Games We Want to See on Xbox in 2025

The beginning of 2025 looks stacked, with developers and publishers rushing to get their games out before a certain Rockstar knocks the world off its axis with Grand Theft Auto VI. The likes of Monster Hunter Wilds, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Sniper Elite: Resistance, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Avowed and so much more are all launching in Q1 2025.

And yet, we still want more. These games already announced are all well and good, but where are the surprises coming from in 2025? Well, we have prepared a little wishlist of games that haven’t yet been announced for release on Xbox in 2025, but there is a good chance of them appearing. 

Have a read, and let us know what you want to see in the comments below, but in a few words, these are the games we want to see release on Xbox in 2025…

UFO 50

This list is in no particular order, but we’re starting with perhaps the one I would personally be most pleased to see on consoles. Or, more specifically, the 50 I would be most pleased to see on consoles.

UFO 50 is a compilation of 50 games released from 1982 to 1989 for the LX series of home consoles by a company called UFO Soft. However, the twist is that none of these games were real before this compilation, and UFO Soft and the LX consoles never existed. 

UFO 50 is actually a fake compilation of 50 games all created solely for this one, larger game. But don’t let that fool you, as many of the games within are worthy of their own places in Game of the Year lists such is the quality on show here.

I could wax lyrical about the unique roguelike-esque Party House that has you creating party guest lists to complete various objectives, or the challenging yet satisfying controls of Mortol, or even Block Koala, a simple sokoban at first glance, but with insane amounts of depth. That’s just three off the top of my head, and there are at least 47 more I could talk about.

I say at least 47 because there are lots of hidden messages, games and secrets that exist but are purely optional. UFO 50 has an overarching meta-narrative that goes into details about the fictional UFO Soft and their history, but if you are having too much fun playing through 50 new games, a very real prospect, you may be too busy to delve deep. Not least when a couple of them, Grimstone and Divers, are fully realised RPGs with tens of hours of content a piece.

Already lauded as one of the best games of last year, UFO 50 reaching a wider audience on consoles seems like a very sensible fit. And one I hope comes sooner than later.

If you can’t wait for a console drop, grab UFO 50 on Steam. 

Dave the Diver

Dave the Diver is another title that launched on PC first, but has since been ported to Nintendo and PlayStation. With new DLC on the horizon In the Jungle, now seems as good a time as any for Dave to dive onto Xbox.

As the name suggests, you play as Dave, who is a diver. Approached by his friend, they agree to open up a sushi restaurant. And you can’t get any fresher than diving for the fish yourself, so Dave spends part of his day gathering the fish, and the rest of his time running the restaurant. It is this gameplay loop that has won fans over, and we are eager to give it a try.

Along with the upcoming DLC, Dave the Diver has teamed up with everyone from Balatro to Godzilla since first releasing. And wouldn’t a lovely Xbox collaboration celebrate a console release perfectly? How about serving Master Chief some sashimi, assuming he can actually eat with his helmet on all the time? Or tie-in to the upcoming releases like Fable of Gears of War: E-Day. 

Although, raw Locust doesn’t sound appealing at all.

A Final Fantasy game

Xbox gamers were blessed with a whopping seven Final Fantasy games last year: the sublime Final Fantasy XIV and latest expansion Dawntrail, plus the Final Fantasy I – VI Pixel Remasters. But there are still a few big ones missing: Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth and Final Fantasy XVI.

One of these will be coming to Xbox this year, and after Square Enix’s U-turn on console exclusives, I would anticipate it being Final Fantasy XVI. It is also likely that the third part of the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy will be multi-platform at launch whenever that releases, so it would make sense to release the first two before that also. But these, as we are led to believe, are behind more restrictive exclusivity agreements. So, let’s concentrate on the most likely.

Final Fantasy XVI was a return to the series highpoints when it released back in 2023. After some more divisive entries in Final Fantasy XIII and XV, XVI went back to a more traditional high-fantasy setting, and it paid off.

Taking more than a slight pinch of inspiration from Game of Thrones, you played as Clive, firstborn to the leader of Rosaria, but overlooked when his younger brother Joshua becomes the Dominant of Phoenix. Phoenix is one of the worlds Eikons, more commonly known as summons in the wider Final Fantasy world, and these play a major part in the plot of Final Fantasy XVI. What were once used only in a turn-based battle situation are now front and centre for the plot.

