The big question on most fans’ minds is whether the release date will slip, as has happened for previous big releases from Rockstar.
The release of GTA 6 is expected to have an impact on the wider games industry.
Your current Switch games will work on it.
esports Olympics There’s another big moment to watch in 2025: the first Olympic Esports Games will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“Your big esports moment – esports becomes an Olympic sport.
GTA 6, Nintendo’s new system, and other gaming trends to look out for in 2025.
five hours prior.
Richardson, T.
Newsbeat on the BBC.
Even if you were fortunate enough to receive a new gaming system or games for Christmas, you’re undoubtedly keeping an eye out for some new releases.
And it looks like 2025 will be a significant year.
Most people concur that 2024 was a terrible year for the video game industry, with tens of thousands of jobs lost and studios closing all over the world.
It is hoped that things will improve next year, at least somewhat.
In particular, two massive releases are probably going to make a significant impact.
Grand Theft Auto 6.
A momentous occasion, the day that millions of gamers have been looking forward to for ages.
Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6) was released.
Twelve years after the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 prequel GTA 5 broke launch records, it is scheduled to be released in the fall.
The first trailer for the sequel broke records when it was released last December, garnering an incredible 90 million views in a single day.
Furthermore, it is likely that this will not be the final record to be broken.
According to James Batchelor, editor-in-chief of GamesIndustry . biz, “it is impossible to gauge the level of anticipation for this.”.
“There is no doubt that this will be one of the most significant game launches ever. “.”.
Only the game’s dual protagonists and scenes from Leonida, a fictional setting inspired by Florida, have been revealed by developer Rockstar.
The main concern of the majority of fans is whether the release date will be pushed back, as has happened with other significant Rockstar releases.
James claims he hasn’t seen anything yet that would indicate it will, but if nothing changes, it’s time to start worrying.
“It’s going to be 2026 if we haven’t seen anything by the end of August, and if we haven’t seen anything at all by summer,” he says.
What makes Grand Theft Auto VI so significant?
GTA 6’s release is anticipated to affect the larger video game industry.
According to him, a big hit, particularly one with the cultural resonance of Grand Theft Auto, can put more people “in the mood to buy video games,” and publishers want to take advantage of that.
Other major games are scheduled to be released this year, including the strategy game Civilization VII, Ghost of Yōtei from Sony, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows from French publisher Ubisoft.
George states, “The developers’ challenge is to figure out how to avoid getting caught in the Grand Theft Auto window.”.
Other publishers will probably have to release their new games early in the year or possibly wait until early 2026 if they want to avoid the juggernaut that is Grand Theft Auto 6.
Furthermore, we are aware that the game will initially be available on the Xbox and PlayStation 5 systems, with a PC release to follow.
Sony and Microsoft will be hoping that GTA 6 will finally encourage gamers who are still using their old-generation consoles to upgrade.
“If anything is going to persuade people to switch to a new console if they haven’t already, it’s going to be GTA 6,” James says, estimating that half of Sony’s active players are still PlayStation 4 users.
When it comes to hardware upgrades, however, competition might be present.
The latest Nintendo Switch?
Official information about Nintendo’s upcoming console is as follows.
It’s real.
You can play your existing Switch games on it.
That’s it.
Fans have been referring to it as the Nintendo Switch 2, even though there isn’t an official name yet.
The machine’s capabilities are still unknown despite unverified rumors and leaks, and the company has promised an official announcement by the end of March.
However, it seems unlikely that Nintendo will alter the successful formula of the original Switch, which has sold 146 million units since its 2017 release.
James says, “The smart money is on just a bigger, better Switch.”.
With more processing power under the hood, it should look similar.
He goes on, “That might sound reductive,”.
However, they would be foolish to not simply expand on the foundation they have established here, considering the degree of success this has had. “.”.
James argues that the new device won’t be all that different from its younger sibling if backward compatibility—the ability to play games created for the original Switch—is confirmed.
According to him, there is a risk that consumers won’t realize the new device is different from what they currently own at home, as has happened with earlier Nintendo consoles.
James, though, is unsure if it will suffer the same fate.
He states that “that was a long time ago.”. They’ve probably learned a lot since then, in my opinion. “,”.
More hits that make waves.
Small, independent developers were responsible for some of 2024’s most notable success stories.
The most well-known was Balatro, a card game with a poker theme that was incredibly addictive and finished the year in the running for a prominent game of the year award.
That has paved the way for more breakthrough success this year, according to journalist Rachel Watts, host of the Indieventure podcast.
“There’s been so many great indies this year,” she says.
A lot of players and critics have commented on the triple-A side that “it’s such a quiet year, there’s not many big releases,” but there are always a ton of awesome indie games to play. “..”.
One of the biggest challenges facing independent developers in 2024 has been discoverability, or getting players to actually find your game. A success like Balatro is extremely uncommon.
Getting noticed is “one of the most difficult things,” according to Rachel, and the quantity of releases on Steam, the online marketplace where the majority of PC games are purchased, is “frankly bonkers.”.
She states, “I just don’t see that getting any easier.”.
The financial outlook is “pretty bleak” for 2025, according to Rachel, and independent developers are also having trouble obtaining funding.
However, she believes that more gamers are beginning to appreciate the industry’s inventiveness, and more breakthrough hits will come.
Rachel says, “I go to the independent space to just play games that make me want to play games again.”.
“I’m hoping that other indies will follow suit if Balatro can win some of the biggest titles of the year. “.
Olympic esports.
In 2025, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will host the first Olympic Esports Games, which is another exciting event to watch.
The Olympic movement has historically not been particularly interested in esport, so George says, “I think it’s an important moment.”.
A 12-year agreement with Saudi Arabia to host the gaming version was reached by the International Olympics Committee following years of lobbying.
George claims that the kingdom’s first esports World Cup “didn’t really cut through” to a larger audience this summer.
“With the official Olympic movement branding and the official IOC branding behind it, it will be interesting to see if the eSports Olympics have a different impact,” George says.
Because of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, some World Cup participants, fans, and commentators abstained from the competition.
According to George, the esports Olympics will bring up the topic of sportswashing, which is the notion that Saudi Arabia, which has denied it, uses its enormous wealth to fund entertainment and sports in an effort to boost its standing abroad.
“You have this really interesting thing,” George remarks.
“Your major esports moment: esports is added to the Olympic program.
“That’s quite fascinating. But Saudi Arabia’s financial support is essentially the only reason it has been able to occur.
“So, you know, what do people feel about that?”.
Something else to observe.
Players’ strike in video games: The conflict between players and some of the largest companies in the business is still going strong.
After a challenging 2025, Ubisoft’s February release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, set in Japan, could be the French publisher’s make-or-break moment.
Epic Games’ battle royale multiplayer game Fortnite is still one of the most popular games in the world, and the company is anticipated to keep working to get its products back on more smartphones.
Discussions about utilizing generative AI to create games are still ongoing, but robust answers will be required to concerns about copyright, environmental effects, and employee skepticism.
