“Reviewing” the fifteen games I played at GamesCom 2025

With GamesCom 2025 in hindsight, I think it’s time I share with you my reviews for the games we’ve played at the biggest Gaming conference in the world. There’s a few things you need to keep in mind when you read these reviews:

• We played demo’s or only parts of the game
• The time I played these games was limited
• We don’t necessarily like the same games
• If you’re hoping for full blown reviews based on 30 minutes of play time three weeks ago, you’re going to be disappointed.
• I might get some information about platforms and the likes wrong.
• Rating: We’re rating things from one to five starts, where one is “nobody should buy this” and five is the best, most epic, “everyone needs to play this” game.

With those rules in mind, we’re going to revisit the games chronologically in the order I’ve played on. Grab a drink, lean back in your chair and enjoy the ride!

Day One

Sonic Racing: Crossworlds

• Time Played: Uncertain, we played an entire “championship”.
• Platforms: Xbox, Playstation, PC
• Availability: Right now
• Rating: 4 stars

Sonic Racing: Crossworlds is an entertaining racing game, that has “borrowed” a lot of elements from fan favorite Mario Kart. You’ve got your characters in their different cars with different specs that participate in a tournament of racing. On the way, you collect rings – I’m guessing to upgrade your kart or buy new things – and you can grab power-ups to use against your opponents. The controls weren’t that difficult to figure out. The game itself was entertaining and might be a fun racing game for one or more players if you don’t own a Switch or Switch 2. It’s about time those plumbers get some competition.

If you’re looking for a casual arcade racing game and you’re familiar with the Sega family this might be a game you want to pick up.

Unfortunately, that’s all the games we played on day one of GamesCom because we mostly did a bunch of exploring and very little playing.

Day Two

Crimson Desert

• Time Played: 50 minutes
• Platforms: Xbox, Playstation, PC
• Availability: Right now
• Rating: 4 stars

We actually already played this game last year, but we decided to give it another try. In the end we got rewarded with a backpack. And it’s even a different backpack from the one we got last year. But that’s not that important. What about the game?

Last year, we only got to play a boss fight (or more than one) after a short tutorial. That made it hard to figure out the vibe of this game. This time we got to play the actual game and managed to get a better idea of what this action game has in store for us. Crimson Desert is an action RPG with big epic battles and though to beat bosses. You have access to a variety of skills and weapons. And you’ll need it, because you’ll meet a lot of enemies across the way. In the demo we were supposed to head to a castle across a few checkpoints, and there were hundreds of enemies you could fight. About half way through the demo some people were told “You can stop fighting them and move on, these enemies will respawn infinitely in this scene.” That’s a lot of enemies to fight!

We didn’t see anything especially new or mind blowing in the demo of Crimson Desert, but the game in a medieval setting was entertaining. Although the game can be hard – the boss fights from the previous year were brutal – it never really feels unfair. All in all, it looks like a good addition to the genre that will be enjoyable to people who like swinging swords at people.

Borderlands 4

• Time played: 10 minutes
• Platforms: Xbox, Playstation, PC
• Availability: Right now
• Rating: 4 stars

As I’m writing this post, this game is already out there and a lot of people will probably have more experience playing it than myself (I haven’t gotten to it yet). What we got to play after a very long queue was a short demo where you work your way towards a boss fight. The gameplay was undeniable Borderlands, although the visuals and especially the UI might take some getting used to.

I’m a big fan of Borderlands so of course I’m hyped for the game, but there were some downsides to the demo. You felt rushed if you wanted to meet the boss, you didn’t know what your abilities do and the same apply to your weapons. I also had no idea there was a “skyhook” mechanic that I was supposed to be in the final boss battle because that hadn’t been explained in the demo. The more you know.

All in all the demo was fun but not mind-blowing because it’s exactly what I expected going in: More Borderlands. I’m not saying I didn’t like the demo, but one thing I’ve realized this year and last year that it’s more fun if you play games you don’t necessarily played three times before. But eventually you run out of queues that aren’t dramatically long and games that interested us so we went back later for more. Which is why I have two bandit masks hanging from my wall. If you mention “I WANT TO SEE THE MASK” on my socials I’ll post a picture of me wearing the mask.

