New video games you shouldn’t miss in July 2025

After a packed June full of high-profile drops, July eases up a little, at least when it comes to big-name titles. But there’s still plenty happening, led by the long-awaited return of a college football giant.

EA Sports College Football 26 is finally hitting the field, bringing back deep dynasty building, licensed coaches, and a new recruiting system fans have been asking for.

On the Switch 2, Donkey Kong Bananza marks the return of the barrel blasting icon in 3D for the first time in more than twenty years. This time, there is destructible terrain, motion controls, and a younger version of Pauline joining the adventure.

Toward the end of the month comes Grounded 2, entering Early Access with a larger map and tougher enemies. Set a few years after the first game, the sequel takes place in Brookhollow Park, a deeper, more dangerous world filled with frozen snack carts, abandoned anthills, roaming insect factions, and new tools like rideable creatures to help you take on Ominent Corp once again.

From sports sim obsessives to platforming diehards, there’s more than enough to keep July moving, so here are all the games releasing this month.

Top video game releases for July 2025

Donkey Kong Bananza

EA Sports College Football 26

Grounded 2

Killing Floor 3

Tales of The Shire

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers

1. Donkey Kong Bananza

After 25 years, Donkey Kong is finally back in a full 3D adventure, and Donkey Kong Bananza is swinging in with serious momentum. Built from the ground up for Nintendo’s new Switch 2, this underground romp has DK digging, drilling, and smashing through layered terrain in search of golden bananas stolen by the shadowy VoidCo. The deeper he goes, the stranger and more vibrant the world becomes.

2. EA Sports College Football 26

EA Sports College Football 26 is shaping up to be one of the most exciting sports titles of the year, with a deep playbook, authentic college atmosphere, and new ways to shape your legacy. The latest entry adds more than 2,700 new plays, smarter AI, and refined abilities that let you pressure opponents with greater precision. There’s also a new Wear and Tear fatigue system that adds a strategic layer to each game, while enhanced Stadium Pulse effects recreate the intensity of hostile environments with roaring crowds and shaking camera visuals.

Furthermore, Road to Glory now begins in high school, giving you a shot to climb recruiting boards before committing to a top university. Dynasty Mode returns with 300 real-world coaches offering guidance on program building and player recruitment.

Ultimate Team is back too, with full support for imported squads using the returning Team Builder feature. EA Sports College Football 26 launches July 10, 2025, exclusively on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S.

3. Grounded 2

Grounded 2 shrinks players back down to insect-scale survival this July, and the backyard has never looked more dangerous or more expansive. Set a few years after the original, the sequel takes place in Brookhollow Park in 1992, where the four missing teens continue their fight against the shady biotech company Ominent. With new areas to explore, including a frozen ice cream spill and a mysterious underground anthill, the world feels bigger and more alive than ever.

Developed specifically for Xbox Series X and PC, Grounded 2 introduces deeper survival systems, enhanced combat, and a much larger environment for players to scavenge, craft, and build within. You can now sprint across terrain, ride insect-like mounts called buggies, and face new threats such as cockroaches.

The game retains its signature blend of RPG storytelling and sharp dialogue, adding plenty of humour and lore to your journey. Launching in Early Access with a public roadmap, Grounded 2 invites players to shape the future starting July 29, 2025, on Xbox Series X and S and PC.

4. Killing Floor 3

Killing Floor 3 pushes the franchise’s signature chaos to new extremes. Set in 2091, the game follows the rebel group Nightfall as they battle Horzine, a ruthless corporation that has unleashed an army of bioengineered monstrosities known as ZEDs. This time, the horror hits harder with new mutations, smarter enemy behaviour, and grotesque designs that evolve with every wave. The gameplay remains fast and brutal, centred around six-player cooperative survival.

Players can dash, climb, and set deadly traps across a variety of combat arenas. A new modding system lets you personalise weapons, while environmental hazards and improved mobility add fresh ways to fight back. Three new playable Nightfall specialists also join the roster, each equipped with unique abilities and gear. With cross-play support and an upgraded arsenal, Killing Floor 3 promises high-stakes action with more tension and gore than ever before.

Killing Floor 3 launches July 24, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC.

