of long dormant series, the first follow-up to a well-received title, or another entry in a series that’s been on a roll as of late, there’s a lot to look forward to in 2025; so much so that even the five esteemed games on our shortlist feel like they only cover a small piece of it.
The Shortlist:
Ghost of Yotei
Fable
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Grand Theft Auto VI
Monster Hunter Wilds
The Runner-Up:
Grand Theft Auto VI
Grand Theft Auto is a record-breaking franchise in more ways than one, so it should come as no surprise that after the 12 years hiatus since GTA V, both expectations and hype are very high for this sequel. Indeed, the first trailer for the game even broke records of its own as YouTube’s most-watched trailer launch and has been analysed to death for locations, features, references, and so on. Currently the main takeaways are that it’s Grand Theft Auto and that it looks really promising. And after three and half generations playing a game intended for the PS3 and Xbox 360… well, it’s about damn time.
The Winner:
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Even a series as grand as GTA can’t compete with the anticipation people on VGChartz have for a title they’ve been waiting 18 years for – and which has been promised for nearly half of that time. The Metroid Prime trilogy is a unique piece of critically-acclaimed gaming history that, for a long time, seemed like it would never get a proper sequel; all the way up to the full reveal you could have doubted its existence but, amazingly, it’s now due to be released. Only time will tell what a fully-fledged Metroid Prime game will look like in 2025, how much or how little the series will have evolved, how well it can satisfy long-time fans and whether it can bring in new ones, but one thing’s for certain: we’re very curious and excited to find out.