Studios have spoken: What’s trending for 2025?
2025 has already proven that the gaming industry is unpredictable and that it’s important to look ahead and plan as much as you can.
While collaborating with studio experts on the 2025 Unity Gaming Report, we took the opportunity to ask about their insights and experiences from 2024, their thoughts on this year’s biggest trends, and their predictions for 2026 and beyond.
There were three trends that kept coming up in devs’ observations right now: indie game popularity, player engagement and social gameplay, and a renewed focus on proven intellectual property (IP).
Below are key predictions and recommendations from some of today’s most exciting developers, as well as takeaways to keep in mind for your own game development.
Indie game popularity
According to our studio collaborators, this is the year of the small but mighty. Devs will focus on making simpler, out-of-the-box games that pose less of a risk to publishers and offer them the chance to stand out in a crowded market.
Here’s what devs are predicting about one of this year’s standout trends:
“The continued growth of independent games done on smaller budgets.”
– Raph Koster, CEO, Playable Worlds
“Shorter games. In 2024, we saw a lot of short, polished single-player indie games make a huge impact and that will continue.”
– Remy Siu, Founder, CEO and Creative Director, sunset visitor 斜陽過客
“We expect to see more midmarket games created by smaller teams of less than 50 people. The idea of making a single blockbuster is giving way to a mindset of creating smaller, high-quality titles. This shift is creating space for more diversity in the kinds of games that are finding success.”
– James Lockrey, Managing Director, Chaos Theory Games
“Small to mid-size studios punching above their weight and creating fabulous games.”
– Oscar J-T Holm, Cofounder, 10 Chambers
“I think 2025 will be a year where mid-tier and indie studios continue to thrive. Smaller teams can take risks and move faster, creating games that surprise players while still feeling approachable. This space is where we’ll see real innovation.”
– Nadia Thorne, CEO and Producer, Black Salt Games
Takeaway: Whether you’re planning a game or already in production, or if you’re looking to join a new studio, don’t discount smaller projects or teams. Indie game development offers flexibility, speed, and creative freedom.
Player engagement and social gameplay
A big trend that our studio experts agreed on is a rise in immersive, social-centric, and non-competitive game experiences. Players are looking for fun, casual, and low-stress games that are easy to play and escape into.
Here’s what our studio contributors had to say about the popularity of casual, community-based games:
“Players don’t just want content – they want experiences that react to them, evolve with them, and feel dynamic every time they play. Even more so if it can be experienced with friends.”
– Benjamin Lavender, Technical Director, Kinetic Games
“Hybrid-casual games are set to dominate. They blend the simplicity of casual mechanics with deeper engagement layers, making them perfect for reaching large audiences while maintaining high retention.”
– Sola Saulenko, Marketing Director, Pixonic, MY.GAMES
“Co-op PVE games. The power of games you can play to enjoy with your friends in a non-competitive environment is something we will see more and more of in the future since we will also see a big increase in gamers in higher age groups that find it way more enjoyable to play games in this environment.”
– Justin Miersch, Founder and Game/Level Designer, 314 Arts
“We’re anticipating an even bigger focus on social-centric gameplay, particularly on mobile. People are always craving more connection, and games have proven a great way to achieve that virtually.”
– Niklas Orup, Game Director, SYBO
Takeaway: Don’t underestimate the power of community bonding while building your game. While demographics may change, the urge for connection, camaraderie, and easy escapism remain constant in players.
A renewed focus on proven IP
Franchise expansion has been a recurring trend over the years, and our studio participants don’t see that going away any time soon. Even though there’s no such thing as a sure thing in gaming, successful IPs are a lower-risk initiative that studios and publishers continue to bet on.
While they agreed on the continued surge of tried-and-true franchises, our experts offer diverse reasons for their predictions.
“Known IP is becoming more important than ever. With the sheer volume of games being released across platforms, discoverability remains a massive challenge. Players – and platforms – are gravitating towards titles with built-in recognition and trust, whether that’s established gaming franchises or adaptations of well-loved IP from other media. At the same time, we’re going to see even more gaming IP breaking out into transmedia opportunities – films, series, books, and beyond.”
– Jane Campbell, Commercial Manager, ustwo games
“AAA will likely not take risks on new IPs and will focus on their known franchises while there’s so much uncertainty. This presents a great opportunity for indies to be the creative outlet for truly unique ideas.”
– Tom Jackson, Principal Game Developer, Bossa Games
“The remastering of classic IPs. Nostalgia is a powerful tool and players love revisiting the games they grew up with, but updated for modern platforms.”
– Andrew Farrugia, CEO and Game Director, Anvil Game Studios
Takeaway: When planning your game, it’s important to weigh the risks, potential, and creative opportunities of creating a new game concept versus finding a way to work with a successful gameworld based on familiar IP.
Even though our studio experts cite indie games, casual and social experiences, and proven IP as top trends for 2025, one thing’s for certain – there’s a lot more to come for the gaming industry this year. Stay tuned for more expert insights in our next trends blog post coming in April.
Looking to gain insights on the main trends from 2024 and what’s to come in the future of gaming? Check out the 2025 Unity Gaming Report.
To read more about incredible creations made with Unity, visit Unity’s Resources page.