The 2025 Recreation Awards are upon us, promising many awards for Clair Obscur and an avalanche of gaming trailers. Yearly, the 23-hour-long program devotes roughly 22 hours and 59 minutes to imminent video games. Typically, legitimately cool-looking video games are introduced on the present, like Hades in 2018, Dying Stranding 2 in 2022, and Exodus in 2023.
This 12 months, the excitement has been via the roof. On Nov. 28, Recreation Awards host Geoff Keighley tweeted a imprecise string of textual content (“regal.inspiring.thickness.”) alongside a photograph of a statue with demonic iconography. In fact, this led to a flurry of hypothesis. Followers spent days convincing themselves that the stunt might spell something from a brand new God of Struggle recreation to a Lords of the Fallen sequel to the long-missing Elder Scrolls 6. However because of a trademark leak, the statue has all however been confirmed as advertising and marketing for an entry in Larian Studios’ Divinity collection of RPGs. (The statue is at the moment located exterior the Peacock Theater, the place the Recreation Awards will likely be hosted and the place we might stand in entrance of it making faces.)
Additionally within the playing cards: Amazon Video games stated it is going to showcase particulars about its Tomb Raider reboot, and Sega teased an announcement pertaining to one among its gazillion franchises.
However that is not sufficient to fill a whole day of “world premieres” (Keighley’s phrase). Polygon has already spent the previous month predicting who will win massive on the Recreation Awards this 12 months. Now, let’s predict a few of our dream bulletins at tonight’s present.
The return of Halo multiplayer
Earlier this 12 months, Halo Studios introduced Halo: Marketing campaign Developed, a full remake of Halo: Fight Developed constructed from the bottom up in Unreal 5. The catch? Because the identify implies, it solely consists of the marketing campaign. The multiplayer part that has outlined the collection since day one (and has been languishing this previous 12 months) will not be a part of the re-release. However Halo Studios has stated it has “a number of tasks” within the works. May Xbox spherical out the 12 months with a one-two punch of Halo revivals, supplementing the already-revealed marketing campaign nostalgia with a separate multiplayer recreation? Hopefully. We HCS sickos are parched. —Ari Notis
A Sonic recreation, however one of many good ones
Whereas The Recreation Awards could be a little unpredictable, historical past may give you a good suggestion of what to anticipate. As an example, there’s probability we’ll see Sonic the Hedgehog on the present in some capability, seeing because the blue blur has confirmed up earlier than and Sega places out his video games with an nearly annual frequency at this level. What’s more durable to foretell is for those who’re going to get a correct mainline Sonic recreation or one thing… weird. This 12 months, I’m hoping we see the previous. It’s been a number of years since we obtained Sonic Frontiers, so it appears like we’re due for a tease of Sonic’s subsequent true journey, even when it’s nonetheless two years away. Realistically, although, I’m making ready for Sega to announce that Elphaba is coming to Sonic Racing Crossworlds. Really, you already know what? That might be high-quality too. —Giovanni Colantonio
Regardless of the hell Sq. Enix is hiding
It stays to be seen what Sq. Enix’s marquee title for 2026 will likely be. The corporate has already introduced a few titles for early subsequent 12 months — Remaining Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade for Nintendo Change 2 on Jan. 22 and Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined for Feb. 5. The painterly motion RPG The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales can be due out someday in 2026. However let’s be trustworthy, role-playing followers are actually hankering for brand new particulars on the following chapters of main collection, like Dragon Quest 12 and Kingdom Hearts 4. If both was to show up at The Recreation Awards, we would put our cash on the latter, given the broader attraction of Kingdom Hearts exterior Japan.
A primary take a look at the yet-unsubtitled third installment of the Remaining Fantasy 7 remake trilogy additionally sits atop many a fan’s want record, however feels extra unlikely given the upcoming Change 2 port subsequent month. There’s additionally been a little bit of hypothesis a few HD-2D remake of Chrono Set off following some suspicious latest feedback by co-creator Yuji Horii, and with the sport’s thirtieth birthday 12 months drawing to an in depth, the timing feels a bit extra auspicious. —Jen Glennon
An indication of life for Blade (no, not that tortured one)
Two years in the past, Deathloop developer Arkane took to the Recreation Awards stage to tease its subsequent recreation: Blade. We didn’t be taught a lot in regards to the Marvel adaptation, however something with director Dinga Bakaba hooked up to it sounded good. We’ve heard nothing about it since.
Normally I’d say “allow them to cook dinner” and fortunately watch for some information when it’s prepared, however I’m a bit extra antsy for information this 12 months. Xbox has closed down studios and canceled massive video games like Good Darkish since Blade’s announcement. I don’t assume that any mission is protected proper now except I’m seeing some lively indicators of life that inform me improvement is nicely beneath manner. Even when it’s solely a cinematic trailer or 15 seconds of gameplay, I simply need some assurance that Arkane is certainly cooking again there. —GC
A recreation with as mumble-worthy a reputation as Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
Rumors swirled in November that Naughty Canine’s mysterious new recreation Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet was “content material full” and prepared for a 2026 launch, with a primo Recreation Awards reveal ready within the wings. Buddy of Polygon Jason Schreier shut that shit down immediately. Different buddy of Polygon Jeff Grubb corroborated the foremost diss by saying, no, Intergalactic wouldn’t pop up at The Recreation Awards.
That’s too unhealthy as a result of (1) I’m genuinely curious to see how Neil Drukmann’s imaginative and prescient of a Eighties-themed non secular future interprets to gameplay and (2) I’ve not stopped mumbling the identify “Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet” since final 12 months’s TGAs. In actual fact, I’m predicting and praying for everybody to be mistaken and for us to get a brand new tease of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet if solely to get one other 12 months’s value of labor out of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet as a bit. If not, I can solely hope for a title of equal acclaim to tackle the Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet mantle of “dopey recreation titles we are able to’t assist however love.” —Matt Patches
One thing, something, from Atlus that’ll occupy our time for 364 days subsequent 12 months
The makers of Persona and Metaphor: ReFantazio haven’t introduced any video games set to launch in 2026 — not but, anyway. Atlus served up a primary take a look at the long-rumored Persona 4: Revival at Summer season Recreation Fest again in June, however we don’t but have a agency launch date for that. In line with mother or father firm Sega’s most up-to-date annual monetary report, it’s extensively believed that the remake will launch someday between April 2026 and March 2027. So a brand new TGA trailer with a launch date isn’t completely out of the query.
Whereas followers have been starved for any information of a Persona 6, it appears unlikely that Atlus could be keen to overshadow the upcoming remake with a brand new installment in shut succession. What could also be extra probably, nevertheless, is a Change 2 port for Metaphor: ReFantazio, which claimed three trophies, together with Greatest RPG, on the 2024 Recreation Awards. —JG
A Half-Life 3 reveal to finish the aggressive rumor cycle and put us out of our distress
Valve will reveal Half-Life 3 at The Recreation Awards. Proper? Please? Can we simply do that?
The November announcement of the Steam Machine got here with it a tirade of new experiences that Half-Life 3 is actual and coming quickly — and albeit, I’m beginning to consider it. None of Gabe Newell’s explanations through the years for why Valve by no means accomplished and shipped Half-Life 3, nor the reveal that the staff has been throwing tons of effort and cash at Impasse, has slowed down the rumors that Half-Life 3 is nicely into improvement. Possibly Valve ought to simply announce it to close everybody up? Now looks as if the second. Manifest, manifest, manifest. —MP
