The Best Mid-Budget Games Arriving in 2025

Introduction

AAA games are cool if you like 100-gigabyte downloads, broken launchers, microtransactions, corporate greed, blah blah blah. (Exciting music) But just below that surface lies the sweet spot of gaming: AA games. Not quite indie, not quite corporate sellout—smaller budgets, bigger risks, and much more likely to actually be fun. And there is plenty on the immediate horizon in 2025. Hi folks, it’s Khizar, and today on Curious Craze

: 20 Amazing AA Games Still to Come This Year.

Quarantine Zone: The Last Check

Starting off with number 20, it’s Quarantine Zone: The Last Check. Weird name, goofy opening moments in the trailer—you might think it’s a half-baked asset flip game, but it’s actually got a really interesting premise. It’s essentially Papers, Please but with zombies. You run a blockade, the last defense against the zombie hordes. And when survivors arrive, you need to check ’em for signs of cuts or bites. But unlike some zombie media, it seems like finding out if someone’s infected or not isn’t super easy. When you’re not interrogating survivors and liquidating the infected, you’re holding off against waves of undead and upgrading and expanding your base. Your choices apparently matter and can affect the future of humanity. We certainly appreciate it. I actually have pretty high expectations for Quarantine Zone. Devolver is publishing, which automatically gives me a lot of faith that it’s the real deal. And the demo? It’s solid. Check it out. Keep an eye out for when it releases sometime in November.

The House of Tesla

And number 19, it’s The House of Tesla. An upcoming puzzle game from the makers of The House of Da Vinci. Looks like a bigger, more refined version of those room puzzle games for iOS, which would make sense ’cause that’s basically what House of Da Vinci was. And it looks like it’s gonna be an even better version of that. These games give you some kind of Myst-like contraptions that you need to turn on or a puzzle box to unravel. But a big part of the fun of these things is how tactile it is to slide open panels and pull levers and just fiddle with every little button and knob. They’re puzzle games that just feel good to play. And it looks like House of Tesla is gonna continue that tradition. Look out for this one when it launches September 23rd.

Code Violet

And number 18 is Code Violet. This could go either way. The trailer is undeniably impressive. I love a good survival horror. The environments look varied and interesting. The character you play as looks cool. But as I’ve said before, when talking about this game, it’s being made by TeamKill Media—the guys who did Quantum Error, which is a shockingly bad and ridiculous game. I cannot understate how awful Quantum Error is. It’s like if MindJack was first-person, involved firefighting, and was just a lot worse. They’re clearly amateur developers swinging big with these projects, and that was their first game, so why not give ’em a bit of a second chance with Code Violet, especially ’cause it’s got dinosaurs. It’s essentially a next-gen Dino Crisis, which is a fantastic idea for a game. But what I’m saying here is probably don’t pre-order this one. Wait and see what the consensus is on it—both critically and just what people think of it. It’s hard not to get a little excited Reading the trailer ’cause it’s good-looking stuff, but temper your expectations, ’cause it could be a dud. I hope it isn’t. I would actually really like it to just be a great game and a next-generation Dino Crisis. So let’s see. It launches November 14th on PS5.

Sand

And number 17 is Sand. The upcoming survival PvPvE is sort of like Sea of Thieves, but instead of the sea, you’ve got a whole lot of sand. And instead of ships, you’re piloting these big robot sand-walker things called Tramplers that can be customized and designed to your liking. It’s a gigantic walking base that you can gather loot in the procedurally generated desert. You fight giant enemies, and you take on other players commanding their own walking bases. It is a really ambitious game that looks incredible in motion. It seems like they’ve got this one together. It was originally scheduled to come out back in April, but it got delayed to sometime later in 2025. But I do think it’s gonna come out this year ’cause the developers are running a playtest in August with the expectation that 1.0 is probably gonna happen this year. Contradicts our Steam page, but that’s just saying it’ll be early access. Either way, the game is looking like something special, and you know we’re gonna be there when it’s finally out.

