5 Lesser Known Great Upcoming Games To Look At
Discover five under-the-radar upcoming games you need to know about in 2025. From off-road narrative sims to wholesome tea-shop adventures, these games provide fresh experiences worth adding to your wishlist!
Why Should You Keep an Eye on Less Popular Upcoming Games?
While AAA blockbuster games dominate the headlines, 2025’s independent scene is replete with innovative experiences that fall through the cracks. Since Grand Theft Auto 6 was pushed to 2026, competition for the 2025 Game Awards has paved the way, making space for small studios and new concepts for upcoming games to shine.
These hidden gems often blend experimental storytelling, trial mechanics, and personal vision, ingredients with the potential to redefine our expectations of games. Bookmark these five not-so-well-known upcoming games to stay ahead of the curve.
1. Zarya
Zarya is an atmospheric simulator game set in the countryside of post-Soviet Russia, where you play as Vasily, a delivery driver who drives through hazardous roads and helps villagers with everyday tasks. Unlike other simulators, Zarya merges off-road vehicle mechanics reminiscent of Mudrunner with rich, character-driven storytelling reminiscent of Disco Elysium.
You’ll grill kebabs, fish, and traverse dilapidated villages, all while uncovering personal tales hidden in radio broadcasts and roadside encounters. Currently in playtest sign-up with no firm release date, Zarya’s focus on cultural authenticity and atmospheric world-building makes it a must-watch for narrative enthusiasts.
2. Glaciered
Developed by Studio Snowblind and published by Playism, Glaciered is a third-person action-adventure game set 65 million years in the future, when the Earth’s surface has glaciated and birds have evolved into an underwater race called the Tuai. Players control a ruthless protagonist imbued with ice-and-fire powers as they battle gargantuan sea creatures beneath glacial ruins.
Featuring real-time combat that marries the responsiveness of character-action games with an otherworldly underwater setting, Glaciered is aiming to provide a blend of exploration and fast-paced combat. Scheduled for a Q3 2025 release on Windows via Steam, its high-concept ambition and striking art style make it a highlight among the innovations of upcoming games in 2025.
3. Consume Me
Consume Me is a semi-autobiographical puzzle-narrative game by Jenny Jiao Hsia and AP Thomson about dieting, self-image, and teenage angst. Nominated for five awards at the 2025 Independent Games Festival, including the Seumas McNally Grand Prize, and winner of that award, as well as the Nuovo and Wings Awards!
It’s a dark comedy but a bittersweet exploration of personal struggles. The game tasks players with balancing “dieting” mini-games, school distractions, and household chores, all wrapped into a narrative that balances humor and introspection. On Windows and macOS, Consume Me is an excellent instance of how tiny teams can produce deeply relatable games.
4. Bye, Sweet Carole
Touted as one of the 25 most promising indie games of 2025, Bye Sweet Carole combines classic 2D platforming with dark fairy-tale aesthetics. Developed by Little Sewing Machine and Meangrip Studios, it reminds me of the visuals of classic Disney animations, but with a twist in the form of creepy villains and challenging level design.
Players guide a young heroine through magical woods and distorted castles, solving environmental puzzles and fighting off malevolent forces. Though its exact release date is TBA, early footage and community buzz suggest that Bye Sweet Carole might reimagine how fairy tale charm collides with merciless gameplay.
5. Wanderstop
From the developers of The Stanley Parable and Myst’s composer C418 (yep, the same person who made that iconic Minecraft music) comes Wanderstop, a cozy narrative adventure where you brew tea to restore a retired warrior named Alta. Developed by Ivy Road and published by Annapurna Interactive, the game features hex-grid farming for tea ingredients, soothing world design inspired by Impressionism, and a dynamic soundtrack by C418.
Releasing on PS5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S, Wanderstop overturns its developers’ metafiction tradition for a sincere exploration of burnout and persistence. Its fusion of therapeutic gameplay and affective narrative makes it an outstanding “cozy” game.
Final Thoughts
These five upcoming games are indicative of the great variety of innovation flourishing beyond mainstream headlines. Whether you crave muddy hikes through countryside landscapes, ice-filled underwater action, introspective puzzle-solving, darkly whimsical platforming, or cozy tea shop storytelling, 2025’s upcoming games have something fresh to offer.
There’s always going to be games coming out to give everyone something they want from a title, but even so, it’s easy to miss something you may just love. Wishlist these upcoming games right away, and be among the first to experience tomorrow’s classics!
