Hello and Happy New Year all! As we reacquaint ourselves with our keyboards and coffee mugs, it's time to once again begin another year of video gaming - and as we look ahead to the coming 12 months, it's occurred to us that the 2025 release schedule is packed to the brim of new and exciting games coming out. So what better way to ring in the new year than by putting together a big old list of all the ones we're most pumped about?Admittedly, it's a slightly shapeless-looking year at the moment. As you'll no doubt gather in a minute, very little has actually been dated much beyond March at the moment, with most games shyly clutching their general '2025' coattails until - one can only assume - a certain Rockstar-shaped behemoth has come more fully into view. Yes, 2025 will likely be a year that's very much moulded around the enormous impact crater of GTA 6, so don't be surprised if release dates slip or get announced earlier than expected as everyone does their best to dance around this inevitable attention vacuum.Watch on YouTubeBut even with much of the year in flux at the moment, it's still looking like it's going to be one of the most exciting in quite a long time - certainly on the blockbuster front, at last, but there are also plenty of indies we're keen to play, too. Below, you'll find the 80 games we're most excited about in 2025, ordered by date for those we know about, and then alphabetically for everything that's yet to be confirmed. First, though, let's address that big hardware elephant in the roomSwitch 2 and its launch games Image credit: NintendoWe still don't know what the Switch 2 is even going to be called at the moment, but whatever it is, you can bet that the console, and the potential launch games therein, are definitely going to be high up on all of our collective lists of 'Things we cannot wait to play in 2025'. The arrival of a new console is always an exciting moment in the gaming calendar, especially when the Switch proper launched with one of the greatest games of the last decade, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. While it's unlikely we'll get another Zelda alongside the Switch 2, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a Mario game of some description, which - yep, that's definitely something I'd want to play this year. So consider this entry as one big placeholder for all the Switch 2 launch games, because whatever they end up being, you can bet we'll be chomping at the bit for them. Now, onto the games!Hyper Light Breaker Image credit: Heart MachineRelease date: 14th January 2025 (early access)Platforms: PCDespite being the successor to Hyper Light Drifter, Breaker is shaping up to be quite a different proposition. It's 3D for starters, and is more of a co-op action roguelike than a purely singleplayer adventure. But I'm always excited by developers who are willing to tear up their own rulebooks to try something new, and I'm excited to see what strange new worlds we'll be able to hack and slash our way through in Breaker's ever-changing Overgrowth realm. - Katharine Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Image credit: NintendoRelease date: 16th January 2025Platforms: Nintendo SwitchThe decision to release an HD remaster of Donkey Kong's excellent Wii platformathon might seem odd in a world where his vastly superior outing in Tropical Freeze already exists on Switch, but hey, if you're looking to kick off the new year with a smile, this isn't a half bad way to do it. Returns was a riot when it first came out 15 years ago (especially those exquisite mine cart levels), and I can't wait to revisit it in a couple of weeks. - KatharineBlade Chimera Image credit: Playism, WSS PlaygroundRelease date: 16th January 2025Platforms: PC, Nintendo SwitchI'll confess I didn't know much about Blade Chimera before the end of last year, but when I heard Team Ladybug had a new Metroidvania out in January, my interest was piqued immediately. Sure, Team Ladybug is perhaps better known for its sidescrolling shoot 'em ups than their Metroid-likes (see Touhou Luna Knights, Drainus etc), but I adored the studio's 2020 game Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, and Blade Chimera looks to be very much more of that - albeit set in a demon-infested, cyberpunk-infused version of Osaka than the lauded 90s anime series. - KatharineEnder Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist Image credit: Binary Haze InteractiveRelease date: 22nd January 2025Platforms: PC (1.0), Nintendo SwitchThe sequel to one of the best Metroidvanias of recent years, Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist has been in early access on PC for most of the past year. Now it's coming out in full, alongside a release on Switch, and cor, this is the stuff, folks. Picking up several decades years after the events of 2021's Ender Lillies: Quietus of the Knights (which you should also play if you haven't, though it isn't required reading before playing this), Magnolia is once again all about finding and using enemy abilities to pick your way through a forlorn and mysterious fantasy world as you try and save it from total collapse. It's fantastic stuff, so if you're a fan of great Metroid-likes, make sure this one's on your radar. - KatharineEternal Strands Image credit: Yellow Brick GamesRelease date: 28th January 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/SIt might have an unfortunately forgettable title, but Eternal Strands - from former Dragon Age creative director Mike Laidlaw's Yellow Brick Games studio - is intriguing stuff. It's a fantasy action-RPG inspired by the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Shadow of the Colossus, with a bit of Monster Hunter thrown in as players venture out into a cataclysm-struck "open zone" world - scrambling around 25-meter-high climbable creatures known as the Arks in order to secure resources needed to create new weapons and armour back at a base camp. Core to all this is the much-touted interplay between protagonist Brynn's magical abilities and the environment - its shifting temperatures and a supposedly "next generation" physics system - which promises "unprecedented reactivity". What that means in practice remains to be seen, but it has the potential to be fascinating. - MattThe Stone of Madness Image credit: Tripwire PresentsRelease date: 28th January 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo SwitchHaving impressed with its wonderfully moody Blasphemous series, developer The Game Kitchen is tackling something a bit different with The Stone of Madness. This Goya-inspired stealth-tactics adventure unfolds in an 18th-century Spanish Monastery - part prison, part asylum - somewhere in the Pyrenees mountains. Here, players must help five prisoners mount their escape, utilising their unique abilities across two distinct story campaigns. There's a Darkest Dungeon-style twist, however; characters have evolving traumas and phobias that can be triggered during missions, fundamentally changing how they play. And that's on top of objectives players can tackle either during the day or the supernaturally blighted (and potentially more rewarding) night. It's intriguing stuff and out very soon. - MattCitizen Sleeper 2 Image credit: Eurogamer/Fellow TravellerRelease date: 31st January 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo SwitchThough slight, Citizen Sleeper is one of the most tender and heartwarming games I've played. It warms me just to think about it. A sequel, even by its very existence, would be exciting, but what makes it even more so are the leaps made in gameplay and design terms since then. As glimpsed in the demo, Citizen Sleeper 2 is a more defined RPG and a more exciting - more tense - one. This could be something great. - BertieKingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Image credit: Warhorse StudiosRelease date: 4th February 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/XKingdom Come: Deliverance remains one of the most distinct role-playing games in recent years. Based in the old Czech Republic - Bohemia - and informed by historical accuracy, it presents a world as believable as history books are. There's a fictional story running through it, which brings the drama, but the allure is being in a time and place few other games have visited. I'm excited to return. - BertieCivilization 7 Image credit: 2K / FiraxisRelease date: 11th February 2025Platforms: PCCor, a new Civ! There's something wonderfully lavish about a brand new Civilization game. A game about all of human history, a celebration of progress and endeavour, a whacking great map to conquer. Having played a few hours of it I can tell you that up close, the new art style is an absolute treat. I can also tell you that it feels very much like a Civ game still, despite some major, predictably controversial changes to tech trees and ages. Plus, Gwendoline Christie as the new narrator reading out all those nice little quotes is inspired. Time for the return of One More Turn. - Chris Urban Myth Dissolution Center Image credit: Eurogamer/Shueisha GamesRelease date: 13th February 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Nintendo SwitchMurder mystery fans, listen up! In this compelling anthology of occult crime cases, you play as budding detective Azami Fukurai as you work to uncover the mysteries of strange occurrences around Tokyo. I was a huge fan of developer Hakababunko's previous work, Makoto Wakaido's Case Files Trilogy from 2023, and if its exceptional Steam Next Fest demo was anything to go by, this looks to be taking its methodical foundations of gathering evidence and logical deduction work to the next level. As you try to discern fact from fiction, this will hopefully be one for crime heads as much as Japanese mythology scholars. - Katharine Date Everything! Image credit: Team17Release date: 14th February 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo SwitchEver wanted to date your fridge? No, me neither. But after watching the trailer for Date Everything! I'm now excited to woo kitchen appliances, a toilet, a nightmare, and a rubber duck this Valentine's Day, in what looks like a funny, occasionally poignant take on dating akin to something like Boyfriend Dungeon. - JessicaAssassin's Creed Shadows Image credit: UbisoftRelease date: 14th February 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/SStealthy rooftop shenanigans (or loud samurai stomping) through feudal Japan? Yes please. Ubisoft's historical stabathon series finally visits the much-requested country of the shinobi, courtesy of the team behind 2018's brilliant Assassin's Creed Odyssey. After