Seafarer: The Ship Sim

And number 16 is Seafarer: The Ship Sim. Welcome to nice water, the game. Seafarer: The Ship Sim is an upcoming job simulator. It looks really ambitious from the trailers. You’d think a game like this—they’d pick one kind of boat for you to tool around in, but it looks like there’s gonna be a lot of different job types you can pursue and play around with, from tiny little dinghy all the way up to huge cargo ships. The trailer shows a wide variety of activities, and it all looks really impressive. The water physics seem to be extremely realistic as well. And while the whole thing has the usual dry presentation of your average simulator game, the highly detailed ship interiors look really authentic. It looks like it really wants to strike a balance between mundane reality and fun, fun video game. And it looks like it could be the next big chill-out game experience to rival something like American Truck Simulator. The nautical-themed open-world simulation game comes October 7th.

Little Nightmares 3

And number 15 is Little Nightmares 3. The third game in the series finally brings in full co-op. And while Tarsier Studios have gone on to make their own game that looks pretty awesome, this entry’s in the capable hands of Supermassive Games—the guys behind Until Dawn and the Dark Pictures games. If you know Supermassive, you can tell they’re making this ’cause it’s got all the stuff that pops up in their games: a creepy doll, a carnival, evil twitchy children, and a real, you know, Slipknot album cover vibe, which is sort of—but not exactly—the tone of the original games. Everything I’ve seen in the trailers, it does seem to kind of miss that special something the Tarsier Games versions had. But that doesn’t mean it’s gonna be bad. Supermassive can be kind of hit or miss, but I’m hoping they’ll come through on this one and bring their own signature style to the Little Nightmares series. The game’s launching October 10th on all major platforms, and I’m really curious to see how they pull it off.

Kingmakers

And number 14 is Kingmakers. This game has a simple but pretty perfect premise: what if a special forces guy fought a medieval army? They could have made an entire game around that, and I’d be sold. But Kingmakers takes that idea and just runs with it. It’s not just that you’re using a machine gun on Iron Age armies—you’re also leading armies, driving motorcycles and pickup trucks and tanks, and blowing up buildings that realistically collapse. There’s co-op and strategy elements, which makes it sound like Mount & Blade but completely over the top, and it all sounds incredible. It’s highly anticipated, looks fun as hell, and if the actual strategy and sandbox elements are good, it’s gonna be something big. Kingmakers is launching in early access on Steam October 8th.

Slay the Spire 2

And number 13 is Slay the Spire 2. The first Slay the Spire is an excellent game, and the sequel looks like more of an excellent game, which is great. It’s not necessarily reinventing the wheel—it’s the same roguelike deck builder the first game was. The art style is mostly the same, maybe a little more detailed. And the new characters to play as—I mean, they’re new characters, but otherwise, it looks like Slay the Spire. There’s apparently more going on that I am not fully aware of. The Steam page implies there are new game modes that change things up, but from everything I’m seeing, it looks like a straightforward sequel. The first Spire was so good, so challenging, and so dense with clever decision-making and strategy that I kind of don’t think it needed to reinvent the wheel. I’m just looking forward to what they come up with for the sequel. I have a feeling it’s probably just perfecting the formula, and great—that’s great. Slay the Spire 2 launches into early access sometime later this year.

High on Life 2

And number 12 is High on Life 2. The original High on Life is one of those games that you’re either gonna click with or not. We at Curious Craze enjoyed it, but if you’re not into Rick and Morty-style stuff, you’re not gonna get a lot out of it. It looks like it’s doubling down on everything about the first game. This one—more talking guns voiced by famous comedy people. More violence, more rambly humor that rides a line between embarrassing and hilarious. If there’s one thing to look forward to in this sequel, it’s that it looks like the actual shooting is getting a little more love, with the introduction of a bunch of new guns and movement options like being able to ride a skateboard. Movement and combat look just more frantic and fast-paced. If they can really hit the nail on the head with combat here, High on Life 2 really has the potential to be awesome. No release date yet, but everything points to it coming sometime Winter 2025. (Exciting music continues)

Metal Eden

And number 11 is Metal Eden, a hyperactive, hyper-detailed boomer shooter that’s coming out really soon—September 2nd, specifically. So just a couple of weeks away. If you’re into absurdly fast, flashy FPS games, this is what to look out for. The trailers make it look like some kind of unholy combination of DOOM Eternal, Ghostrunner, and Cyberpunk. There’s wall-running, grappling hooks, air dashes, guns, and special powers. Looks like a ton of fun. There is a demo if you want to check it out right now. I haven’t actually gotten too far into it, but I’m going to be. It’s one I’ve been keeping an eye on, and I’ll definitely be giving it a go when it lands.