The Outer Worlds 2

• Demo
• PLatforms: Xbox, PC, Playstation (?)
• Release: 29th of October 2025

Sometimes you want to sit for a bit and relax. That’s why we visited the The Outer Worlds 2 booth for a demo by two of the developers. We got to see a slice of the game, which looked, vibed and appeared to be pretty much what we expected it to be. More The Outer Worlds 2 in a different location and a different story. Since we had a blast playing The Outher Worlds but also it’s nephew Avowed I’m sure I will be having a blast playing this game when it comes out later this month.

Space Marines II

• Duration: 15 minutes?
• Platforms: Xbox, PC, Playstation
• Release: Now available

Most of “Space Marines” related content I’ve consumed is in the forms of comics. And not even comics set in the universe. No, pretty much all my exposure to this universe comes through web comics like Penny Arcade. So I knew things about this game but at the same time, didn’t. In this game which is already available you’re doing the third person shooter thing, but as a Space Marine. As far as I understood the story, the guy you are playing with was first a regular Space Marine and then got messed up and then was also a Space Marine but another type of space Marina? Anyway, most of the story was lost on me because I only played a mission, but the gameplay felt smoot and the demo was entertaining. I’m not sure if the graphics are entirely my thing because of the “grimdark” setting and at GamesCom I never really pay attention to graphics to begin with, but it was enjoyable.

Honor Of Kings World

• Demo time: 1 hour
• Rating: 4 stars
• Platforms: PC
• Release: Unknown date, somewhere in 2026?

This is a Chinese game where you have to fight a Big Bad Evil, but first you have to go to hero school. You can fully customize your character. The gameplay is entertaining and varied. You could choose between different sets of moves which changed your abilities and attacks. At first I was using some sort of set of magic attacks, after which I switched to what I can only describe as a mecha spraying bullets and missiles. There were about 12 different ability sets to unlock but of course we didn’t really have time to unlock any of them.

The gameplay was entertaining, although the boss fight was rather challeinging. But I am fairly sure that most of that is a skill issue. I also somewhat struggled with figuring out the mechanics but I supposed that’s mostly an experience thing. We got to play the game for a whole hour, though, so we got to explore a little bit. I enjoyed the game a lot, even though it’s not the type of game I’d usually queue up for.

This was also the first game that introduced GamesCon quests. If you did different things like adding the game on Steam you unlocked “stamps” which unlocked goodies. We unlocked all stamps, so we went home with stickers, a shirt, a big bag and a third thing that I don’t really recall. I should check my goodie bag at some point.

One thing I did have some trouble with was some of the very “Chinese” UI choices. Their menus are always a little chaotic and some translations don’t always make a 100% sense, to me anyway.

Day III

Daemon x Machina

• Demo time: IDK
• Rating: 3 stars
• Platforms: Xbox, PC, Playstation
• Release: Already available

Consistently one of the shortest queues, Daemon x Machina is a game where you fight monsters and potentially demons in a mecha. The game felt like a more Asian version of Anthem on the account of the mech, flying, walking around and shooting things. You had access to a bunch of weapons but the gameplay wasn’t spectacular. It’s a game I would play but not for the full price if that makes sense. And for what it’s worth, the people attending the booth were some of the least interested staff members out there.

Age Of Empires Mobile (PC Edition)

• Demo time: About 15 minutes
• Rating: one black hole (zero stars)
• Platforms: PC
• Release: Already available

From the studio that brought you… I don’t really know, probably some shitty mobile pay to win games.

In the ads, the developer tells you that they’re “bringing the classic” (Age Of Empires II) to mobile. They did not, in fact bring the game to mobile as much as butcher it and slap the Age Of Empires title on a resource gathering game of which more popular titles already exist. And that shitty mobile game is now ported to PC.

Dear PC gamers, you can choose to play the original Age Of Empires II (if you can find a disk). You can play Age Of Empires 2 HD (on Steam). You’ve got Age Of Empires II: Definitive Edition. You do not, under any circumstance, have to play this mobile port. If that’s not your thing, you can play AOE I, Age Of Empires Definitive Edition, Age Of Empires III, Age Of Empires IV, Age of Mythology, the underrated Rise Of Nations or literally any other RTS out there.

Crisis X

• Demo time: 40
• Rating: 4 stars
• Platforms: PC
• Release: 2026

A Chinese survival slash building game set in a world that is suddenly overrun by zombies. You get to craft a character and after making it through the intro which introduces you to the non-building aspects of the game, you are dropped in a huge map where you’re out on your own to build and survive. This game had great graphics and the gameplay was pleasant. It felt like a game I could see myself play. It might have been the game that made me think “I need to buy a new gaming PC”. It was that interesting. Although to be fair we barely scratched the surface of this game. We never got out of the starting zone and only did some fundamental building and crafting so it’s hard to tell what the final product will look like. But the game is widely anticipated by gamers that play more games than me, so that probably counts for something.