a much-discussed delay and amid turbulent times for Ubisoft itself, expectations for Shadows are through the roof. - Tom PTomb Raider 4-6 Remastered Image credit: AspyrRelease date: 14th February 2025Platforms: PC, PS5/PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo SwitchOK, don't judge me, but I am genuinely looking forward to revisiting Angel of Darkness when Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered releases next month. Yes, I know it is the worst reviewed Tomb Raider game, so yes I know it is Flawed with a capital F, but what can I say. I have a bit of a soft spot for Lara's double denim, Parisian parkouring antics. Along with Angel of Darkness, Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered also includes Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation and Tomb Raider: Chronicles. As with last year's Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered, the upcoming collection will feature improved visuals along with the option to toggle between classic and modern graphics. Pyramid scheme? For me, this is more like a pyramid dream. - Victoria Avowed Image credit: Xbox Game StudiosRelease date: 18th February 2025Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/SI'm a fan of Obsidian and the Pillars of Eternity series, so I've been following this first-person take on the world of Eora closely since it was announced. But it's had a bumpy ride, struggling somewhat in its series of early gameplay trailers to convince us of its qualities. Nevertheless, there's a beautiful world here and what seem to be interesting ideas, and I would never rule a team like Obsidian out. - BertieLost Records: Bloom and Rage Image credit: Don't NodRelease date: 18th February 2025 (Part 1), 18th March 2025 (Part 2)Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/SA brand new narrative game from the original development team behind Life is Strange 1 and 2, Lost Records looks set to recapture the same coming of age with magic realism shenanigans that won over a legion of fans previously. There's some real advancements here, too: interactive photography gameplay and smart crowd dialogue that makes this feel a generation beyond even the most recent Life is Strange effort. - Tom PLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Image credit: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/SegaRelease Date: 20th February 2025Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5/PS4What's better than being a pirate? How about being a pirate in Hawaii combined with all the usual Like a Dragon hilarity and mini-games thrown in? In this spin-off, Majima takes center stage and plenty of fierce battles await, but don't forget you can belt out tunes with karaoke or speed around to deliver food in Crazy Delivery if piracy starts taking its toll. - MarieMonster Hunter Wilds Image credit: CapcomRelease date: 28th February 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/SCapcom's latest and greatest Monster Hunter outing looks to be its best and most ambitious yet, and cor, every new monster and location reveal makes me want to yell out a big fat "Soooo tasty!" like its titular hunters do cooking a honking great slab of monster meat. Let the competition for the best dino hat and pants combo commence. - Katharine Morsels Image credit: Annapurna InteractiveRelease date: February 2025Platforms: PC, Nintendo SwitchYou may have caught Morsels in one of Nintendo's Indie World announcements last year, and the strength of that trailer alone, with its enormous sentient noses in hoodies, ladders with eyeball stalks and demonic pigeons, was enough to immediately put it on my wishlist. A weird and wonderful roguelite where you're rotating between all manner of whimsical creatures to find your way out of the sewers, Morsels looks like an intriguingly freaky blend of Nobody Saves the World and The Binding of Isaac - which is a pretty potent combo, if you ask me. - Katharine Two Point Museum Image credit: Two Point StudiosRelease date: 4th March 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/STwo Point games are always a blast, made up of two parts management simulation and one part British silliness. Two Point Museum seems like yet another exceedingly good time, only this time we're trying to build a museum empire, and we now have the ability to build partition walls that I may be a bit too excited for. - JessicaSplit Fiction Image credit: HazelightRelease date: 6th March 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/SI can't wait to find out exactly what Hazelight Studios - the team behind brilliant co-op platformer It Takes Two - has come up with for Split Fiction. It's the studio's next co-op game, and it looks like it is going to be a hoot and a half. There's even promise of a dance battle with a monkey. Errm, yes please! In Split Fiction, players take on the role of either Mio or Zoe, two aspiring writers, as they jump between sci-fi and fantasy worlds. All I can say is that I hope my husband is ready for some more chaotic couch co-op shenanigans, because I will be booting this baby up day one. - VictoriaWanderstop Image credit: Annapurna InteractiveRelease date: 11th March 2025Platforms: PC, PS5Wanderstop wants you to think it's going to be a relaxing little game about running a teashop, but there's clearly more brewing here than just tea. Alta, the game's protagonist, used to work as a warrior and her past experiences are haunting her far more than she wants to admit. Though considering Wanderstop is the latest game from Davey Wreden (creator of The Stanley Parable and The Beginner's Guide) and is co-written with Karla Zimonja, most known for Gone Home, we really shouldn't be surprised if there's more to this game than meets the eye. Personally I can't wait to see how Wanderstop manages to twist the cosy game genre. - LottieXenoblade Chronicles X Remastered Image credit: NintendoRelease date: 20th March 2025Platforms: Nintendo SwitchThe black sheep of the Xenoblade Chronicles family, I honestly never thought I'd see this game outside of its Wii U beginnings. But what a thrill to be able to rediscover this strange and singular JRPG again! Its strain of sci-fi is quite a bit harder than its numbered stablemates, featuring mechs, modern cities and an intergalactic threat, but when you first step inside its enormous metal suits and discover there's a whole other layer to this impossibly large world, Xenoblade Chronicles X retains that same sense of awe and wonder that made the series so brilliant in the first place. - Katharine Atomfall Image credit: RebellionRelease date: 27th March 2025Platforms: PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox OneInspired by the real-world events of the 1957 Windscale disaster and made by Sniper Elite studio Rebellion, Atomfall imagines what might happen five years later in a fictional village in the north of England that's trapped inside its large quarantine zone. A survival adventure game that's part Fallout, part Metro and maybe a little bit Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, Atomfall could be one of this year's most pleasant surprises. - Katharine inZoi Image credit: KraftonRelease date: 28th March 2025 (early access)Platforms: PCAs long as our PCs don't melt because of the specs required to produce its stunning visuals, inZoi seems like the best go at a competitor to The Sims yet. With Life By You now cancelled, and The Sims 4 now on its tenth year of service, it's nice to finally have a big new life sim to get stuck into. - JessicaFootball Manager 2025 Image credit: Sports InteractiveRelease date: March 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, iOS/AndroidFM25 was quite astonishingly delayed late last year, from its usual annual slot of November into March 2025. It throws up all kinds of questions - which season will player ratings be based on? What happens to FM26? Will March be the new regular slot going forward? But many of those are really moot. This is a major effort from developer Sports Interactive, moving the game from a custom engine to Unity and overhauling the entire UI in the process, upending decades of muscle memory in the process. It's a big gamble. Much like the sport itself, the one thing that's guaranteed is entertainment. - ChrisDemonschool Image credit: Necrosoft GamesRelease date: Q1 2025Platforms: PCA tactics RPG with a demonic, supernatural twist, this stylish strategy game has been high up on my wishlist for quite a while now. A little bit Buffy the Vampire Slayer in tone, a little bit Banner Saga in its grid-based battles, and just a dash of Persona with its school schedule character building, this game is all about a bunch of university mates travelling to strange and unearthly realms to defeat, you guessed it, hordes of horrible demon lads. Get it into my veins, stat. - Katharine The Alters Image credit: 11 bit studiosRelease date: Q1 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/SStranded alone on a mysterious planet, Jan makes clones of himself - adjusting their memories to create different versions of what his life might have become had he chosen differently at various stages of his life - so they can all work together to survive impending doom. An interesting twist on a management sim that has you balancing the relationships between yourself has me very curious to see how The Alters turns out. - JessicaWhile Waiting Image credit: OptillusionRelease date: Q1 2025Platforms: PCIs this a game about being patient? Or one about doing every conceivable fidgety thing to fill the time between one event and the next? Both roads lead to success in While Waiting, the next game from the developer behind perspective puzzler Moncage, and its Next Fest demo was such glorious fun. If it doesn't renew your sense of curiosity about the world, at least you'll have some inspiration for other possible things you could do while waiting instead of subjecting yourself to another doomscroll. - Katharine despelote Image credit: Julin Cordero, Sebastian ValbuenaRelease date: Early 2025Platforms: PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox OneSurely the most Mundial Magazine football game ever made, despelote (stylised without the capital D) is a first-person, autobiographical slice-of-life game about being a football-loving kid on the streets of Ecuador, during the country's qualifiers for the 2002 World Cup. It looks joyous, personal and profound, an example of games' continuing, globalised expansion of genres and perspectives. Its wonderfully pretty art style only helps. - ChrisDune: Awakening Image credit: FuncomRelease date: Early 2025 on PC (consoles to