The games we're looking forward to in February
Big monsters, realistic forests, and pirates in Hawaii are among some of the highlights this month.
We're already well into the gaming year 2025, and behind us lies a month that has offered both good and less good experiences. The Norwegian-developed metroidvania game Somber Echoes landed to somewhat lukewarm reception, which was also the case with Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap, a game that takes the monster-slaying series in a multiplayer-oriented direction. Dynasty Warriors was also back this month with Dynasty Warriors: Origins, which definitely took the series to new heights with a greater focus on exploration, strategic battles, and free switching of weapons and combat styles. With that, we put the past behind us and look forward to what February has to offer.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, Windows Release: February 4
With Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, the developers at Warhorse aim to take everything to new heights. We still follow our friend Henry on his journey through Bohemia, and we still get enormous freedom to spend our time as we wish. The focus on historical accuracy remains sky-high, but many of the game systems have been improved and made more user-friendly, while new features like the art of sword-smithing have been added. We're already testing it, and here are some of our first thoughts:
"I can't put this game down. It's immersive and fascinating in a world I fully buy into. With people I understand, written by people who understand, and who manage to conjure up something I believe we all can relate to in some way. This is one of those games where everyone has their own story to tell. Their own experiences, their very own discoveries in a game that gets the important things right."
Sid Meier's Civilization VII Platform: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch, Windows Release: February 11
The Civilization series started in 1991 and can be considered the father of an entire genre. This year, we eagerly await chapter seven in the 34-year-old series, and the developers at Firaxis promise the best and most complex game yet. Improvements across the board will make it easier for new players to get started, while experienced players can enjoy a whole bunch of new systems.
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As usual for the Civilization series, you'll take a civilization from its early beginnings into the future. Through diplomacy, warfare, and trade, you'll utilize the land and resources around you to see if you're a better leader than those we had in our history. Many historical cultures and persons appear as both friends and enemies in a game where you shape the world view with your own actions.
Avowed Platform: Xbox Series S/X, Windows Release: February 18
Avowed is the next big role-playing game from the experienced folks at Obsidian. Previously, they've made games like Fallout: New Vegas, Pentiment, and Pillars of Eternity. Avowed is the next game in the Pillars universe and promises to be a game full of choices, consequences, and good stories. It won't be as big and open as several other RPGs, but the developers claim this makes it possible to tell a better story. We've already taken a look at it and weren't entirely convinced, but are still very excited to see the final result:
"When it comes down to it, I'm unfortunately less excited about Avowed after playing the first two hours. Whether it's the story so far, the dialogue, the combat system, the side quests, or the world itself, almost everything seems either quite generic or simply not engaging enough to raise the excitement level significantly."
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Platform: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Windows Release: February 21
After many years where Yakuza was mostly considered a niche series – at least outside Japan – it finally reached a broader audience with Yakuza: Like A Dragon. The series finally gained proper footing worldwide, the games were dubbed in English, and a new audience discovered these wonderful games with exciting stories, fascinating characters, and lots of quirky humor.
We can expect plenty of quirky humor when series veteran Goro Majima gets his own game in Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. Goro is a former Yakuza but is now a pirate with his own crew. Although the main series has become turn-based, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii sticks to quick real-time battles, where you as Goro can beat up enemies with just your fists, or maybe a sword. The highlight might be the new ship battles where you can test what your pirate ship is really capable of.
Monster Hunter Wilds Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, Windows Release: February 28
The Monster Hunter series has over many years grown to become one of Capcom's biggest and most important series. With Monster Hunter Wilds, the developers again promise to deliver the biggest and best game in the series. We get massive areas full of beasts that can change with the weather. Different monsters may appear depending on whether it's raining or dry.
The game also offers new mounts to help you explore the huge world, and new to the series is that these can carry extra weapons. If you find out you've packed the wrong arsenal, you can switch to something else and attack the beasts from a different angle. Of course, the game offers a good mix of new and old monsters, and we'll get a whole bunch of massive beasts to fight against, before we make new equipment from them and set out on more expeditions alone or with a hunting group.
Dating and the Dark Past If you need a real break from what you usually do, Rift of the NecroDancer might be your game of the month. In this rhythm game, you'll both stomp in time with the music and perform Yoga, at least in digital form. Just as strange perhaps is Date Everything!, a game where after losing your job to artificial intelligence, you get some magical glasses you can use to see the beauty in everything, even things. If you're tired of dating life and would rather try romance with a good chair, this is the game for you.
If it gets too weird, you can try Urban Myth Dissolution Center. Here you'll solve urban myths by gathering evidence to find out what really happened.
If you miss the good old days when Lara Croft had pointy polygons, you might want to take a look at Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered, which takes us back to hot pants and green tank tops.
The long-running Japanese RPG series The Legend of Heroes continues its story in February, this time with Trails through Daybreak II.
For some sporty activities for those longing for summer and sun, February can offer a round of golf in PGA Tour 2K25.
Worth noting is also the Norwegian snowboarding game SNØ, which comes out in mid-month. This might be the only game on the market with Norwegian Nynorsk translation.
Finally, we include a brand new game from the Life is Strange creators at Don't Nod. In Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, we travel all the way back to the summer of the fantastic year 1995. After that, we travel 27 years forward in time to confront the dark reasons why an entire group decided to never speak to each other again.
That was all for February. Happy gaming!
