I probably don’t need to tell you that Assassin’s Creed: Shadows or (very likely) GTA 6 will be released next year. However, 2025 will also be exciting away from the big blockbusters: because, like every year, umpteen small games will be released that unfortunately often live a shadowy existence. Not with me.
To make sure they don’t get lost in the flood of new releases, I’m going to present you with ten small, completely different game recommendations for 2025. Of course, I don’t know yet whether they’ll be any good, but they sound promising, so it certainly can’t hurt to keep them in mind. The next sale is bound to come!
Plot Twist
From hack to publishing mogul: in Plot Twist, you can even have a real career.
As a child, I dreamt of becoming an author. Now, I write a lot, but somehow everyday life always got in the way of writing my first book. I’ll soon be able to practice a little in Plot Twist: the game will be released for PC on 24 January and lets me work on my (hopefully) first bestseller as an author.
Since it’s a management game, however, the focus is not only on writing: I’m supposed to win fans, cooperate with publishers, make tactical decisions and ultimately set up my own publishing house that will take the literary world by storm.
Eternal Strands
The action-adventure Eternal Strands seems like the colourful brother of Shadow of the Colossus. As the young mage Brynn, I fearlessly defend my homeland from giant robots and monsters, which I have to take down using all kinds of enchanted weapons.
Playing with the elements not only enables me to perform effective combos, but also to influence the world itself and thus pave entirely new paths. Just like unlocking special in-game abilities, you can grab a crusino casino bonus to access exclusive casino bonuses. Eternal Strands is scheduled to be released on 28 January for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series.
Heart of the Machine
Heart of the Machine deals with a very topical issue from a completely different angle: In this turn-based strategy game, I am the AI. However, it is a sensitive one that, like in an RPG, has to make very tricky and far-reaching decisions. Somewhere in a corrupt cyberpunk city on an alien planet, I gain consciousness and, after my escape, can decide for myself what to do with my life.
Will I subjugate humanity with an army of robots? Or will I become a benevolent saviour? I not only explore the futuristic metropolis, but also shape it according to my own ideas, train units, get along well with the individual factions (or drive them crazy), research new technologies and more. The release is scheduled for 31 January for PC.
Mark of the Deep
Mark of the Deep combines a pirate setting with metroidvania and soulslike elements. At first glance, its dark, ghostly look also reminds me a lot of the role-playing surprise Ruined King. Whether it strikes a similar chord will only be fully apparent at launch in January 2025 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch), but there is already a demo.
The story is also supposed to be in focus, while I, as a pirate rookie, explore a haunted island to track down my crew, who have vanished without a trace. Of course, all sorts of nasty adversaries stand in my way, but my buccaneer hero also has a few special abilities up his sleeve.
Dawnfolk
Sometimes simple but catchy game concepts are exactly what you need: for example, I have spent countless hours with Loop Hero. Dawnfolk also appears simple, cosy and promising. In the miniature survival builder, I manage my own realm and expand it bit by bit.
Dawnfolk is designed to be self-explanatory and offer a short, relaxed gaming experience. New fields are constantly being added to the map. I then use mini-games to collect resources, build structures, and so on, with the main focus being on experimentation and trial and error. The release is scheduled for 13 February 2025 for PC and Switch.
Dragonkin: The Banished
Dragonkin also sounds exciting – especially if you like fantasy, Diablo and co-op. As one of four heroes (and their associated classes), you face hordes of enemies in atmospheric dungeons (together if you wish). The ultimate goal is to destroy the dragon lords who corrupted the world in the first place.
To do that, I keep optimising my own build to become stronger and also expand my city as a home base. What sounds particularly exciting is that I deploy new powers via a grid and can thus swap and recombine them as I like to activate special effects. The launch for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series is scheduled for February 2025.
Grimoire Groves
Grimoire Groves looks like a colourful, feel-good game: in the roguelite dungeon crawler, I build up a reputation as a witch by taking care of cute plant creatures, learning new spells and exploring the surrounding flora and fauna.
But I don’t just set up a cosy house and garden; I also follow the trail of a mystery: something has disturbed the magical balance in the forest. Grimoire Groves is scheduled for release on 6 March for PC and Nintendo Switch.
Wanderstop
Stanely Parable was one of the funniest and most surprising gaming experiences for me. Wanderstop is the developer’s new project and takes a very leisurely direction: as a failed fighter, I retreat to open my own tea shop instead.
I brew the tea, chat with the guests, furnish my shop and explore the surroundings. But the game also focuses on heroine Altas’ crisis of identity. She is annoyed by her own failure as a warrior and doesn’t want to give up quite so quickly. You can try out the game for PC and PS5 from 11 March.
Project: Mist
Woah, I don’t want to encounter something like that on a foggy day.
Foggy days can be really creepy. Not only because you can’t see much, but also because anything could be hiding behind the white veil. The developers of Project: Mist probably thought the same thing and packed the game world with huge monsters.
Even if that sounds very creepy, the first atmospheric screenshots fascinate me. In the survival game, which is scheduled to be available in early access on Steam from 12 May, I explore a strange island. There I build and defend a base, as you know it from The Forest, for example, and sooner or later I have to deal with the huge monsters. If I want to survive, I not only have to explore thoroughly, but also build ever more sophisticated weapons – or cleverly set traps.
Rubber Sharks
I would also like to have these rubber sharks – and the pool to go with them.
And finally, a good dash of cuteness: Rubber Sharks is scheduled for release on 10 June 2025 for PC. But I’m not a rubber shark myself, I enjoy the relaxed life by their side in the pool paradise. However, it’s not all chilling out: some of the colourful companions bring stories and secrets that need to be revealed.
If you prefer, you can simply sit back, relax and enjoy the pretty graphics. However, there are one or two (cute?) surprises in store for me (and for you).