follow)Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/XFuncom knows MMOs - I think it's easy sometimes to forget that - and it knows desert-based survival games based on big licenses, the reference obviously being Conan. This new Dune project has more going for it than being a movie tie-in, then. But these projects are big swings that depend on mass excitement to get their player base going. Will it hit? We shall see. - BertieBioid Image credit: PagurusRelease date: 7th April 2025Platforms: PCA monochromatic adventure about a cosmic library in disarray, Bioid has made its way onto my wishlist on the strength of its visuals alone. The trailer is a mesmerizing mix of gorgeously animated worlds and creatures, and the promise of being able to visit lots of different dimensions as we follow the story of two little beings is sure to be one heck of a memorable journey. - Katharine Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Image credit: SNKRelease date: 21st April 2025Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PCThe first new Fatal Fury game since 1999, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is a direct sequel to classic fighting game Garou: Mark of the Wolves, from developer SNK. The signature, health-for-special-moves TOP system returns, now in expanded form as the SPG system, while classic characters are joined by a few newcomers as well. But the real point here is that the series' long-running boss, Yasuyuki Oda, is finally getting a chance to return to it. This is a big deal for a genre that's recently been having something of a renaissance. - Chris Farthest Frontier Image credit: Crate EntertainmentRelease date: Spring 2025Platforms: PC (1.0)Farthest Frontier has strong Manor Lords vibes. This is an up-close strategy game about surviving in the American frontier lands, at a time when technology was basic and life was dirtier. There's an earthy, touchable charm that comes from it, as you gradually tame the idyllic wilderness around you and feel the icy weather or the warm summer sun that affects it. This is a game that's been honed in early access for a couple of years now, and built up a lot of goodwill. I can't wait to return to it for 1.0. - BertieMoth Kubit Image credit: Astrolabe GamesRelease date: Spring 2025Platforms: PC, Nintendo SwitchBilled as an experimental RPG about the corporate life of an ordinary insect, Moth Kubit has the air of Undertale meets Knuckle Sandwich. It has an inherently fascinating setup, as Moth's newly earned promotion at work suddenly brings with it knowledge of the ominous-sounding 'Final Process', which rumour has it is meant to change everything. Is it the end of the world? Is it a homage to the Y2K bug? Whatever it is, I'm super keen to find out in this oddball bug life adventure. - Katharine Blue Prince Image credit: Raw FuryRelease date: Spring 2025Platforms: PCA roguelike-cum-puzzle game about house construction? Consider me intrigued. In Blue Prince, you're tasked with finding the mysterious Room 46 inside the enormous mansion of Mt Holly. Only problem is that floorplan only allows for 45 rooms, so you'll need to find shortcuts and sneaky passageways between the randomly generated rooms you're given to draft along the way. But when the floor plan resets at the end of every day, that's easier said than done. - Katharine Revenge of the Savage Planet Image credit: Racoon LogicRelease date: May 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/SBasically a third-person redo of Journey to the Savage Planet, this pseudo sequel seems just as silly and colourful as the original - but with added co-op shenanigans and digs at Google, who the team had a nightmarish time with when under its Stadia branch. - JessicaVampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Image credit: The Chinese Room/Paradox InteractiveRelease date: First half of 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/SDj vu. I've written about this game before in an article just like this. I imagine this is how vampires must feel doing things again and again over the course of their long lifetimes. This game has been in development for a long time. It was suspended once after mysterious goings on and then rescued by Still Wakes the Deep developer The Chinese Room, where it's now being finished for release. But the big question is, will it be worth the protracted wait? Will it live up to the legacy of the licence and of the first Bloodlines game? Has it been rescued, or has it just been salvaged for release? I remain eternally intrigued. - BertieMafia: The Old Country Image credit: 2KRelease date: Summer 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/SI like a video game with a clear title, and this - what looks to be a going-back-to-its-roots new chapter in the Mafia series - says it all. You're back in Sicily, the mob's original home, to discover its origins and likely whack a fair few people your new crime family says need a good whacking. - Tom PBaby Steps Image credit: Devolver DigitalRelease date: 2025Platforms: PC, PS5A walking sim isn't for everyone, and usually not for me, but Baby Steps still managed to catch my eye. The game cast players as onesie-wearing "fail son" Nate, a grown man who spends his days slobbing out on his parents' couch eating pizza and looking at the TV. That is, until he gets sucked away from this sedentary lifestyle and into a world without his trusty couch to support him. Now, Nate has to learn to make his way through this land full of mountains, obstacles, wildlife, muddy quagmires and more, one baby step at a time. Oh, and it also includes a "fully dynamic onesie soilage system", so there is that. I'm undecided on how I feel about this particular feature right now, though you can't deny it is different. - Victoria Big Walk Image credit: PanicRelease date: 2025Platforms: PCThe next game from the team behind Untitled Goose Game, Big Walk is a game where you, and I quote "hang out and get lost with close friends in a big world". And presumably, go on a big walk. It looks strange, delightful and eminently mysterious, with lots of strange landmarks to discover, and nooks and crannies to poke around in. A great game to noodle about in with your mates, in other words, and I look forward to discovering its secrets later this year. - Katharine Borderlands 4 Image credit: GearboxRelease date: 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/SAfter lacklustre sales of spin-off Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, a mixed response to New Tales from the Borderlands and the widespread panning of the Borderlands film, it's finally time for Gearbox's flagship franchise to prove its mettle, once and for all, with a proper new entry. Can the series recapture its heyday with a fully open world set on a fresh planet and an all-new cast? This year, we find out. - Tom PCattle Country Image credit: Eurogamer/Castle Pixel, LLCRelease Date: 2025Platforms: PC, PS5Essentially Red Dead Redemption meets Stardew Valley, Cattle Country could be just the right amount of adventure and action balanced with cosy comfort. From taking on bandits in train heists to simply waking up each day to water your crops and make sure your cattle are doing well, you can choose how busy or relaxed your new life is. - MarieClair Obscur: Expedition 33 Image credit: Sandfall InteractiveRelease date: 2025Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5Unveiled at Gamescom last year, this turn-based RPG has a killer concept and an even better-looking combat system. The setup involves the titular expedition embarking on a do or die mission to prevent a mysterious figure known as The Paintress from threatening the last vestiges of humanity ever again, as every year she paints a cursed number on a monolith that wipes out everyone of that particular age. As you follow the trail of the 32 expeditions that tried to accomplish this feat before you, you'll battle monsters of all shapes and sizes with its reaction-based combat, fusing turn-based and real-time attacks to spectacular effect. It looks stunning and I can't wait to play it in full. - Katharine Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Image credit: Kojima ProductionsRelease date: 2025Platforms: PS5I became full-on obsessed with Death Stranding when it eventually came to PC, and even though the story is absolutely bonkers and off its rocker, I'm absolutely here for whatever Kojima Productions has cooked up for its next instalment in the life of post-apocalyptic delivery man Sam Bridges. We don't know much about it yet, but whatever it ends up being, you can pretty much guarantee that it certainly won't be boring. - Katharine Deadlock Image credit: ValveRelease date: TBCPlatforms: PCDeadlock - Valve's hero shooter that managed to entice thousands of players to join in the action, despite not actually being announced at the time - still hasn't secured itself a proper release date, but surely this year will be the year? I quite enjoyed what I played of Deadlock, even in its very early state. For those unaware, Valve's shooter also has MOBA and tower defence-inspired elements, and at times it can get a tad chaotic (although, perhaps that was more to do with me being a little out of my depth and just launching myself from building to building in a bid to survive). But, despite this sort of game not exactly being my forte, I will happily give Deadlock another bash when it gets a proper release. Like I said, I quite enjoyed it. So, just tell me when Valve. Just tell me when. - Victoria Doom: The Dark Ages Image credit: BethesdaRelease date: 2025Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PCQuite possibly the game I'm most excited about in 2025, I love a bit of Doom, me. I was half wondering where id Software's modern Doom series could go after the stupendously good Eternal, but turning back the clock and giving the Doom Slayer a serrated-edge boomerang shield, a gun that mulches skulls for bullets and a big bear-skin-like mantle? Sign me the hell up. - KatharineDispatch Image credit: Adhoc StudioRelease date: 2025Platforms: PCHot off its reveal at The Game Awards, Dispatch puts us on the other side of the superhero crime fighting machine, working as an emergency dispatch worker who's responsible for sending out other supes to deal with various crimes around the city. At the moment, it's unclear how much strategy will be involved - I wouldn't expect anything XCOM-like, for example - but given this is being made by some former Telltale folks who were behind The Wolf Among Us and Tales from the Borderlands, you can definitely count on there being lots of big decisions to make