In our Best Shooter Games of 2024 list, we wrote that the genre had bested 2023's output thanks to new releases like Helldivers 2, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and Marvel Rivals. Well, now that we look ahead at what's coming in 2025, we can already tell this one's going to be even better - and it might even dwarf prior years if certain rumored launches actually happen. That said, we'll stick to what's been confirmed by publishers to be scheduled for this year. It's already a great-looking list, anyway.
Previously on Wccftech's Most Anticipated Games of 2025: Fighting, Action, Indie, RPG, Horror, Sports and Racing, Strategy and Simulation
Sniper Elite: Resistance (January 30)
The year for shooter games begins with the return of Rebellion's Sniper Elite tactical shooter franchise, which is out in less than ten days. This time, players will find Harry Hawker, who was available for selection in the cooperative modes of the three previous installments, as the lead character. An agent of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) division, Hawker discovers the existence of a new wonder weapon, reportedly so powerful that it would practically guarantee the Nazis' victory in the war. He'll have to work with the French Resistance in 1944 Vichy France (the events running in parallel to those seen in Sniper Elite 5) to locate and destroy the weapon before it can ever be used.
Sniper Elite: Resistance is adding a new Propaganda Mode that is unlocked by discovering hidden Propaganda posters. In this mode, you get to play as a Resistance fighter in quick-fire challenges against the clock. The campaign is also fully playable in co-op, and the fan-favorite, Souls-like inspired Axis Invasion returns as well.
DOOM: The Dark Ages (TBA 2025)
Following the successful releases of 2016's DOOM and 2020's DOOM Eternal, it's no wonder that The Dark Ages may be topping the personal most anticipated shooter games chart of many genre fans. id Software has successfully recaptured and reimagined what made the franchise great in the first place, and we can't wait to see how this new evolution plays out.
For now, all we know is that this is effectively a prequel that will show how the legend of the DOOM Slayer started. The developers have described it as a 'cinematic origin story' where the protagonist will become the last hope of a medieval fantasy-inspired kingdom against the onslaught of Hellish forces.
Borderlands 4 (TBA 2025)
The fifth (despite the title) mainline installment in the cooperative looter shooter series by Gearbox Software was announced at Gamescom 2024 with much fanfare. We saw it again at The Game Awards 2024, where Gearbox debuted a story trailer introducing the new big bad called The Timekeeper. According to the press brief, a world-altering catastrophe threatens his perfect order and unleashes chaos on Kairos, the planet Borderlands 4 is set on, which the developers described as the most dangerous planet yet in the series.
The main features revealed so far include deeper, more diverse skill trees; an expanded loot hunt; the ability to travel seamlessly between zones; a dynamic world filled with events and discoverable side content; new traversal mechanics available for both exploration and combat; and even a vehicle that can be summoned almost anywhere on Kairos.
ARC Raiders (TBA 2025)
Swedish studio Embark may have launched The Finals as their first game, but that was not the first project they announced. That label goes to ARC Raiders, which evolved over the years from the original plan of a PvE co-op shooter to its new form as a PvPvE extraction shooter. We finally got a gameplay trailer of the overhauled game at Geoff Keighley's TGA 2024, and to go with it, Embark shared a thorough overview of the mechanics and features.
In ARC Raiders, players will scavenge the lethal surface in a post-apocalyptic future for supplies and materials, facing enemy ARC machines and other players. As with any extraction game, to keep their loot, players must reach extraction points, risking ambushes to extract vital crafting materials or items to sell to NPC vendors for in-game currency. Players will have their own workshop to craft new equipment, such as advanced weapon mods or unique gadgets, and can also customize their playstyle with a skill tree. NPC merchants will also offer quests to complete on the surface.
Battlefield 6 (Fall 2025)
Yes, last but certainly not least, we have the return of Battlefield. After what happened with Battlefield V and 2042, DICE cannot afford to miss again. To that end, Electronic Arts has put Respawn's Vince Zampella in charge of the franchise, and the veteran game designer recently confirmed the new game will take place in a modern setting. We don't really know many details about Battlefield 6 other than the goal to deliver the most realistic and exciting destruction ever seen in a game and the fact that there are four development studios busy working on it: DICE (primarily focused on multiplayer), Criterion (both single player and multiplayer), Motive (they're crafting the new campaign), and Ripple Effect (working on a new Battlefield experience, possibly the rumored free-to-play Battle Royale mode). We should get a lot more official info in the coming months.
Community Poll
Out of the listed five most anticipated shooter games, which one are you anticipating the most?
Honorable Mentions
There are several more noteworthy shooter games slated for this calendar year, such as:
