Game Infliction, Author at Game Infliction

State of Play June 2025: all announcements, trailers

Game reveals, release date confirmations, and new looks at titles coming to PlayStation in the near future: today’s State of Play packed a lot into its runtime. Whether you missed the show, want to rewatch it, or dig down into the individual announcements, this article has you covered.

Firstly, you can rewatch the full show below. Underneath that we highlight each of the games featured in the show with recaps of their announcement as well as their full trailers. We also have further details and insight by the game creators in a selection of dedicated PS Blog articles.

State of Play June 2025: all announcements, trailers

Astro Bot

New levels are coming to Astro Bot this summer! Get ready for the challenge of five new Vicious Void Galaxy levels. They’ll require every bit of skill together to complete! And of course, these new levels will introduce their own Special Bots! And that’s not all: an updated smiley version of the Astro Bot Limited Edition DualSense wireless controller is set to launch later this year.

Preview both the upcoming DualSense controller and the new PS5 levels in a PS Blog post from Team Asobi Studio Head Nicolas Doucet.

Baby Steps

The wonderfully weird walking sim has a release date as Baby Steps toddles onto PS5 September 8. Today’s new gameplay trailer further highlights the game’s unique traversal mechanics, as well as challenges its onesie-wearing protagonist Nate faces as he attempts to answer the call of nature.

Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement

The 2.5D side-scrolling action RPG returns with a new dark chapter. Explore the massive Ethereal Castle as two new heroes – Leo and Alex – join forces to tackle its fearsome inhabitants. You’ll be able to switch between the duo at the press of a button, leveraging each adventurer’s distinct abilities in order to survive.

505 Games dives further into the sequel’s gameplay mechanics and details what you can expect when you enter the castle’s halls when it launches on PS5 next year in a PS Blog post.

Cairn

Climb like never before in survival-climber Cairn, which ascends onto PS5 November 5. Consider your path and climb anywhere on the mountain, managing your endurance and resources to survive. You’ll be able to hone your skills and test palm strength early, as a demo launches onto PlayStation Store today.

Cairn creator The Game Bakers breaks down its interactive take on alpinism in a tie-in PS Blog post.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger

After being announced in the last State of Play this past February, Digimon Story: Time Stranger returns with a new trailer that digs into its story, reveals more of its vibrant characters and highlights the variety of Digimon growth and customization you can expect when the game launches October 3.

Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots

Teeing off on PS5 this September 5 is the return of the classic golfing series. Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots debuted a new gameplay trailer that revealed a surprise guest star: Pac-Man! The gaming icon will be available as an early unlockable character when you pre-order the game.

Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles

Originally released in 1997 for PlayStation, Final Fantasy Tactics is known for its rich story and deep, strategic gameplay. This September 30 you can enjoy both when the strategy RPG returns on PS5 and PS4 in the form of Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles. This enhanced version adds fully voiced dialogue, optimized and updated UI, graphical improvements, and a number of other quality of life features

Square Enix details what to expect, including the more accessible “Squire” difficulty setting, in a PS Blog post.

Ghost of Yōtei

Today’s show announced a special State of Play episode dedicated to Ghost of Yōtei, coming your way soon.

Sucker Punch will guide you through an extended look at new and evolved gameplay mechanics, including exploration, combat, and much more. Mark your calendar: the episode airs this July.

Hirogami

Hirogami is an origami-inspired 3D action platformer coming to PS5 on September 3. Explore a beautiful but fragile origami world as Hiro, a master of the art of ‘folding’, and take on animal forms to traverse the landscape, solve puzzles, overcome enemies, and save the realm from a deadly digital threat.

007 First Light

IO Interactive’s third-person action-adventure game 007 First Light third-person action-adventure game unveils a new James Bond origin story. Discover the events that lead a young maverick to become the best MI6 agent and the world’s most iconic spy when the game launches on PS5 next year.

IO Interactive shares first details on the game, including its story and Bond’s background in a new PS Blog post.

Lumines Arise

A brand-new, built from the ground up entry into the iconic puzzle series launches later this year on PS5 and features optional PS VR2 compatibility. Lumines Arise includes 30 flow state-inducing stages, including lush jungles, oceans, to more electronic frontiers like the bustling streets of Tokyo and the endless expanse of outer space. A new Burst mechanic amps up the timeless gameplay.

Enhance discusses the debut of its new title, talks Avatars and teases an upcoming demo in a new PS Blog post.

MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls

PlayStation Studios, Arc System Works (Arc), and Marvel Games have joined forces to realize the latest in tag team fighters, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls! Experience the Marvel Universe like never before with reimagined characters and stages, a heart-pounding soundtrack, intuitive gameplay mechanics, and jaw-dropping visuals that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Whether this is your first fighting game or you are a veteran of the genre, Arc has incorporated gameplay controls and mechanics that are easy to pick up and play, and yet still offer the depth and versatility for high level competition.

Find out more in this PS Blog post.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater

Today’s trailer offered a closer look at how this remake has approached the fearsome adversaries that Naked Snake will face on his mission: The Cobra Unit. The new footage doesn’t just linger on the high stakes action you’ll face during the story campaign though. Konami also shares gameplay of Snake vs Monkey, which is also making its return when the game launches on PS5 this August 28.

Mortal Kombat Kollection

Digital Eclipse partners with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to bring Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 later this year. With multiple playable games from the early days of this groundbreaking fighting game series as well as interactive documentaries, Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection promises to be the most comprehensive, detailed look at the franchise’s history ever assembled.

In a supporting PS Blog post, Digital Eclipse outlines the games included in the collection, and shares more information on the documentaries that’ll include Mortal Kombat co-creators Ed Boon and John Tobia, developers, actors and more.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, the new spectacular side-scrolling entry to the acclaimed series, releases on July 31 on PS5 and PS4. Honoring the franchise’s legacy, Ragebound modernises the unforgiving action-platforming formula with the fast-paced and exhilarating action The Game Kitchen (Blasphemous I & II) is known for.

Nioh 3

Koei Tecmo and developer Team Ninja announced Nioh 3 for PS5. In this dark fantasy action RPG, players can fight using two distinct combat styles: Samurai and Ninja. The Samurai style provides a gameplay experience similar to previous Nioh titles, while Ninja style excels in quick movements like dodging and aerial actions. Players will be able to switch between battle styles instantly at any time. Intrigued to know how they’ll work? You can find out today with a limited time demo that’ll be launching on PlayStation Store.

Keoi Tecmo shares more story and gameplay details about the game in an accompanying PS Blog post.

PlayStation Plus

Along with Sword of the Sea coming August 19 as part of the Game Catalog lineup (more on that further down), there were new titles announced coming to PlayStation Plus. The PS2 version of immersive sci-fi sim Deus Ex joins Game Catalog June 17, Twisted Metal 3 and Twisted Metal 4 come to the PlayStation Plus Premium’s Classics range July 15. Later this summer, the original PlayStation versions of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis also come to PlayStation Plus Premium’s Classics range.

Pragmata

Pragmata, Capcom’s new science fiction adventure, received a new gameplay trailer during today’s State of Play. This early peak of the game’s gameplay shows its unique twist of action and strategy, as in Pragmata, players must control its two protagonists, Hugh and Diana, at the same time to overcome the many obstacles you’ll face.

Capcom shares more details of its latest IP, out 2026 on PS5, in an accompanying PS Blog post.

Project Defiant

Today State of Play saw the reveal of the first wireless fight stick custom designed by PlayStation. Codenamed Project Defiant, this new controller allows wireless play through PlayStation Link, or wired connection on PS5 or PC, and is set to launch next year.

Get your first full details on the fight stick in this PS Blog post.

Romeo is a Dead Man

Romeo Stargazer is a man stuck between life and death who chases space-time’s most wanted fugitives as FBI special agent Dead Man. This newly revealed action title, created by Grasshopper Manufacture, launches on PS5 next year, and sees you use guns, swords and even enemies’ own powers against them to battle evil hordes.

How does a time paradox shattering the space-time continuum turn someone into an FBI special agent? Grasshopper Manufacture explains (kinda) in a new PS Blog post.

Sea of Remnants

Meet a world of puppetfolk exploring the open sea and its secrets in oceanic action RPG Sea of Remnants, which sets sail for PS5. Form a specialised crew to answer any challenge that lies beyond the horizon, upgrade your ship to ride out any storm and return home with your spoils to Orbtopia, a pirate city that’ll evolve based on your swashbuckling decisions.

Joker Studio expands on the game’s punk aesthetic art style and delves deeper into its gameplay in an accompanying PS Blog post.