that will affect the fate of your misfit superhero squad. - Katharine Earthblade Image credit: Extremely OK GamesRelease date: 2025Platforms: PCThe next game from the Celeste team might look like just another pixel platformer to sink our teeth into, but Earthblade is so much more ambitious than that. Rather than climbing a single mountain this time, Extremely OK Games has created an enormous, seamless world for us to explore this time, and it looks utterly astonishing. We don't know much more about it yet, but I can't wait to see how its mix of combat, exploration and platforming challenges come together in the final game. - Katharine Elden Ring: Nightreign Image credit: FromSoftwareRelease date: 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/SLook, if any other developer announced a co-op spin-off featuring procedurally-generated variations of the original game's world and battle royale elements, we all would have screamed that it was a cash grab. But this is the next major project to come from the masters at FromSoftware, so whether it is a cash grab or not, you know it will still be excellent. And you can still play it solo, to be clear. - Tom PEriksholm: The Stolen Dream Image credit: Nordcurrent LabsRelease date: 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/SFans of defunct real-time tactics peddlers Mimimi Games (RIP) might want to keep tabs on Eriksholm, a top-down stealth adventure that might scratch similar itches. The titular setting is a vast Scandinavian city in an alternate 1900s, whose inhabitants live under the tyranny of a police state. As if that wasnt bad enough, the rozzers have jailed your brother. Featuring gorgeous environment design and some of the best performance capture since Baldur's Gate 3, Eriksholm looks polished, tense, and sharp as hell. - JimFable Image credit: MicrosoftRelease date: 2025Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/SMicrosoft's extremely British action RPG series gets rebooted for the modern era, with plenty of UK comedians and the usual amount of chicken bothering still intact. Expect the usual blend of fantasy, magic and morality-based choices, now with Super Hans from Peep Show as your mentor. - Tom PFoolish Mortals Image credit: Inklingwood StudiosRelease date: TBCPlatforms: PCA point and click adventure inspired by games like Monkey Island and Broken Sword, Foolish Mortals drops players into the shoes of a young treasure hunter by the name of Murphy McCallan as he sets off on a "merry" and "macabre" adventure. Promising an exotic setting, eccentric characters and voodoo, this game has Victoria Kennedy written all over it. - VictoriaGhost of Yotei Image credit: Sucker PunchRelease date: 2025Platforms: PS5If you like going phwoar while swinging your katana and galloping through fields of bending grass and grain like a particularly energised Theresa May, then boy do we have the game for you. Sucker Punch's sequel to Ghost of Tsushima has vast potential - my personal reaction to Ghost of Tsushima was thinking "this is fun; but a sequel could be properly brilliant." Expect rich colours, blood splatter, a slightly fawning approach to all things Japan and a feisty, thrusting approach to melee combat. The Kurosawa comparisons with the first might've been a bit much, but I've no doubt Yotei will be an absolute blast. - Chris Grand Theft Auto 6 Image credit: RockstarRelease date: 2025Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/SWhat is there to say? Rockstar hasn't launched a big new Grand Theft Auto game since GTA 5 arrived in 2013 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. GTA 6 is the most widely-anticipated game of the decade, and all other video games are going to run away scared. Here's hoping its 2025 launch window sticks. - Tom PHorses Image credit: Santa RagioneRelease date: TBCPlatforms: TBCHorses is the next game from Santa Ragione, the studio behind the inimitable Mediterranea Inferno, Saturnalia, MirrorMoon EP and more. We played its demo back at GDC 2024 and found it magnetically sinister, but also somewhat demanding: you'll need to meet this game half way if you want to extract any real meaning from its eerie, enigmatic, and quite oppressively dark atmosphere. The only issue is, it was slated for 2024 but never quite made it, with no announcement apparent to explain why - or when we might be able to expect it. Hopefully, the answer will be some time this year. There are few if any developers out there making video games quite like this. - Chris Herdling Image credit: PanicRelease date: 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/SI adored Okomotive's pair of FAR games, and even though Herdling isn't anything to do with navigating a giant boat-train-ship-thing across a vast and desolate landscape, there's still a trace of going on a big long journey here, only now you've got lots of large fluffy companions along for the ride as well. In this alpine expedition, you'll be travelling with your beasts to the top of a secretive and unexplored summit, and I can't wait to see what kind of vertiginous obstacles we'll have to navigate to reach our goal. - Katharine Judas Image credit: Ghost Story GamesRelease date: TBCPlatforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/SThe much-anticipated game from Ken Levine's new studio, Ghost Story Games. Set on a disintegrating starship carrying the last remnants of humanity to a new home in the stars, Judas is about shooting and magic punching your way to an exit before you and all the other remaining survivors become literal space dust. Yes, it does sound a lot like Bioshock in space. Or, you know, just plain old System Shock 2, albeit with more philosophical elements about robots and the future of human consciousness as opposed to containing a deadly virus. Either way, I'm quietly hopeful about this, and I'm excited to see what its whole deal is if nothing else. - Katharine Little Nightmares 3 Image credit: Supermassive Games / Bandai NamcoRelease date: 2025Platforms: PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo SwitchIf you loved the original two Little Nightmares games, and all their diminutive gothic slightly Guillermo del Toro-esque horror, you're likely already keeping an eye on this threequel, whose long-awaited release was delayed last year into 2025. The big news this time around is the change of developer behind the scenes - it's being made by Dark Pictures Anthology developer Supermassive Games - but after a couple of preview sessions with the game I couldn't tell the difference, which is praise indeed. - Tom PMarvel 1943: Rise of Hydra Image credit: Skydance New MediaRelease date: 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/SIf there's one thing that could possibly break my enduring Marvel fatigue, it's a Marvel game being headed up by Amy Hennig. There's still precious little we've heard about what Rise of Hydra involves more generally, other than that it will involve an uneasy and curmudgeonly alliance between Captain America and Black Panther as they work to take down Marvel's classic big bad organisation in Occupied Paris. But it certainly looks the part of a big, shiny blockbuster, and will hopefully be a lot more fun to play than sitting through this year's onslaught of Marvel films and TV shows. - Katharine Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Image credit: KonamiRelease date: TBCPlatforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/SSnake Eater entered such deep cover last year that it full on missed its original 2024 release window, but here's hoping Konami's spruced up remake of 2004's seminal Metal Gear Solid 3 finally emerges from its camo suit sometime this year. After 2023's somewhat disappointing Master Collection version, this will hopefully be the best way to experience the origin story of Naked Snake and The Boss on modern systems. - Katharine Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Image credit: Nintendo/EurogamerRelease date: 2025Platforms: Nintendo SwitchI cannot quite believe we're now living in the year that Metroid Prime 4 finally releases. After decades of waiting, a full game reboot and years of silence, Nintendo is at last set to treat us all to a new first-person Metroid game from the team behind the original trilogy, Retro Studios. Oh, and it looks stunning to boot. This would sure make a snazzy Switch 2 launch title... - Tom PMiss Mulligatawney's School for Promising Girls Image credit: InkleRelease date: TBCPlatforms: PCInkle's latest may have a name that I'm almost certainly going to get wrong on multiple occasions, but even though the studio has said next to nothing about it so far (even its screenshots don't give much away!), you know it's probably going to be a grand old ride all the same. I'll be putting in my application forthwith. - Katharine Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault Image credit: Digital SunRelease date: 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/SThe first Moonlighter was a surprising delight of a game, marrying Zelda-esque dungeoneering with canny shopkeeping. Now, developer Digital Sun is returning to it once again, giving us a gorgeous new 3D isometric world to bomb around in, and even more delicious loot to plunder on its eponymous vault. While much about its general rhythms will likely remain the same, the land of Tresna looks like an absolutely stunning place to do it all again in. - Katharine Nirvana Noir Image credit: Feral Cat Den/Fellow TravellerRelease date: 2025Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/SA sequel to the fascinating jazz odyssey that was Genesis Noir, Nirvana Noir adds one change in particular: a big ol' splash of colour. It's a mystery about the Big Bang, playing out in two realities - one where it never happened. Expect environmental puzzles, old-timey noir trappings (trenchcoat anyone?) and some of the most sumptuous, expressive visual design in video games. - ChrisNivalis Image credit: 505 GamesRelease date: 2025Platforms: PCThe best post-release update to 2020's Cloudpunk, the acclaimed hovercar sim where you played a far-future Evri driver pootling around in a vast voxel-tropilis, was the one that added a first-person camera. Being able to properly explore the rain-slick world of Nivalis walking sim-style added a visceral edge to the experience that enriched the whole thing. In this sort-of sequel, developer Ion Lands is doubling down on that aspect by giving us an immersive life-sim that focuses on, well, living. If they pull it off, it could rival Night City. - JimOpus: Prism Peak Image credit: Shueisha GamesRelease date: 2025Platforms: PCSigono's Opus series