5. Tales of The Shire

Tales of the Shire offers a peaceful retreat into Middle-earth, inviting players to live a cosy Hobbit life in the heart of Hobbiton. Set between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, this single-player life sim from Wētā Workshop Game Studio focuses on community, connection, and calm. As a new resident of Bywater, your role is to bring the townsfolk together by cooking meals, foraging for ingredients, growing crops, and fishing in quiet ponds.

Gameplay centres around gathering ingredients and preparing meals, with a cooking system that lets you slice, season, and plate dishes to impress guests at your dinner parties. The more you interact with your neighbours, the more your world expands, unlocking trade routes, festivals, and new recipes over time. There are no combat mechanics, but weather effects, fetch quests, and crafting add variety.

Tales of the Shire launches July 29, 2025, for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.

6. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers

Set in the late Ming dynasty, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers drops you into the corrupted land of Shu, where plague and myth collide in a brutal soulslike action RPG. You play as Bai Wuchang, a pirate cursed with a supernatural affliction known as Feathering. It grants immense power at the cost of her humanity, and mastering it is critical to surviving this punishing world.

Combat focuses on agile movement, dodging, and precise timing. You can switch between dual weapons mid-battle, chain together devastating abilities, and unleash arcane spells drawn from folklore.

Furthermore, the Madness Descends mechanic amplifies both your power and vulnerability in high-stakes moments, pushing you to fight with precision. Instead of leaning fully into the gloom, the game mixes dark fantasy with vibrant, richly detailed environments, colourful temples, candle-lit shrines, and vertical spaces filled with both danger and beauty. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers launches July 24, 2025, on PlayStation 5.

Other games to check out in July 2025

But there’s more coming in July! Here’s the full lineup of all the new video game releases hitting in July 2025:

Arashi Gaiden (PC) – July 14

Azure Striker Gunvolt Trilogy Enhanced (PS5, Switch) – July 24

Bendy and the Dark Revival (PS5, Xbox Series X and S, Switch) – July 11

Bridge Constructor Studio (PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, Switch, iOS, Android) – July 17

Cotton Reboot! High Tension (PS5, PS4, Switch) – July 31

Daisenryaku SSB (PS5) – July 17

Donkey Kong Bananza (Switch 2) – July 17

EA Sports College Football 26 (PS5, Xbox Series X and S) – July 10

Earthion (PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X and S, Switch) – July 31

Edens Zero (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X and S) – July 15

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X and S) – July 15

Everdeep Aurora (PC, Switch) – July 10

Firmament (PS5, PS4) – July 2

Fuuraiki 5 (PS5, PS4, Switch) – July 31

Golden Tee Arcade Classics (PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, Switch) – July 17

Grounded 2 (PC, Xbox Series X and S) – July 29

Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley / Harvest Moon: Skytree Village (Switch) – July 3

Hunter × Hunter: Nen × Impact (PC, PS5, Switch) – July 17

Irem Collection Volume 3 (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, Switch) – July 1

Islanders: New Shores (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X and S, Switch) – July 10

Killing Floor 3 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X and S) – July 24

Luto (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X and S) – July 22

Madō Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy (PS5, PS4, Switch) – July 29

Mecha Break (PC, Xbox Series X and S) – July 1

Missile Command Delta (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, Switch) – July 8

Monument Valley 3 (PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, Switch) – July 22

Mycopunk (PC) – July 10

Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X and S, Switch) – July 15

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound (PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, Switch) – July 31

No Sleep For Kaname Date – From AI: The Somnium Files (PC, Switch 2, Switch) – July 25

Noctuary (PS5, Switch) – July 31

One-Eyed Likho (PC) – July 28

Patapon 1+2 Replay (PC, PS5, Switch) – July 11

Ratatan (PC) – July 24

Ready or Not (PS5, Xbox Series X and S) – July 15

Shadow Labyrinth (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X and S, Switch 2, Switch) – July 18

Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition (PC) – July 15

Super Mario Party Jamboree: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV (Switch 2) – July 24

System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, Switch) – July TBC

Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X and S, Switch) – July 29

The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily (PC) – July 24

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 (PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, Switch 2, Switch) – July 11

Wheel World (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X and S) – July 23

Wild Hearts S (Switch 2) – July 25

Wildgate (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X and S) – July 22

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X and S) – July 24

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana (PS5) – July 31

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox (PS5) – July 31

Ys X: Proud Nordics (Switch 2) – July 31

So, out of these games, which one are you the most excited about? Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below.