Silent Hill f

Silent Hill f launches September 25 on PS5, and today’s State of Play trailer shows Shimizu Hinako’s perilous journey as the high schooler’s hometown is engulfed in fog, and the dangers within will have her fighting for her life. As a standalone spinoff, the game serves as an excellent introduction to the series.

“Find beauty in terror” – Konami explains the mission statement that shaped the game’s development in this PS Blog post.

Sword of the Sea

Giant Squid is bringing its exhilarating, mythic surfing adventure Sword of the Sea to PS5 on August 19, with the game releasing as part of that month’s PlayStation Plus Game Catalog lineup.

In an accompanying PS Blog post, the studio outlines the game’s inspirations and merging those with its signature environmental design and atmospheric narrative style has resulted in a mythic surfing adventure unlike anything else.

Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow

The legendary Thief franchise is reimagined for PlayStation VR2 in Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow, launching later this year. Play as Magpie, a cunning thief orphaned by Northcrest’s brutality and shaped by the streets and use PS VR2 mechanics to steal, evade, and outsmart the forces controlling The City. Move between shadows, and extinguish light sources with water arrows, hands or even a well-aimed breath to remain undetected.

Vertigo Games details how the franchise’s mechanics have been adapted to PS VR2 in this PS Blog post.

Tides of Tomorrow

Road 96 creator DigixArt returns with an intriguing asynchronous multiplayer, oceanic adventure, coming to PS5 February 24, 2026. Tides of Tomorrow’s vibrant post-apocalyptic world interweaves your choices and a previous player’s decisions for a truly unique experience. You’ll see echoes of that player’s choices and actions, that will help you avoid traps, solve puzzles, investigate what happened before, or simply adapt based on the other player’s actions.

Road 96 creator DigixArt introduces the oceanic nomads the Tidewalkers and breaks down the game’s unique mechanic in a new PS Blog post written by the studio.

PlayStation Plus Summer 2025 Additions Include Resident Evil, Twisted Metal, Sword of the Sea, and More

PlayStation Plus subscribers can look forward to playing a selection of video games, new and old, as part of its Extra and Premium catalogs, including classic titles from the Resident Evil, Twisted Metal, and more.

New PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 additions to the ever-changing lineup of titles were revealed during today’s June 2025 State of Play showcase. Every game on the list is prepped to drop at some point throughout the summer, with some titles launching on the service day-one.

Sword of the Sea, an atmospheric adventure game about surfing through a colorful oasis, is the headliner here. It’s the next project from the Abzu and The Pathless team at Giant Squid and promises an experience that focuses on skateboarding-like gameplay, magical visuals, and exploration. It’ll be available for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers at no extra cost starting August 19, 2025.

Remedy Entertainment’s FBC: Firebreak, meanwhile, will offer a new perspective on the world of Control when it’s made available for Premium and Extra users’ Game Catalog June 17, 2025. These are fresh experiences from developers with proven track records, but the Premium Classics Catalog will soon allow players to revisit retro titles, too.

New Classic Catalog additions include Deux Ex, Twisted Metal 3, Twisted Metal 4, Resident Evil 2, and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Myst and Riven will also be added for PlayStation Plus subscribers to enjoy as part of Days of Play festivities later this month. These are simply the highlights Sony was willing to share as part of State of Play, with more games likely to be revealed in the coming months. You can see everything confirmed, along with their PlayStation Plus release dates, in the list below.

PlayStation Plus Games Coming Summer 2025

Sword of the Sea – August 19, 2025
FBC: Firebreak – June 17, 2025
Deus Ex – June 17, 2025
Twisted Metal 3 – July 15, 2025
Twisted Metal 4 – July 15, 2025
Resident Evil 2 – Summer 2025
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis – Summer 2025
Myst – June 5, 2025
Riven – June 5, 2025

While we wait for concrete release dates for some of these PlayStation Plus titles, you can check out everything else announced as part of today’s State of Play presentation. You can also read up on all of the titles that have joined the service as part of its June additions.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

Ghost of Yotei Gameplay Deep Dive State of Play Set for July as October Release Date Draws Near

Sucker Punch Productions will debut a Ghost of Yōtei gameplay deep dive with a special State of Play presentation next month.

A promise to show off more of how the highly anticipated samurai follow-up has sharpened its blade was revealed in a PlayStation Blog post published following today’s June 2025 State of Play showcase. The Ghost of Tsushima sequel did show up for a brief appearance during the tail end of the presentation but mostly served simply as a reminder that Sucker Punch is still hard at work to meet its October release date.

