The io9 Crew’s Most Anticipated Films, Reveals, and Video games of 2025

The previous two weeks, we right here at io9 have regarded again on the movies, shows, and video games of 2024, and given our personal particular person takeaways on sure trends that took place this 12 months. Now it’s time to consider what’s subsequent—and extra particularly, what we’re wanting ahead to in 2025. Be happy to tell us what you’re excited for (and hope hits the mark) within the feedback under.

Cellular Swimsuit Gundam: GQuuuuuuX

M3GAN 2.0

Avatar: Hearth and Ash

After two motion pictures, I believe we are able to safely cease joking about Avatar. The primary film was good, the second movie was very good, and now we’re ready on part three, which is certain to be one of many greatest hits of the 12 months. Plus, along with additional exploring the world of Pandora, it’s all the time thrilling simply to see a brand new James Cameron film. Particularly since with every of those sequels, he continues to push the bar of know-how with dynamic, character-driven storytelling. – Germain Lussier

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

The Like a Dragon franchise went from being a zany, area of interest open-world sequence of video games to a family identify thanks in vital half to its prequel title, Yakuza 0, and its later entries having an English voice observe. Whereas Yakuza purists flip their noses up on the idea, accessibility is crucial, and the language barrier is not any completely different. Because of this developer Ryu Ga Gotoku is coming off a 12 months of releasing three Yakuza video games, solely to announce a fourth on the entrance finish of 2025 led by fan-favorite character (and Yakuza 0 limelight stealer) Goro Majima—actually a Kendrick Lamar-esque sequence of occasions. What’s extra, the studio, which famously reuses tons of its extremely detailed property to make video games so steadily (we love a conscientious developer), is righting the unsuitable of Ubisoft crapping out a crummy and long-delayed reside service pirate recreation in Cranium and Bones by making the pirate recreation that it promised with Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. In RGG, we belief. – Isaiah Colbert

Predator: Badlands

Prey was a delight again in 2022, and even earlier than it wrapped up, it was clear the Predator franchise was aiming for a comeback. Particulars on Predator: Badlands have been scarce, save for it’ll make the alien the star whereas Elle Fanning pulls double responsibility as twin sisters. We’ll ultimately discover out what Badlands has underneath the helmet, and may’t wait to see what it’s bringing to theaters on November 7, 2025. And it’s not even the one Predator flick hitting subsequent 12 months! – Justin Carter

Andor Season 2

Star Wars has had a little bit of a tough time with itself recently, because the sequence struggles to chart a transparent path ahead with a imaginative and prescient of what it truly needs Star Wars to be. However one of many uncommon highlights of this malaise to show a readability of objective is lastly again, after a delayed wait: Cassian will lastly discover us all in Andor’s second, final season on April 22. Expectations are by the roof after the incredible first season, and each little tidbit we’ve been teased to date has us hoping that one other Andor excessive can maintain us lengthy sufficient to really make it to Lucasfilm managing to get a film into theaters once more. – James Whitbrook

Synduality: Echo of Ada

As a routine mourner of Titanfall as a online game franchise, any inkling of a brand new sci-fi mecha recreation that has the potential to be a non secular successor whereas being anime-AF is like catnip to gamers worldwide, and Bandai Namco’s Sydnduality: Echo of Ada might fill these sneakers. Its characters look fairly, its mechs much more, and its fight clips scratch that itch in each mecha fan’s mind to pilot weave their large robotic by a flurry of oncoming missiles with the help of their congested UI prompts. Let’s hope it lives as much as the hype. – Isaiah Colbert

Metroid Prime 4: Past

As we’ve seen with Mario, Zelda, and extra, Nintendo treats its OG titles with further care. Which is why it is going to have taken virtually 20 years to make a mainline Metroid recreation, one which was introduced virtually a decade in the past. And sure, Metroid Dread was superior. However Prime 4 guarantees to be a lot larger and extra formidable. A real return to the world of Samus Aran in a manner that players have been ready for, in some circumstances, all their lives. – Germain Lussier

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Version 

The Xenoblade sequence has grow to be one in every of my all time favourite units of JRPGs, however one in every of its most interesting entries has been locked to the Wii U for the very best a part of a decade. That’s altering with the discharge of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition on the Swap, which signifies that, in the end, extra individuals can expertise this fascinating refraction of Xenoblade that jukes the place the sci-fantasy sequence normally jives, leaning far more into the previous style to ship one in every of Nintendo’s finest open-world RPGs. A mech recreation that truly retains you away from the enormous robots on the duvet for the opening half of the sport, X makes up for its comparatively gentle narrative beats with a very outstanding world to find, one which rewards gamers prepared to interact in exploration with an extremely wealthy setting. I can’t wait to have each entry in one in every of my favourite sequence lastly playable in a single place. – James Whitbrook

Witch Hat Atelier

Final 12 months noticed an enormous increase in fantasy anime with exhibits like Frieren: Past Journey’s Finish and Delicious in Dungeon. To finish the trifecta of what’s been christened because the fantasy huge three is Bug Movie’s upcoming anime adaptation of Witch Hat Atelier. Whereas Frieren and Scrumptious in Dungeon flourished respectively with their character work and world-building, Witch Hat Atelier excels at each, with an ingenious magic system. Furthermore, the sequence is laden with themes much like 2024 standout Look Back, which portrays the trials and tribulations of studying a brand new ability. Quite than tune into no matter Harry Potter slop Warner Bros is making advert nauseam, reward your self by making Witch Hat Atelier your anime to look at in 2025. – Isaiah Colbert

Sinners

After tackling Creed and Marvel, Ryan Coogler’s about to point out us his personal unique tackle horror. The prospect of Michael B. Jordan enjoying twins going up towards one thing supernatural of their hometown is just too good to go up, and it grew to become much more attention-grabbing as soon as the first trailer hit. Add on an inevitably unbelievable rating by Ludwig Göransson, and hell yeah, signal us up for Sinners. – Justin Carter

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