It isn’t just the Eikons that are subverted in Final Fantasy XVI; the crystals, so often seen as a beacon of hope in Final Fantasy, are this time around responsible for killing the planet. Clive’s mission is to go around the world destroying them, whilst armies and more all vie for control over each other.

The gargantuan Eikon battles in Final Fantasy XVI pushed the PlayStation 5 to its limits, with reports of them overheating during these set-piece spectacles. I am sure the Xbox Series X will not sound like it is about to take off when these battles start on these consoles, and hopefully we don’t have too long to wait for that either. 

Yakuza: Dead Souls

In true gamer fashion I am now going to come across as an ungrateful so and so. 

I am fully aware that Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is already on the release schedule, but my wish is for a game from the Yakuza back catalogue to make an appearance. And after Like a Dragon: Ishin! brought a previous game to the West for the first time, why not make others more accessible?

Currently, Yakuza: Dead Souls lies dormant on the PlayStation 3, and there are fans that would be happy it stayed there. It is a bit of an anomaly; a non-canon third-person zombie shooter isn’t perhaps what you would immediately think of when you think of the Like a Dragon series, but you can’t say it is surprising when you think of some of the wackier elements the series is known for.

Once again taking place in Kamurocho, Dead Souls features playable stalwarts Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima alongside Shun Akiyama and Ryuji Goda, back from the dead. The four of them must explore a city in the midst of a zombie outbreak. As such, gunplay is a huge focus, which is where a lot of the initial player base felt alienated.

But I think it deserves a second chance, and with the franchise being a major IP for Sega now, a remaster may help it find a wider, and more acceptable audience. A remaster should be on the way at some point, but will it be 2025?

Helldivers 2

Undoubtedly one of the surprise hits of 2025 was Helldivers 2. In a year when multiplayer and live-service games took a bit of a beating, Helldivers 2 was a shining example.

Heavily inspired by Starship Troopers, Helldivers 2 is a co-op shooter for up to four players. And it isn’t just because you are shooting giant bugs. Helldivers 2 also keeps that satirical wit from the film too.

Critics loved the best-in-class gunplay and multiplayer cooperation, as well as the procedural generation ensuring that things stayed fresh. And in the time since release, the servers have been improved significantly, hopefully in time for an influx of new players.

However, this one does come with a caveat. Helldivers 2 is a Sony first-party game (and, for what it’s worth, technically so is our last entry) but in an age where the walls of the console wars are toppling, sharing is caring.

Let me just be frank and get on my soapbox for a minute. This is not a new revelation from Xbox releasing their games on Nintendo and Sony consoles. Minecraft and Ori and the Blind Forest have been on other consoles for years, just like MLB The Show has on Xbox. And Destiny 2 isn’t going to be closed down on Xbox any time soon. So, let’s keep the train in motion and share more of these opportunities together. Simply put, the more people that have access to a game, the more people are likely to play it.

And we want to play Helldivers 2 on Xbox. Please. 

Kingsley’s Adventure

The above games are all more than likely to come out at some point, if not 2025. My final game though? Well, it is a bit of a pipe dream, but one that makes sense with the renaissance of platformer mascots that has been happening over the past few years.

For those that aren’t aware, Kingsley’s Adventure was a PlayStation 1 title in which you play as a fox armed with a sword and a shield who must stop an evil chef known as Bad Custard who has transformed the four True Knights of the Fruit Kingdom into his own minions. With a baddie called Bad Custard, you know you are in platformer territory.

For an OG PlayStation game though, I remember it being incredibly atmospheric, even for a game released in 1999. But there is another reason I am quietly manifesting a remake or remaster.

Copies of Kingsley’s Adventure are going for around £150 on eBay, so it will be a long time before I can save up for that. A rerelease is therefore the best option all round. With Crash Bandicoot and Spyro back in the public eye, and a certain Croc getting in on the action very shortly, who else is getting a resurrection from the platformer graveyard?

Along with everything else already planned for 2025, if half of the games here also sprout up on Xbox, it looks like it will be another strong year for gamers.

But what is on your wishlist? Head on over to the comments section and let us know!