While it may have been disappointing to see Ghost of Yōtei come and go so quickly, it sounds like the July State of Play gameplay deep dive will do more to help with the wait. Sucker Punch’s showcase doesn’t have a release date yet but is said to focus entirely on Ghost of Yōtei and its “evolved gameplay mechanics, including exploration, combat, and much more.”

Sucker Punch formally announced its Ghost of Tsushima sequel last September, promising to place players in the shoes of new protagonist Atsu as she embarks on a bloody journey through Japan in 1603. Although the wait for story and gameplay details has been painful for those hoping for a sequel since the original game launched in 2020, director Nate Fox has said the experience will be “a respectful representation” of Japan, just like its predecessor.

Ghost of Yōtei has a release date of October 2, 2025 for PS5. For everything else announced during today’s June 2025 State of Play presentation, you can click here. To help with the wait for more information, you can read up on everything we know about Ghost of Yōtei.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is remastering the 1997 cult classic later this year

It seemed inevitable after the Tactics Ogre remaster back in 2022, and so it was. Square Enix are remastering Final Fantasy Tactics, the classic strategy-RPG from 1997. It’ll arrive on September 30th, 2025 and there’s a trailer below.

MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls launches 2026 on PS5, Steam and Epic

“From the beginning, we aimed to make MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls a title that could be enjoyed by a wide variety of players,” explains Game Director and Lead Battle Designer, Kazuto Sekine.

”Generally, a team VS fighting game requires the player to learn multiple characters, but for MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, you only need to master one character in order to play the game. We have designed the mechanics in such a way that you can perform a variety of actions with either traditional fighting game inputs or simple inputs. With the press of a few buttons, multiple characters can appear on screen to provide backup or attack together – creating a new and exciting team VS battle experience.”

“Since day one, our long-time and trusted collaborators at PlayStation and the team at Arc System Works have poured incredible amounts of talent and passion into reimagining the Marvel Universe in a way that only they can,” said Michael Francisco, Senior Product Development Manager, Marvel Games. “MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls demonstrates that they are absolute masters of their craft and are true Marvel fans at heart. Players are in for a wild ride.”

Characters

Enter the fray with iconic Marvel heroes and villains such as Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Doctor Doom, Storm, Ms. Marvel, Star-Lord, and Ghost Rider (Robbie Reyes) – each with Arc’s unique twist on their character designs and gameplay styles.

Arc Producer, Takeshi Yamanaka, states, “There are so many amazing Marvel characters that it was quite a struggle to choose our roster, but we did have some criteria for the selection process. First and foremost, we wanted to include characters who we feel to be the ‘face’ of Marvel. At the same time, we also needed to select characters that would give us a balance of battle types and styles. Lastly, we wanted to sprinkle in a few surprises and leave room for characters who have never been playable in a fighting game before.”

Yamanaka-san continues, “Early on in the project, we experimented with a shader to recreate a more western comic-book visual style, but the Marvel team expressed a desire for us to lean into something more Arc-like. It was then that we switched our approach to the game’s visuals and began to lean more into the Japanimation style Arc is known for.”

Gameplay mechanics

From short-ranged jabs to the cinematic Ultimate Skills, each character features a bespoke set of Normal, Special, and Unique attacks inspired by their abilities and powers in Marvel lore. Arc have gone to great lengths to ensure that gameplay style, movement, and feel of these legendary characters is fresh, new, and wholly unique to MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls.

But it’s not just the individual gameplay of the characters that has been enhanced; significant dedication has gone into reimagining and redefining what it means to be a tag team fighter.

“Team VS fighting games have a long tradition of 2v2 or 3v3 team formats, so this is something we discussed in-depth within the development team. We went back and forth many times, from thinking we might be better off making a 1v1 game or sticking to the established 3v3 format.”

Sekine-san continues, “At its core, we felt that the appeal of team VS fighting games is the intensity of battles with multiple characters on screen at once. Additionally, one of the appeals of Marvel comics is seeing the vast cast of characters coming together to create all kinds of unique team-ups.”

“With these two ideas in mind, we concluded that creating a 4v4 team VS system would be the best way to not only create those over-the-top moments, but to further evolve the tag fighting genre.”

Stages

The stages come to life in MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, filled with easter eggs for eagle-eyed fans to find. Most stages also feature multiple areas. These transitions between areas are not just action-packed and stunning to witness, but they also play a strategic role. Check out the screenshots from Marvel’s New York City to see what you can find.

