RPG Site's Most Anticipated RPGs of 2025
It feels like every year is a busy year for RPGs and 2024 was no different. For those hoping 2025 would ease off the gas a bit, you're out of luck, as the year is already filling up with several compelling RPGs, from new titles to long-awaited remasters and full-on remakes. In this article, we wanted to highlight some of games coming up this year, so here's RPG Site's Most Anticipated RPGs of 2025.
But! We also wanted to see what you all were looking forward to in 2025. We asked for input from our readers with a public poll that ran throughout the month of December. What follows below is our staff-selected games, and you can also check the results from the Reader Poll for both Favorite RPG of 2024 and Most Anticipated RPG of 2025.
In our internal tally, the RPG Site staff picked upcoming RPGs that either interested us due to sheer potential, a good pedigree, or titles that find themselves with intriguing release situations regarding their development. This year, we have selected a total of 13 RPGs that we are looking forward to.
Note that the list is unranked, with the exception of our overall winner. This year, our tally ended up with a tie at the top, so we have two "winners"!
Need a refresher on what RPGs are set to release in 2025? We have a list you can check out right here.
RPG Site Staff Picks - Most Anticipated 2025 RPGs
Showa American Story
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to navigate a zombie apocalypse in the 1980s in an alternate timeline where the United States was a colony of Japan? Well this is the game for you! Hopefully.
Showa American Story's bizarre premise is captivating enough to place it squarely on our 2025 radar. Playing as a 19-year-old stuntwoman in a open-world action RPG inspired by 80's pop-culture and "a strong taste of B-Movies", we can't help but be intrigued for what the development team at Nekcom Entertainment has in store. This Ameri-Japan world features a president who watches anime at 6:30 daily, and a Texas governor named Gokou who is part cowboy, part samurai. This action RPG looks to be completely bonkers, hopefully in the best way possible.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Sometimes, it’s easier to be excited for a game that we honestly know very little about. Outside of a small teaser trailer and short description, Pokemon Legends: Z-A is largely a black box. However, the Pokemon formula shakeup with Pokemon Legends: Arceus as well as those found in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet were successful enough to leave us excited to see what a another pass at a more open-world concept for a Pokemon game could look like.
The fact that Pokemon Legends: Z-A is expected to take place in Lumiose City also opens up possibilities for a dense urban environment that would be unlike any we’ve seen in the franchise thus far. Lastly, the fact that rumors of a Switch successor also dropping in 2025 means we can maybe hope for the newest Pokemon entry to maybe take advantage of the new console’s capabilities. Since we don’t know much, we can dream, right?
Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
We are constantly surprised at the rate at which RGG Studios is able to put new entries in the Yakuza / Like A Dragon franchise. With nearly yearly releases since 2020’s Yakuza: Like a Dragon, including a surprising Gaiden entry and Ishin remaster, we didn’t expect that we would already have a new title to look forward to only a year after 2024’s Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Least of all a Hawaii-themed pirate spinoff featuring Goro Majima -- but that’s exactly what we’ve got on deck in only a couple of short month’s time.
As a series that someone managed to deftly balance the wacky and the heartfelt, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii definitely feels to be leaning more towards the former, and bringing back a more classic brawler-style gameplay to boot. Based on Majima’s story in Yakuza 0 and other recent entries, we wouldn’t be surprised if, despite all zany appearances, Majima’s solo entry ends up pulling at our heartstrings in the most unexpected ways.
Fate/Extra Record
Western Type-Moon fans have been thriving in recent years with the landmark official releases of Witch on the Holy Night, Tsukihime -a piece of blue glass moon-, and even Fate/stay night at long last. Fate/Extra Record aims to keep the momentum going by providing a remake to one of PSP’s most divisive turn-based JRPGs as the original 2010 game delivered an intriguing narrative blemished by lackluster gameplay systems.
Fate/Extra Record’s latest trailer several months ago gave a new look at how its gameplay is pivoting to a more Slay the Spire-esque slant, rather than the glorified rock-paper-scissors that the original Fate/Extra exhibited. New narrative beats are teased, and the newly formed Type-Moon Studio BB has partnered with Bandai Namco in distributing this much-anticipated remake. We hope that the potential of Fate/Extra can be fully realized with Fate/Extra Record and if the stars align, maybe we can even dare to dream of a remake to Fate/Extra CCC if this does well - only time and sales will tell.
Dragon Quest I & II HD Remake
We had to wait a long time for Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. During the long development time, rumors swirled that the project was re-scoped to include remakes of Dragon Quest I and II in addition to three, as all three games are narritively connected. That rumor ended up being largely true, with Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake being announced for a 2025 release shortly afer the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake from last year.
Ever since the reveal of the “HD-2D” styling all the way back with the original Octopath Traveler several years back, classic Dragon Quest titles have long been on the short list of games we’d like to see with the stylish new coat of paint. Dragon Quest III’s remake was incredibly successful at making the classic title more available to new audiences, with smart fun additions all while remaining strongly faithful to the original experience. This gives us tons of confidence that a similar style remake for the first two entries will be equally worth waiting for.
Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars
While we have seen numerous ports and re-releases for classic RPGs in recent years, there are still so many that deserve a second chance. Suikoden and Suikoden 2 are some of the most beloved RPGs on the PlayStation 1, and more than 20 years after their initial release, the pair are getting new life in Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars.
