GDC continues to amaze me with quality content, demos, and hands-on ops each and every year. GDC 2025 continues that trend and while my days and nights were filled with incredible memories and moments, these are the Top 5 for 2025.
See you in 2026 GDC peeps!
#1 - The Incredible Live Demo of The Pearl Abyss BlackSpace Engine
Jaw on floor. Goosebumps a plenty. It was that good. So good we awarded it with Best of Show. In fact, we have a separate dedicated write up for this alone. Check it.
#2 - Playing Den of Wolves With The Devs
If Den of Wolves is not yet on your radar, it needs to be ASAP. After the press tour from over a year ago, I was already impressed. Now, after playing a pre-alpha build with the 10 Chambers devs, I am ecstatic. From the makers of Payday and Payday 2, this is going to rule the co-op shooter world. Mark my words.
#3 - Playing the Two Upcoming Titles From 505 Games: Blades of Fire and Wuchang Fallen Feathers
I was looking forward to playing the demos of these two titles from 505 Games. After I left the dark, awesome demo room at GDC, I am absolutely stoked for all these titles that will be unleashed this year! Mercury Steam is at top form again with the accessible but unique Blades of Fire and Wuchang is absolutely punishing but gorgeous at the same time. Once again, get these puppies on your radar if they aren’t already!
#4 - Seeing Just How Far We’ve Come With NVIDIA Tech
From DLSS 4 to Half-Life 2 RTX Remix to ai-generated animation to the incredible AI prompts with inZOI, NVIDIA is at the top of their game and their hands on demos during GDC 2025 just cemented that fact. Last years demos were impressive, this year, I just kept shaking my head at how incredible tech is and what the future holds.
#5 - Hands On With Dreamhaven’s Sunderfolk
To see previous Blizzard.. folk excel with the incredibly surprising Sunderfolk, is extremely satisfying. While initially hesitant after just seeing video footage of the game, actually playing it hands on with phone in hand and a party of adventurers trying to tackle a big group of baddies, it felt like being a true gamer again for the first time. I can’t wait to see Sunderfolk’s launch!
Apart from that, they are developing an impressive portfolio of in house and third party published games that include Wildgate, Mechabellum, and Lynked: Banner of the Spark. The future is beyond bright for Dreamhaven!
Honorable Mentions
Chatting and Playing System Shock 2 With The Nightdive Studio Leads
I’ve always wanted to meet and chat with Stephen Kick from Nightdive. Not only did that happen this year, I got to shoot the bull with him while playing the absolutely fantastic System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster. These guys are the epitome of respecting original content, design, and art styles while adding just enough goodies for modern audiences. Stephen and team, it was a treat and System Shock 2 is just perfect. Can’t wait to see what you do next!
Xbox Showcase: Hands On With Clair Obscur
I was already excited about Clair Obscur. After playing it at the awesome Xbox showcase event, once again, my year just got busier with this incredible hybrid of JRPG, turn based Persona-like RPG and more. It looks and sounds incredible and plays even better. April is going to be a very busy month.
Last and definitely not least: Did I mention I’m jaded and little gets me excited? Well, the folks from Boxed.gg got me excited with a simple yet incredibly well-designed and exciting concept from real life loot boxes. No, not the crappy, predatory ones we all hate but rather the incredibly transparent type for collectors and newcomers alike. Check it out. I dare you not to be intrigued!