More to come

Today’s announcement is just the beginning of our journey. From characters and stages to gameplay modes and the online experience. There’s so much more we can’t wait to share with you!

Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls Is a 4v4 Fighting Game From the Developer of Guilty Gear

Arc System Works, the developer of the Guilty Gear series, is making a 4v4 Marvel fighting game called Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls for Sony.

Announced during Sony’s State of Play June 2025, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is due out on PS5 and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store at some point in 2026.

In a post on PlayStation Blog, Reed Baird, Senior Producer, XDEV, PlayStation Studios, confirmed the inclusion of iconic Marvel heroes and villains such as Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Doctor Doom, Storm, Ms. Marvel, Star-Lord, and Ghost Rider (Robbie Reyes) – each with Arc’s unique twist on their character designs and gameplay styles.

A 4v4 tag fighting game sounds overwhelming, but Game Director and Lead Battle Designer, Kazuto Sekine, insisted that wouldn’t be the case.

“Generally, a team VS fighting game requires the player to learn multiple characters, but for Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, you only need to master one character in order to play the game,” Sekine said.

“We have designed the mechanics in such a way that you can perform a variety of actions with either traditional fighting game inputs or simple inputs. With the press of a few buttons, multiple characters can appear on screen to provide backup or attack together – creating a new and exciting team VS battle experience.”

Visually, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls has the Japanimation style Arc system Works is known for. As for gameplay mechanics, each character has a bespoke set of Normal, Special, and Unique attacks inspired by their abilities and powers in Marvel lore. And of course there are cinematic Ultimate Skills.

“Team VS fighting games have a long tradition of 2v2 or 3v3 team formats, so this is something we discussed in-depth within the development team,” Sekine added. “We went back and forth many times, from thinking we might be better off making a 1v1 game or sticking to the established 3v3 format.

“At its core, we felt that the appeal of team VS fighting games is the intensity of battles with multiple characters on screen at once. Additionally, one of the appeals of Marvel comics is seeing the vast cast of characters coming together to create all kinds of unique team-ups.

“With these two ideas in mind, we concluded that creating a 4v4 team VS system would be the best way to not only create those over-the-top moments, but to further evolve the tag fighting genre.”

Most stages also feature multiple areas, with transitions that play a “strategic role.” Sony suggested fans check out the screenshots from Marvel’s New York City to see what you can find.

In case you missed it, here’s everything announced at Sony’s State of Play June 2025 showcase.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Pragmata still exists and Capcom say the sci-fi action game is coming in 2026 for real this time

Sci-fi action game Pragmata will be coming out 2026, say developers Capcom during this evening’s PlayStation showcase. The trailer seemingly contains a stark warning for those using generative AI: keep doing so and eventually you’ll have to befriend a creepy cyborg little girl in order to fight back against a horde of futurebots that want to murder you for some reason. Think about it, next time you’re using ChatGPT to do your homework.

You’ll find the new trailer below.

In a haunting new trailer at today’s Sony State of Play, we learned that Silent Hill f’s fog of fresh horrors is imminent: it’s coming out on September 25, 2025.

In a deeply upsetting new trailer today, we saw a longer, darker look at what’s in store for us in Silent Hill f. We saw the main character, Hinako Shimizu, and her friends in Ebisugaoka living normal, peaceful lives, just before a mysterious fog envelopes the town and makes everything real weird.

Creepy red flowers bloom. Heinous, jerky dolls start chasing Hinako around and trying to rip her apart. Her friends don’t seem to be doing so hot, either. There’s gore, there’s violence, lots of paranormal, and Hinako proving remarkably efficient with a crowbar.

Silent Hill f was first announced in 2022. It’s set in 1960s Japan and is intended to juxapose horror with beauty in a story written by acclaimed Japanese writer Ryukishi07. We’ve since learned that it’s standalone from the other Silent Hill games, and that it’s Japan’s first M-rated Silent Hill game, with truly gruesome warnings about impalement, faces being ripped apart, a character being burned alive in a cage, entrails on serving platters, and lots more. Yikes!

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Adorable ‘Little Nemo’ Metroidvania Wakes Up On Switch Next Year

Wakey wakey.

We’ve been keeping an eye out for updates on Little Nemo and the Guardians of Slumberland ever since we first noticed it in 2023’s Wholesome Direct. Well, not only do we now have a new trailer, we also have a release window! This adorable-looking metroidvania will be getting sleepy on Switch at some point in 2026.

