It's been barely a blink since we last gathered for an announcestravaganza with Summer Game Fest, but here we are again! It's time for Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025, Geoff Keighley's second big livestream of the year showing off some of the biggest games of 2025 and beyond. As usual, we'll expect a couple surprise announcements and looks at a lot of games we already know about, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Resident Evil Requiem.
While the possibility of a Hollow Knight Silksong surprise launch has been hanging over the show, we now know the developers will be hosting a "special announcement" on Thursday. So we've likely got two more days to wait for that release date.
When does Gamescom Opening Night Live air?
The 2025 Gamescom Opening Night Live presentation starts at 8 pm CEST on August 19. That's 11 am Pacific / 7 pm BST.
You can watch Opening Night Live on Twitch or YouTube (or the embed above).
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, one of the best games of the year, will let you become a blacksmith on September 9
That's the big feature in the upcoming Legacy of the Forge DLC. "Put your blacksmithing skills to the test as you rebuild a burnt-down forge in the heart of Kuttenberg. Design and customise the workshop, its surroundings, and your private quarters—with upgrades that do more than just look good," Warhorse says.
Age of Empires 4 gets new Dynasties of the East expansion
I love that a tiny corner of Microsoft game developers get to just keep on making expansions for these RTS games, whether they're a few years old or a few decades.
Big Enshrouded update Wake of the Water out in October
Hope you like swimming in your survival games, because this update to Enshrouded looks like it's all about getting wet. Also something about the Old Gods and an ancient fury. Those are probably good things, right?
The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin gets a closed beta test
You can sign up for the closed beta of the open world RPG here. The game's meant to release before the end of 2025.
This sure looks different than the Dante's Inferno I remember
EA made an action game out of the first part of Dante's Divine Comedy back in 2010, and 15 years later we're going back for the rest of the poem, but from an actual Italian dev studio this time. They released Enotria: The Last Song in 2024.
Does this mean we're getting an authentic videogame adaptation of a 700-year-old poem? What a question to ponder.
Here's a meaty look at Silent Hill f
This girl is getting put through some shit. We already know the next survival horror game in the Silent Hill series is out in September, and it's the first set in Japan. I get the impression it's going to be real gnarly (in a good way) and have a better-than-average horror story thanks to writer Ryukishi07.
The trailer for NCSoft's "MMO tactical shooter" Cinder City has made me nostalgic for the dubstep trailer era
Between the 2000s buttrock and prevalance of cheesy metal in game trailers in today's show, I kinda want to go back to dubstep. Maybe some stomp-clap indie?
Rad-looking music game Unbeatable is out in November
Unbeatable is one of those games that makes everything else out there look unstylish by comparison. This "final trailer" drops the release date: November 6.
ZA/UM announces its follow-up to Disco Elysium, Zero Parades
The "espionage RPG" casts you as "a brilliant but tormented operant on a desperate assignment. Pick up the pieces of your broken network, untangle a bloody web of intrigue at the End of History, and prove yourself on the big stage or blow it all up – again." You can see more of it on Steam.
The history of ZA/UM's work on this project in the wake of Disco Elysium is... well, complicated would be underselling it, as we've reported in-depth for many months now:
- I've finally seen gameplay from ZA/UM's follow-up to Disco Elyisum, and it looks a lot like Disco Elysium. It will have to be spectacular to win back a hostile fanbase
- It's another day of Disco Elysium-related announcements trying to kneecap each other: Studio ZA/UM has put out a teaser for its first new game since 2019, and it's not Disco Elysium 2
- A Forbes 30-under-30-er involved in at least 2 Disco Elysium successor studios has sued the lead dev at a third, blocking him from working on a new game
- With no Disco Elysium 2 in sight, who exactly are behind the 5 studios of Disco devs now vying to make its spiritual successor?
Monkey Island creator Ron Gilbert's next game is "a roguelike vertically scrolling RPG"
Death By Scrolling has you "kill enemies, collect gold, and avoid the Grim Reaper long enough to pay the Ferrymanʼs exorbitant river-crossing fee to the afterlife" while the screen never stops scrolling. No release date, but it does have a Steam page.
Saber puts its zombie swarm tech to use again in John Carpenter's Toxic Commando, out 2026
This game's been in the works for quite awhile, first announced two years ago. I'm here for new John Carpenter music first and foremost, but it looks like a fun time in co-op. Maybe it'll hit that Left 4 Dead sweet spot better than Back 4 Blood did.
World of Tanks 2.0, the "biggest update in the game's history" drops in September
I'm honestly not happy that World of Tanks made me listen to two minutes of a Daughtry song.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is getting an expansion
The Order of Giants DLC announced back in June dives below the streets of Rome. We already knew it would be out in September, so here's a longer look at it.
Fallout Season 2 will include New Vegas's Mr. House, and here's the first teaser trailer
Justin Theroux is playing the New Vegas boss in the show's new season, out this December.
