2025 is right around the corner, and it's packed with a staggering array of releases across all platforms so there's something to look forward to whatever system you ownTech15:23, 27 Dec 2024GTA 6 is finally getting closer(Image: Rockstar Games)2024 has been a fantastic year in gaming, packing new indie all-timers like Balatro alongside multiplayer shooters like Helldivers 2 and ambitious open worlds like Dragon's Dogma but 2025 might be even bigger.Next year's lineup of games looks incredible already, and we're likely to have plenty of surprises along the way like the aforementioned titles.We've dug through the release calendar for 2025 to pick 10 of the biggest games to keep an eye on, and while some may slip to next year, we're desperate to load up all of them whenever they arrive. Here they are in alphabetical order!Assassins Creed Shadows will feature two protagonists(Image: Ubisoft)Release Date: February 14Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PCDon't let overblown 'controversy' from a vocal minority dampen your enthusiasm that we're getting a huge new Assassin's Creed game just a month and a half into 2024, and it's finally taking the series to Japan after years of fan requests.Shadows will see players tackling foes as Yasuke and Naoe, a samurai and a shinobi respectively, with different ways to solve problems. The game is a return to the RPG format of Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla after Mirage went back towards stealth, and as a result is likely to be absolutely mammoth in size.Death Stranding 2 may be even more bonkers than its predecessor(Image: Sony)Hideo Kojima's 2019 PS4 hit Death Stranding has finally made its way to other platforms in the years since, which is just as well we can all talk about how bizarre it all is (and we mean that in a good way).There's every chance the follow-up, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, ends up being even more surprising. Early trailers have seen a guitar-wielding hair metal-looking bad guy, and the bizarre arrival of Dollman, a puppet. It's only likely to get weirder, so strap in.DOOM The Dark Ages is the first since 2020's Eternal(Image: Sony)If you played DOOM's 2016 reboot and thought "I want to hear more about this merciless protagonist's origins", you're getting your wish with The Dark Ages, a new prequel in the DOOM universe that mixes sci-fi with dark fantasy with predictably metal results.It's still without a release date and despite being owned by Microsoft, it'll come to PS5 too. Just as well, really, as we'd be kicking ourselves if we had to miss out on flying on the back of a dragon while tearing through the minions of hell.Ghost of Ytei is the follow-up to Ghost of Tsushima(Image: Sony)Ghost of Tsushima may not have pushed open world game design forward when it first launched in 2020, but it was still a fantastically well-made tale of revenge and liberation that was absolutely stunning to look at.Ghost of Yotei, a surprise reveal in September 2024, is a standalone sequel with a fresh protagonist, Atsu, and a PS5 exclusive that could make you very glad to have Sony's system under your telly, with choices apparently mattering more in Yotei than they did for Jin's tale in Tsushima.GTA 6 will be the biggest game of the year, unless it slips to 2026(Image: Rockstar Games)It still doesn't have a release date, but GTA 6 is expected to be such a cultural phenomenon that other publishers are looking to steer clear of it, even though it's been over a year since we saw the game's first trailer.With talk the game could be pushed to 2026, we may have to wait to revisit Vice City, but with Rockstar Games' parent company's CEO calling it "extraordinary" it's getting harder to stay patient for what is likely to be the biggest gaming launch of all time.Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is shaping up ahead of its early 2025 launch(Image: Warhorse Studios)The earliest launch on this list (and in a packed February alongside Monster Hunter and Assassin's Creed), Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is the long-awaited sequel to the 2018 hit that swapped swords and sorcery for a historical setting.That gives the series a more unique pacing, and we know firearms will make their debut in the second game but, as with historically accurate weapons of the time, will take true mastery to use effectively.Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater will revive one of gaming's most revered franchises(Image: Sony)Can you believe it's been almost seven years since Metal Gear Survive launched? Aside from the fact it was a tonal (and gameplay) shift that rubbed fans the wrong way, we've not had a new Metal Gear game since.While the 2023 Master Collection Volume 1 was a great start, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a full remake of the third Metal Gear Solid, the one many people would point to as the best in the series. Trailers look stunning, with Konami ditching the Fox Engine used for Survive, but we're still waiting for a release date.Monster Hunter Wilds is likely to be the biggest Monster Hunter game yet(Image: Nintendo)The game that might make this writer very happy to have a PS5 Pro, Monster Hunter Wilds looks like an ambitious next step on from 2018's World, adding a greater emphasis on having its monsters roam a more connected open world that's more dense with detail, and offers even more verticality.Wilds will also add cross-play across platforms (but no cross-save, sadly), and naturally there are more tough monsters to hunt, either alone or with friends. World saw a whole host of players jump into the franchise for the first time, and it's exciting to think Wilds could do the same.Nintendo Switch 2 is coming, but when?We know it's coming, with Nintendo acknowledging it'll be speaking about the new console in the first few months of 2025, and we're expecting it to be another handheld/home console hybrid with backward compatibility.Outside of that, we don't know when it'll come out, what games it'll launch with, or anything else, but given how strong the Switch's first year was, we're certainly excited to find out. Still, if it runs Switch games more consistently we're sold already.We still don't know a great deal about Pokemon Legends Z-A(Image: Nintendo)Article continues belowSpeaking of Switch games that didn't run particularly well, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are still a bit of a mess, but there's a new entry in the massively popular series coming next year.Pokemon Legends: Z-A takes place in the Kalos region from Pokemon X and Y, and while the return of Mega Evolutions has been teased, we have very little to go on other than it'll take place entirely in Lumiose City. Colour us intrigued, especially with the Switch 2 on the horizon, too.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.RECOMMENDED