Every time a new esports game gets released, it opens new doors for competitive players and fans. If you want to stay updated on this year’s best upcoming esports games, we’ve listed the most promising and exciting ones so you don’t miss out. We’ve already seen games like Rematch and SUPERVIVE make waves in the first few quarters of 2025. But the most exciting part is still ahead, with more competitions and titles on the way. Let’s look at some game releases expected to impact the esports scene for the rest of the year and their proposed release dates. EA Sports FC 26 (Q3 Release) It looks like Electronic Arts are sticking to their tradition of releasing games in their flagship football series in late Q3. EA Sports FC 26 is scheduled for full global launch on 26 September, 2025. Formerly known as FIFA, the franchise already has a robust esports scene. However, last year’s entry (FC 25) has struggled to reach the esports viewership and prize pool of the previous title (FC 24). FC 26 promises to rekindle the hype behind the most successful football game franchise in the world. It will be releasing on these platforms: Playstation (4 & 5) Xbox (1 & Series X/S) Nintendo Switch (1 & 2) PC Not much is changing in terms of gameplay, but esports players can expect some much-needed improvements that directly impact competitive matches. Most notably, EA has improved latency by ~12 ms. They have also rebalanced finesse shooting in the game by reducing the topspin, which was a broken mechanic that players often overused in FC 25. Qualifications for the game’s biggest esports tournament, FC Pro World Championship, begin in September 2025, as soon as early access is available. You can start playing for a shot at qualifying for the competition and grabbing a portion of the $1 million prize pool. Deadlock (Q4 Release) Valve’s Deadlock is one of the most anticipated esports games of 2025. The third-person shooter and MOBA game was published on Steam as an invite-only, early alpha release in August 2024. Since then it has garnered millions of new fans, peaking at 171,490 concurrent players in September 2024. It’s been over a year, and the hype has declined somewhat, but Deadlock still gets more than 50,000 daily active players. Valve has yet to announce a release date, but we’re expecting a late 2025 or early 2026 launch for Windows. Based on early development gameplay, Deadlock will shift from the traditional MOBA setup by allowing six players per team instead of five. Its third-person shooter style is another refreshing take on the genre. For the in-game mechanics, think Overwatch meets Dota 2, which happens to be another game developed by Valve. There is no official esports scene for the unreleased game. But there have been several third-party tournaments since 2024. So far, teams have earned over $100,000 from those events. That is a sign that a Deadlock esports scene is very likely to rise after the game officially launches. 2XKO (Q3-Q4 Release) On September 9, 2025, 2XKO started its closed beta for PC. The current program is invite-only, with players from the alpha phase getting automatic access. 2XKO is a 2v2 tag-team fighting game developed and published by Riot Games. All playable characters in the game are from League of Legends. The mechanics are simple enough for casual gamers but also have complex elements for strategic gameplay. Each team has two characters (Point and Assist), and players can switch between them in battle. You may play solo or team up with a friend for a duo. 2XKO is set for full release later this year, and it will be playable on PC (Windows), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. All progress (Ranked, Champion Mastery, etc.) will be wiped when the closed beta ends. In August, 2XKO appeared in Evo 2025, the world’s biggest fighting game tournament. We can see this trend continuing after its full release. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (Q3 Release) The most anticipated kart racing game of 2025 will be coming to your devices on September 25, 2025. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds promises to bring some unpredictability to the franchise. Unlike other racing games in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, CrossWorlds will allow racers to travel to other maps mid-race. It will also feature the largest roster of playable characters in franchise history. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds has all of the makings of an exciting esports game. It’s a fast-paced racing game that allows up to 12 players to compete at a time. It also offers cross-platform support for PlayStation (4 & 5), Xbox, Nintendo Switch (1 & 2), and PC. An early version of the game featured in the Esports World Cup this year as part of an exhibition tourney among Japanese influencers. No doubt Sega and the Sonic Team will hope their new release can rival Mario Kart World. Pokémon Legends: Z-A (Q4 Release) Set to launch on October 16, 2025, Pokémon Legends: Z-A will be the 23rd video game in the franchise’s main series and the 2nd game in its Legends collection. Like all other entries in the franchise, Z-A will have a robust esports scene. Developed by Game Freak, it will only be available on Nintendo Switch (1&2). The game is an action RPG, like its predecessor, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which came out in 2022. However, Z-A will feature an online multiplayer mode, unlike Arceus. This mode is called Battle Club, and it allows up to 4 players to compete in real time. We can’t predict how well Z-A will translate to esports, but it will certainly bring a fresh, fast-paced format to Pokémon’s competitive ecosystem. ARC Raiders (Q4 Release) Embark Studios’ upcoming third-person shooter has already gained thousands of fans, even without an open beta. Although there has been some controversy surrounding the developer’s decision, many people understand the need to manage expectations regarding new releases. ARC Raiders will be playable on PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S. Its gameplay is set on a futuristic earth ruled by robots. You will play as one of the “raiders” in the game tasked with extracting resources while battling NPC robots and other players. You can play solo, duo, or trio. This drop-loot-extract gameplay makes ARC Raiders a potential candidate for esports after launch. Conclusion With these exciting upcoming esports games, 2025 still holds a lot of promise in the professional gaming scene. Each game has a unique potential, and you can start making plans to become one of its best players. There’s still plenty to look forward to in the world of esports.