Paradox shows off a bit more of Europa Universalis V
Announced back in May, the new grand strategy game is due on November 4.
Action RPG Arknights: Endfield will lure you in with the anime and then hook you on the basebuilding
At least that's the impression I get from the trailer for this upcoming F2P game, which is on mobile, consoles and PC. Still no realease date that I could see.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword's latest trailer shows off some freaky monster designs
That's just a fun trailer right there for a game we're already very much looking forward to. I particularly like the part where Musashi cuts some freaky little guys in half... and then they grow new tentacle legs and stand back up.
Monster Hunter Wilds is doing a Final Fantasy 14 crossover, and Final Fantasy 14 is getting some Monster Hunter stuff
Fighting Final Fantasy's Behemoth in Monster Hunter: World was a blast, though the fraught state of Monster Hunter Wilds takes the shine off this crossover a bit.
FF14 players may be jazzed to see some Monster Hunter stuff crop up in the MMO, though: it looks like you'll be able to ride a Seikret, chill with a Palico and fight Wilds' flagship monster Arkveld.
Dawn of War 4. Dawn of War 4!!
Hot on the heels of Dawn of War: Definitive Edition, the legendary RTS series is coming back in 2026 with a new entry.
You better believe we've got more on the story:
Batman is getting the Lego Star Wars treatment with Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
Traveler's Tales made a Lego Batman game way back in 2008, but now it's coming back 'round to do it again. "We've incorporated iconic moments and deep cut references from decades of Batman movies, TV shows, comics, and games, all brought together and brought to live in our unique Lego world," Traveler's Tales says.
It'll have a harder difficulty level for those who want an added challenge in combat. Other Batfamily members will also be playable, including Robin, Jim Gordon, and Batgirl.
Also, Matt Berry is playing Bane. Hell yeah.
FromSoftware's Sekiro is getting an anime next year
How will this compare to Alex Garland's Elden Ring movie, I wonder?
The series is "exclusive to Crunchyroll" and looks to tell the story of the game rather than serving as a sequel or prequel.
Lords of the Fallen 2, a sequel to The Lords of the Fallen (but not Lords of the Fallen) announced
Also not to be confused with The Lords of the Fallen 2.0. They could really come up with new names for these games.
The "dark fantasy action-RPG where brutal, soulslike combat meets a world splitting at its core" is out in 2026.
Black Ops 7 is introducing "The Endgame," a PvE continuation of the co-op campaign
Treyarch: "It's a proving ground to put everything youv'e mastered throughout the campaign to the test. The Endgame is a brand new PvE social experience where you and your squad will need to survive overwhelming ods, adapt under pressure, and break the rules of what you thought a campaign could be. Each run is a new step in your power journey as you wield personalized abilities. Here all of Avalon opens up."
Black Ops 7 has a co-op campaign
Here's the word from Treyarch: "From the start we wanted to make a bold change with the campaign. Black Ops 7 can be played solo or with up to four players. It's a shared experience, and every mission has been handcrafted for variety. Tone, pacing, gameplay, location."
Black Ops 7 kicks off Opening Night Live with a lot of Milo Ventimiglia, and it's out November 14
There is a lot of conflicting tone in this Black Ops 7 reveal. Some horror, some sci-fi, some... Metallica? Stompy robots, zombies, head trip fantasy stuff, some kind of top-down RTS mode?
We're really gonna have to pick this one apart.
Geoff Keighley said the word "Silksong" but that was it
As expected, Keighley didn't get to announce the Silksong release date, but he did say "it's real." We knew that, Geoff!
I think Pac-Man is now the first character to star in both a Mario Kart and a Sonic Racing game
Sega just announced a Pac-Man crossover in the upcoming Sonic Racing CrossWorlds, and the Pacster was also in the Mario Kart Arcade GP spin-off (developed by Namco, so that tracks). What a legend.
And that concludes the pre-show!
Road Kings is horning in on American Truck Simulator's turf
Well, in that it's comedically leaning in on Americana, and also has trucks in it. Is this a sim or a narrative-focused game? The trailer hints at the latter. Here's the description from Focus Entertainment:
"In Road Kings, take the wheel of a 40-ton semi and haul cargo across the rugged American South. You’ll need to master every detail of your truck’s performance, from brakes to tires, while facing fierce rivals and unpredictable weather. As you deliver critical supplies and rescue communities, uncover a dangerous corporate threat that puts everything at risk.
"Build your reputation by customizing your trucks, growing your business, and competing in asynchronous multiplayer with other drivers. Travel through richly detailed landscapes inspired by the Florida-Georgia border, where knowing the rules of the road is just as important as the miles you cover."
If you needed more evidence that Chinese games are about to be everywhere, here's Swords of Legends
This game, which looks like an action RPG, is actually a sequel (or spin-off) of a beloved RPG series, Gujian. 2018's Gujian 3 got a rough but playable English translation.
