2025 in Gaming: The Biggest Moments of the Year

2025 was one of those years where gaming news never really slowed down. Every few weeks, something big happened. Between surprise hardware reveals, industry-wide shifts, painful layoffs, and one indie game rewriting the Game Awards history, this year felt unpredictable in the best and worst ways. Whether you play on console, PC, or watch the chaos from the sidelines, these were the moments everyone talked about. Here are the biggest moments of the year.

10. The Game Awards Big Reveals

Once again, The Game Awards 2025 proved why it’s the biggest night on the gaming calendar, especially if you’re there for the announcements. This year’s show was stacked. Fans got the reveal of Mega Man: Dual Override, a fresh 2D return for the classic series, along with Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, a single-player RPG led by the original KOTOR director.

Larian Studios also showed off Divinity, a massive new RPG that looked ready to become another genre heavyweight. Horror fans weren’t left out either, with Resident Evil: Requiem officially unveiled, while Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis marked Lara Croft’s next big adventure. Additionally, there were updates for Marvel Rivals, 007: First Light, and Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred, keeping live-service players well fed.

9. Battlefield 6 Turns the Tables on Call of Duty

Ever imagined a true Call of Duty vs Battlefield showdown? In 2025, it finally happened. For years, Call of Duty felt untouchable. No matter what Battlefield tried, it always seemed stuck playing catch-up. Then Battlefield 6 launched, and everything changed.

This time, the game arrived confident and complete, something the series hadn’t pulled off in a long while. For the first time since 2006, a Battlefield release seriously challenged Call of Duty in sales. Battlefield 6 moved over 7 million copies at launch, outperforming Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 during the same window. 

8. Valve’s New Steam Hardware

Valve made one thing clear in 2025. It still loves experimenting. In November, the company announced a new Steam Machine, a compact living-room-friendly PC designed to sit comfortably alongside consoles. Along with it came a redesigned Steam Controller and the reveal of the Steam Frame VR headset. 

This was Valve’s biggest hardware push since the Steam Deck, and it immediately split opinions. Some saw it as a smart move toward making PC gaming more accessible. Others questioned whether the market was ready for another hybrid device. Either way, Valve achieved its usual goal. It got people talking. 

7. Microsoft’s Multiplatform Migration

Microsoft had been hinting at it for years. In 2025, it finally happened. Xbox games started launching on PlayStation and Nintendo platforms at a steady pace. Not spin-offs or side projects. Full releases. The message was clear. Microsoft now sees itself as a publisher first and a console maker second.

For some fans, this was shocking. For others, it was overdue. On one side, Xbox hardware felt less essential. On the other hand, more players gained access to great games. Love it or hate it, this shift may shape how gaming works for the next decade.

6. Nintendo Switch 2 Launches and Breaks Records

Nintendo rarely misses, and the Switch 2 was no exception. When it launched, the console became Nintendo’s fastest-selling system ever, blowing past expectations in its first few weeks. The hybrid design remained intact, battery life improved, and the launch lineup balanced strong first-party titles with better third-party support than the original Switch ever had. Under the hood, performance upgrades finally brought Nintendo closer to modern standards, while improved Joy-Cons and smoother online features fixed long-standing complaints. 

5. Hollow Knight: Silksong Finally Arrived

After years of silence, speculation, and endless memes, Hollow Knight: Silksong finally released on March 14, 2025. And somehow, against all odds, it lived up to the hype. Team Cherry delivered a sequel that felt instantly recognizable but clearly evolved. Combat was faster, movement felt smoother, and the world was packed with secrets that rewarded curiosity. Of course, it didn’t try to outgrow the original. It deepened it. The wait was long and often frustrating, but for many fans, the payoff was worth it. 

4. Microsoft Massive Layoffs

Not every major moment in 2025 was celebratory. Microsoft announced another massive wave of layoffs across its gaming division, and this one hit especially hard. Over 10,000 employees were let go, and several studios were shut down entirely. The Initiative was closed, canceling the Perfect Dark reboot, while Monolith Productions was shuttered alongside the cancellation of its Wonder Woman game. 

What made the situation sting even more was the timing. These cuts came alongside strong financial results. Major organizational shifts reportedly drove this. This includes aggressive restructuring and increased AI integration, with automation affecting areas like coding, QA, and sales support. 

3. Saudi Arabia and Jared Kushner EA Buyout

Few stories sparked more debate in 2025 than the EA buyout. What started as rumors quickly became reality when Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund teamed up with Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners and Silver Lake to complete a $55 billion leveraged buyout of Electronic Arts. The deal took EA private, with PIF holding the majority stake. The reaction was immediate and intense. Players and developers raised concerns about creative independence, ethics, and long-term influence over one of gaming’s biggest publishers. 

2. GTA VI Gets Delayed Again. And Again

If frustration had a face in 2025, it would probably look like Grand Theft Auto VI. Rockstar announced not one, but two delays, pushing the most anticipated game of the decade even further into the future. The current release window now sits at November 19, 2026, assuming there are no further delays. While fans were understandably annoyed, the situation wasn’t shocking. Still, each delay tested the patience of a community that’s been waiting since the PS4 era.

1. An Indie Game Wins Game of the Year

The biggest moment of 2025 didn’t come from a massive studio or billion-dollar franchise. It came from an indie game. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 stunned the industry by winning Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025. In the process, it made history. The game won a record-breaking nine awards, including Game of the Year, Best RPG, and Best Indie Game, sweeping most major categories. Developed by French studio Sandfall Interactive, the game also earned a record 12 nominations, highlighting just how much impact it had across the industry.