The 2025 edition of Summer Game Fest took place in the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, on June 6, 2025. Over the course of around two hours, hosts Geoff Keighley and Lucy James trotted out game trailers and developers, with a noticeable emphasis on sequels and action RPGS.

Geoff Keighley, the creator of The Game Awards, opened proceedings with a spiel that positioned the video game industry as being in excellent shape. He also highlighted how dynamic the industry is, although a large chunk of the games featured were follow-up titles, or new entries in existing franchises. 

“From Lego bricks to puppets, zombies to Marvel heroes, this show has a little bit of everything, including, yes, brand new game announcements,” Keighley said. 

Mortal Shell 2

A trailer for this sequel kicked off the event proper, and it’s sure to be catnip for fans of Soulslikes. The original Mortal Shell was released in 2020, and let players jump between different Shells (player archetypes, in effect) to unleash different weapon and play styles. The new game continues this mechanic but presents a standalone adventure.

“You are the Harbinger, a being prophesied to reclaim the blessed Undermether’s stolen Ova from the daunting creatures that ruthlessly guard her unborn,” the developer, Cold Symmetry, said on the game’s official site. “Mortal Shell II’s combat system is agile yet grounded. Unrestricted by stamina, players exploit multiple tactics to shatter enemy posture and strike critically.”

Resident Evil 9: Requiem

Held off as the main show’s capper, the audience in attendance understandably went nuts for this reveal. Opening in an FBI building, it’s not immediately clear what’s going on, other than an analyst is investigating strange dead bodies and her mother is somehow involved.

But then, a wide shot of a decimated city with a huge crater in the middle, followed by a very familiar location, reveals that this is indeed Resident Evil, and it appears to be tying into events from the series’ history. Not every game showcased in Summer Game Fest came with a release date, but this one’s slated for a February 2026 release across all major platforms.

Death Stranding 2

This game hasn’t been a secret – it’s been known for a while it’s coming out on June 24, 2025, but Summer Game Fest highlighted this anticipated sequel via a brief chat with series creator Hideo Kojima, and a look at a cutscene.

When asked what he hopes players will take away from this sequel, Kojima answered, through a translator: “Well, we hit the pandemic after we released DS1. Everyone experienced the pandemic, so I wanted to show something new connection after we face the pandemic. So I want everyone to think about that when you play this game.”

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds

Quite why a character known for running at supernatural speed would need to bother with a car is anyone’s guess, but good news for fans of the speedy blue hedgehog and racing games: the newest speedster-in-an-automobile title follows 2019’s Team Sonic Racing with over 20 featured characters. 

Characters from other SEGA games will also make an appearance when this title lands on Sept. 25, including from Ichiban Kasuga, Persona, and even a Minecraft World crossover, although that add-on doesn’t have a release date yet. 

Atomic Heart 2

Mundfish released the first game in this series to critical acclaim only two years ago, in February 2023. This sequel continues the story and setting, an alternate world populated by quirky androids, cyborgs, and lumpy organic monsters.

“That’s right. Atomic Heart 2 is in active development at Mundfish in Unreal Engine 5,” said Keighley, after the trailer. “A spiritual successor to the first game, with a retrofuturistic world on a global scale. And this time, there’s a greater emphasis on RPG elements and player freedom.”

Code Vein 2

Soulslike games, where punishing combat and obtuse lore combine into one weirdly gratifying whole, are having something of a moment if the Summer Game Fest is anything to go by. This sequel once again throws players into a hellish landscape populated by demonic and techno-organic enemies.

Bandai Namco have outlined the sequels’ refined combat mechanics on the game’s official site: “Experience Code Vein II’s unique gameplay mechanic, where the player drains and acquires blood from enemies to unleash a variety of skills. With the series’ new build system, you can freely customize weapons and skills to suit your own battle styles.”

Onimusha: Way of the Sword

Here’s an action RPG where the protagonist fights hellish creatures in a game world with an Asian aesthetic and punishing combat system. This isn’t editorial accidentally leaving in a section of repetitive text, but rather the description for the latest Onimusha game, which started way back in 2001. 