Herdling

And number 10 is Herdling. Having to herd animals in video games is usually miserable, but the madmen behind Herdling decided to make an entire game about herding where you—I mean, there’s a bunch of fantastical creatures you gotta get across a mountain. That’s the point. (Calming music) Sounds like an awful idea for a game. But these are the developers behind FAR: Lone Sails, so they know how to make a high-quality chill-out adventure game. This one looks like a big level-up for them too. The FAR games—excellent ideas, but this one looks much, much bigger. It seems like some of the management aspects of the FAR games remain here. Looks like you might need to keep your herd fed and happy to keep moving, and then that is interspersed with some light puzzle elements. The game’s coming super soon—launches August 21st. I expect it’ll be an underdog hit from these developers. They haven’t missed yet. (Exciting music)

Formula Legends

And number 9 is Formula Legends. For so long, it seemed like racing is only available to the AAA developers, but now we’re finally seeing these games open up to more moderately budgeted studios. And maybe they don’t have the money to make the most perfectly realistic depictions of automotive wheels possible, but they’re able to bring in fresh eyes and new ideas to an otherwise sometimes stagnant game genre. One thing that immediately makes me excited about this particular game is that it’s a royalty-free take on F1. So they’re not beholden to rights holders. There aren’t 1,000,001 stipulations of what they can and cannot do. These devs are free to interpret the sport as they see fit. One of the coolest things about this game is that the name Legends isn’t just a meaningless subtitle. The game actually attempts to recreate multiple eras of F1. It’s a celebration of the entire history of the sport. The visuals make this one look like a cartoony arcade racer, but underneath the hood, it’s pretty hardcore. There’s tons of customization options and tweaks that can be performed. It’s not gonna blow anybody away with the fidelity of the visuals. But honestly, if it’s fun, who really gives a shit? It’s coming September 18th for everything, including PlayStation 4 and Switch.

Styx: Blades of Greed

And number 8 is Styx: Blades of Greed. So few pure stealth games are coming out nowadays. The reveal of a new Styx game is actually a big breath of fresh air, in my opinion. These have never been the very best of the genre, but they’re solidly entertaining—especially the sequel. And if Cyanide manages to step up their game a little, this could be the one to actually, like, really break through. They’re embracing their freedom this time by giving you Dishonored-like powers to manipulate the world and mess with your enemies. Taken with the series’ trademark expansive levels that look even bigger and more impressive in this trailer, I expect it’s gonna be a fun one for stealth game aficionados when it launches sometime in Q4 2025. (Dramatic music)

Edge of Memory

And number 7 is Edge of Memory. Edge of Eternity was a highly ambitious—maybe too ambitious—indie. They wanted to be Xenoblade Chronicles on a shoestring budget, and it showed. The game’s sequel, Edge of Memory, is keeping that ambition. But this time, they’ve got a bigger budget, as evidenced by the game’s trailer, which is immensely, immensely a step up from the original. The art looks like a painting that came to life. The in-game action looks like a big step up as well. The original was one of those games that didn’t quite achieve everything it was trying to do, but this game looks a whole lot better. Hopefully, that promise is actually fulfilled when it launches sometime Q4.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide

And number 6 is SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide. The masters of the AA, THQ, return with yet another SpongeBob game. Usually, you’d write something like this off as another half-baked tie-in game. But the recent SpongeBob games from THQ—they’ve all been really solid. Battle for Bikini Bottom was a great remake. Cosmic Shake was a really satisfying modern-day platformer as well. This one, at least from the trailers, has the potential to be the best yet—not just ’cause of the bizarre presence of Mitch Von Malibu himself, David Hasselhoff. The effects and visuals are just the best yet. The levels look fun. There’s some new gimmicks too, like being able to play as Patrick. The game looks like a fun time for kids and nostalgic adults alike. This one is expected to release November 11.

