The Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2025 just ended, and the mood this year was anxious yet hopeful. Much like last year, GDC felt concerned and uncertain, as stability for the industry was a central focus. 2025 has so far been off to a rough start, and many are still questioning where this industry will go from here.
Thankfully, the creativity and passion of developers who believe in a better industry for all are still as strong as ever. In addition to developers like LocalThunk (of Balatro fame) and Sam Lake of Remedy Entertainment being awarded top honors at The Game Developers Choice Awards, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) also announced the first-ever large-scale union for North American game developers, which saw over 400 new applicants before the conference ended.
More than ever, games matter, and game developers from diverse cultures and communities had plenty on display throughout the week of GDC 2025. In this roundup, we’ve pulled together a list of the most exciting and original games we saw from GDC and the various events around the show – which includes Day of the Devs, The Media Indie Exchange, ID@Xbox, the Indie Media Connect Showcase, and other special meetings with developers.
12 Top Games from GDC 2025
Phantom Blade Zero
Developer: S-Game
Release: TBD 2025
Since its reveal, developer S-Game’s Phantom Blade Zero has caught the eye of many fans looking for another fast-paced action game in the vein of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice or Black Myth: Wukong. Described as a “kung-fu punk” action RPG by its developers, Phantom Blade Zero is all about using your arsenal of weird and stylish weapons to trade steel with foes – and to do it with some serious style. At GDC I played a demo focusing on a boss, Chief Disciple, and his puppeteering minions; this action game has so far got the energy to stand up to other action greats.
While it has some elements of a Soulslike game, PBZ leans more toward a character action game like Ninja Gaiden and Devil May Cry, all about mastering your weapons and the protagonist’s abilities to cut down the foes. The boss fight demo at GDC 2025 was a spectacle fight that showcased the game’s fantastic style and art direction, and its blistering pace when it comes to parrying enemy strikes and letting loose with your special attacks. It was very satisfying to see the action unfold at GDC, and I’m looking forward to diving into more of Phantom Blade Zero soon.
Beatdown City Survivors
Developer: NuChallenger
Release: TBD
Developer NuChallenger’s Treachery in Beatdown City was a clever ode to classic 8-bit-era RPGs – all honed through the lens of a raucous social satire about the trials of big-city living. Following the cult status of the original, the developers are trying their hand at a Vampire Survivor-style spin-off. In Beatdown City Survivors, you take control of the familiar crew of brawlers in a free-for-all fight across the city – this time, a horde of the undead and other mutations have invaded the big city.
Anyone who has played Vampire Survivors will get with the flow, but Beatdown City Survivors is such a gas because it can blend comedy within its horde-style combat against legions of baddies. It also has some cool ideas about blending elements and environmental hazards to create chain attacks against some tougher foes, which presented a neat strategic twist to the gameplay while playing at GDC. So far, Beatdown City Survivors retains the original’s witty writing and tone, which should make for a fun spin on the popular Survivors-style bullet-hell experience.
Read: GDC reports 41% of all game developers were impacted by layoffs in 2024
Take us North
Developer: Anima Interactive
Release: TBD
After garnering buzz ahead of its planned Kickstarter campaign, the upcoming narrative-survival game Take Us North stood out at GDC, giving players an experience that seeks to drive home the importance of empathy. Focusing on the reality of traversing the US-Mexico border regions, you guide a group of Mexican migrants looking to enter the United States of America, all while contending with the harsh climate of the desert and the ruthless US border agents seeking out any travelers. During your trek, you’ll need to manage your meagre resources and the physical well-being of your group – all while trying to keep them composed when setbacks occur.
Take Us North presents a bold and unflinching experience about a group of everyday people trying to survive another day, taking in the brief moments of reprieve when they can. Given that in 2025, the United States of America has expanded its policing on its southern border, resulting in the inhumane treatment of migrants, and even death, Take Us North is an adventure game that presents a brave and sorely needed view of empathy toward immigrants who risk everything for a better life, and it’s one that I hope many people will check out post-GDC.
