Alex’s (second) most anticipated game in 2025: Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

Even without the titans later in the year, early 2025 already looks to be one of the most stacked years we’ve had in quite some time. Civilization VII, Avowed, Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Monster Hunter: Wilds all come out in February, and all of them could have been my (second) most anticipated game of next year, but while I’m looking forward to all of those experiences, one title stands taller than the rest.

That game is Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. I only played the first Kingdom Come: Deliverance this year, to master a trip to medieval Bohemia before flying to Prague to preview the sequel. Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a great game, but it has its share of awkwardness here and there. In the hours I’ve spent with Kingdom Come: Deliverance II so far, that all seems to have been washed away.

In the same way that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Baldur’s Gate III defined their franchises, even though they were sequels, Kingdom Come: Deliverance seems to raise the bar by applying the feedback Warhorse received from its community to the new game. The graphics are prettier, the battles are more polished with the introduction of each weapon with its own fighting style, and the missions seem deeper and more complicated than ever.

Because it feels like the live-service trend is coming to an end, it feels like the industry is largely still figuring out the best way to make money, while Warhorse instead seems focused on conquering its niche in the unique RPGs it is fascinated by. Kingdom Come: Deliverance sometimes gets the reputation of being more of a historical simulator, but even as someone who loves its history, I can say that it is clearly first and foremost a game.

I may still be holding my breath until the end of the year before Rockstar finally launches Grand Theft Auto VI, but I know that at the beginning of 2025, a big wide world is waiting for me, and good old Henry will be ready to make a name for himself again.