While esports games are often persistent hits that stay popular for years, it’s hard to not want to peak into the future in 2025 and guess at the next biggest games that are set to sweep the esports space.
We’ve put together a list of some of the biggest games releasing in 2025 that have the potential to make a splash in the world of esports and competitive gaming. While, ofcourse, developers are sometimes able to surprise players, this appears to be a relatively comprehensive list. Here are the biggest esports games releasing in 2025:
Esports Games Releasing In 2025
Deadlock (Full Games Release 2025?)
Image Credit: Valve
Valve is one of the biggest names in all of gaming, creators of Half-Life, the Steam platform, and for esports, the publisher behind Counter-Strike and Dota 2. So, when a secret set of invites to a new hero-shooter MOBA called Deadlock, made by Valve, in 2024, heads started turning. The game is still in a kind of weird early access with players having to join by invite. Still, there’s already been Beta tournaments and competitive events. We expect Deadlock to get a full release later this year, although remember we’re running on ‘Valve Time.’
Fortnite Ballistic (2025)
Image Credit: Epic Games
Mixing the hyper-accessible pick-up and play style of Fortnite with ‘Search and Destroy/Bomb Defusal’ gameplay immediately sounds like a winning combination. Fortnite Ballistic Early Access has already been a hit, and is bringing a younger generation of gamers into the tac-shooter sub genre. While CS snobs and CoD kids will turn their noses up at Fortnite, there’s no doubt that this behemoth of the gaming space will make a splash with its own take on the classic bomb disposal game-type. Expect a full release in mid 2025.
2XKO (2025)
Image Credit: Riot Games
From its humble begins as ‘Project L’ to its ridiculous working title “2KXO,” Riot Games’ upcoming fighting game has the makings of being a mega hit. A team-based fighter in the vein of Marvel vs. Capcom with characters familiar from the world of League of Legends, there’s no doubt that on launch this could be a massive success. However, the biggest thing likely to hold the title back is Riot Games themselves. The notoriously control-obsessed company loves making sure its has the last say on every aspect of its games’ usage in esports. The control-freak nature of Riot could clash with the independence of the FGC. Still, expect this title in the middle of 2025.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (April 21, 2025)
Image Credit: SNK
The first title on our list with a complete release date, Fatal Fury will get its first new game in over two decades as Terry Bogard, Mai Shirunai and Co. get their first game since 1999. While we’ve seen Terry and Mai in other titles, it’s actually insane we’ve not had a Fatal Fury game in so long. And early trailers and gameplay seem to show this is a fresh new entry into a slightly packed FGC lineup. Still, for pure novelty and FOMO we expect Fatal Fury: City of Wolves to take over the early part of this year.
Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O (Jan. 27, 2025)
Image Credit: SEGA
While technically not a new game, Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O is set to revitalise an almost two decade old title by giving it a release on PC with 4k support, 60fps boost, and rollback netcode. Beyond this, the PS4 version of Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown, released in 2021 is getting an update to bring it up to a similar standard. This game is a classic, and giving it a new audience is sure to spark a resurgence in the competitive scene no matter what.
LoL Esports Manager (2025?)
Image Credit: Riot Games
Anyone whose lost a few evenings to Football Manager or a NCAA Football Dynasty mode can tell you just how addictive sports management games can be. And so Riot’s upcoming LoL Esports Manager game, which has been hinted at, but not showcased so far could be massive. Unfortunately, like the League of Legends MMO which appears to be stuck in some kind of development hell, LoL Esports Manager has been silent for almost three years now. This one is a speculative 2025 release or beta.
Gears of War: E-Day (Late 2025)
Image Credit: Xbox Game Studios
The return of Gears of War is definitely not something we had on our bingo card for this year, but with the announcement of Gears of War: E-Day it seems like an esports scene that had been dead and buried since 2022 is finally making a return. Gears is a game like no other, as cover shooters have not traditionally made for good competitive fare. But as one of the original Xbox heavy hitters, there’s no doubt that both a new generation of players and a dedicated fan base of old heads could make Gears great again in 2025.
Guilty Gear Strive: Nintendo Switch Edition (Jan 23, 2025)
Image Credit: ARC System Works
Guilty Gear Strive is already a huge title for the FGC, and a few years after its release it’s expanding its reach with the Nintendo Switch. While this isn’t set to be anything groundbreaking, Fighting Games always get a resurgence when they hit a new platform, and if the switch can handle Strive, then expect a wave of new players.
Capcom Fighting Game Collection 2 (2025)
Image Credit: Capcom
The original Capcom Fighting Game Collection, released in 2022, rereleased 10 classic Capcom titles including Darkstalkers, Cyberbots, and Super Gem Fighter. Now in 2025, some of the Capcom’s other past titles are escaping the vault. Power Stone, Straight Fighter Alpha 3, and Capcom vs. SNK Millennium Fight 2000 Pro Project Justice are just some of the titles joining the collection. And they’ll feature rollback netcode, making them not just rereleases for home play, but something that will spark a resurgence of play all over the world.
And those are the biggest esports games releasing in 2025. Stick with Esports.net for more esports news on the biggest titles releasing across all of gaming.