As we reach the end of 2024, gamers are already speculating on what gaming trends will dominate next year. Gaming hardware technology has seen quite a few major upgrades and innovations over the past couple of years, so it only makes sense that people are already trying to figure out what 2025 will bring to the gaming world.
Though no one has a crystal ball, we do know what some recent trends have been showing us, particularly when we see the online casino trends from https://www.johnslots.com/en/slots/electric-avenue/. These industry leaders and experts offer the latest options when it comes to iGaming. It’s one of the best resources out there, so check for game info there and be sure to test out the Electric Avenue Slot Demo for free.
Now, to help get you up to speed, here are the biggest predictions for gaming trends to watch out for in 2025.
The rise of AI tools
Just as virtual reality had its big breakthrough moments in gaming, with killer app titles such as Half-Life: Alyx, it’s only a matter of time before a true gaming masterpiece comes along that will show the world how to really take advantage of artificial intelligence.
AI may get a bad rap in many parts of the internet, and often times for good reason. That still doesn’t mean you should throw the baby out with the bathwater. Someday, a great video game will show the world the true creative potential of AI – randomly procedurally generated level design, adaptive bot AI etc – and that day may well come in 2025.
Reboots, remakes, remasters
Whether you consider this good news or bad news really depends on your taste in older games, but it seems very safe to say that video game rereleases of any sort – remakes, remasters etc – are going to become more common in 2025 and beyond.
With the critical and commercial success of the Silent Hill 2 remake, this will send yet another message to video game publishers and developers that video game remakes have what it takes to survive in the current industry’s climate.
Sure, there are a lot of video game reboots that feel phoned in and based off of executive decisions instead of creative desire. But some video game remakes have proved to be excellent examples of game design that are superior to the original works, such as Metroid: Zero Mission or Resident Evil (2002).
Video game remakes are here, and they are here to stay. Gamers might as well hope that they are made with more passion than crunch time.
More PC gaming storefronts and platforms
Steam has been the single indisputable dominating PC gaming platform for over 20 years now. They’ve made so much money that there is no way they know what to do with it all. Though their prevalence is probably not going anywhere anytime soon, that isn’t going to stop other companies from making a grab at the crown.
GOG and Epic Games have done well to survive in the industry, although they do occupy a distant second and third place compared to Steam and its parent company Valve. But the gap has been closing over the past few years, even if it has been gradual.
Epic Games has seen success thanks to its exclusive titles, and GOG has satisfied the demands of gamers who are against the practices of DRM titles. If we see a new platform emerge in 2025 that satisfies both of these niches, it could quite easily throw its hat into the PC platform wars.
Cloud gaming continues to grow
Not everyone can afford the best console or PC hardware. This makes cloud gaming quite the convenient option. Being able to stream games to your TV set or PC monitor as the game is rendered off-site has been a truly groundbreaking feature, and more people are ready to take advantage of it.
Though Sony started out experimenting with this feature first, Google and Microsoft are already pumping more money into it. Stadia and Xbox Cloud Gaming have seen good success with the gaming titles they offer. It’s very likely that their success will continue to grow in 2025 as more games are released under these services.
Steam will release even more early access games
Early access games used to be made fun of by most gamers back in the day. Steam once had too many indie games that they were charging too high a price for, considering their incomplete levels, buggy controls and other quality of life problems. Early access used to be synonymous with laziness and scams.
But times have changed quite a bit. Many fantastic games that are still in early access after several years are not only popular but acclaimed. The model has grown into a sort of symbiotic relationship between indie devs and the consumer base.
Feedback is shared, updates are provided in a timely fashion, and the game gradually grows alongside the player base. When this delicate cycle is handled properly, it ends up creating more quality games than filler and fluff.
There are still a lot of bad early access games on Steam, but the ratio of good to bad has undoubtedly improved, and should continue to progress in 2025. Great games like Phasmophobia, Palworld, Satisfactory and Valheim are all still in early access, and they all play great. 2025 should provide even more outstanding early access titles that will sweep PC gamers off their feet.