is probably one of gaming's best kept secrets. An anthology of standalone, but loosely connected sci-fi tales that all share a common thread of hope and optimism for the future, these heartfelt narrative adventures have all been absolutely stellar (seriously, go and check out Opus: Echo of Starsong if you want to find out more - it was one of my favourite games from 2021!). The studio's latest, Prism Peak, sees you play as a photographer lost in a strange, dreamlike realm where your photos hold the key to discovering its mysteries. If you enjoyed the laidback ramblings of Season: A Letter to the Future, there's a very strong chance this will be right up your street. - Katharine Paralives Image credit: Paralives StudioRelease date: 2025 (early access)Platforms: PCFive years after Paralives' eye-catching unveiling set The Sims fans' hearts racing, the promising social sim is finally getting an early access release later this year. At a basic level, Paralives ticks the same boxes as EA's juggernaut franchise, but it's also looking to put its own distinctive stamp on the familiar formula. Developer Paralives Studio has already shown off everything from meticulous customisation options to flexible personality features and eclectic relationship types, with a robust range of "core" features promised for its early access launch. Better still, a detailed development roadmap is already pointing to a bright (and mercifully DLC-free) future. - MattPokmon Legends: Z-A Image credit: NintendoRelease date: 2025Platforms: Nintendo SwitchWhile I love Pokmon, I will be the first to admit that even when Game Freak does try to change it, the studio's still married to the 'Eight Gym Leaders, Evil Team and Pokmon League' formula. It's why I fell in love with Pokmon Legends: Arceus so quickly - it kept everything I loved about the series, while also changing it in an interesting way. (Plus the whole plotline about being sent back in time by Arceus, also known as Pokmon god, was wonderfully mad.) It's also why I'm so excited to see what Pokmon Legends: Z-A has in store for us (even if the game's name is awful). Set entirely within Lumiose City, Legends: Z-A returns to the Kalos region and I'm looking forward to seeing how the gameplay established in Legends: Arceus has been developed. Hopefully there will be some more time travel or dimension jumping nonsense happening too. - LottiePromise Mascot Agency Image credit: Kaizer Game WorksRelease date: 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo SwitchThe next game from the Paradise Killer dev, Promise Mascot Agency is all about a disgraced yakuza lieutenant trying to reverse the fortunes of a bankrupt mascot agency. Only these aren't the cute and cuddly Japanese mascots you might be familiar with already. These are severed fingers, depressed tofu blocks, cutthroat salary man cats and songbirds who'll have your head if they're interrupted. It looks utterly bonkers, but I love its madcap energy and its intriguing-sounding blend of business management and open world storytelling. - KatharineRatatan Image credit: Game Source EntertainmentRelease date: 2025Platforms: PCRatatan is the new (and equally alliterative) rhythm action game from the makers of PSP-darling Patapon. While in many respects it can be seen as something of a spiritual sequel to that game (you're still guiding armies of tiny creatures to attack ever-larger boss monsters, after all), it's also got a big focus on online co-op play, and a strong roguelike element to it as well, which should hopefully make it feel fresh and exciting to long-term fans. It's had a hugely successful Kickstarter to help get it made, and it's now due for release later this year. - Katharine Replaced Image credit: Sad CatRelease date: 2025Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/SI've been looking forward to this stunning action platformer ever since its first explosive trailer rocketed onto the scene at Microsoft's E3 showcase in 2021. Mostly because of its gorgeous visuals, which remains some of the most exquisite pixel art I think I've ever seen. But I'm also intrigued by its premise, as you play an AI trapped inside a human body who must well, it's not quite clear yet. There will be mysteries to solve, outlaw gangs to befriend/dismantle (possibly), but I'm desperate to find out more about it. - Katharine Slay the Spire 2 Image credit: Mega CritRelease date: 2025 (early access)Platforms: PCI squealed when I heard there would be a Slay the Spire sequel. For all its diminutive stature, this game is a colossus. It popularised the deck-building roguelike genre. A sequel is a big deal. But how do you top an idea like that? The answer seems to be that you don't - you build upon it. You brush up the iconically rubbish visuals a bit, you introduce new classes, and you tinker here and there, but you don't spoil the stew. I'm equal parts terrified it won't work and giddy at the prospect it will. Either way, I can't wait. - BertieSouth of Midnight Image credit: Compulsion GamesRelease date: 2025Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/SThis third-person action-adventure game comes courtesy of We Happy Few developer Compulsion Games, and visually it looks absolutely stunning. South of Midnight is set in an alternate version of the American Deep South, with players taking on the role of Weaver Hazel. It boasts magic-infused combat, a stop-motion aesthetic and an array of colourful characters including the Blues singing Shakin' Bones. I can't wait to see more. - VictoriaStage Fright Image credit: Ghost Town Games/Hello GamesRelease date: TBCPlatforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo SwitchOf the two split-screen co-op adventures announced at The Game Awards in December, it was Stage Fright that really captured my attention. Made by the Overcooked team, this looks absolutely delightful (and with some lovely voice work in its reveal trailer to boot). From the looks of things, you and a pal will be working across different dimensions to solve puzzles and find a way home - and hopefully not throw knives and onions at each other in the process. Very excited for this one. - Katharine Star Birds Image credit: Toukana Interactive, kurzgesagt - in a nutshellRelease date: 2025Platforms: PCI fell down a huge Dorfromantik hole in 2022, and Star Birds is Toukana Interactive's next cheerful puzzle game. Part base building, part resource management, you'll be colonising all kinds of colourful planets and asteroids in Star Birds, helping your feathery friends eke out a jolly little existence among the stars. It's also being made in conjunction with the German science channel/animation studio Kurzgesagt - In A Nutshell, lending a slightly more technical edge to its colourful visuals. - Katharine Subnautica 2 Image credit: Unknown Worlds/KraftonRelease date: 2025 (early access)Platforms: PCSubnautica is a game that's both beautiful and terrifying in equal measure - your curiosity to find new, peculiar discoveries in its watery depths tempt you ever further beneath the waves, but then something horrible moves in the shadows - was it a pincer? A tentacle? A large, glowing eyeball and sharp teeth? - and nope, get me out of here this instant. But like a sea snail caught in the intoxicating lure of an angler fish, I cannot help but feel compelled to do it all again in Subnautica 2, especially now I'll be able to rope a friend along for the ride as well. - Katharine Tanuki: Pon's Summer Image credit: Critical ReflexRelease date: 2025Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/SThe next game from the creator of Cursed to Golf, Tanuki: Pon's Summer asks, "What if your tanuki postman in a rural Japanese village was also Tony Hawk on a bike?" It's a slightly mad mash-up, but one that absolutely works when you see it in motion. Of course I want to play this game. How could I not? Especially when there's a festival to prepare for at the same time, too, where you'll be using your hard-earned wages to fix up a shrine for this special occasion. Yes please and thank you to everything about this. - Katharine The Mermaid Mask Image credit: SFB GamesRelease date: 2025Platforms: PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox OneFormally known as The Mermaid's Tongue, SFB Games' latest Detective Grimoire game is a must-play for anyone who enjoyed 2019's brilliant Tangle Tower. This time, you're solving the murder of Captain Magnus aboard a mysterious submarine, who's been found inside a locked room with an ancient stone cauldron that's never been opened before - until now. The crew say it's a terrible (night for a) curse at work here, but the truth is likely to be far, far stranger. - Katharine The Outer Worlds 2 Image credit: ObsidianRelease date: 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/SSequels like this always excite me because they afford the chance to nail a vision you might not have quite nailed the first time around. The Outer Worlds set everything up: it introduced this tongue-in-cheek, Fallout-in-space-like idea to the world and we had fun with it. It was decent. But now, with an established foundation there, and bags of fan feedback to rifle through, there's the chance to build upon it and hone the formula. The debut trailer looked like a deliriously good time. I've got high hopes for this. - BertieWuchang: Fallen Feathers Image credit: 505 GamesRelease date: 2025Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/SI know for a fact that I'm almost certainly going to be terrible at playing Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, but hot damn if its stylish and flashy combat doesn't look intensely enticing all the same? Giving Final Fantasy 16 a run for its money in terms of visual flair, this Soulslike action RPG will take us to Ming Dynasty China as the eponymous pirate seeks to purge the land of Shu of a deadly plague. Will I make it past the first horrible boss monster? Debatable. But I'm sure as heck excited to give it a try. - KatharinePhew! That's your lot for our 80 most anticipated games of 2025 - or at least the ones we know about so far, of course. As the year goes on, there will be countless more games announced we couldn't even fathom at this stage in the year, not to mention many more in early access that may or may not get surprise 1.0 releases this year. Games like Hades 2, Manor Lords, and Path of Exile 2, to name just a couple. We're looking forward to seeing how all those develop over the coming months as well. Needless to say, it's going to be a big year! And if we've missed anything that you're personally pumped for in 2025, do shout about it in the comments.

