Most Exciting Upcoming Features in Games 2025

Game technology is developing faster and faster. It can feel hard to keep up with all the new technologies emerging, even for game developers and designers. But some technologies promise to be more than a fad – to transform the industry in a meaningful way. Let's look at the most exciting upcoming technological advancements that we predict we'll see much more of in 2025.

VR & AR in games and life

While virtual and augmented reality, often referred to as just VR and AR respectively, has had a meaningful impact already, many think it's just the beginning.

One place where we'll probably see transformation is the iGaming industry. Technology has already changed the casino and gambling industry immensely, by allowing customers to play first from their computers and then on their mobile devices. Nowadays, gambling from your phone is more common than visiting a physical casino, with many online casinos creating dedicated apps to give players an even more convenient way to gamble from home (source: https://casinoapps.com/).

We think we'll see a transformation in live casinos especially – players will be able to move around in casinos, walk up to a table, and join in. They'll be able to talk to and interact with players and the dealer in a real way, all from the comfort of their homes. It will be very much like the real experience, but much more accessible and anonymous.

Prolific professor and author Cal Newport speculates about how projected virtual screens might end up replacing physical screens completely in his article “The End of Screens?”.

"I don’t, at this point, mean this prognostication to be either optimistic or dystopian," he writes. "I want only to emphasize that in a moment in which we’re all so enthralled with the question of whether or not autoregressive token predictors might take our jobs, there are some other major technological fault lines that are beginning to rumble and might very well be close to radically shifting."

Generative AI and dynamic storytelling

We couldn't go through this list without mentioning generative AI in game design. Mainly, we think we'll see AI in the details -- NPC characters will seem much more real when they can remember information about the player, make jokes, and refer to old conversations without ever breaking characters. This will let gamers feel much more connected to the characters in the game than when the NPC uses the same tired lines every time you talk to them.

Generative AI will also be used in dynamic storytelling. It will allow for a more responsive storyline where the user can exert more control and input their ideas into the game. It could allow for a limitless experience for gamers, since the ways things can unfold will be opened up in a way that wasn't possible before the invention of AI.

Of course, AI will also be used in development, freeing developers and programmers to focus on more innovation.

The magic of cloud gaming

Cloud gaming is a relatively new phenomenon where gamers can essentially remotely control a more powerful computer running the game. With this type of gaming, even those with computers not being powerful enough for more advanced games can enjoy more advanced gamers.

In essence, you're borrowing the power of another computer, which means users might not need to purchase computers with incredible processing powers to play a game with high demands.

We think that cloud gaming will become bigger and a much more accessible alternative than now. Granted, it requires things like a fast internet connection to feel seamless, but many gamers already have a stable and speedy enough connection that they won't need to make any upgrades. And those who do might find it is worth it since they won't need to purchase more powerful computers, likely to cost many times more than a better internet connection would.

Blockchain technology in gaming and beyond

First thought to be nothing more than a fad by many, NFTs and other blockchain technology is finding a place in games, and we think they'll play an even bigger role in 2025. The uses we have seen so far let players truly own their in-game assets, something that's important to a lot of players. It also lets players securely trade virtual goods, and the game can have a life-like ecosystem.

Of course, blockchain also allows for secure payments, both in-game and for purchasing the games in the first place. It offers not just security, but transparency. It creates a more stable economy in the game that is preferable to one more easily manipulated by savvy players with some coding skills.

We think that blockchain technology will not just expand on the features we've already mentioned, but maybe find new uses in new games as time progresses. With Bitcoin hitting an all-time high, more people are likely to be willing to bet on blockchain in the coming year.

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