We’re well into the second month of 2025 and have managed to shake those January blues. There’s still a lot of the year ahead of us though, and that means there’s plenty still to happen in the world of gaming before we say goodbye to 2025, especially here in the UK.
Some big changes are expected in the next few months that will make gaming in 2025 and beyond look very different to what we’ve seen in the last few years.
Grand Theft Auto VI
Grand Theft Auto VI is going to be a momentous game for a long list of reasons. Of course, it is the first major release in the Grand Theft Auto franchise for 12 years and marks the first time Rockstar Games has returned to Vice City in almost two decades.
It’s likely to redefine open-world games for another generation, providing players with more freedom than has ever been seen before, alongside a compelling story, stunning graphics, and the typical Grand Theft Auto satirical take on society.
But GTA VI will be revolutionary for other reasons. A recent report suggested the game could cost as much as $100 in the United States, which works out to approximately £80 in the UK. That would make it one of the most expensive titles ever released, though with hype about the game so high, it is expected millions of players will be more than happy to hand over this extra cash.
For the wider industry, this higher price will be a litmus test to see whether gamers are will to pay such high prices for content. If there isn’t too much backlash to Rockstar charging this much, we can expect other games later this year and into 2026.
Exclusive Online Slot Games
Although the UK was not the first country to operate online casinos, it has been one of the leading markets since the late 1990s. Following the passing of the Gambling Act and the creation of the Gambling Commission, Great Britain has had one of the strictest but also most open legislative environments in the world, offering a wide range of options including casinos not on GamStop.
As a result of there being no limit to the number of licenses that can be issued, there are hundreds of different online casinos operating in the UK. For British players, this means greater choice and more favourable terms.
However, this huge variety of options means that iGaming brands need to find ways to stand out from the competition. Leading operators like PokerStars Casino have done this by creating exclusive games like Sweet Lab and Rome Fight for Gold that players won’t be able to find anywhere else.
This appears to be an effective strategy as the company has released many of these exclusive games in the last few years, including popular titles like Cleopatra’s Cashpots and Big Bass Return to the Races.
Like with GTA VI, this appears to be setting a trend in the market with other brands attempting to follow suit.
Nintendo Switch 2 Marks a Change of Pace
The Nintendo Switch, like the Wii 10 years before it, was a revolution in the console market. It signalled the end of dedicated portable consoles, a space that Nintendo had dominated in since the 1980s.
Instead of having a line of home consoles and another line for those that players could use on the go, the Switch combined the two together, offering three ways to play and a more seamless transition between modes.
For eight years, the Switch has been Nintendo’s flagship console but more recently, players have been speculating about what would come next.
In 2025, we got the answer. Later this year, the company will launch the Nintendo Switch 2. Unlike the first Switch, it is an iterative upgrade on its predecessor.
While this will mean better games and upgraded graphics coming for Nintendo fans, it is a sign of what we can expect from the wider video gaming industry for the next few years. There are no major technological advancements likely to drop in the near future, so improvements will be more incremental.
