It's the start of a brand-new year, and with big games scheduled to release throughout 2025, January is so far shaping up to be a modest month for new arrivals. So far, the biggest highlights include a few remasters like Donkey Kong Country Returns, Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles, and Freedom Wars, while PC gamers get two PS5 ports in the form of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
On the indie side, the long-awaited Hyper Light Breaker enters early access, Warside looks like it'll scratch an Advance Wars itch, and Sniper Elite: Resistance will give you a tour of France as you turn Nazis into gruesome confetti.
February 2025 will be the big month for new releases, as it's loaded with high-profile games like Civilization 7, Assassin's Creed Shadows, Avowed, and Monster Hunter Wilds. For a closer look at what the rest of the year holds in store, you can check out GameSpot's list of upcoming 2025 video games.
Wuthering Waves
- Release date: January 2
- Platforms: PS5 (Already available on PC, iOS, and Android)
These days, it feels like you can't take two steps without running into an anime-inspired Gacha game, with Wuthering Waves being just one of several recent releases in this genre. It's headed to PS5 this month--it launched first on PC, iOS, and Android--and this release will coincide with the version 2.0 update of the open-world game. This will see a new region added in the form of Rinascita, as well as several new characters to collect.
Cats of Mona Lisa
- Release date: January 6
- Platforms: PC
Fine art and cats meet in this hidden-object game, as you'll be challenged to search through classical paintings for 10 mischievous cats lurking inside of each masterpiece. Not only can you look for the cunning felines: you'll also get a brief history lesson on each painting , as well.
Freedom Wars Remastered
- Release date: January 10
- Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Switch
Set in a grim future where Earth's natural resources have been exhausted, Freedom Wars puts you in the boots of a prisoner looking to shave a few centuries off of their absurdly long sentence. How do you earn your freedom in a world where being alive is considered to be a sin? By volunteering to take part in dangerous operations in this remaster of the 2014 action-RPG. This new version of Freedom features an overhauled weapon system, new difficulty settings, and big graphical upgrades.
Hyper Light Breaker
- Release date: January 14
- Platforms: PC
A follow-up to 2016's Hyper Light Drifter, Hyper Light Breaker is a 3D action-adventure roguelike game set in the world of Overgrowth, a land ruled by the malevolent Abyss King. The game's early-access launch has been delayed several times since it was first revealed in March 2022, but it'll finally be arriving on PC this month.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
- Release date: January 16
- Platforms: Switch
Nintendo is kicking off 2025 with Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, a game that was originally released on the Wii and then made its way to the 3DS a couple of years later. As you'd expect, this latest port of the game features updated graphics and all the exclusive levels from its 3DS release. In case you missed it when it was first released, the game stars both Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong on a quest to reclaim all their bananas across 80 challenging levels.
Tales of Graces f Remastered
- Release date: January 17
- Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch
Designed to be easier on the eyes and your reflexes, this new version a popular action-RPG Tales game also ships with the Lineage and Legacies DLC. Similar to other Tales games, Tales of Grace is a fantasy adventure built around themes of overcoming obstacles through the power of friendship and determination.
Star Wars Episode 1: Jedi Power Battles
- Release date: January 23
- Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch
Aspyr is bringing another classic Star Wars game to modern systems--the action-packed Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles. A highlight reel of the events that took place during Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace, the game allows for players to experience the story as famous Jedi like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Mace Windo, Plo Koon, and Adi Gallia. You can also unlock other characters like Padme Amidala, Captain Panaka, Ki-Adi Mundi, and Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 guest-star Darth Maul.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Release date: January 23
- Platforms: PC (Already available on PS5)
Compared to Final Fantasy 7 Remake, the arrival of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on PC is happening much sooner than expected. While Square Enix hasn't shared too many details on this port, PC players can expect a good-looking middle chapter in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy that puts an interesting spin on a familiar story.
Virtua Fighter 5 REVO
- Release date: January 27
- Platforms: PC
Virtua Fighter 5 is headed to PC this month from developer RGG Studio. Dubbed Virtua Fighter 5 REVO, the PC port adds rollback netcode for multiplayer, updates the graphics to 4K, and includes tournament modes that can support up to 16 players.
Warside
- Release date: January 28
- Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch
Advance Wars never came to PC, but developer Lavabird has whipped up Warside, a game that borrows heavily from the Nintendo franchise. Like Advance Wars, it's a turn-based tactics game where you send various infantry, naval, and aerial military units out to do battle. It'll have a lot of content on launch day, including 12 Commanders who have unique powers, dozens of different units, and a single-player campaign with more than 30 missions.
Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter
- Release date: January 28
- Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch
Similar to the first game, Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter is a souls-like adventure that unfolds across the northern realms of the Ratdom. With the kingdom on the brink of war once again while an old and unspeakable evil stirs in the North, players will have to hunt down giant beasts and unite the clans as Arlo, Warden of the Wastes.
Sniper Elite: Resistance
- Release date: January 30
- Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One
The next entry in the Sniper Elite series shifts the focus away from longtime protagonist Karl Fairburne, putting players in the boots of Special Operations Executive agent Harry Hawker as he takes the Third Reich. Beyond that change, it looks like it'll be business as usual in Sniper Elite: Resistance, as players can hunt down targets in the French countryside and cause gory devastation to the Nazi war machine.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins
- Release date: January 17
- Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Anyone looking to kick the year off with some Musou action can grab Dynasty Warriors: Origins this month, as this game casts you as a nameless warrior during the infamous Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. As you'd expect, you'll be heavily outnumbered but never outgunned as your character can defeat entire armies single-handedly.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- Release date: January 30
- Platforms: PC (Already available on PS5)
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 took the web-slinging series to new heights, as developer Insomniac gave players free reign to explore New York as both of its resident Spider-Men. A bigger sequel with even bigger threats for the webheads to face, the PC port developed by Nixxes Software will have enhanced ray-tracing options and several other enhanced features.
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
- Release date: January 31
- Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S
Set one year after the first game, Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector will see the return of the amnesiac android Sleeper, who is back on the run in this sequel. Developer Jump Over the Age is aiming to build an even deeper story-driven experience in Citizen Sleeper 2, but with "the same deep world-building and freeform gameplay," according to studio founder Gareth Damian Martin. The sequel will be coming to Xbox Series X|S as a day-one Game Pass release.
January 2025 games release schedule
