Did we predict the biggest gaming news from 2025?

Another year has come and gone, and before we look forward to all of the exciting possibilities awaiting the gaming industry in 2026, it’s nice to take some time to reflect on the year we’ve just had. Every year, each Pocket Tactics member makes around ten predictions for the year to come, and now it’s time to see just how right (or wrong) we were.

Understandably, the biggest topic on all of our minds at the beginning of 2025 was the as-yet-unannounced Nintendo Switch successor. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait long for news, as Nintendo announced the new hybrid console on January 16, 2025. Pocket Tactics’ Editor, Ruby, correctly guessed that it would be called the Nintendo Switch 2, but her reveal estimate was a few weeks off.

We later found out about tons of games coming to the handheld console, many of which the team correctly predicted. I thought these picks were crazy at the time, but Deputy Editor Kayleigh was right about both Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077 coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, with both games adding exclusive features for the console. We’re still waiting for the Tarnished Edition’s release date, but CD Projekt Red’s RPG came out swinging, with Kayleigh giving it a 9/10 in her Cyberpunk 2077 Switch 2 review.

Following several recent remakes and remasters, Hardware Editor Connor was right to predict an amazing new 3D Donkey Kong game for the Switch 2, and lo and behold, Donkey Kong Bananza blew us all away. Not only did it pick up the Best Family Game award and a GOTY nomination at The Game Awards 2025, but it’s Connor’s Switch GOTY, which is unsurprising given his 10/10 Donkey Kong Bananza review.

We nailed a couple of other things about the Switch 2, too. Staff Writer Sam correctly predicted that the console’s launch price would be cheaper than an Xbox Series X or a PS5, but more expensive than an Xbox Series S, and Staff Writer Holly was right that we’d get a new Zelda port. If you’re thinking, “Wait, what new Zelda port?” She got it right on a technicality, as we got Switch 2 editions of both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Sorry to rain on your parade, Holly.

So, we’re clearly pretty clued in to Nintendo’s plans, but there are still plenty of games that we hoped would come to the Switch 2 that haven’t made the jump yet. I’m talking Monster Hunter Wilds, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Marvel Rivals, and Call of Duty. Luckily, most of these are great Steam Deck games, so you can still play them on the go, but we still hope they come to Nintendo’s system soon.

Next are the Pokémon predictions. As PT’s resident Poké-person, I made some pretty big swings with my guesses, and sadly, none of them hit. I was certain we’d get a Black and White remake this year, especially after the Black Bolt and White Flare TCG set, but nope. There’s still no official news on the tenth generation of games, though plenty of information is out there from the massive Game Freak leak. We haven’t seen a third Charizard Mega Evolution (yet), and my beloved Project Voltage hasn’t appeared in any mobile games. Hatsune Miku has shared the stage with Pikachu and Eevee in Japan in a series of concerts, though. God, I wish I were there.

Connor was much more on the ball with his predictions this year, correctly guessing that Pokémon TCG Pocket wouldn’t add any new battle mechanics and that his favorite dragon Pokémon, Dragonite, would get a new Mega Evolution in Legends: Z-A. Several PT faves got upgrades, actually, as Raichu got not one, but two new megas in the DLC. Ruby’s hope for an open-world Pokémon game came up short, but we did get the surprise announcement of Pokémon Pokopia, a farming and life sim inspired by games like Minecraft, Stardew Valley, and Dragon Quest Builders.

2025 was a big year for gacha games, and if you don’t believe me, you clearly didn’t hear that Wuthering Waves won Player’s Voice at The Game Awards, and Umamusume: Pretty Derby won Mobile Game of the Year. We visited Nod Krai in Genshin Impact, something Guides Editor Tilly kinda predicted when she said that we’d get more Khaenri’ah lore before heading straight to Snezhnaya. I was wrong about Zenless Zone Zero coming to the Switch 2, and Ruby missed with her Ananta mobile GOTY prediction because the game still isn’t out. Will it ever see the light of day?

Hoyoverse specifically had a big year, spilling the beans on two big new mobile games – Petit Planet and Honkai: Nexus Anima. Tilly thought that Petit Planet might go back to its previous name of Astaweave Haven, but it seems the PP is here to stay. Don’t get it confused with Poppy Playtime! Extremely different vibes. She was right about Hoyoverse using Genshin events to test out possible mechanics, though, and about a closed beta. You can read our Petit Planet preview for a deeper dive into this interstellar cozy game.

On top of all of this excitement, Ruby finally correctly predicted a new Digimon game, and she bloody loved it, as you can see from her 9/10 Digimon Story: Time Stranger review. Tilly was sadly right that Square Enix would kill another mobile game in 2025, with Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link facing cancellation before a full launch, and War of the Visions: FFBE falling victim to the Persona 5 curse. Although she’s still waiting for any news from the Spyro and Crash Bandicoot series, Kayleigh was right about a new Tomb Raider game, and unfortunately, she was also right about GTA 6 getting delayed again.

We’re still holding out hope for tons of huge titles like Kingdom Hearts 4, Persona 6, Final Fantasy 7 Remake part 3, and Witchbrook, but news is few and far between. Hopefully, it won’t be long until we can add them to our lists of new Switch games. In the meantime, fill your gaming backlog with picks from our Switch GOTY 2025, mobile GOTY 2025, and Steam Deck GOTY 2025 lists, and we’ll see you in 2026!