Youre likely still recovering from the holidays, but fortunately, you can shop the biggest new year furniture sales from the comfort of your couch. Because most companies release their latest lineup of furniture and decor in the first couple months of the year, theres no better time to save big on current stockfrom luxury dining tables and modular sectionals to accent pillows and unique light fixtures.Most of the time, we see the biggest sales before spring collections are released in February, says Kristin Harrison, the founder of Bungalow 10 Interiors. Shopping new collections in February is ideal, but I always recommend being on the lookout for early sales on pieces that truly fit your design vision.Melissa Van Zee, founder of Van Zee Design Interiors, recommends using this time of year as a reflective period to figure out what your home really needs, especially before items are discontinued and vendor prices increase once new furniture collections drop. I find my clients enter a feather their nest phase in January, she notes. Theyve had the opportunity to spend some downtime in their homes, to entertain, and assess where they have compromised or made do and are ready to reinvest in key pieces like upholstery, rugs, and art.Another popular product interior design experts and their clients are searching for right now? Lighting. Its common this time of year to see people refreshing their lightingpotentially as a response to winters gray skies, Harrison says. Whether its myself or my clients, were often on the hunt for a stylish new lamp, sconce, or another fixture that not only brightens the space but also elevates the rooms overall mood.As you start drawing up your wishlist, take note that furniture isnt the only category discounted right now. In fact, you can save 20% off towels, bath mats, and more, plus up to 40% off bundles at Brooklinen. Below, explore the top sales were shopping to ring in 2025 and trends to keep an eye out for all year.Wayfair: Up to 70% OffThe clock is ticking on the New Year Super Sale: You can take up to 70% off staple furniture pieces like beds, couches, and dining room tables, and there are even bigger markdowns on area rugs and bedding for a limited time. Bookmark the brands daily sales page for more discounts on home essentials.Sand & Stable Scarlett 3-Piece Bedroom SetJoss & Main Amala Upholstered SofaSleep Number: Save Up to $1,000 MattressesCatching zs is a year-round priority, but this is also a good time to snag a new mattress. Sleep Numbers smart beds are marked down for hundreds of dollars off, and the i8 model is a whopping $1,000 off. Plus, you can score up to 50% off luxe bedding now through January 20.Sleep Number c2 Smart BedSleep Number i8 Smart BedCozy Earth: Up to 75% Off Bedding and FurnitureThere are multiple sales happening at once over at Cozy Earth. For starters, you can save up to 25% off select products, and youll get free shipping on all orders over $50. You can also nab up to 75% off select bedding and bath items like duvet covers, towels, and more during the We Made Too Much sale. While they dont have a wide range of furniture deals, were eyeing a 20% off markdown on their Coronado Lounge Chair.Cozy Earth Coronado Lounge ChairCozy Earth Bamboo Duvet CoverAvocado: Up to 20% Off MattressesThe holidays are still underway at Avocado, and theyre offering up to 20% off their certified organic mattresses. The best deals weve spotted are 20% off the ultra-plush Luxury Organic Mattress, and 15% off the classic Avocado Green Mattress (the brands most popular pick).Avocado Green MattressAvocado Luxury Organic MattressAmazon: Up to 40% Off Furniture, Decor, and MoreWe can always count on Amazon for solid savings, and the Winter Sale is on with up to 40% off kitchen gadgets, clothing, electronics, and much more. Furniture and decor are also discounted, and there are deals on design-forward items like an arched floor lamp and a textured dresser.Ambimall Dimmable Arc Floor LampT4TREAM Fluted 6-Drawer DresserDesign Within Reach: 20% Off Select Furniture and Decor ItemsThanks to the New Years Event at Design Within Reach, the retailers luxury pieces are even more accessible. Bring home a new U-shaped sofa sectional or even a Knoll Womb Chair for your living room or home office now until January 22.Knoll Womb Chair and OttomanGeiger U-Series SofaCasper: 20% Off FurnitureCasper is wishing everyone a Happy Snooze Year with 30% off bundles of their bestsellers, 50% off clearance mattresses, and 20% off furniture. You can take advantage of this sale until Tuesday, January 14. One of our favorite bed-in-a-box brands, Casper is chock-full of mattresses that will deliver straight to your doorstep and inflate after unboxing for a simpler bedroom setup.Casper Wood Repose HeadboardCasper Best-Selling BundleSerena & Lily: 20% Off and Free ShippingWelcoming the new year with a toast to new furniture, Serena & Lily is taking 20% off your order and free shipping on everything when you use the code CHEERS at checkout. So youre just a few clicks away from a more Nancy Meyersapproved home now that their signature rattan bar stools and bell pendants and other coastal chic furniture items are all discounted. The sale ends Tuesday, January 7 at 11:59 p.m. PT.Serena & Lily Balboa Rattan Counter StoolSerena & Lily Headlands Rattan Bell PendantRove Concepts: 25% Off and 20% Back in Vouchers for MembersFor their members-only sale, Rove Concepts is taking 25% off everything and giving 20% back in vouchers. Psstthey even have an on-trend curved sofa thats $826 off for non-members and $2,113 off for members. You can become a member today for $200 per year, but youll want to act fast since the clearance sale is winding down. Keep an eye on the brands sale page for even more steep markdowns.Rove Concepts Reya Curved SectionalRove Concepts Gallus Coffee TableLulu and Georgia: Up to 70% Off Select ItemsThere are nearly 500 furniture and decor items marked down at Lulu and Georgia, plus you can filter your search to see new arrivals to the sale section. Whether youre looking for a new nightstand for your bedroom or a white oak sideboard for the living room, theres a little bit of everything discounted right now.Lulu and Georgia Dana NightstandLulu and Georgia Hillard SideboardAlbany Park: Up to 35% OffUnlike most of the other special offers out there, Albany Park is celebrating the new year with a sale running until Thursday, January 23. Armchairs, sectional sofas, and ottomans are all up for grabs, with plenty of upholstery colors available.Albany Park Kova L-Shape + OttomanAlbany Park Lido ArmchairCB2: Up to 60% Off ClearanceDuring the Winter Warehouse Sale, select CB2 furniture, rugs, holiday home decor, and more are all up to 60% off. For even more savings, the semi-annual Design Legends Sale is promising up to 20% off pieces from Gianfranco Frattini, Paul McCobb, Bill Curry, and Evelyn, and Jerome Ackerman. While youre adding these items to your cart, you can also preview (and shop!) the new arrivals for the spring season.Liguria Oval White Marble Coffee Table by Gianfranco FrattiniCB2 Serrat Performance Fabric SofaIndustry West: 20% Off SitewideTheres no limit to what you can save on during Industry Wests New Year sale. Known for its contemporary designs, use the code NEWYEAR25 at checkout to get markdowns on a modern dining set, sofa, and anything else on your list.Industry West Portola SofaIndustry West Aero Stackable Dining ChairInside Weather: Up to 50% Off the Bondi Collection and Free ShippingTheres a variety of customizations available within Inside Weathers Bondi Collection, which comprises chaise sectionals, love seats, armchairs, and more that are up to 50% off right now. To sweeten the deal, youll also get free shipping with your purchase.

