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Just three months into the year, my RPG-loving heart is already feeling pretty darn full. When I'm not running through the Living Lands in Avowed, I'm more often than not galloping across Bohemia (on the back of my trusty horse Pebbles) in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. Both offer up the kind of role-playing goodness that I love to sink my teeth into, and my time right now is split right down the middle between them. It is admittedly a little chaotic to go from the nitty gritty realism of Warhorse's medieval fantasy to the more freeform, colorful magic of Obsidian's world, but (not unlike the month I spent tucking into Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield simultaneously back in 2023), I'm absolutely thriving on it.
While the two adventures that came our way in February are more than sating my appetite in the RPG department, they really are only just the beginning. Whenever I catch myself looking ahead to the future, the sense of anticipation is almost overpowering, because 2025 is positively stacked to the rafters with new games calling my name. Many promise to make my aforementioned heart practically burst with joy as a longtime fan of the genre, and alongside exciting announcements for big launches still to come, it sure is a damn good time to be an RPG sicko like me.
New roles to play
Of course, Avowed and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 aren't the only examples we've already seen this year. Monster Hunter Wilds made a big impression with its own distinctive fashion-hunting loop, Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector brought us a stellar sequel to developer Jump Over the Age's 2022 RPG, and Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii put fan-favorite Goro Majima into the spotlight. But the good news is that there's plenty more on the way, and the lineup speaks to how much variety is in store.
In fact, some are right around the corner – and may finally pull me away from the Living Lands and Bohemia… I'm looking at you, Assassin's Creed Shadows. Yes, the adventure set in Feudal Japan is officially on the horizon, with its March release date inching ever closer. It's been quite some time since we had another entry in the Assassin's Creed series really dial into the RPG direction that was first introduced in Assassin's Creed Origins. But Shadows promises do exactly that in all the ways that speak to me - from pursuing romance to making choices in questlines, and customizing your style alongside your very own base. I can't wait to discover all it has to offer in terms of role-playing features, with Ubisoft dropping deep dive updates that are only making me more excited for what's to come.
After our jaunt in Japan, Atomfall then promises to bring us some survival action RPG goodness that is already calling to the Fallout fan in me (and will hopefully stave off the yearning for the very distant Fallout 5). Set in post-apocalyptic Northern England, with shades of BioShock and Dying Light, it already sounds very promising –- just reading about our very own staff writer Jasmine Gould-Wilson's hands-on experience is enough to convince me this is one to watch out for in the near future.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will then keep the good times rolling in April with its own take on turn-based combat that lets you react in real-time. It also has an intriguing – if convoluted-sounding – concept shaped around a figure known as the "Paintress", who is said to awaken and determine at what age everyone should die (pretty dark). We'll follow the story of Expedition 33, a group of people with only one year left to live who set out to stop the Paintress' cycle of death. While it is a little outside of my usual wheelhouse in the genre, its world has piqued my interest and it certainly looks set to give us our fill of action.
Along with the likes of Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition in March, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, Lost Souls Aside, and Elden Ring: Nighthreign in May, there are also so many big RPGs with a 2025 launch window that have me chomping at the bit. From The Outer Worlds 2 that will bring more Obsidian magic to the fold with some sci-fi flavor, to Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 (which has been on my radar for years) and the return of some double-life role-play in Moonlighter 2, my wishlist is only growing.
Not to mention the start of 2025 brought us some exciting showcases and announcements that have only given me more reasons to look forward to the future. With Pokemon Presents giving us our first proper look at my most anticipated upcoming switch game, Pokemon Legends Z-A, I cannot wait to venture to Lumiose and see what the single-city setting holds for us. And as a mega fan of The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, there's no holding back my excitement any time we learn more about Ciri's upcoming adventure in the Witcher 4 - even if it's still a ways off right now.
But perhaps one of the biggest reveals to kick off 2025 came with vampire RPG The Dawn of Bloodwalker. Being developed by a team that includes former CD Projekt Red devs, it still doesn't have a set release date and won't likely come our way this year, but it sounds like just the kind of adventure I'm always looking for. Choices that matter? Dark fantasy vibes? Its own unique lore? Yes please. Who would have thought I'd have not one but two vampire RPGs to look forward to? What a time to be alive.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of everything that's coming our way – our most anticipated games of the year speak to that – but just thinking about this small selection makes my RPG-loving heart soar. This year has already been off to such a strong start, and while I'm sure I'll still be playing Avowed and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 throughout the year, it really does look like I'll be spoiled for choice in 2025.
Look ahead to more exciting releases coming our way in our roundup of upcoming PS5 games and upcoming Xbox Series X games.
