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

The previous two weeks, we right here at io9 have appeared 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 trying ahead to in 2025. Be at liberty to tell us what you’re excited for (and hope hits the mark) within the feedback under.

Cell Swimsuit Gundam: GQuuuuuuX

M3GAN 2.0

Avatar: Fireplace and Ash

After two motion pictures, I believe we will 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 bound to be one of many largest hits of the 12 months. Plus, along with additional exploring the world of Pandora, it’s at all times 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 important 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 important, 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 continuously (we love a conscientious developer), is righting the incorrect of Ubisoft crapping out a crummy and long-delayed reside service pirate sport in Cranium and Bones by making the pirate sport 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 finally discover out what Badlands has underneath the helmet, and might’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 currently, because the sequence struggles to chart a transparent path ahead with a imaginative and prescient of what it really 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 way of the roof after the incredible first season, and each little tidbit we’ve been teased to this point has us hoping that one other Andor excessive can maintain us lengthy sufficient to truly 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 sport 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 may fill these footwear. 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 way of 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 additional care. Which is why it is going to have taken nearly 20 years to make a mainline Metroid sport, one which was introduced nearly 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 approach that players have been ready for, in some circumstances, all their lives. – Germain Lussier

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Version 

The Xenoblade sequence has develop into one in all my all time favourite units of JRPGs, however one in all its best entries has been locked to the Wii U for the perfect a part of a decade. That’s altering with the discharge of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition on the Swap, which implies that, in the end, extra folks can expertise this fascinating refraction of Xenoblade that jukes the place the sci-fantasy sequence often jives, leaning rather more into the previous style to ship one in all Nintendo’s greatest open-world RPGs. A mech sport that really retains you away from the enormous robots on the quilt for the opening half of the sport, X makes up for its comparatively mild narrative beats with a very exceptional 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 all my favourite sequence lastly playable in a single place. – James Whitbrook

Witch Hat Atelier

Final 12 months noticed an enormous growth 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 massive 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. Fairly 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 authentic tackle horror. The prospect of Michael B. Jordan taking part in twins going up in opposition to one thing supernatural of their hometown is simply 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

Need extra io9 information? Try when to count on the most recent Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and every part you’ll want to learn about the way forward for Doctor Who.