This year has been packed with amazing games, but barring any surprises, August might finally give us a chance to catch up on our backlog. It’s a good thing, too, since we’re planning to spend a couple of weeks exploring the Grounded 2 Early Access launch. While August might be the slowest month so far for major releases, there are still several titles to check out. Fans of the Mafia franchise can look forward to Mafia: The Old Country, and Switch 2 owners can get their hands on Drag x Drive. A few previously console-exclusive titles are going multi-platform, with Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II launching on PlayStation 5, along with Gears of War: Reloaded, while Xbox players finally get to experience Helldivers 2. For many, though, the highlight will be Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, a remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.
See FullCleared’s picks of the top games to play in August 2025 below.
Mafia: The Old Country
The Mafia franchise heads to early 1900s Sicily for its next entry, Mafia: The Old Country. This time, players take on the role of Enzo Favara as he tries to prove his worth to the Family in this gritty mob story. The third-person action-adventure explores the origins of organized crime, set against Sicily’s rugged countryside. In true Mafia fashion, the game emphasizes authenticity, with weapons and vehicles true to the turn-of-the-century era.
Mafia: The Old Country releases on August 8, 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II (PlayStation 5)
As part of Xbox’s push to go multi-platform, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II arrives on PlayStation 5 more than a year after its launch on Xbox Series X|S and PC. The sequel to the award-winning Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II takes Senua to 10th-century Viking Iceland, where she sets off to save those who have fallen victim to tyranny’s horrors. Both games offer some of the most unique experiences in gaming and are well worth playing.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II releases on August 12, 2025 for PlayStation 5.
Drag x Drive
The Nintendo Switch 2 launched with two heavy hitters: Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza. Things settle down in August, with Drag x Drive mainly serving as a showcase for the Joy-Con 2’s ability to function as a mouse. It’s essentially wheelchair basketball, with players controlling their wheels by using the Joy-Con 2s. To shoot, they must raise their hand and flick their wrist. It’s definitely one of those unique Nintendo titles, and whether it will catch on remains to be seen.
Drag x Drive releases on August 14, 2025 for Switch 2.
EA Sports Madden NFL 26
At this point, the EA Sports Madden franchise needs no introduction. The latest entry continues in its tradition but now leverages AI-powered machine learning to convert thousands of plays into more explosive gameplay. Whether that actually makes an impact remains to be seen, but EA is touting new player-specific traits, authentic play styles, and adaptive counters that match the on-field tendencies and strategies of NFL quarterbacks and coaches. Whether or not EA Sports Madden NFL 26 has significant changes really doesn’t matter though, as it’ll be one of the top sellers of the year regardless.
EA Sports Madden NFL 26 releases on August 14, 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Gears of War: Reloaded
The Coalition is remastering the original Gears of War in Unreal Engine while players await the next entry in the series. Gears of War: Reloaded is fully optimized for the latest-generation consoles and PC and includes all post-launch content from the original game, including a bonus campaign act, multiplayer maps, characters, and cosmetics. The remaster also adds a modern, streamlined control layout, while veterans can still choose classic controls. Featuring 4K assets and remastered textures, lighting, shadows, and reflections, Gears of War: Reloaded supports ultrawide on PC and variable refresh rates up to 144 FPS in multiplayer.
Gears of War: Reloaded releases on August 26, 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Helldivers 2 (Xbox Series X|S)
Helldivers 2, one of last year’s biggest hits, stormed onto PlayStation and PC, quickly winning over millions of players worldwide. Developed by Arrowhead Game Studios and published by PlayStation, Helldivers 2 finally brings democracy to Xbox Series X|S this August. It’s an interesting move considering it coincides with Gears of War: Reloaded arriving on PlayStation 5 the same day. Could this be the first of many PlayStation-published titles heading to Xbox?
Helldivers 2 releases on August 26, 2025 for Xbox Series X|S.
Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar
The cozy-game genre took off thanks to Stardew Valley’s success, and now franchises like Story of Seasons have a much better chance of winning players over. Earlier this year, we enjoyed the surprise hit Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, and players wanting more may want to check out Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar. To be clear, Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar will be very different from Fantasy Life i, with a heavier focus on farming and community building, but Stardew Valley fans should feel right at home.
Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar releases on August 27, 2025 for Switch, Switch 2, and PC.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star Crossed World
Kirby and the Forgotten Land isn’t a new game—it originally launched in 2022 on Switch—but the new Star-Crossed World expansion is exclusive to Switch 2. Those who already own Kirby and the Forgotten Land can purchase the Switch 2 Edition upgrade pack, which includes Star-Crossed World for $19.99. The expansion offers a new adventure for our favorite pink puffball, introducing all-new Mouthful Modes. The Switch 2 Edition also benefits from improved graphics and frame-rate performance, so if you haven’t checked out Kirby’s latest adventure yet, now is the perfect time.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star Crossed World releases on August 28, 2025 for Switch 2.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
Arguably the month’s biggest release, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and, if it’s anything like Konami’s recent Silent Hill 2 remake, will be a must-play. Boasting the same story and world, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater features all-new graphics and remastered 3D audio for modern consoles. Powered by Unreal Engine 5, the game looks stunning, but we all know the engine is prone to performance issues, especially on PC. Hopefully, it runs as well as it looks.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater releases on August 28, 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
The Shinobi franchise finally returns as SEGA teams up with developer Lizardcube for Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. Lizardcube is best known for contributing to Streets of Rage 4, and the unique hand-drawn art style it’s picked fro Shinobi: Art of Vengeance looks fantastic. Players take on the role of the legendary shinobi Joe Musashi. After finding his village burned to the ground and his clan turned to stone, he sets off on a quest for vengeance. From what we’ve seen, the game carries on the Shinobi franchise tradition with a heavy dose of modern gameplay touches.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance releases on August 28, 2025 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Lost Soul Aside
Lost Soul Aside was originally one of our Top Games to Play in May 2025 before it was delayed at the last minute. Hopefully it won’t become our first game to make it onto three lists, as we’re very much looking forward to getting our hands on this single-player action RPG from Ultizero Games. Lost Soul Aside began as a solo project from Chinese developer Yang Bing. Following the release of the game’s first trailer in 2016, Sony invested in the project, which resulted in the studio’s formation. Drawing inspiration from franchises like Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, and Final Fantasy, Lost Soul Aside stars Kaser on a quest to save his sister, Louisa. The flashy action game should be a nice break from this year’s onslaught of soulslike games.
Lost Soul Aside releases on August 29, 2025 for PlayStation 5 and PC.
