Summer Game Fest 2025 kicked off the gaming industry’s biggest season with a torrent of announcements, offering players a glimpse into the future of interactive entertainment. From highly anticipated sequels and brand-new intellectual properties to surprise downloadable content releases, the showcase, hosted by Geoff Keighley and Lucy James, set an exciting tone for the coming years.
Headlining the event was the official reveal of Resident Evil 9: Requiem, the next mainline entry in Capcom’s iconic survival horror series. The cinematic trailer was a huge surprise, considering halfway into the reveals was a message from CAPCOM saying to wait a bit longer for the next Resident Evil title. Considering the rumors surrounding the franchise I was a bit surprised, but figured it was legit… until the very end. Its release date is scheduled for February 27, 2026.
The show was also a haven for fans of challenging action RPGs. Mortal Shell II was announced with a prety dark trailer, showing off some hardcore combat and a 2026 release window. Bandai Namco also unveiled Code Vein 2, a sequel to their popular anime-styled soulslike, which is also targeting a 2026 launch. Numerous soulslike games were shown off throughout, making it pretty clear its the big thing right now… When a game like Elden Ring succeeds so much, it was bound to happen.
Strategy game enthusiasts have a new epic to look forward to with the announcement of Game of Thrones: War for Westeros, a real-time strategy game set in the turbulent world of the Seven Kingdoms, arriving in 2026.
Deeper Dives into Already Announced Titles
Several previously announced titles received new gameplay showcases, offering a more in-depth look at their mechanics and worlds. Capcom’s upcoming samurai action game, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, presented a new trailer featuring its fast-paced and bloody combat. Techland provided an extended look at Dying Light: The Beast, a standalone story expansion for the popular zombie parkour series, which is set to launch on August 22, 2025.
The highly anticipated PvPvE extraction shooter Arc Raiders finally received a release date of October 30, 2025, accompanied by a new gameplay trailer highlighting its intense squad-based action.
Surprise Announcements and Shadow Drops
One of the biggest surprises of the show was the “shadow drop” of the Lies of P: Overture DLC. The new content for the critically acclaimed soulslike was made available for purchase and play immediately following its announcement. I’ve seen this title in a bit of speculation and leaks, so not a huge surprise, but I heard plenty of good things about the game, so good for the players!
Other shocker reveals included Wu-Tang: Rise of the Deceiver, a new action RPG featuring the legendary hip-hop group, and MindsEye, a new title from former Grand Theft Auto developers in collaboration with IO Interactive.
Key Announcements and Release Dates:
| Game Title | Genre | Key Details | Release Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident Evil 9: Requiem | Survival Horror | New mainline entry in the series. | February 27, 2026 |
| Mortal Shell 2 | Action RPG | Sequel to the 2020 soulslike. | 2026 |
| Code Vein 2 | Action RPG | Sequel to the anime-inspired soulslike. | 2026 |
| Game of Thrones: War for Westeros | Real-Time Strategy | Set in the world of the popular fantasy series. | 2026 |
| Sonic Racing: Crossworlds | Racing | New kart racer featuring various Sega characters. | September 25, 2025 |
| Dying Light: The Beast | Action/Survival Horror | Standalone story expansion. | August 22, 2025 |
| Arc Raiders | PvPvE Extraction Shooter | New gameplay and a firm release date. | October 30, 2025 |
| Onimusha: Way of the Sword | Action | New gameplay trailer showcasing combat. | TBA |
| Lies of P: Overture | Action RPG | Surprise DLC release. | Available Now |
| Hitman World of Assassination | Stealth/Action | New “LeChiffre” Elusive Target mission. | Live Now |
| Wu-Tang: Rise of the Deceiver | Action RPG | New IP featuring the Wu-Tang Clan. | TBA |
| MindsEye | TBA | New game from ex-GTA developers and published by IO Interactive. | TBA |
| Street Fighter 6 (Year 3) | Fighting | Characters announced (Sagat, C. Viper, Alex, Ingrid). | Summer 2025 – Spring 2026 |
The showcase also featured a look at the Year 3 character roadmap for Street Fighter 6, with fan-favorites Sagat and C. Viper returning alongside Alex and Ingrid. Additionally, a new “Elusive Target” mission for Hitman featuring the James Bond villain LeChiffre was made available to players immediately with a reward for those who complete it will get the new 007 game next year! Only available for one month, however.
Opinions online for SGF 2025 have been a bit mixed, but to me it was overall a fine showing of a large selection of titles. A bit more than I expected was revealed in just the span of two hours, but a lot of smaller indie titles was probably annoying to some. I’m glad smaller studios get to have a limelight as big as one with more than 700,000 watching on YouTube alone. Some moments were controversial I can see, including a developer for SplitGate 2 wearing what some saw as a very dividing hat, and the early devastation those had originally thinking the next Resident Evil would not be shown off yet. Even I was fooled, seeing a special message just be a new sale, followed up with that! I’ll be keeping my eye on it as I liked some of the more recent titles (Resident Evil 7 and 4 in VR).
