2025 – the year in video games: Switch 2, indie big-hitters and Fortnite devours all

What a packed year 2025 has been for video games. Nintendo finally gave us a Switch successor, indie games grabbed the headlines, censorship controversies came and went, and Fortnite and Roblox continued to mutate into something far beyond gaming. 

It’s always an exciting year when a new console is unleashed, and June finally saw the launch of Nintendo’s hugely anticipated Switch 2. More of a Game Boy to Game Boy Color iterative hardware evolution than a GameCube to Wii complete reinvention, the hybrid machine launched with a brand-new Mario Kart and strong third-party support from Capcom, CD Projekt Red and Sega. Mario Kart World may have received some mixed reviews for failing to deliver on the potential of its vibrant open world, but the hefty sales figures are undeniable. 

According to a financial report, the game had sold almost 9.5 million copies by late September, with 9 out of 10 owners having reportedly played Mario’s latest racer on their shiny new machine. The following six months since launch has seen some major Nintendo franchises make a return on the platform, with Donkey Kong Bananza, Kirby Air Riders and the hugely anticipated Metroid Prime 4: Beyond finally making an appearance. The 2026 first-party lineup is currently a bit thin on the ground, but strong third-party support continues with a simultaneous release of Capcom’s horror juggernaut Resident Evil Requiem and The Duskbloods, an original exclusive title from masochistic RPG masters FromSoftware, looming menacingly on the horizon.

Games as platforms continued to dominate throughout the year as Fortnite ravenously consumed cross-media IP. November saw a major crossover event with The Simpsons, complete with a forensically detailed recreation of Springfield as a new battle map. A multi-platform month long project, the collaboration with Disney Plus also saw short animated episodes periodically released on the streamer, expanding on the lore unfolding simultaneously in the game world. 

Quentin Tarantino also unexpectedly made his Fortnite debut in 2025, with an original chapter in the Kill Bill series written and directed by him exclusively for the platform. The Lost Chapter: Yuki’s Revenge is a short animated in Unreal Engine that sees Uma Thurman return as The Bride as she faces off against Yuki, vengeful sister of deadly schoolgirl Gogo Yubari. Originally planned as part of the 2003 film, it’s fascinating to see the missing chapter finally show up 22 years later on a video game platform. 

Roblox made headlines all throughout the year, but despite numerous controversies the platform consistently held its own with around 380 million monthly active users by the end of 2025. Questions about child safety continue to dog Roblox, while its banning in Russia even saw an impromptu public protest in the Siberian City of Tomsk. Video game censorship was a hot topic throughout the year as Steam and itch.io faced criticism for delisting games with adult content after sustained pressure from an anti-pornography pressure group, as well as the banning of the Italian arthouse horror game Horses later in the year. 

Microsoft continued to find success with Game Pass as growing subscriber numbers proved the viability of their gamble on the subscription model for video games. October saw a bump in the road though as a price increase of more than 50% for the ultimate tier angered gamers who found themselves suddenly priced out. Time will tell if this has a lasting impact on their user base, but Microsoft continue to move away from traditional console exclusivity and into a new service model.

Microsoft’s Bethesda released a PlayStation 5 version of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in April as a symbol of their commitment to move off-platform – a great example of a film franchise translating perfectly into a video game. On the flipside, adaptations of games to film and TV found continuing success in the year. The Last of Us returned for a critically acclaimed second season in April, and the same month saw A Minecraft Movie smashing into theatres and making headlines for the chaos caused by rowdy audiences during the now infamous ‘chicken jockey’ scene.

Indie games had a big year in 2025. Architectural puzzle adventure Blue Prince made waves on release in April, and a simultaneous launch on PlayStation’s subscription service PlayStation Plus helped bolster its word-of-mouth reputation. By September Hollow Knight: Silksong had become something of a meme due to its non-appearance and years of silence from developers Team Cherry, but the sudden announcement of its release date proved not only was it real, but it was also only a couple of weeks away. Other developers scrambled to adjust their release schedules and storefronts crashed as gamers rushed to finally get their hands on the critically acclaimed sequel. Greek god themed roguelike Hades II also saw a full release in the year, and Switch 2 console exclusivity of the title proved be another boon for Nintendo’s fledgling hybrid console. 

Perhaps the biggest success story of the year has been Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The French developed role-playing game cleaned up at The Game Awards, winning in a record-breaking nine categories and earning a commendation from President Emmanuel Macron. But its success has opened a discussion on what it means to be an indie game and where the limits of that categorisation lie in real terms. Other big hitters released throughout the year include Capcom’s hunting simulator Monster Hunter Wilds, the return of Konami’s terrifying horror series Silent Hill f, Hideo Kojima’s genre-defying cinematic spectacle Death Stranding 2, and Sony and Sucker Punch’s Japanese revenge saga Ghost of Yotei. 

Looking ahead to next year, it’s impossible to imagine what could overshadow the November launch of Grand Theft Auto VI. After a decade in development, the latest entry in Rockstar’s hugely ambitious open-world crime saga is sure to dominate 2026 and, if the gargantuan success of GTA V is anything to go by, many subsequent years.