All in all it’s a game I might play if / when it comes out. Oh, and we also got a backpack and some cool stickers. That’s always a nice bonus.

Metal Gear Solid

• Demo time: IDK
• Rating: 1*
• Platforms: Xbox, PC, Playstation
• Release: IDK

Metal Gear Solid is one of those games we played because we’re at GamesCom and want to play games. I never play an entry in the series other than Metal Gear V which landed in my “I’m not really interested in this game” bin, never really going anywhere.

In the demo we were dropped into a world of stealth, where you needed to be stealthy to stealth to stealth. I’m told this genre is very popular with certain people. I will admit I also like stealth games in theory. But this game might have been the most boring game that I played during GamesCom. I would almost go as far as saying that this was the most boring game I’ve ever played at GamesCom. And I’ve played a lot of games at GamesCom.

I don’t know what the exact problem with this game is for me. It just didn’t click at all. It didn’t help that I had to skip a lot of cut scenes because “We would have more play time that way”. It also doesn’t help that Metal Gear Solid is the type of game where you walk through a swamp where one place is magically and randomly ten feet deeper than the other. Or that you’re supposed to climb trees, but you can’t climb trees unless you’re in the exact perfect spot and get a tree-climbing prompt.

I don’t know. I know this is a popular series, but I was bored. While playing a game. I didn’t even bother looking up the release game, an honor only reserved for this game and Age Of Empires Mobile.

Daemon x Machina

• Demo time: IDK
• Rating: 3 stars
• Platforms: Xbox, PC, Playstation
• Release: Already available

Consistently one of the shortest queues, Daemon x Machina is a game where you fight monsters and potentially demons in a mecha. The game felt like a more Asian version of Anthem on the account of the mech, flying, walking around and shooting things. You had access to a bunch of weapons but the gameplay wasn’t spectacular. It’s a game I would play but not for the full price if that makes sense. And for what it’s worth, the people attending the booth were some of the least interested staff members out there.

Day IV

Ravae: Kingdom on Distant Shores

• Demo time: IDK
• Rating: 3 stars
• Platforms: PC
• Release: Already available

Ravae is one of those indie games we’d passed a few times but never really paid attention to. But this was the final day, and we had games to play and nobody was lining up so we decided to go for it. We were promised a pin if we wishlisted the game, and so of course we did.

The game is an indie game where you’re tasked with building a village from scratch. It’s sort of an Anno game but with foxes. You build different buildings and have to assign the right foxes to do the job, because otherwise they’ll be unhappy. We didn’t get far enough in the game to figure out if it also involves combat and the likes but if you’re into this sort of game that’s something you can find out yourself because the game is already available on Steam.

Probably the best part was that we could choose what pin we wanted. Three pins to choose from? Madness. Oh, and the game wasn’t bad either. I’m not sure I would spend money on it courtesy of drowning in other titles (Anno 117 amongst others) but it’s a charming game.

Sword Saga

• Demo time: IDK
• Rating: 3 stars
• Platforms: PC
• Release: Unknown

This was one of the “Souls like games with an Asian setting that would definitely lead to broken controllers” that we played on the same day. This Asian themed action game puts you in the position of a lady who wields two swords at all time and who can perform magic. The weird twist is that her swords “expire” after using them for a whole. Which means you have to wait for another sword to “reload”. I will admit that it’s unique to have to reload your sword but it definitely wins an award in the “Why, though?” mechanic category.

The game was fun but (very) challenging. With the little time we had it was impossible to get used to the controls to fully take on the boss, who kicked our ass more than once, to the point I just sort of gave up because there didn’t appear to be a time limit.

The game was definitely fun, but i has a problem: There’s other games with people wielding swords where I die a lot that are coming out, many of which we played on GamesCom. So spending money on this game might be hard to justify.

OniMusha: Way Of The Sword

• Demo time: IDK
• Rating: 3 stars
• Platforms: Xbox
• Release: 2026

One of those games is Onimusha which is available for Xbox. This game also takes place in Asia. But unlike in Sword Sage, where everything is corrupted and you are the only one who can save everyone, everything is corrupted and you are the only one that can save everyone because of a different special ability. Onimusha is the more “AAA” title and the graphics were superior. There was also one sword to worry about that we didn’t have to reload. Either way, iy’s a game where you swing your sword at various enemies while dodging and blocking and the likes. It’s not really my genre, which was proven when I was brutally murdered by the final boss. Multiple times.

