The 12 best games we played at Summer Game Fest 2025

The annual summer gamefest is more than just a live stream of trailers and announcements. It is also a face-to-face experience for many game developers to show off their first playable game.

gripyajoystick was on the ground for the 2025 SGF experience and did many demonstrations while we were there. Typically, these are 20, 30, or 40 minute experiences, so they don’t always show what the final product will look like. Nonetheless, here is a list of 12 game demos we’ve played.

“Big Guy, Little Girl” is a rare sub-genre of video games, so I didn’t expect much from Capcom. Practical20 minutes in the game, however, was the most enjoyable thing about the entire show. Our big man is Hugh, a road-style astronaut who gets stuck and injured in a space station full of evil robots. He is rescued by a few non-evil Diana, designed to look like a girl. The two teams pass through the space station together, but Diana is not lightweight. Her hacking skills are truly necessary to save a day, and Hugh’s third person shooting ability only comes after Diana surprises the first approaching robot. Hacking as Diana means solving fun block puzzles, even when the giant, threatening robots are steadily approaching. It’s not going so fast that Hugh and Diana get out of the way. For some reason, instead of getting frustrated, it just worked, and after 20 minutes I wanted more. –Mad Myers

Provisional release date: 2026 for PC via PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X | s and Steam

Shinobu: The Art of Revenge

Sega’s ninja hero Jomusashi is back The Art of RevengeA stunning Ode to the Genesis Side Sklar era. The basic gameplay matches the history of the series. You’re running, hacking, novel, jumping the platform to knock your enemies off the guard. To get through the sword-wielding beast and lightning magicians, Joe picks up some new moves, including elemental magic and the rage attacks of mass destruction. Two stages between flashy backgrounds and solid illustrations of characters Shinobu: The Art of Revenge I was as happy as Joe was staring at him as he was standing still. Well, the butt part is also quite fun. –Matte patch

release date: August 29, 2025 PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series S | X, Nintendo Switch, and PC

The team who created Tetris Effect, perhaps the finest version ever made, has returned with a follow-up of one of my other favorite puzzle games. The Lumines occurrence uses the same general structure as the Lumin, where the original PSP is fired, but throws modern, eccentric visuals like giant chameleons that slap the head along the music, or mentally enhanced astronauts. There is also a new “burst” mode that allows you to activate the screen clearing feature with super powerful power once you generate enough energy. There aren’t many puzzle games where Tetris holds candles, but Lumines is always a twitching for me, so when I see something that’s not just a remaster, it’s just like a remaster, I totally vibe. –Russ Frushtick

Provisional release date: Autumn 2025 PlayStation 5 features optional PS VR2 support, and PC via PC can be used for optional PC VR support

For those like me who wonder why there’s no more games set up for the post-apocalyptic future scenery fested by demons, good news, heart machine peopleHyperlight Drifter) agree. After an invasion by otherworldly troops, Luke leaves two crushed legs. Sly’s demon, Rehm, arrives just before his death to hit the deal. With a snap of her finger, Luka is reborn with the power of a demon and ready to fight her way through the remains of the world she knew. Play with distinctive aptitude for the graphic style of the heart machine immersed in Metroidvania, Owner He really grabbed me with his voice and story. Rehm is a jerk who still knows one or two things about the plot at the heart of this disaster, and he jokes with Luka Hades– Scenery dialogue cutaway. in OwnerOpening ’30 minutes, smart quickly bleeds into gameplay from the demonic enemies who own everyday machines and transformed them into narrated enemies, and the weapons they rely on to survive. Good news: Knife works well against the beasts of hell. –MP

Provisional release date: There is a demonstration in 2025.

The award for the most psychedelic experience of the year was screaming “Oh, my god!” every few minutes. The art is a rifle. Thai developer Ahman Pakhan explains The art is a rifle As an “open world, FPS puzzle game with rhythmic bullets,” however, it does not fully capture the (in a good way) disorientation quality of the play. When I first hit the ground, I was using a colored ball launcher to change the colors of different black and white objects. Ultimately, I found the correct order to open the door to another section of the hovering platform. Each puzzle required a new way of thinking about the “gun,” its “ammunition,” and how projectiles work in the world’s loopy physics. Eventually, I was stuck – then jumped off the platform and jumped into a completely different part of the world. I was playing The art is a rifle The correct way? I didn’t know, so I was so lost and happy in such a vibrant dreamy scape. –MP

I’m probably going to refer Shadow Labyrinth Even after it’s released as “Grimdark Pac-Man”, it’s what it is, even if the unforgettable title doesn’t make it clear. But we still have to do not have Forget about Bandai Namco’s upcoming twist on one of the world’s oldest and most famous IPs. Inspired by Megatwist’s secret-level episode “Circle,” it is itself a take on Pac-Man’s Grim Dark. Shadow Labyrinth is a metropolitan area starring a sword-length figure exploring 2D side crawl levels along with a small floating yellow sphere. Shadow Labyrinth There are some typical modern Metroidvania mechanics – double jumps, grappling hooks, air dashes – but a take in morph ball mode. You live in Pac-Man – or um, sorry, he’s called “Pack” in this game – and eats small dots across certain walls and surfaces. I won 20 minutes in this game and loved all of them. I can’t wait for the full release of this strange thing right now, but I’m very welcome to Pac-Man lore. –mm

release date: July 18, 2025, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X | S, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2

