Summary
2024 has seen its fair share of big video games, movies, and TV shows, but2025is poised to blow it out of the water. While it’s always possible that release dates will get changed, as it stands, 2025 has plenty of exciting developments on deck for the entertainment industry at large.
There’s still some time to go before the book is closed on 2024, but the2025 release calendar is already filling upwith exciting games, movies, TV shows, and more. Moviegoers have the start of the new DC cinematic universe to look forward to, with James Gunn at the helm. Netflix fans will be saying hello to WWE and goodbye toStranger Things, while gamers will finally get their hands onGrand Theft Auto 6. On top of all that, Nintendo is expected to launch its next console in 2025, solidifying next year as one for the ages.
Here is why 2025 is shaping up to be an absolutely massive year for entertainment.
First Movie in the New DCU
Coming off the heels of the wildly successful Christopher Nolan-directedDark Knighttrilogy, DC launched the DC Extended Universe, its answer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Led by Zack Snyder, the DCEU was a failure. While the franchise enjoyed a great deal of commercial success for most of its movies, nearly all of them were released to disdain from fans and critics. Enthusiasm for the DCEU plummeted over time, leading to the financial failures of movies likeBlue BeetleandThe Flash, despite the latter havingMichael Keaton back as Batmanfor the first time since 1992’sBatman Returns.
Instead of giving up on a cinematic universe, DC has hired James Gunn to effectively be its Kevin Feige equivalent. Gunn and Peter Safran have created DC Studios to oversee the new DC cinematic universe, simply known as the DC Universe. Comic book fans will get their first taste of the DCU later this year whenCreatures Commandosdebuts on Maxthis December, but the first DCU blockbuster movie won’t hit theaters until June 07, 2025.
The newSupermanmovie, written and directed by James Gunn, will be the DC Universe’s first major film.Starring David Corenswet as Supermanand Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, the newSupermanmovie will also feature recognizable characters like Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, Green Lantern, Metamorpho, Lex Luthor, and more. Gunn has released a single image of theSupermanmovie so far, hinting at some kind of over-the-top battle involving a giant laser beam that fans have theorized belongs to The Engineer, who has been confirmed for the film and will be portrayed by Maria Gabriela de Faria Chacon, or maybe even Brainiac.
There is a lot riding onJames Gunn’sSupermanmovie. As the first film in the DC Universe, it has to not only establish an entire new cinematic universe for audiences, but it must also win back the trust of consumers who feel burned by the DCEU’s missteps. Time will tell howSupermanturns out, but Gunn has a proven track record of delivering incredible comic book film adaptations, and so here’s hoping he can do the same withSupermanin 2025.
While 2025 is the DCU’s big moment, Marvel fans have a lot to look forward to in 2025 as well. The long-awaitedDaredevil: Born Againwill be hitting Disney+ in March, whileCaptain America: Brave New World,Thunderbolts*, andFantastic Four: The First Stepswill be released on February 14, May 2, and July 25, respectively.Bladeis currently scheduled for a November 7 release, but there’s a good chance it will get pushed back yet again. But while 2025 will be plenty busy for the MCU, 2026 will be even more exciting, as that’s the year Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters with Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom.
Grand Theft Auto 6’s Release Date is in 2025
While we don’t know exactly when theGrand Theft Auto 6release date is, we do know thatRockstar Games' current plan is to launch the open world epicat some point in the fall of 2025. AssumingGrand Theft Auto 6isn’t hit with a delay into 2026, fans will be getting the game a whopping 12 years afterGTA 5hit store shelves, so the wait has been a long one, to say the least.
To date, Rockstar has released one trailer forGrand Theft Auto 6. The record-breaking reveal confirms Lucia as one ofGTA 6’s major playable characters, as well as the fact thatthe new game is set in Vice Cityand the greater state of Leonida, parodies of Miami and Florida, respectively. What’s been shown ofGrand Theft Auto 6so far has been incredible, though fans are growing anxious for more information.
