April typically isn’t a month that I associate with strong game launches. In 2024, some good games like Children of the Sun and Tales of Kenzera: Zau came out during this month, but none of those went on to define the year in the way titles like Astro Bot, Balatro, and Black Myth: Wukong did. This year, the vibe this April is different. We’re less than two weeks into the month, and games like South of Midnight and Blue Prince have already emerged as possible Game of the Year contenders.
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On top of that, several other solid new games have come out, and the highly anticipated likes of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves are on the way. While April has historically been a good month to put the controller down and explore other hobbies, you may be left behind if you decide to do that this year.
This week marks the wide release of Complusion Games’ South of Midnight. It’s one of 2025’s high-profile Xbox console exclusives and an action-adventure deeply entrenched in Southern United States culture. ComicBook’s Michael Murphy gave the game a 4 out of 5 in his review and stated, “South of Midnight proves itself to be a great new IP for Xbox and Compulsion Games’ best work yet.” While the 77 Metacritic aggregated score isn’t one of the year’s best, Hazel’s journey and its distinct setting and aesthetics are resonating with some.
If you care more about Metacritic averages, then you’ll want to keep an eye on Blue Prince. This roguelike puzzle game hits Xbox Game Pass today, April 10th, and is currently Metacritic’s highest-reviewed game of the year. IGN scored Blue Prince a 9 out of 10, with its reviewer stating, “If The Witness, Portal, and Myst are already emblazoned on the Mount Rushmore of first-person puzzle games, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Blue Prince carved alongside them soon enough.”
It’s a real possibility that a game like Blue Prince will be part of the GOTY discussion as we near the end of 2025, so it’s an indie darling you won’t want to miss. Outside of those two games, I’ve played some other great stuff this month. Koira is a minimalist musical adventure where players guide a dog through a snowy, mountainous landscape. If you enjoy the likes of Neva or Journey, Koira is a game I’d highly recommend. For gaming history fans, the remaster of Croc: Legend of the Gobbos was also very solid.
Less than two weeks into April, it already feels jam-packed with good new games. And the back half of the month does not look like it will let up. In the coming days, indie games like Monaco 2, Promise Mascot Agency, Star Overdrive, and Warside are all on my radar. For fans of the puzzle game The Talos Principle, a remaster of it also drops next week.
Looking a little further out, more games worthy of our attention emerge. I liked Tape 1 of Don’t Nod’s Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, and Tape 2 comes out on April 15th. Kepler Interactive’s Bionic Bay, Atari’s I Robot, and Nitroplus’ Rusty Rabbit all drop on April 17th, while a remastered collection of the Lunar games launches on April 18th. Silent Hill fans have indie horror game Post Trauma to look forward to on April 22nd, while Sunderfolk ambitiously blends tabletop gaming and Jackbox-style phone controls into a novel RPG experience on April 23rd.
Then, the month rounds out with a few heavy hitters. Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is getting a lot of pre-release buzz, and is a very important release of 2025 for RPG fans. Fighting game fans are getting a similarly niche but important title this month with SNK’s Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. Fans of Danganronpa and Zero Escape will want to check out The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy, the new game from the creator of those two aforementioned series, on April 24th. Slipgate Ironworks’ RTS Tempest Rising and PS5 exclusive Days Gone Remastered round out the month’s high-profile launches.
While “there’s a little something for everyone” is a bit of a gaming cliche at this point, that statement rings true this April. I haven’t even mentioned the PS5 ports of Xbox exclusives Forza Horizon 5 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle dropping this month yet. While it’s becoming increasingly common for players to stick to the same few games they like the most, this April is shaping up to be one of the best months for games in 2025.
