When PlayStation released a new trailer for Ghost of Yōtei this week, I was surprised. Not just because PlayStation dropped it on a random Wednesday, opting not to save this information for Summer Game Fest or a State of Play. No, I was surprised that PlayStation decided to announce that one of its biggest games of 2025 will hit store shelves in the last quarter of the year — a three-month period that most triple-A games have been steering clear of to avoid clashing with Grand Theft Auto 6.
The First Half Of 2025 Is A Hundred-Game Pile-Up
The first half of 2025 has been packed with well-received new releases. Already this year, players have gotten Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Civilization 7, Avowed, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, Monster Hunter Wilds, Split Fiction, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Atomfall, inZoi, South of Midnight, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Oblivion Remastered.
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That’s not counting ports of existing games like Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition on Switch, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered on PC, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Days Gone Remastered, and Forza Horizon 5 on PS5. And, even still, that’s just triple-A. Throw in standout indies like Citizen Sleeper 2, Sunderfolk, Blue Prince, 33 Immortals, Wanderstop, and Eternal Strands, and it’s been a bizarrely buzzy start to the year.
The result is that Ghost of Yotei is one of only a handful of games with set release dates slated in for the last few months of 2025. But there are a metric ton that are pencilled in for a nebulous 2025 release, with no hard date. Even without reporting that publishers are scared to reveal release dates, it’s clear that GTA 6 is the Florida-sized elephant in the room.
Is The Fear Warranted?
It’s easy to see why a game like Ghost of Yotei specifically might want to avoid a fall release. Like GTA 6, it’s a big open-world action-adventure. Like GTA 6, it will likely contain dozens, if not hundreds, of hours of content with the potential to keep players busy for months after launch. And like GTA 6, it’s going to be a graphical showcase for current-gen consoles, the kind of game that players spent the first half of this generation waiting for.
But all this caution seems a little overblown to me. Yes, GTA 6 will be a big game. Yes, many players will devote a ton of time to it once it comes out. And, yes, GTA 6 will be a sales behemoth and that will mean gamers have less spending money to go around — even if it avoids the rumored $100 price tag and is just a regular $70 release.
And what if GTA 6 slips into next year? Are publishers just going to hold off on releasing their games indefinitely for fear that GTA might launch within the same quarter? Every month that GTA 6 isn’t out is a month that another game has the potential to break out, likely multiple. Refusing to release in 2025’s last quarter may, ultimately, be fruitless caution, a move that both prevents games from finding the audience they deserve and doesn’t accomplish the goal of avoiding GTA.
While some players will be holding off on buying new games as they tighten their belts in a tough economy, others will still have plenty of spending money. Tariffs won’t hit everyone equally, and even people who do end up bearing the brunt of increased prices will be looking for fun, relatively cheap things to do for a distraction. If Ghost of Yōtei is $70 and provides 100-plus hours of entertainment, that’s a good deal for players who are trying to get by.
Definitely a better value proposition, in terms of dollars spent to hours gained, than going to the movies, a concert, or a comedy show.
It’s pointless to try to play chicken with a game that may not even come out in 2025. Whether or not GTA 6 releases, players will be looking for something to play. By announcing its release date, Ghost of Yotei has claimed a spot for itself. Other publishers would be wise not to wait too long.
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