WithGTA 6eyeing a fall 2025 release window, it’s likely that more information on the highly-anticipated open world game will come before the year is out, with marketing efforts ramping up significantly in 2025. It’s possible Rockstar will release a new trailer focusing on the rumored second playable character, believed to be Lucia’s lover seen in the first trailer, but it’s also possible that the company will instead release a trailer focusing onGTA 6gameplay or story in a general sense. There’s alsoGrand Theft Auto 6’s online componentto consider, though it’s likely that will be revealed much closer to launch, if Rockstar’s handling ofGTA 5andRed Dead Redemption 2’s online modes are any indication.
Grand Theft Auto 6’s male protagonist doesn’t have an official name at the time of this writing, but rumors suggest that he will be named Jason.
Grand Theft Auto 6
WHERE TO PLAY
Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.
John Cena is Retiring from WWE
2025 will mark the end of an era for WWE. By the end of the year,legendary WWE superstar John Cenawill be hanging up his boots, with plans to make his last appearance in December 2025. Cena will be back with WWE when the company makes its debut on Netflix to kick off one final run that will include his final matches at iconic events like the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania. Cena will be making about 36 dates in 2025 to cap off his WWE career, likely a mix of WWE TV appearances, premium live event matches, and maybe even some special house show bouts.
Cena’s retirement tour will ensure that the hugely popular former WWE Champion is able to end his career with a bang. Some fans are hoping to see Cena win one more world championship so he can break Ric Flair’s record, while others are hoping to see him lock horns withlongtime rivals like CM Punkand Randy Orton for one final time. Cena’s exact plans for 2025 have yet to be revealed, but his retirement tour should ensure that next year is a memorable one for WWE fans.
WWE Raw is coming to Netflix in January 2025, with big stars like John Cena and The Rock confirmed for the debut episode.
Stranger Things' Final Season
Netflix has a number of massive hits under its belt, but none have enjoyed the sheer cultural impact ofStranger Things. The 80s throwback mystery horror show inspired by the works of Steven Spielberg and Stephen King,Stranger Thingshas been nothing short of a pop culture phenomenon. Each new season has been met with rave reviews from fans and critics alike, with a great deal of hype for its final season in 2025.
Stranger ThingsSeason 5 is currently without a specific release date, but it’s already shaping up to be an epic send-off for the beloved series. The first four seasons ofStranger Thingshave been building to the epic 8-episode conclusion, which will see Hawkins squaring off againstthe horrors of the Upside Downfor one final time. WithStranger ThingsSeason 5 being the final season of the series, all major characters will be at risk, and the stakes have never been higher.
While Season 5 will mark the end of theStranger ThingsTV series, don’t expect the franchise to go away any time soon.Stranger Thingswill continue to be featured in other media and multiple spin-offs are in the works.
Nintendo Switch 2 Launch
Nintendo found a great deal of success with the Wii, but it fell flat on its face with the Wii U, a commercial flop that stands as one of the company’s biggest failures. Instead of giving up on its console hardware business, Nintendo regrouped and launched the Switch, a home console/handheld hybrid that is on track to become the best-selling console of all time.The Switch is over seven years old at this point, though, and many agree that it’s time for Nintendo to finally move forward with its successor console, whether that’s the Switch 2 or something else entirely.
While it has confirmed that a new console is in the works, Nintendo has otherwise kept quiet about the Switch 2, instead keeping the focus on the original Switch for now. However, the consensus is that Nintendo will be launching its new console at some point in 2025, likely after March 2025. It’s anyone’s guess as to what form thenew Nintendo consolewill take, but many believe it will essentially be a more powerful version of the Switch, once again serving as both a home console and a handheld simultaneously.
The Nintendo Switch 2 may be what most Nintendo fans are excited to learn about, but there’s still plenty to look forward to when it comes to the original Switch. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is releasing in September, Mario & Luigi: Brothership drops in November, and both Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokemon Legends: Z-A are currently scheduled to release in 2025.
Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch is a hybrid console launched in 2017, capable of being played in handheld mode or docked to a television. The Switch Lite, a handheld-only model, followed in 2019, with an OLED refresh coming in 2021.
