Cyberpunk life sim Nivalis is now set to come out in spring 2025, and I'm more excited for it than ever

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I'm not generally a life-sim guy but I am very eager to dive into Nivalis. A big part of that arises from the strength of Cloudpunk, the previous game from developer Ion Lands, which I really liked, but Nivalis itself—based on the admittedly not-a-whole-lot we've seen of it so far—looks brilliant too.

Sadly, we're going to have to wait a little bit longer than expected to dive in, as it's been delayed until spring 2025.

"Ion Lands' highest priority is to ensure that Nivalis provides the best possible experience for the player and the team appreciates the patience and support they have received from the ever-growing community as Ion Lands navigate through this creative journey," publisher 505 Games said in a very non-specific explanation for the delay.

And fair enough, sometimes you just need more time to get things done, and I am more than happy to be patient for two reasons. One, the classic: "Suck is forever," and I'd rather wait to get a Nivalis that lives up to my hopes—which, frankly, are very high.

And two, the new trailer—the one embedded up top—has me breathing just a little more rapidly than usual. I've been in the business long enough to know that trailers are nothing more than a blend of aspirations and hype, concocted solely to get attention and, ideally, crank up excitement. Even so, sometimes a trailer hits just so, and I cast aside my game journo cynicism to let myself be caught up in it.

This is definitely one of those trailers: It's a powerful mood, with just enough of a glimpse at previously-unseen material to keep me hooked all the way through and a poetic denouement that lands perfectly. Will the game live up to the dream? No clue. Could I be setting my sights too high? Quite possibly. Am I concerned about that right now? Nope. Yes, I have been successfully marketed to, and I don't care.

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Nivalis screenshot — (Image credit: Ion Lands)

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.