This year has already given us a pretty stacked slate when it comes to game releases, with September and October in particular proving to be stuffed to the gills with superb games to check out.
Thanks to the likes of Hades 2, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Ninja Gaiden 4 (to name but a few), we’ve been eating well this year, but 2025 is not done yet, as November will attest.
It’s a slightly thinner month, largely thanks to the presence of one game in particular (which we’ll get to), but there are lots of things worth checking out as we near the end of 2025, so here are the best games to try in November 2025!
Europa Universalis V (PC – November 4th)
We kick off with a pretty heavy one; if you’re an action game fanatic and you have no time for endless menus and statistics, then you’re better off applying elsewhere.
Strategy game heads, however, should already be looking forward to Paradox’s Europa Universalis V, which continues the studio’s celebrated grand strategy series.
Expect incredibly deep systems built around diplomacy, warfare, and trade, as well as the usual epic historical sweep you (potentially) already know and love from the franchise.
Football Manager 26 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series – November 4th)
November 4th really is a very management-heavy day in the gaming calendar this year, isn’t it? First Europa Universalis V comes along to sweep up the history fans, and then Football Manager arrives for the sports nuts.
After Football Manager 25 was cancelled earlier this year to allow Sports Interactive and Sega to focus on the next instalment in the series, there’s a lot riding on Football Manager 26, to say the least.
If you’re not familiar with these games, they’re immensely popular among their core audience, so this will almost certainly prove to be one of the biggest releases of the year for fans.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment (Switch 2 – November 6th)
As November gets underway, Nintendo releases Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, the latest entry in the Hyrule Warriors crossover series, and it looks like it’ll offer just as much hectic chaos as its predecessors.
The game’s narrative serves as a prequel to tie up some of the loose ends left by Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, so if you’ve ever found yourself wondering what happened during the mythical Imprisoning War of those games, this one’s for you.
Of course, you could always just ignore the story and focus on carving up endless legions of monsters, too, and there will be plenty of that kind of action on offer thanks to Team Ninja’s trademark crowd-based combat.
Anno 117: Pax Romana (PC, PS5, Xbox Series – November 13th)
Really, what is it about November that makes people want to sit down and play more cerebral management games? Is it something to do with the constant bombardment of Christmas imagery or something?
Regardless, Ubisoft releases the next entry in its Anno series in November, and as the name implies, Anno 117: Pax Romana takes place during the height of the Ancient Roman Empire.
The game features a first in the form of selectable starting provinces; you can, of course, play as the Romans if you want, but you can also play as the Celts and try to stand up to those pesky Latin speakers.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 (PC, PlayStation, Xbox – November 14th)
Believe it or not, this year’s Call of Duty is still releasing on last-gen consoles as well, so if you’re somehow still clinging to an ancient PS4 whose fans are now more dust than plastic (no shade!), you’re in luck.
Whether you’re already a Call of Duty fan or you’re a staunch opponent of the franchise (or anywhere in between), you’ll already know what to expect from this one.
With that being said, Black Ops 6’s campaign was interesting enough that we’re excited to see what happens with Black Ops 7, and we know multiplayer is going to captivate the world as it always does.
Escape from Tarkov (PC – November 15th)
“What?”, we hear you cry. “Escape from Tarkov has been out for donkey’s years now. Why are you including it on this list, O esteemed and handsome Gamerbolt writers?”
Well, say we, Escape from Tarkov is getting itself a Steam release this month, and it’s also finally leaving its beta period, so we count that as a full official release.
Honestly, given how the Tarkov community tends to feel about the game, we respect Battlestate for opening itself up to the potential firestorm of Steam reviews when the game is finally released, but hey – come rain or shine, you’ll be able to play Escape from Tarkov on Steam on November 15th.
Demonschool (PC, PlayStation, Xbox Series, Switch – November 19th)
Demonschool has been delayed a number of times since its original announcement, with the most recent delay coming as a result of the announcement of Hollow Knight: Silksong’s release date.
Well, now it finally has what appears to be a concrete launch date, so you’ll get to play this “new-style tactics RPG where motion equals action” in November, should you choose to.
It mixes Persona-style school interaction and relationship-building with tactical RPG combat against demonic enemies, so it should serve as a great palate cleanser after Black Ops 7.
Kirby Air Riders (Switch 2 – November 20th)
The Switch 2 is eating well when it comes to racing games, eh? Mario Kart World and Fast Fusion, which both launched alongside the console, are great racers, and now Kirby is entering the competition as well.
Kirby Air Riders looks like a typical Masahiro Sakurai game – that is to say, absolutely rammed to the gills with stuff to do, gameplay variations to try out, and pleasingly chunky menu designs.
If you’re a fan of Kirby or of the 2003 GameCube racer Kirby Air Race (to which this is a followup), then Kirby Air Riders should absolutely be on your radar. Don’t miss out on this one!