0:08:30 Andy Boyd shares updates since his last appearance0:10:10 Growth of Jam: From 25 to 75+ team members0:12:20 Challenges of sustaining commercial work and diversifying projects0:15:15 The state of the film industry and navigating tax incentives0:19:30 Jams niche: High-quality work with limited shot counts0:23:50 Discussing Brothers and creating the photoreal CG orangutan0:29:00 Transitioning to V-Ray and achieving realistic fur rendering0:33:40 On-set challenges and working with actors like Josh Brolin0:39:15 Reflections on Brothers: Blending comedy and realism in VFX0:45:20 The evolution of commercial work in the streaming age0:50:30 Using AI as a tool and balancing creative and technical workflows0:58:45 Future trends in VFX and staying competitive in a dynamic industry1:04:00 Closing thoughts and upcoming projects at Jam

Image: Nintendo LifeNo, you're not misreading the headline video game peripheral maker Hyperkin has released a brand new Guitar Hero controller. In 2025. For the Nintendo Wii.Announcing the news on New Year's Day (spotted via GameSpot), the Hyper Strummer is a retro controller that's based on the company's previous model and compatible with all Wii entries in the Guitar Hero from Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock to Warriors of Rock and Rock Band 2 and 3. We're not forgetting the first Rock Band, don't worry, the controller will not work with the first game in the series.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube790kWatch on YouTube Pre-orders for the controller are open now on Amazon for USD $76.99.Images: HyperkinThe announcement has caused some controversy, however, with many accusing Hyperkin of repurposing and repackaging old stock, and even questioning why the company is releasing such a specific controller for the Wii in 2025.The next day, Hyperkin released a statement on X (formerly Twitter), explaining its decision while refuting claims that this is a recycled controller."While it is correct that this is the same shell mold of a previous Hyperkin release from 2009, that is all it is. We used the mold to make brand new shells, fitted with new 2024 internal components. This is not old stock, nor is it old guitars that have been sitting in the warehouse." The manufacturer writes.With Hyperkin claiming that many similar controllers cost upwards of USD $100, it states that "The new Hyper Strummer was developed to meet the demand for an accessible and budget-friendly solution."Image: HyperkinAs you'd expect, the response to this statement is still mixed it is a little odd to release this in 2025, particularly given that Fortnite Festival, which was made by former Guitar Hero devs Harmonix, is a thing. And while the PlayStation and Xbox controllers are compatible with PC and consoles (and the official Wii ones only with PC), you can't currently use the guitar controllers on Switch.Hyperkin has previously created Switch-compatible controllers based on famous American food and drink fans, such as Oscar Mayer hot dogs, and has also released a "drift-free" N64 control stick.Still, the Hyper Strummer caught our attention for the sheer bizarreness, and hey, if you're looking for a new Guitar Hero controller for your Wii, then this is the product for you.Are you confused about the new Guitar Hero controller? Will you be grabbing one? Give us an encore in the comments. Wish fulfilmentLet there be cartridgePlease note that some external links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.[source x.com, via gamespot.com]Related GamesSee AlsoShare:11 Alana has been with Nintendo Life since 2022, and while RPGs are her first love, Nintendo is a close second. She enjoys nothing more than overthinking battle strategies, characters, and stories. She also wishes she was a Sega air pirate. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related ArticlesNintendo's Punch-Out!! Series May Be Dead And Buried For GoodAll punch'd outWii Build Of Free Radical's Cancelled 'Star Wars Battlefront 3' Has Been DiscoveredThe build is from a week before cancellation

American consumers will spend a record-breaking $537 billion on new apps, devices, and gadgets in 2025, according to the new one-year forecast from the Consumer Technology Association.But theres a catch, warned the CTAs futurist Brian Comiskey on stage Monday at the groups enormous Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas: Trumps proposed tariff plans, which would raise costs for U.S. consumers, could squash a lot of that spending.The CTA is projecting that there will be record retail revenues for the U.S. consumer technology industry in 2025 with 3.2% growth over 2024. However, Comiskey warned that those projections could change because smartphones and laptops are threatened by President elect Trumps tariff proposals. Tariffs on technology products could lead to a $90-$143 billion billion with a B decline in U.S. purchasing power, he said.In October, the CTA released a report that looked at two tariff proposals specifically: A 10% or 20% tariff on all imports from all countries, and a 60% tariff on all imports from China. It concluded that these proposals could increase prices on laptops and tablets by 46%, video game consoles by 40%, and smartphones by 26%.On stage, Comiskey offered additional color, explaining that spending on tablets and laptops could decline as much as 68%, gaming consoles as much as 58%, and smartphones up to 37%.Without such tariffs, the consumer tech industry is heading towards a spending super cycle as Comiskey called it. This is partly because only the newest PCs, tablets, and smartphones can access new AI-powered features such as Apple Intelligence, or Microsoft Copilot+ on PCs. The CTAs research indicates that consumers want those features. Most consumers say they are familiar with generative AI and many say they have already used it at work.Meanwhile, AI is also juicing up many classic consumer tech categories, from fitness trackers to smart TVs (like a newly announced product from Google), to parent tech like electronic baby rockers.Whether the AI in these products truly makes the gadget worthwhile may not matter. Because the final thing that points to 2025 being a big year for gadgets is the rise in Gen Zs purchasing power. In 2025, 27% of the global workforce is expected to be Gen Z, Udemy predicts. Thats the generation that most loves new tech and enjoys being early adopters.

Toyota Motor Chairman Akio Toyoda revealed Monday at CES 2025 his vision for a living laboratory chock full of startups and technology. His message: Woven City a prototype city on a 175-acre site at the foot of Mount Fuji in Japan is open for business and searching for inventors.Today, I say to anyone in any corner of the world, inspired or excited to make a difference. Make a change or make it count. Please consider this your official invitation to join us at Woven City, Toyoda said on stage. Toyoda said Monday that Woven City is preparing to launch in fall 2025, or shortly thereafter.This summer, the company is launching a pitch competition and will offer scholarships to the Woven City for startups or individuals who need financial support to bring their ideas to life, Toyoda said.Toyoda first shared his vision five years ago at CES 2020. Back then, the plans was to build a utopian city of sorts, where people would live and work amongst all of Toyotas projects, including its autonomous e-Palette shuttles and robots.But Toyodas vision has since expanded. While on stage, he touched on electric air taxis specifically mentioning Joby Aviation, which it recently invested $500 million into autonomous vehicle tech, and rockets. Yes, rockets.Toyoda elaborated on his interest in rockets following the press conference, noting the idea is to use the technology to build robust telecommunications infrastructure, which will be needed to support autonomous vehicle technology. Woven City has made a 7 billion yen ($44 million) investment into startup Interstellar Technologies Inc. and will leverage Toyotas expertise to support the mass production of rockets. Surprisingly, Toyoda isnt even sure if this effort will make money.I know what you are thinking with this Woven City, will make Toyota any money? Toyoda asked the audience. Well, maybe not, but thats okay, because as global citizens, I believe Toyota has a responsibility to invest in our collective future, to share what weve learned with others, and support New ideas.The company broke ground on the project in February 2021 at the former site of Toyota Motor East Japans Higashi-Fuji Plant in Susono City. The first phase includes buildings designed for co-creation activities. Toyoda said on stage Monday that employees, scientists, entrepreneurs as well as retirees will be invited to live at Woven City.Toyota is also renovating a former TMEJ Higashi-Fuji Plant facility into a manufacturing hub. Workers are preparing a site for Phase 2. However, that likely wont start for some time as the company plans to take what it learned from Phase 1 to help it refine its plans for future development. Some inventors have already joined Woven City, including WbyT, as well as external companies, startups, and individual entrepreneurs. Woven City is also in continued discussions with previously announced companies such as ENEOS Corporation, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, and Rinnai Corporation, according to the company.