Out of Sight
Developer: The Gang
Release: TBD
On the surface, Out of Sight looks to be a new dark adventure game in the vein of Little Nightmares, and while it does follow that same style of storybook horror, what sets it apart is its focus on finding different perspectives to help the protagonist escape an evil mansion. Playing as a blind protagonist named Sophie, you’ll guide her and her teddy bear through a labyrinth of hallways and rooms to escape their captors and make it out alive. Sophie has a mysterious link with her teddy bear, granting her sight and the ability to see her environment from different perspectives.
Mixing first and third-fixed perspectives, you can jump from first-person exploration as Sophie while holding her bear, to classic Resident Evil-style camera position when you set her companion down. The different perspectives help the game shift from first-person stealth and exploration to the more complex puzzle sequences to clear certain rooms — and Out of Sight balances each with its take on fantasy horror.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Developer: Sandfall Interactive
Release: April 24, 2025
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 confidently presents itself as a modernised take on classic PS2-era Japanese RPGs, notably Final Fantasy X or the cult hit Shadow Hearts. Developed by a French studio Sandfall Interactive, Expedition 33 showcases a gorgeous and alluring setting that’s in ruin, but also inviting to explore with your party of adventurers. Much like classic JRPGs, Expedition 33 focuses on a more active-style turn-based combat with your party – utilising menu commands and timed button presses to maximise damage or evade enemy attacks.
Playing Expedition 33 at GDC felt like I was diving into a grown-up hybrid of Final Fantasy X and Super Mario RPG, and the world that developer Sandfall Interactive has built is visually gorgeous and fantastical, scratching the same itch of those classic games. Its release is coming up fast, and I can’t wait to see what’s to come with this one.
to a T
Developer: uvula LLC
Release: May 28, 2025
Game developer Keita Takahashi has created some of the most bizarre and imaginative video games ever made – Katamari Damacy and Nobi Nobi Boy are still among the top picks on people’s list of most original games. But with the upcoming to a T, the reclusive developer is aiming to make something a bit different – and that’s a narrative-puzzle adventure game about a young adult just trying to live an everyday life, all while stuck t-posing.
To a T is a decidedly optimistic game about helping the main character cope with the anxiety of being a teen with an odd quirk. After watching the uplifting and joyful anime-style opening, you’ll help the protagonist get their start by eating breakfast and picking a new outfit (with their pet dog helping out), which is complicated by having their arms permanently outstretched. What follows is a game about helping them be comfortable in their own skin, and playing through its opening at GDC felt like a reminder of the power of humour and originality within gaming.
Wheel World
Developer: Messhof
Release: TBD 2025
It wouldn’t be accurate to say that Wheel World is just Breath of the Wild with bikes, but that’s not entirely wrong either. I was really taken in by Wheel World during my hands-on at GDC. It’s essentially an open-world biking game where you ride around and explore its vast space to take in the sights, complete challenges, and save the world from ruin. It’s such a visually lush and stylish world, and the game’s vibe is so chill to take in.
There was a moment in the GDC demo when I was taking part in a bike race. As I was rolling down the hill, the game added airstream visuals to my bike to show that I was picking up speed, and a song from the Italians Do It Better hit as I picked up speed -– that’s when I knew the game had its hooks in me. With a vibrant visual style and a serene atmosphere, Wheel World puts bike culture front and centre to get players into its vast world. I can’t wait to play more later this year.
Terminull Brigade
Developer: Pew Pew Games
Release: TBD 2025
Coming from developer Pew Pew Games, Terminull Brigade is a slick and fun mix of the rogue-lite action and choices of Hades, with the style and personality of hero shooter Overwatch. Playing as a crew of Rogueteers, you hack into the digital world to eliminate corrupt programs and viruses aiming to dominate the Nullverse. As a roguelite hero shooter, Terminull Brigade leans into its core cast’s style and personality, including the sword wielding Blade, the gunslinger Heynckes, and the drone-pilot Aurora.
