Here Are The Most Exciting Games Launching In February 2025
Some of the biggest games of 2025 are already here.
The gaming year is already off to a strong start, with some of 2025’s biggest releases landing in February. Despite the delay of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, it’s a month filled with exciting launches, whether you’re looking for RPGs, strategy games, or narrative adventures.
Highly anticipated releases are arriving from the first week of the month to its very last day. With so many interesting games about to come out, it can be hard to know which to play first, so here are our picks for the most exciting releases of February 2025.
5. Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
Lost Records brings developer Don’t Nod back to its supernatural teen drama roots.
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is the next game from Life is Strange creator Don’t Nod, and while it’s a return to form for the studio known for supernatural teen drama, it’s more than a simple rehash. Lost Records follows a group of four teenage girls who uncover an otherworldly mystery in the woods (the nature of which Don’t Nod hasn’t revealed), and the same group as their discovery comes back to haunt them 27 years later.
Lost Records looks to be full of ‘90s fun, from retro fashion to garage band practice, until the supernatural threat kicks in. As far as I’m concerned, that alone makes it worth playing. Lost Records will be released in two parts — Tape 1 lands on February 18, with Tape 2 hitting on March 18.
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on February 18.
4. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii takes the already wild Like a Dragon series to a new level.
As you can probably guess from its name, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is set to be a wild ride. Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii stars Goro Majima, a recurring character from the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series, but in a very different setting. Rather than devoting his time to fighting fellow series staple Kiryu Kazuma as much as humanly possible, Majima heads a pirate crew on the search for buried treasure.
Like a Dragon is over the top to begin with, but Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii looks like it will take the series to new heights. We’ve already seen combat between wacky customizable ships, a Mad Max-esque pirate haven, and Majima summoning animals in combat, and there’s likely even more absurdity to come in the latest Like a Dragon game, which Sega has said is somehow within the main series canon.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii launches on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC on February 20.
3. Avowed
Avowed brings the world of Pillars of Eternity into a first-person RPG.
Obsidian showed it’s possible to make a good first-person open-world RPG that doesn’t take dozens of hours to finish with The Outer Worlds, and the developer is back at it with this month’s Avowed. Eschewing the endless wandering of the Skyrim model, Obsidian is focusing on telling an engaging story in a compelling fantasy world.
Avowed lets you mix magic, melee, and even rudimentary guns for customizable combat while using your wits and social skills to solve quests that need a bit more subtlety. What could really set Avowed apart, though, is its setting. Avowed takes place in the same world as Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity, a land with its own rich history and simmering political tensions. You play as a Godlike, a race thought to be touched by the gods, but feared by others as a harbinger of doom. If Avowed has a story and a cast as interesting as those in Pillars of Eternity, RPG fans could be in for a treat when it launches.
Avowed launches on Xbox Series X/S and PC on February 18.
2. Civilization VII
Civilization VII is making big changes to the classic strategy series.
Clear your schedule for this one. The Civilization series is known for gobbling up time with detailed empire management so compelling you’ll lose hours swearing you’ll only play for “just one more turn.”
Civilization VII looks to carry on that time-devouring tradition while shaking up quite a lot about the series. This time around, you play through three distinct “ages” in each game, switching which civilization you control in each. Every age brings new mechanics to keep the experience fresh, and unlike in past games, your civilization doesn’t lock you to certain leaders, meaning you can mix and match their distinct bonuses for unexpected strategic benefits. Messing around with a classic formula is a risky move, but if nothing else, Civilization VII looks like the most exciting game in the series in a long time thanks to its bold reinvention of a classic.
Civilization VII launches on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC on February 11.
1. Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds could bring a whole new audience to the deep action series.
The Monster Hunter series has, appropriately enough, always been a massive and untamable beast. Its sprawling size and complex combat make it difficult to get into, but deeply rewarding to invest in. Monster Hunter World brought in a lot of new players, and Monster Hunter Wilds looks like it could open the doors even wider.
While Monster Hunter Wilds doesn’t seem to be losing any complexity, the addition of NPC party members could make it easier for solo players to embrace. Its new open world also makes it easier to start quests on the fly, and a mount lets players get around the world faster, while also adding a new form of combat and the ability to swap weapons in the field. Everything we’ve seen so far suggests Monster Hunter Wilds could be just as much of a breakthrough as Monster Hunter World, so get your weapons sharpened before it launches at the end of next month.