Japanese automaker Toyota is exploring rockets, chairman Akio Toyoda just announced on stage at CES 2025, while hinting at the idea of moving people through space.Toyoda did not offer any details explaining what he meant. But he showed a rendering on stage of a rocket designed by Interstellar Technologies, a private Japanese spaceflight company thats working on a small launch vehicle made to put satellites into space.Toyoda was in the middle of explaining how he views his companys myriad technologies as invention by kakezan, or invention by multiplication. When it comes to whats possible when you work together, the skys the limit, he said. After a dramatic pause, he continued: And speaking of the sky, were exploring rockets, too. Because the future of mobility shouldnt be limited to just Earth, or just one car company a possible dig at Tesla, whose CEO Elon Musk is also the founder and CEO of SpaceX.Spaceflight is a wild idea to tease at the end of a press conference, though a move like this has some precedent. Sony surprise-announced it was working on an electric car five years ago at CES and barely gave the news more than a few minutes of stage time.Toyota, meanwhile, has been lambasted for years for its overly cautious stance on developing electric vehicles. Not only does that now look like a prescient move as big automakers scale back their ambitious plans for electrification, maybe Toyota simply had its eyes on a much different prize space.Topics

Procedural FX shot techniques with David SilberbauerDiscover how to use Houdini to create a swamp monster emerging from an environment and dripping with mud. This 5-hour workshop by VFX Artist David Silberbauer is intended to be beginner-friendly but is also valuable for intermediate-level artists.This workshop demonstrates how to manipulate attributes, discusses HeightField and MPM solver basics, explains how to use VDB processes to create sources, and covers the FLIP fluids basics, as well as HeightField scattering, Fluid Meshing, and how to use the MPM workflow. Davids guidance is particularly beneficial for artists wanting to dive into various techniques achievable within Houdini.In this tutorial, David provides a wide range of workflows that benefit FX artists and those wanting an in-depth look at creating a full CG environment with animation, effects, and lighting/compositing, from start to finish. Artists can follow along to make a procedural setup entirely in Houdini no other software is required. The process begins by setting up an animation and then describes how to modify it using simple and efficient methods and tools, such as the Point Deform and TimeShift tools.Learn how a semi-procedural setup can simulate mud flowing down the monster and discover how to optimize the flow speed on the fly. David also details how the new MPM Solver can be best used to achieve the required results without getting stuck in iteration loops or hitting roadblocks. Since MPM can be very resource-expensive, David discusses the importance of what MPM is best for and what its not.David demonstrates efficient workflows for building environments using height fields and shows how to scatter vegetation and process those elements using USD. Finally, he walks through the final scene assembly in USD and demonstrates helpful lighting and rendering techniques to create a polished CG shot worthy of your portfolio.This workshop includes the Houdini file with the mud_monster setup as a downloadable project file.WATCH NOW

Clothing & Cloth Sims with Erika LochsMarvelous Designer is quickly becoming an industry-standard software for creating character clothing and cloth simulation in environment art. Erika Lochs is a principal character artist who uses Marvelous Designer heavily in her professional career and strongly focuses on anything fabric-related.This introductory workshop is for artists who have never used Marvelous Designer or are relatively new to the software. Erikas complete introduction covers the essential features in the 3D and 2D windows and details everything you need to know to get started, including how to navigate Marvelous Designer and how to use avatars.With all the basics covered, Erika then demonstrates how to create a basic denim jacket, working with a pattern provided. Artists can follow along with the workflow from start to finish. Additionally, Erika provides a bonus tutorial tailored for environment artists, focusing on creating a mediaeval tent.Erika utilizes abase mesh by Hamza Ben Salahin this workshop. Project files provided with this workshop include Erikas Marvelous Designer material sheet, her favorite Shortcuts sheet, the Marvelous Designer file for the jacket and tent, and her references and props.WATCH NOW

Germane Barnes: Columnar DisorderThe Art Institute of ChicagoThrough January 27Its difficult to remember much about columns from architecture history class. There are three main ordersDoric, Ionic, Corinthianthough some expand the lineup to five with the addition of Tuscan and Composite. (Im not Googling this right now.) Its hard to recall as time has passed and my synapses have weakened, but also because the columns meaning has changed. Encountering a building lined with decorated motifs chiseled in stone is no longer a moment to appreciate Greco-Roman ideals. Instead we have to confront meanings that are, today, more abstracted: Consider the lil Twitter trad boys whose Grecian avatars are rambling on about symmetry and Donald Trumps insistence that federal buildings should be beautiful againmeaning, European again. By returning to such styles, we could transport ourselves, as the fantasy goes, to a time when the problems of modernity werent in the room with us. No longer are columns structural elements of engineering; their presence demonstrates the chasm of our political binaryred tick for yes, blue for no. The column, and all its baggage, registers ones icky allegiance to tradition. Germane Barnes complicates this discourse in Columnar Disorder, his first solo exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC). Barnes, who leads his own studio and directs the graduate architecture program at the University of Miami, spent his year as a Rome Prize recipient revisiting historic buildings and ruins; his studies of columns have yielded a very different takeneither allegiance nor engineering. Instead, Columnar Disorder, curated by Irene Sunwoo, John H. Bryan Chair and Curator of Architecture and Design, considers the African diaspora as a foundational history of Western European civilization. Through collages and sculptural works, he presents a revision of the classical column, omitting the Ionic, Doric, and Corinthian designations and substituting his own: Migration, Identity, and Labor. By offering up a fresh vision for classical design, hes quietly upending the boisterous discourse of time-traveling conservatism; rather than attending to the divisions between us, hes considering the column as an object that binds us together.Installation view of Germane Barnes: Columnar Disorder at the Art Institute of Chicago, 2024.Located in the AICs Architecture & Design galleries, the exhibition includes three sets of three individual works; each work bears one title of Barness Migration, Identity, and Labor designations. There is one group of small-scale collages, a trio of small-scale column sculptures that sit on pedestals in the gallerys center, and finally, three large-scale columns (appearing as half-round pilasters) on the gallerys north wall. Three other large-scale collages act as a conceptual anchor, providing a referential footnote to the remainder of the exhibited work. By grouping these three sets, Barnes constructs a physical space to explore his themes of migration, identity, and labor with various materials and at different scales. This strategy smartly relays a conceptual framework for his three column typologies by mimicking broader design process: A collage might represent an early design sketch, while the smaller scale sculptures speak to a prototype, and the final forms are executed at 1:1 scale. Across the exhibition, Barnes presents a precise interpretation of these themes: Migration addresses the forced removal of African peoples under slavery, as well as the broader patterns of African migration to Europe; labor speaks to use of chattel slavery to construct many of the buildings and sites associated with classicism; identity refers to notions of beauty. In his large-scale pilasters, which are arguably the exhibitions centerpieces, these themes manifest literally via distinct materials. The Labor column, fabricated by Quarra Stone Company, appears to be in mid-disintegrationperhaps a nod to the attempts to erode public discourse that pins slave labor as foundational to the countrys economic and civic history. The Identity column, a collaboration with Chicago-based fibers artist Shenequa Brooks, is made from synthetic hair and beads referencing familial traditions of hair braiding. Migration, a wood column produced by Navillus Woodworks, speaks to the slave ships that carried stolen people across the sea.Designed by Germane Barnes, fabricated by Navillus Woodworks. Migration Column III (detail), 2024. Courtesy of the artist.Its notable that the sculptures were created in collaboration with other artists and fabricators. In a conversation held for the exhibitions public opening that included architect and author Mabel O. Wilson, moderated by Lisa akmak, AIC curator of Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium, Barnes spoke about why these relationships were so essential. Architecture wants you to be the single author, the person who does the napkin sketch, and you get all [the] accolades, he said. Thats not how I was raised. I was raisedif you didnt bring home food for everybody, you had to eat in the car. Collectivity and togethernessthe us of it allis embedded in the exhibition.Designed by Germane Barnes, fabricated by Endicott. Labor Column II, 2024. Construction was generously provided by skilled union masons with the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Administrative District Council 1 of Illinois with support from the International Masonry Institute. Courtesy of the artist.Germane Barnes and SHENEQUA. Identity Column III, 2024. Courtesy of the artists.For diasporic peoplesand speaking as one, myselfthe deep connections that run through family and community are embedded in survival and identity, yet the sense of us is also, at times, fraught. In his Labor collage, Barnes centers an image of a young Black child sporting a backpack with the Glovo logo (UberEats, in Europe). In the conversation, he noted that when he was in Italy, he observed the difference between himself, an American, and the African migrants, many who arrived there as refugees. Every time I would see another Black person, it would be a migrant who was typically delivering food or [doing] some other sort of low level labor. Over there, I was American. Over there, I wasnt Black, he said. Yet even though he was perceived as American, these solidarities still exist, even abstractly. Throughout his three large collages, Barnes uses Berber script to annotate his drawings, paying homage to the North African migrants who came to southern Italy. He also explained that the AIC conservators discovered that the paper he had printed and drawn these collages uponthe low-quality stuff that usually covers cafe tables in Italywas composed of recycled paper, including old photographs. Theres a metaphor in there: to use a material made up of old remnants with a new projection of Blackness drawn on top of it. Togetherness, then, becomes not just a matter of what is shared interpersonally, but what is shared temporally.Germane Barnes. Pantheon II, 2023. Courtesy the artist and Nina Johnson. (Greg Carideo/ Germane Barnes)I doubt Barnes had Trumps voice echoing in his head as he produced these drawings or designed his thematic columns; hes not on X arguing with the trads, either. So while some of his representations of identity, labor, and migration feel, at times, quite literal, theres something refreshing about shaking off the pastthe domain of bow-tied architectural history professorsand the present, too, to offer up well-known objects with wholly new meanings. We can find ourselves, and find a life-giving community, in relics. I hope the exhibition, which runs until the end of this month, acts as an invitation for visitors to take on such daunting work themselves, to reexamine divisive objects and reimagine them as temporal links to one another.Anjulie Rao is a journalist and critic covering the built environment.