Swords of Legends will mark the first simultaneous English release for the series.
Remember Routine, the sci-fi horror game that's been in development for 13 years? It's actually coming out.
Routine's been in development for ages, and just got a 30 second clip in the ONL pre-show announcing that it's out before the end of 2025. Wild.
Long Gone sure looks like pixel art The Last of Us
![LONG GONE [ gamescom 2025 Wishlist Trailer ] PC - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/mAA-3bpFuho/maxresdefault.jpg)
But the pixels are 3D! Here's the gist on this one from its website:
- A Change of Pace: Long Gone switches from the 2.5D platforming in the streets to the (relatively) safe fully-3D houses. With no combat; every zombie is a puzzle to solve no matter where you are.
- A Modern Twist: A beautiful lo-fi 3D pixel world that blends elements of adventure, platforming, P&C, and Item-investigator games, all designed to play on a controller or mouse & keyboard.
- Fully Interactive Investigation: Rummage through every draw, cupboard, box and cabinet to read, collect, drop, combine, use and horde to your hearts content. If you see an item in Long Gone that can fit into your pack, you can take it with you. But beware... not all things are useful.
Ghostrunner's creators are back with a horror-infused alternate history of the Napoleonic wars—and the studio says it plays like a first-person soulslike
Read more in our early look at Valor Mortis, which is out next year.
Absolum is out October 9
PC Gamer's Evan Lahti said that the demo for Absolum is one of the best things he's played all year. I'd say that bodes well for the roguelike beat 'em up.
He-Man's getting a throwback beat 'em up
Sure, why not! There's a new He-Man and the Masters of the Universe movie filming now, and we can't let anything from the '80s drift out of pop culture relevance for more than a few years, so it's about time for a retro sidescrolling beat 'em up starring the buff boy prince. Dragon Pearl of Destruction is "coming soon" from Limited Run Games.
LRG, if you're listening: let me play as Orko.
Denshattack is a game where you do Tony Hawk stunts with Japanese trains whose developers would not confirm whether we can make a train do a Christ Air
We got an early look at what I'm already willing to call the best announcement from Opening Night Live, where you do skateboard tricks but as a train instead of a guy. Who doesn't wanna be a train.
Nightdive's next remaster is LucasArts FPS Outlaws
Not to be confused with Star Wars Outlaws, this is an old western shooter from the Dark Forces era. Some nice 2D animation in between the shooting! With Nightdive at the helm, I'm sure the remaster will play very nicely.
There's a new Battlestar Galactica strategy game coming in early 2026
Scattered Hopes is definitely an appropriate name for a Battlestar game.
Also, a reminder: Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock was good!
O-oh no. It's Bubsy. Atari is making "Bubsy 4D"
If you're going to make a sequel to one of the most notoriously terrible games ever made, I guess you might as well go full camp with it. If it's actually a good 3D (sorry, 4D) platformer, I'm honestly here for Bubsy redemption.
Preshow time!
Are we gonna get a few little announcements, as a treat? Let's find out.
Where my leaks at?
A few scraps of news have popped up ahead of Opening Night Live today that may or may not be related to to the show:
- MP1st spotted a trademark for Black Myth: Zhongkui, which sounds likely to be the promised DLC for Black Myth: Wukong
- Wario64 picked up on store page details for COD: BLOPS 7 that say an open beta will begin on October 5 (or Oct. 2 if you pay up for early access)
- Bandai Namco announced Tales of Xillia Remastered, after accidentally leaking it last week
We're just an hour away from the start of Opening Night Live
What's your most out-there, never-gonna-happen-but-you're-kinda-hoping-for-it-anyway prediction?
I don't expect it, but I really would like to see what Square Enix is doing with that Final Fantasy 9 remake.
Team Cherry's "Special Announcement" on Thursday means we're not getting a Silksong release date today
Way to scoop Geoff Keighley! The devs at Team Cherry are doing a big announcement themselves on Thursday, which you'll be able to watch on YouTube.
Also, keep an eye out for a story on the game's very long development.
Here we go. Silksong will have a "special announcement" on Thursday at 10:30am ET. AND coming from me on Thursday, the story behind why Silksong took seven years to make... Stay tuned! www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XGe...
— @jasonschreier.bsky.social (@jasonschreier.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2025-08-19T16:17:34.226Z
What do we expect from Gamescom Opening Night Live this year?
In our Gamescom 2025 preview, we highlighted some of the games we're particularly excited to see at this year's expo:
- The Outer Worlds 2
- Onimusha: Way of the Sword
- Silent Hill F
- World of Warcraft: Midnight
- Resident Evil Requiem
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
Most or all of these games should be playable at Gamescom and appear in Opening Night Live. But we're hoping for some surprises, too.
