Shack Chat: What is your gaming prediction for 2025?

At the start of every year, we like to gather around and think about what the next twelve months will bring to the video game industry. Perhaps there will be some new mergers? Maybe a beloved franchise will pop up out of nowhere? Or a company might decide to create something truly weird and wonderful? Now’s the time to make your predictions about video games in 2025. Let’s go!

Question: What is your gaming prediction for 2025?

Nintendo Switch 2 launches with one major live service title (either Mario Kart or Splatoon) - Ozzie Mejia, Senior Prognosticator

It's a no-brainer that Nintendo will have its heaviest hitters on the first-party beat ready to roll out for its new console. A new Mario? Definitely. Metroid Prime 4? Yeah, probably. However, it's also reasonable to expect a new start for one of its multiplayer-focused franchises, specifically Mario Kart or Splatoon, possibly both. On top of that, I would expect a full embrace of the live service model, giving it a life cycle that lasts as long as the console does. I'm talking about new characters, maps/tracks, and other content regularly for years to come. This is different than the usual Nintendo approach, which approaches every project with a start point and a natural end point. We won't see that with Mario Kart 9 or Splatoon 4. These games will go on for a long time, similar to something like Fortnite, and with Nintendo Switch Online as its main driver.

Which of these franchises will Nintendo pick for this lofty endeavor? That remains to be seen. (Wouldn't it be something, though, if it was neither of these games and it was something like Mario Party?)

A new 3D Mario in 2025 - TJ Denzer, can’t play Odyssey forever

It’s time we had a new, proper 3D Mario game. I loved Super Mario Bros. Wonder like everyone else, and maybe Astro Bot’s got my interests running hot, but I feel like it’s been so long since Super Mario Odyssey came out. I’m ready to explore new worlds, collect new whatchamacallits and see what kind of fresh gimmicks Nintendo has in store for us on the new hardware. It’s one of my favorite things about a new Nintendo platform: an all-new Mario isn’t an “if,” but rather a “when”. I hope that “when” is in 2025.

A new F-Zero game is a Nintendo Switch 2 launch title - Asif Khan, CEO/EIC/EIEIO

Maybe I am just dreaming here, but it would be pretty sweet if Nintendo dropped a brand new F-Zero to show off the Switch 2’s new graphical capabilities. Sure, we all want a new Mario Kart. That’s coming. But it would be a bigger surprise for fans to see a new entry in the F-Zero console franchise on the back of F-Zero 99’s success.

Grand Theft Auto 6 - Bill Lavoy, Little Bird Ace

Most people think that Grand Theft Auto 6 is going to be delayed, and for good reason. GTA 5 was delayed, Red Dead Redemption 2 was delayed, and a bunch of other Rockstar games. My bold prediction is that we actually get GTA 6 in 2025, making what is expected to be a great year for games even better.

Microsoft revives another IP - Sam Chandler, Blinx man

I’ve often written about my need for a new Blinx game or Jet Set Radio title. This year, I’m not going to be as hyper specific as previous years. With Microsoft still hard at work on Fable and Perfect Dark (will they even release this year?), I think we’re ready for MS to unveil that another long-forgotten and deeply loved IP is being revived for a modern audience. Bring back Brute Force, Conker, and even Phantom Crash. But seriously, Blinx. Please. I need it. This is the year it’s finally going to happen.

Dragon Quest 12 reappears - Donovan Erskine, Zenithian

My prediction about Pokemon taking a year off in 2024 came to fruition, so I’ll look to do it again with a prediction focused on another beloved franchise of mine. Square Enix has been radio silent on Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate since its reveal nearly four years ago. I don’t expect it to come out this year, but I am anticipating that this is the year we finally hear more about it. Perhaps it’ll just be a 30-second cinematic teaser at SGF or the Game Awards with “2026” at the end, but it’d be a hell of a lot more than what we’ve gotten for the past several years.

Interesting year for Nintendo - Steve Tyminski, Gotta dream big, right?

What is my gaming prediction for 2025? That’s an interesting question and it really gets you thinking. I’ll answer this with a few small options and then one big one so let’s get started. The Switch 2, or whatever they call it, will be revealed around May or June with a November release date.

There will be either a new Mario game or Metroid Prime 4 as one of the launch window games, like Breath of the Wild was for Switch 1. Reportedly, the Switch successor will be backwards compatible as well as share similar eShop/Switch Online games so I think the first three generations of Pokemon will finally be added to the Switch Online near the end of the Switch’s run or very early in Switch 2 territory. I believe Pokemon eventually caved and added the Game Boy/Game Boy Color Pokemon games to the 3DS eShop near the end of the 3DS’s run.

I would also love more NES games, like Rad Racer, Snow Bros, and Bubble Bobble added to the Switch Online at some point. Now here comes the big one, Microsoft will sell Rare back to Nintendo and we finally get a true third installment of Banjo-Kazooie. At the very least, the Switch could finally get Rare Replay or Donkey Kong 64 added to the Switch Online. There are my takes for 2025 and I’m sure none of them will happen but you never know.

Those are the staff’s predictions about what will happen in the video game industry this year. You can take a look at last year’s predictions here. While you do that, jump into the Chatty thread and let us know what you think will happen in gaming in 2025.

Shack Staff

Shack Staff stories are a collective effort with multiple staff members contributing. Many of our lists often involve entires from several editors, and our weekly Shack Chat is something we all contribute to as a group.