Ground 2 It wasn’t the only micro-sized adventure game on display at Game Fest this summer. Players who enjoy running around as little man should check out InfinitesimalsCubit Studios people have been suffering in some form and form for over a decade, starting as a pet project for veteran game designer James McWilliams. At first glance, the game looks a bit similar The life of a bug I have a gun, but in reality it’s close to the ideal avatar experience we didn’t get in enough Pandora’s Frontier. The player straps as the leader of alien military forces crashing on Earth, but he is only the size of an insect, and he overtakes both the curiosity and the robotic group present in his current growth. Built on top of the tactics of third-person military shooters, many other interesting mechanics that open up the play, from various weapon modifiers to stealth paths that hack through complexly constructed power systems. Infinitesimals At first glance, I feel that the “pitch” is complex and vast.Honey I shrunk the kids Aliens and guns. ” –MP

Provisional release date: Epic Game Store for PC 2026, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X | s

Recently, the 1990s have side scrollers that are as retro-inspired as the actual gill side scrollers. Still, there are people making new adoration entries. And Zenovia Interactive’s Neon Inferno looked like one of them. Inspired by franchises like Contra and Metal Slug, the direction of 32-bit cyberpunk art is completely overreliant, so Neon Inferno is a shooter game that explodes with the action of the first seconds. Russ Frushtick and I played cooperatives at various stages that showed off many mechanics that were well-known as Assassins Angelo Morano and Mariana Vitti, showing off the typical run-and-gun gameplay-like. When extracting the waves of cybergangs, Neon Inferno You can pit you on enemies in the foreground or gallery shooter style background, receive projectile fire, and throw appropriate scales at several vehicle stages. It’s still a retro chaos that can only be done with modern technology. –MP

release date: On October 2nd, demos will be released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

“It was overcookedBut it’s on the spaceship.” Solmette“The developer gave me a patch for Matt and me when I stepped up to play the game at the summer Gamefest booth. But that’s pretty much true though. Solmette It feels a little desperate. Every time I play It was overcookedMy partner and I will be screaming at each other as we are in the episode of Bear. in Solmettewe quickly moved like an oiled machine. Charging the ship’s batteries, reloading the cannons, and repositioning the shield to protect it from enemy spacecraft all happened seamlessly, but you can communicate it with the right balance. Solmette As brilliant and confusing, it may ultimately be satisfying. This is definitely a game concept with powerful potential and you’ll check out when you receive the full release. –mm

Provisional release date: Early access to Steam on PC in 2025.

This upcoming game – the debut title of early indie studio SoftRains – will likely be the only game designed to revolve around a Watergun mechanic and make me cry. in Ambrosia Skythe player steps into the space boots of Dahlia, an intergalactic explorer who is revisiting his home planet after being overrun by a hostile fungus that killed everyone. She uses a high-tech power washer to clean up fungal overgrowth from her previous home. It’s a very satisfying cleanup job. That’s not Dahlia’s true mission. I rarely saw about writing in the 20-minute demo, but I was already impressed with me. The music was the perfect unforgettable accompaniment to it. –mm

Provisional release date: Steam from PC to PC

It’s been a while since Ninja Gaiden players have new players, but now there are two in the middle of two. Ninja Gaden Ragebound2D throwback to the spirit of the 8-bit ninja Gaiden era that will come to the console this summer (we really dug for his fast revival), and Ninja Gaiden 4representing the unlikely studio team up between the Platinum Game and Team Ninja.

The former is known for its splacatory, button mashing-friendly action games like Bayonetta and Devil May Cry, while the latter is known for its Mega-Difficult Hack and Slash gameplay (Along with Ninja Gaiden, Team Ninja makes Nioh games. Because of that combination, most players and I really didn’t know what to expect from Ninja Gaiden 4But the results really worked for me. He is a lover of both systematic soul-like and flashy Bayonetta-style action games. It’s still a marriage of two methodologies that work perfectly. It’s like a 3D fighting game, with big special moves to perform, but you need to learn specific combos and pay attention to your enemies and their abilities. I spent all 20 minutes Ninja Gaiden 4 I was able to learn as much as I could so that I could keep up and the results were extremely rewarding. –mm

release date: October 21, 2025, to Xbox (and Game Pass), PlayStation 5, and PC

Blumhouse Games took over the corner of SGF and previewed several new titles, including a very cheeky and bloody farm sim/horror mashup Grave season and cruciblethe first game of Madrid-based Barmira Studios. The latter gave me a classic Willies. destiny, earthquakeand witch It was done for me at the time. crucible The first person horror shooter says he was deeply inspired by the rush of performances Bioshock At the time, the vibe of the demo was filled with sparse but untidy encounters with Spanish design elements – it felt like a refreshing AA twist. The core crucibleSupernatural Mystery of the Blood Gun is a deadly weapon that relies on the player’s own life for ammunition. You can collect blood from corpses scattered around the map, or often I have found myself using up the supply of my life to survive a battle with the zombie puppet, or running away from the towering monsters that wanted to drink me up. Like a great horror movie, crucible Force them to ride the thin line between life and death, fearing to turn the corner. I went crazy like a siccos. –MP

Provisional release date: 2026