This franchise began as a fairly straightforward hack ‘n slash but has now mutated into a Soulslike, with players taking on the mantle of a samurai who wields the Oni Gauntlet, a mysterious weapon that lets them kill the demonic monsters prowling the Japanese capital of Edo-era Kyoto.

Lego Voyagers

It wasn’t all demon guts and weirdly cute robot girls at Summer Game Fest, though: a new trailer for the latest Lego title showed that there are still studios out there that know kids like to play video games. Lego Voyagers is by Light Brick Studio, the team behind the pleasingly tactile Lego Builder’s Journey.

This time around, the studio has focused on co-op play, where two little eyeball blocks have to work together to build contraptions, and traverse a Lego landscape, on a mission to rescue an abandoned spaceship. Lego Party! was also announced, from SMG Studio.

Lies of P Overture DLC

One of the biggest surprises was this Lies of P DLC announcement, which coincided with its secret release. It puts players back in the, yes, Soulslike world based on the tale of Pinocchio. As with the Clair Obscura: Expedition 33, the game is heavily influenced by the French Belle Époque era, but one overrun by lumbering bosses and grotesque creatures.

“Lies of P: Overture transports players back in time to experience untold stories and chilling secrets that shape the past and future of Lies of P, all while unlocking an arsenal of weapon combinations and Legion Arms that provide unprecedented freedom to forge unique combat styles,” developers NEOWIZ said in an official DLC announcement.

Jurassic World Evolution 3

Jurassic World Evolution 2 was a marked improvement over the first game, and this third entry into the series looks to refine what worked and add more of it: more dinosaurs, more landscaping options, more park themes. And more Jeff Goldblum.

This time, the game’s launching (on Oct. 21) with 82 species, as well as a new feature that lets players nurture entire generations of dinosaurs. Frontier also promises that they’ll be new attractions, advanced terraforming options, and more ways to handle the inevitable escape of ferocious carnivores.

Mafia: The Old Country

Get ready to ice some mooks in 1900s Sicily, in this prequel to the last Mafia game, and fourth entry into the franchise overall. Gamers who prefer to scheme and plot against rival families should feel right at home in Mafia: The Old Country, as it follows Enzo Favara as he proves his worth to the Cosa Nostra. 

Publishers 2K promise gameplay that evokes classic mob movies, as well as period-authentic weapons. Sicily plays a role as more than just a backdrop, too, as players will get to explore it on horseback and discover hidden locations, from vineyards to ruins.

Dying Light: The Beast

The popular parkour-centric action series returns, as does the original protagonist Kyle Crane. Following the events of previous games, Crane has been experimented on and now possesses unnatural abilities. Players get to use them as they scramble over rooftops and takedown ferocious zombies and armed humans. 

Dying Light: The Beast ups the ante on the types of infected, too, as the story involves a mad scientist, The Baron, and his army of grotesque experiments. Players will have to contend with hulking brutes, invisible terrors, and more.

Scott Pilgrim EX

A few beat ‘em ups were featured during Summer Game Fest, including Marvel Cosmic Invasion (by Tribute, the same studio as this game), Acts of Blood, and the latest season of Street Fighter 6. Scott Pilgrim EX is a new title from Tribute Games, the same team that made Scott Pilgrim Versus The World: The Game. 

Scott Pilgrim EX is also a sequel to Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, the anime series on Netflix that remixes the core Scott Pilgrim story. That series, and this new game, are both written by original creator Bryan Lee O’Malley. Scott, and Ramona Flowers, are on a mission to defeat three gangs in future Toronto, and players will need lightning button-bashing reflexes to help them. 

Splitgate 2

Perhaps one of the most talked-about game reveals, and not necessarily in a good way, was Splitgate 2. Ian Proloux, CEO and Co-Founder of 1049 Games, took to the stage in a ‘Make FPS Great Again’ cap and quickly threw shade at other FPS games, after thanking 20 millions players for joining the series.

“Now, with the help from our amazing community, we’ve built Splitgate 2. Why? Because I grew up playing Halo, and I’m tired of playing the same Call of Duty every year, and I wish we could have Titanfall 3,” Proloux said. This was followed by the trailer for the latest sci-fi arena shooter soundtracked by Imagine Dragons.