For those who haven’t stumbled across this one before, this is one of a handful of ‘Little Nemo’ projects currently in development inspired by the early 20th-century comics by Winsor McCay — and no, it’s not related to the 1990 NES Capcom title in any way other than its source material. This is a cute metroidvania, where you’ll hop into the dreams of the titular Nemo, and keep Slumberland safe from all kinds of nasties that have taken it over.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Where Is Our Mario Kart World Review?

Drivers, ready your A buttons, because Mario Kart World’s countdown clock is finally about to tick down! Unfortunately, Nintendo opted not to send out the Switch 2 for any early coverage, so my review is still in the garage getting tuned up. The good news, however, is that I’ve already gone hands-on with Mario Kart World twice, and when this article is published, I’ll probably already be standing in line to pick up my copy so I can jump right back in. (Sorry, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, but you’ll have to wait a bit longer to get my 10 bucks.)

You can read my most recent thoughts on World from a preview earlier this week, but I also wanted to take a moment to briefly share who I am and why I’m assigned to this review. (Those who have been watching our video reviews to the end may have seen us sharing some context about our reviewer’s tastes and history there as well.) Earlier this year I took over hosting duties for IGN’s Nintendo Voice Chat podcast, and I’ve been excitedly reporting on Nintendo for roughly a decade. I’ve also been doing more and more Nintendo reviews for IGN, including both Super Mario Party Jamboree and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door last year.

I’m also an enormous Mario Kart fan. I’m not sure there’s a video game franchise I’ve spent more total hours playing than this one. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is my favorite entry – and in my top 10 favorite games of all time – and I’ve logged over 500 hours of track time there alone. That’s not even counting the base Mario Kart 8 on Wii U, which I proudly picked up at launch back in 2014 as one of the few Wii U owners out there at the time. (There were dozens of us!) With its gorgeous art direction, amazing track design, and impressive amount of content (including the return of F-Zero!), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe felt like the franchise reaching the finish line of the more-or-less linear Mario Kart formula that began on Super Nintendo, so I’m very excited that World is tackling something entirely new to this series rather than simply iterating on what came before.

I’ve logged over 500 hours of track time in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe alone.

Beyond that one, my favorites are Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart 64, which are the two I spent the most time playing with friends and family growing up. Double Dash’s two-character mechanic is such a blast and 64 is an undeniable classic, but I’ll also shout out the 3DS’s Mario Kart 7, which I believe is the most underrated entry in the series. I’ve always loved just playing as Mario in Mario Kart – which leads some of my friends to call me crazy – but I am looking forward to racing as the new-look Donkey Kong in World.

As I mentioned, I do have a bit of a head start here because I’ve already played a healthy amount of Mario Kart World at a pair of Nintendo preview events. I went hands-on with the Switch 2 and Mario Kart on the same day as their reveal Direct, and I was intrigued by what I saw from the new Knockout Tour mode – even though that initial demo was fairly limited. But earlier this week, we published my impressions from a more robust Mario Kart World preview event where I got unmitigated access to the launch version. You can check out my final preview while you wait for the full review, but there I said, “I’m confident Mario Kart World’s thrilling racing will kick off Nintendo’s eighth generation with a rocket start, even if I’m still not completely sold on its open-world exploration.” The combination of that hands-on time means I’m going into launch with roughly eight hours of gameplay already logged, so I can hit the metaphorical A button right after the “2” flashes to have a good boost off the line. I’m hoping to get our final, scored review published before the end of next week.

I’ll even be working on my review from the floor of IGN Live 2025, which is happening in downtown Los Angeles at The Magic Box this weekend, June 7-8. There’s a ton happening at the show, and you can come on down to IGN Live yourself for a chance to be part of the review process by playing against me. We’ll have an official “Game with IGN” setup featuring Mario Kart World where you can play against IGN editors like myself, our co-founder Peer Schneider, and many others – and if you see me on the show floor, you can channel your inner Pokémon trainer and challenge me to a race. (You can’t back out of a trainer battle once a stranger locks eyes with you, that’s just how it works.) Last year at IGN Live 2024, I had a great time playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe against fans that came out to the show, and I can’t wait to do it again – this time with a brand-new Mario Kart.

You can look forward to some updated thoughts on Mario Kart World in the coming days – and, if you managed to secure a Nintendo Switch 2 at launch, then I’ll see you on the open roads!

Author: Game Infliction