Full Metal Schoolgirl

And number 5 is Full Metal Schoolgirl. This absurd-looking action game looks like if you took the premise of Hi-Fi Rush—an action game where you fight corporate robots—and then really cranked up the Japanese cultural absurdism to max. It’s a game that’s really leaning into stereotypes. I mean, just the name alone makes it sound like something you’d see in an anime parody, but that’s the tone they’re going for, and it actually looks pretty fun. What this thing is really about is over-the-top action. It looks like it’s got a whole bunch of that. Big bosses, waves of enemies, over-the-top attack powers—and that’s the game’s bread and butter. Could be totally lame, could be incredibly good—can’t say for sure right now. It’s being developed by Yuke’s though, who does have an inconsistent track record to say the least. But when they hit, they hit hard. If you want to beat up some robot salarymen, check this one out when it launches October 23rd.

Painkiller

And number 4 is Painkiller. Not the same Painkiller that kept the flame of the old-school shooter alive in the 2000s. But that doesn’t mean it’s gonna be bad. Yes, it’s a co-op shooter instead of a single-player game, but that’s the direction this series might need. You never know—a fresh start after those really terrible follow-up games might be what the doctor ordered. The game might have more in common with Left 4 Dead than the original Painkiller. But we now have tons of indie FPSs that have far exceeded the original Painkiller games. And while, outside of some games tied in the name like Vermintide and Darktide, among other things, Left 4 Dead has mostly not been tied. So why not go in that direction? There’s a lot of potential for fun here. The game looks like a full-blown power fantasy where you’re just wrecking house with over-the-top weapons and heavy metal album cover environments with teams of four. Honestly, could be a blast. It’s not far away either. It’s launching October 9th.

Dispatch

And number 3 is Dispatch. Created by a team of former Telltale people, Dispatch looks like it’s got a lot of that signature Telltale style mixed in with a dispatch management game, which—that’s kinda like This Is the Police, except with superheroes. It’s a fun idea for a game that could have been visually basic, but they’re really pulling out all the stops with this one. It’s fully animated. It’s got a stacked voice cast led by Aaron Paul and Laura Bailey, among many others. The characters look fun. The office stuff mixed with the superhero idea sounds charming, and I like the concept of a Telltale-style game with some actual gameplay involved. You’re a dispatcher. You actually have to manage a roster of heroes and think about who to send out on what mission and when. There is a demo out that’s gotten a lot of positive buzz. So I expect it’s probably gonna be a game to watch out for when it releases sometime near the end of the year.

Showa American Story

And number 2 is Showa American Story. If you ever wonder what would happen if, in the 1980s, Japan took over the United States and then everything just went downhill quick—basically, that’s what’s going on here. It’s kind of a grindhouse meets kung fu meets dystopian American future thing. Kind of like if Quentin Tarantino directed that Yakuza spinoff game where there were zombies. Gameplay-wise, it’s a spectacle-oriented action RPG with melee brawling, gunplay, and even what looks to be some weird mini-games. It’s coming to us from Netcom Entertainment, and it’s gonna land on the PC and the PlayStations later in the year.

Solasta 2

And finally, at number 1, it’s Solasta 2. It’s Baldur’s Gate 3 on a budget, which sounds like it’s selling the game short—and it kind of is. The original Solasta was definitely on the lower end of the budget scale, but managed to be one of the best CRPGs out there. The first game really felt like a tabletop RPG come to life. And it looks like they’re really leaning into that for more freeform, player-driven sort of design with the sequel. It just looks a whole lot better doing it. This really is the only tactical RPG to come close to matching the visual fidelity of Larian’s game. And while it’s still falling a little short, it might actually end up being a good thing. If they sacrificed a little of the flashiness to make a bigger and more reactive world, I am, of course, all for it. The first game was great. This looks like a big step up. Could be the next great Dungeons & Dragons RPG. It’s coming sometime later in the year. Might be suspicious ’cause we’re already in late August, but at least there’s a demo available on Steam, so they’re pretty confident in it.

Outro

That’s all for today. Leave us a comment. Let us know what you think. Don’t forget to enable notifications. And as always, thank you very much for Reading this blog. I’m Khizar. We’ll see you next time right here on Curious Craze.