Featuring more than 100 characters to recruit in each game, Suikoden shares the stories of young heroes in war-torn lands. Suikoden has a knack for telling compelling, personal tales, alongside with amibitous turn-based combat and army building systems. With hopeful tune-ups to the English localization, improved quality-of-life, and an ironing out of long-standing bugs, hopefully Konami can deliver a new definitive version of these classics.
Monster Hunter Wilds
Ever since the series’ explosion of popularity with 2018’s Monster Hunter: World and the successful follow-up of Monster Hunter Rise, no one quite knew what to expect to follow up in the series’ next mainline entry. A worldwide-release across PC and platforms with a new focus on a more open-zone concept seems like a natural but deserved evolution of daring Monster Hunters everywhere. After years of staggered releases and console-specific matchmaking, having a new entry breaking down all these barriers is a huge reason to get excited for Monster Hunter Wilds.
The Monster Hunter formula may be well-worn but ultimately proven to be compelling, engaging, and incredibly fun. By being able to easily party up with friends in large detailed environments with new ferocious creatures, Monster Hunter Wilds is truly shaping up to be more of a good thing, only made even better.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
2018’s Kingdom Come: Deliverance has been a bit of an unsung victory story ever since its release. By focusing on a first-person perspective in a realistically-designed medieval world, the team at Warhorse Studios was able to craft and design a true role-playing experience that was incredibly immersive and really made players feel like inhabitants of a long-forgotten time. Perhaps more surprisingly, the story of Kingdom Come: Deliverance ended up being incredibly compelling, and many of us have wanted to follow up on Henry’s story ever since the somewhat open-ending of the first game.
A key component of many successful RPGs is the sense of meaningful progression, which is something that was exhibited in Kingdom Come: Deliverance and we also hope to see in the sequel in spades. Its refreshing to see such a large world and a small personal story mesh so well together in a grounded fashion that leaves us eagerly anticipating the follow-up in only a handful of weeks.
Avowed
Ever since Avowed was announced in 2020, there have been a lot of reasons to be excited about a new fantasy RPG from Obsidian Entertainment. After creating classic titles such as Knights of the Old Republic II and Fallout: New Vegas from other studios’ franchises, an opportunity to further establish their own worldbuilding from the Pillars of Eternity titles in a first-person RPG immediately put Avowed on our radar.
By being able to leverage the unique and fully-realized worldbuilding from the two Pillars of Eternity titles, Avowed is set up to be a fascinating entry for both fans and newcomers alike. Obsidian is known for creating grounded, multi-layered narratives, and when paired with a unique fantasy setting, Obsidian has the potential to have a truly breakout hit.
Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land
It has been a strong handful of years for Gust’s Aterlier series, with a bing upswing in popularity and mindshare ever since 2019’s Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout, along with the followup entries in that trilogy. There are actually two Aterlier entries expected this year including Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian, but Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land won us over with strong character design and fast-paced combat in the initial reveal trailers.
In addition to the strong gameplay focus shown off thus far, initial showings for Atelier Yumia suggest a story that has the potential to be darker and higher-stakes than many previous entries in the franchise. This potential shift in focus has the chance to be a strong changeup along with debuting a new protagonist in the long-running series. We only have a couple months to wait to see how well the fresh start and newest setting will land amongst fans new and old alike.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
No other game on this list made us go “wow, what is that!?” than Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 when it was first revealed in 2024. Strong production values, stylish turned-base combat, an interesting premise, and impressive voice acting were all reasons that immediately had us circle Sandfall Interactive’s debut project on our most anticipated list.
Turned-based RPGs have had a little bit of a renaissance in recent years, in large part due to games like Baldur’s Gate 3 and the growing popularity of Atlus’s Persona series, which seems to be a strong point of inspiration for Expedition 33. The fact that Expedition 33 is not tied to any existing franchise or IP gives us equal reason to be excited.
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (Tie Winner)
One of the last remaining holdouts on the Wii U and easily the most significant in the RPG space, Xenoblade Chronicles X is finally being freed this year. After the rising in popularity in the Xenoblade series, including an incredibly successful remake of the first game with Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, we all hoped and hoped that the more experimental Xenoblade Chronicles X would one day eventually get the same treatment. The fact that that day is only now a few months away seemed impossible to imagine just a short time ago.
Over the last decade, Xenoblade has become a staunchly supported series where each individual fan has different favorite entries -- it’s incredibly difficult to rank the trilogy from best to worst, and giving fans the best opportunity to try the series' black sheep all on the same console seems like the perfect scenario for all Xenoblade fans. Both those returning to Xenoblade Chronicles X and new fans eager to see what they missed out on should have this one circle on their calendar, it's why it deserves its spot for most anticipated RPG of 2025.
Trails in the Sky First Chapter (Tie Winner)
Rumors of a Trails in the Sky remake have been floating around for some time. For a lengthy interconnected series with few accessible points of entry for new fans, Trails in the Sky, the first chronological entry, increasing became a tougher and tougher sell for those interested in the series. Despite that, no one expected for a fully-fledged 3d remake to appear out of nowhere in a 2024 Nintendo Direct montage, especially with Trails Through Daybreak II and a future localized release of Kai no Kiseki also queued up for 2025 and (hopefully) 2026, respectively.
Perhaps most excitingly, this will be the first time in the series long history that a new entry is slated to be a worldwide multi-platform release on day one. For that to be true with what can clearly be expected to be the best entry point for both new fans and long-time series veterans can’t be any more perfect. Taken all together, this is why Trails in the Sky First Chapter is an obvious pick for our most anticipated RPG of 2025.