If the game comes to GamePass and I have a spare controller I will give this game a try. Maybe.

Final Fantasy VII

• Demo time: IDK
• Rating: 3 stars
• Platforms: Xbox, PC, Playstation
• Release: Not a clue

Final Fantasy VII is the remaster of the classic, but for Xbox. Which means you get to play Final Fantasy VII on your Xbox. If that’s something you have been waiting for, you will enjoy this game. If Final Fantasy games aren’t your think, this game probably won’t be for you. I don’t really know what else to say about a game that everyone has probably already played this point if they’re into the series. I wasn’t really captivated by the game. It wasn’t really boring or anything, but if this game landed on my desk I would probably struggle to make playing it a priority. To each it’s own, right?

Age Of Mythology

• Demo time: About 15 minutes
• Rating: 3 stars
• Platforms: Xbox, PC
• Release: Already available

I’ve always seen Age Of Mythology as the similar but less talented nephew of Age Of Empires, but apparently it was a game worth remastering (a long time ago). Now that new DLC is made available, Microsoft brought the game to GamesCom. where you got to play in a scenario where a city was under attack and you had to survive.

Friends, I did not survive. There’s two reasons for that: My game was set to German, and I had no idea what any of the units in the game do. Which is a huge disadvantage in a game where everything is about countering units with the right units of your own. I’m not saying the game was bad or anything, but I’ve never been an Age Of Mythology guy and it showed. I’m happy that DLC for this game exists, but I would rather play Age Of Empires or Rise Of Nations than Age Of Mythology. No offense, AOM fans.

Valor Mortis

• Demo time: IDK
• Rating: 5 stars
• Platforms; PC
• Release: 2026?

If the “stars” given to this game didn’t give it away, this was the “Game of the Con” for me. Or at least the most surprising game. The outside of the booth of GamesCom didn’t give me the slightest idea of what to expect. Sure, there was some sort of bust of a soldier posted outside. But what did it mean?

What did it mean, indeed. In Valor Mortis, you play as a French soldier in Napoleon’s army. After losing a battle and dying, you realize you aren’t that dead after all. But neither are many of your former fellow soldiers, whose undead and now evil nature means you have to fight them. In first person, because Valor Mortis is a first person souls-like game, where you use swords, hand guns and rifles to combat your fellow undead and the undead bosses that you meet on the way. The atmosphere of this game was definitely unique and captivating. The gameplay, while punishing my “I MUST SLASH ALL THE TIME” game play immediately, felt rich and varied because of the different weapons. And when that wasn’t enough, you developed special abilities.

The game had Souls-vibes, of course, because of the rogue-ish nature. But it also had strong Bioshock vibes because of the creepiness, the grotesque fellow soldiers and the general atmosphere and the special abilities you unlocked.

Making a first person souls-like game definitely is a choice, but I hope that Valor Mortis gets rewarded when the game launches. This was probably the most intriguing game that we played at Gamescom and one I need to keep an eye on when it launches.

Towa and the Guardians

• Demo time: IDK
• Rating: 3 stars
• Platforms: Xbox, PC, Playstation
• Release: 19 September

The last game we played was a fun side scrolling game where you picked one of the characters and basically fought a bunch of enemies while scrolling from one side to the other side. The game wasn’t that deep or revolutionary, but it was a fun note to end the conference on. Would I be playing this game in the future? I suppose that it would depend on the price because it’s not really a genre I’m into because it cam become a little repetitive. But if you’re into these types of games, maybe you’ll enjoy them?

The game I wish we could have played

Anno 117

The popular strategy franchise is travelling back in time towards the peak of Rome. Since the Caesar games haven’t been relevant for decades this jump back in time makes sense, because you can’t keep launching games in the colonial times. You can only colonize imaginary South American islands so many times before it gets boring.

We didn’t get to play the game, though. The waiting line was ridiculously long all four days, and this isn’t the sort of game you wait hours for exactly because you more or less already know what to expect. Anno 117 will be available in December 2025. Ave Anno!

And there you have it – my attempts to “review” all the games I got to play at GamesCom. I know you’ve never read a review of me in your life so it’s hard to gage what value my reviews have for you personally. Maybe there’s a title you’re really excited about that I thought was “meh”? Maybe we’re game besties because we’re into the same thing? Let me know in the comments and on the socials!