Action games have led the charge since the early days of gaming, with developers quick to put swords and spears in players’ hands and let them carve through pixelated foes. The genre reached its peak with character-action or spectacle fighters, where over-the-top presentation and memorable protagonists were complemented by deep, rewarding combat systems, but it has since been diluted by the industry’s constant need to chase trends and homogenize.
The tide seems to be turning, however, with 2025 shaping up to be a year filled with action games that aren’t Metroidvanias, roguelikes, or Soulslikes, but pure action titles unafraid to be challenging, stylish, and demanding of their players. There’s nothing wrong with those genres, but it’s been a while since we’ve seen games with a clear focus on skillful play over randomization or RPG elements.
Year of the Ninja
Ninja Gaiden used to be a household name, first in the ’90s thanks to its precision-focused action platformers similar to Konami’s Castlevania series, featuring one-hit kills and challenging platforming. In the 3D era, Team Ninja took on the IP and developed some of the most thrilling action titles the medium has seen with the Ninja Gaiden trilogy, which remain unmatched in their gory scale to this day.
While Team Ninja has found success with the Nioh series, they haven’t forgotten about Ninja Gaiden. Earlier this year, they releasedNinja Gaiden 2 Black, an Unreal Engine 5 remaster of the classic 2008 release, and are co-developingNinja Gaiden 4with Platinum Games for 2025, a true sequel after more than a decade. Both Team Ninja and Platinum have a long history with action games, and their shared design sensibilities can surely lead to something special.
It doesn’t end here for Ninja Gaiden, because the incredible developers over at The Game Kitchen have releasedNinja Gaiden: Ragebound, a 2D action platformer that honors the original NES games as well as the modern 3D releases for a focused, tightly designed action game with some of the best pixel art on the market.
Saying Ninja Gaiden is back is an understatement, but there’s another ninja, aShinobiif you will. Yes, SEGA has finally opened its forgotten IPs drawer and blessed us with another Shinobi title, developed by the studio behind Streets of Rage 4, Lizardcube. SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance is coming out later this month, with a demo already available to download and master.
Where Ragebound shines with its precision-based combat, the upcoming Shinobi game puts a larger focus on combos, ninja arts, aerial platforming, and other combat and maneuverability tools. If the demo is anything to go by, SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance is shaping up to be another hit for the studio, and a worthy addition to both the action genre and the legacy series itself. Fret not, because it isn’t a Metroidvania or a rogue-like, but a proper Shinobi game with varied levels, plenty of unique enemies, and tough bosses.
Rising Stars
Ninja Gaiden and Shinobi aside, there are tons of action games on the horizon that equally deserve attention, and I want to give them a shoutout.
From the developer of Assault Spy, who also previously worked on Devil May Cry 4, MIGHTREYA is another high-octane action game, this time set in an open world and starring a superhero named Reya, who can fly across the map, wield multiple weapons, and smack the ever-loving snot out of Kaiju-sized monstrosities.
Morbid Metal
Okay, I’m cheating a bit because this is a rogue-lite, but how many actual character-action rogue-lites have you played? Especially in the 3D space. The fact that Ubisoft, of all companies, is publishing this in 2025 wasn’t on my bingo card. Morbid Metal is much better than I expected, and there’s a demo to try out as well!
Ultrakill has been in early access since 2020, and I have no complaints because every single new chapter released by Hakita is practically perfect. Ultrakill is a first-person game, but like DOOM Eternal, it’s a character-action game in every sense of the word. There is a style-meter, a high level of execution requirement, and a diverse arsenal of weapons, each with its legitimate utility, and some of the best bosses in the genre.
I don’t know if Ultrakill 1.0 will come out in 2025, but it’s still one of the best games you can play right now, even if you aren’t a fan of the genre overall.
While there’s no shortage of RPGs, Metroidvanias, and roguelites with plenty of action to offer, it’s nice to see developers still take interest in a genre that doesn’t try to cater to everyone by overstuffing the game with mechanics, but instead offers a polished and condensed experience that demands your constant attention. As someone who adores these games, 2025 is one for the books.
Ali Hashmi
Ali has been writing about video games for the past six years and is always on the lookout for the next indie game to obsess over and recommend to everyone in sight. When he isn’t spending an unhealthy amount of time in Slay the Spire, he’s probably trying out yet another retro-shooter or playing Dark Souls for the 50th time.
