by Gamatroid.
It seems hard to believe, but 2025 is already more than halfway over.
There have been some great pixel-powered game releases so far this year, but there are still some great games we know are coming (and probably a few we don't even know about yet).
Here are the five games I'm the most hyped for, still coming this year:
#5 - MARVEL Cosmic Invasion
Release date: 2025?
If you haven't already seen the trailer, MARVEL Cosmic Invasion looks like a MARVEL Comics take on the excellent TMNT Shredder's Revenge. While this isn't the same vibe as the classic Konami X-Men arcade game, I'm still super hyped to get a retro-styled beat 'em up game set in the MARVEL universe where I can play as Wolverine.
Honestly this would have ranked higher on my hype meter, but we don't have an exact release date so far. It still seems very likely this will drop in 2025, but we'll have to wait and see when more information becomes available.
#4 - Neon Inferno
Release date: Oct 2, 2025
Neon Inferno is probably the least well known game on this list, and that's a shame because, from what I experienced in the demo, it plays great and looks absolutely amazing.
While I like a lot of the modern pixel-art games being released these days, few seem to capture the look and feel of those 90s arcade games that looked impossibly good and we never got a proper home port of. This game is an original title, but it looks amazing and captures that 90s arcade style flawlessly.
It's coming in October, so luckily we have a chance to play through some of the other amazing pixel-powered games releasing earlier, like the next one...
#3 - Terminator 2D: No Fate
Release date: Sep 5, 2025
Terminator 2D: No Fate was first revealed back in February this year, and to say it was completely unexpected would be a vast understatement. Not only is it a pixel-powered Terminator game releasing in 2025 (that alone would be amazing) but it's based on the best movie in the entire Terminator franchise: T2.
Sure, there were a bunch of Terminator 2 games back in the day on NES, SNES and Genesis, and there was the excellent T2 arcade game that I played the hell out of, but this feels like it could be a chance to finally play the 2D side scrolling T2 game we always deserved, but never got.
I'm cautiously optimistic for this one, but if there is even a chance that this is good, it will be one of the sleeper hits of the year.
#2 - Ninja Gaiden Ragebound
Release date: July 31, 2025
I know, I know. You might be thinking...wait, why is Ragebound only number 2? Well, you'll have to wait until you get to number 1 to find out, but that doesn't mean I'm not hyped as hell for Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, and even better it releases at the end of this month!
I've already played through the Steam demo multiple times (and if you haven't done so, you really should), and I'm very excited for the full release.
This game is being developed by the same team that did the excellent Blasphemous games, and you can really tell. There is a level of polish and quality to this game that I could have only wished for, and the fact that we are getting a new 2D entry in the Ninja Gaiden series seems like a dream come true.
Maybe if this one does well, Koei Tecmo will consider releasing a proper Ninja Gaiden 4 sequel to continue the legendary NES series. Probably unlikely, but a guy can dream, can't he?
#1 - Earthion
Release date: July 31, 2025
Now, finally, we've reached the number one pole position spot. If you aren't already familiar with Earthion you may be wondering what it is, and how it could possibly inspire more hype than Ninja Gaiden. Well...
Earthion is a new Sega Genesis game being developed by Ancient, which is the game company established by the famous video game music creator, Yuzo Koshiro, of Streets of Rage and Revenge of Shinobi fame, among many others.
I first fell in love with Yuzo's music back on the Sega Genesis with the original Streets of Rage, and I've been following him on X.com for years. The game is a Shoot 'Em Up that looks amazing and is filled with new music from Yuzo.
I've been able to follow the development and evolution of this game through his posts, and I'm very excited to see what he's been cooking up for us.
It releases the same day as Ninja Gaiden Ragebound (July 31) so I'm going to have to do some juggling because I need to play them both.
Honorable mention: Shinobi Art of Vengeance
The other big pixel-adjacent game coming out this year that I'm super excited for is Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. I didn't include it directly in the list because it isn't pixel-powered per se. It uses hand drawn art, much in the style of the recent Streets of Rage 4.
In fact, it is being developed by the same team that made Streets of Rage 4, which itself was excellent.
Early feedback sounds like this game is shaping up to be awesome, and I've already put in my preorder.
Well that's the list.
You likely already knew about some of these, but hopefully there were one or two you hadn't heard of before or had been actively tracking.
There are surely a lot more pixel-powered games coming in the second half of 2025 that I didn't cover here, so keep checking Electronic Gamers as we explore the finest retro-inspired games of the new millennium.
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