While you can play solo, this roguelite hero shooter plays best when in a full squad of 3, and I had a blast at GDC tearing through enemies with well-tiled shots and powered-up skills – some of which were amplified by Hades-style characters who boosted my skills at key junctions. When the action gets going, and you’re watching the damage numbers fly across the screen as enemies are wiped off it, Terminull Brigade really delivers a satisfying and fun sense of style with its shooting gameplay. This is one to watch for anyone looking for another stylish roguelite game.
Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days
Developer: PikPok
Release: April 9, 2025
What makes Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days more than just another zombie survival game is that it’s more about building up your community and trust with other survivors, all while facing increasingly daunting odds as the world collapses. Set in an alternate 1980s Texas where a zombie outbreak has occurred, you play as a select group of survivors trying to build a survival plan.
Essentially, Into the Dead blends the tactics and choice-driven gameplay found in This War of Mine with the spectacle and scale of The Walking Dead. It’s a potent mix for a survival game, and the tone of a 1980s thriller gives the game’s visuals a noticeably more subdued and retro feel. It felt nice, but it still changed the pace from other zombie games. I really enjoyed the complexity and tension from my time with Into the Dead at GDC, and it’s one of the more original and complex takes on the zombie apocalypse I’ve seen in a long time.
Hotel Barcelona
Developer: White Owls Inc.
Release: TBD
Coming from game creator Hidetaka ‘Swery65’ Suehiro, Hotel Barcelona is another in a long line of unapologetically strange games, all focusing on a protagonist trying to contend with bizarre circumstances. This time, the creator of Deadly Premonition and The Good Life brings his weird style and approach to the structure of the time-loop roguelite experience to GDC with Hotel Barcelona.
Playing as Justine, you’re trapped within a mysterious hotel resort that’s, unfortunately, hosting a meeting for North America’s most evil serial killers. You’ll need to master a suite of weapons and other bizarre powers to take them all out and escape the loop – also, the protagonist is possessed by the spirit of a serial killer named Dr. Carnival.
Hotel Barcelona is bizarre, brash, and very stylish in its blending of roguelike and Metroidvania systems, and I found a great deal of fun bashing bad guys with twin buzzsaws and watching the blood flow at GDC. Much like Deadly Premonition, Hotel Barcelona also features a cast of weirdo characters that I took a shine to. I’m intrigued by its fresh and lively spin as a horror-comedy roguelite experience.
Clawpunk
Developer: Kittens in Timespace
Release: TBD
The developers behind Clawpunk view their game as a very Adult Swim take on a roguelite action brawler. Playing as a wrecking crew of punk rock and metal cats, they tear their way through Feral City to take down ruthless gangs, all while creating chaos. It’s a roguelite game that mixes large-scale level destruction with 2D side-scroller gameplay to make it to the exit with your cat’s life intact. What’s cool about Clawpunk is that it gives you a ton of leeway in how you want to tear through a level.
With nine cats to choose from, you’re also given nine lives for a run – so if your sledgehammer-wielding cat meets their end prematurely, you can switch over to another member of the crew to continue. But if all cats face defeat, that’s the end of the run. It’s a really clever and exciting take on retro-action games, and it’s also got a bumping soundtrack that keeps the fierce energy up.
Aerial_Knight’s Dropshot
Developer: Aerial_Knight
Release: TBD
Aerial_Knight’s Dropshot is a game that makes the brief period in battle royale games where the team asks, “Where we droppin’, fellas?” into a shooting gallery all on its own. Developer Aerial_Knight’s previous games, Never Yield and We Never Yield, offered up some lively and fast-paced action with its twist on the popular “runner” style games. But with the upcoming Aerial_Knight’s Dropshot, the dev is now going for a “fall and shoot” style where you must take out as many enemies as you can before hitting the ground.
Using only a finger gun (which still fires real bullets) you’ll need to aim carefully, take out each foe, dodge enemy fire, and observe your surroundings to survive. While playing at GDC, it felt like playing Superhot by way of PUBG, but with the style of a slick anime action series where you’d be dashing and free-falling between foes. It’s still a ways out from release, but Aerial_Knight’s Dropshot has a clever hook and slick presentation, and I hope we’ll see more of the game soon.
