There’s nothing quite like springtime in Boston. As the chill lifts from the air, thousands of fans, creators, and press descend upon the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center for one of gaming’s most beloved events: PAX East. This year’s show was packed wall-to-wall with exciting reveals, imaginative indies, and genre-defying surprises. Whether you were there to test out promising up-and-comers or catch a glimpse of the next big blockbuster, PAX East 2025 delivered in spades.

From slick mecha racers and narrative-heavy mysteries to rhythm roguelikes and nostalgic Metroidvanias, here’s a full rundown of the most notable titles.

🎮 Break Arts III

A high-octane blend of mecha combat and futuristic racing, Break Arts III by MercuryStudio impressed with its slick visuals and exhilarating speed. You dash, fly, and shoot your way past enemies while racing for first place. Co-op play adds even more fun, though a competitive mode is notably absent.

🗓️ Release Date: August 8, 2025

🧠 Mind Diver

Equal parts psychological thriller and puzzle game, Mind Diver drops players into memories turned into literal swimming levels. Despite rough visuals and stilted voice acting, its mind-bending narrative and memory reconstruction mechanics drew clear inspiration from Return of the Obra Dinn and Immortality. A slow burn worth your attention.

🗓️ Release Date: TBD 2025

🔁 MotionRec

This adorable-yet-challenging puzzle-platformer uses a novel record/playback mechanic to manipulate movement and solve puzzles. Think Braid, but with clone echoes of your past moves. It’s devilishly smart and endlessly satisfying.

🗓️ Release Date: TBD 2025

🦾 Revenant’s Reach

No banners, no marketing fluff—just a brilliant, Strider-inspired 2D action-platformer with fluid parrying and grappling mechanics. With visuals reminiscent of early PlayStation titles, this tough-but-fair experience left a lasting impression.

🗓️ Release Date: TBD 2025

😈 Demonschool

This stylish, Persona-inspired tactics RPG makes smart changes to the genre formula. With isometric battles, mini-games, and 15 party members, it balances horror and humor perfectly.

🗓️ Release Date: Summer 2025

🌊 Demon Tides

The sequel to Demon Turf, this title goes full 3D and adds an open world, evoking Wind Waker and Elden Ring. Underneath lies a deep, expressive movement system that might just be this generation’s Super Mario Sunshine.

🗓️ Release Date: TBD 2025

⚔️ Shrine’s Legacy

Heavily inspired by Secret of Mana (but arguably better), this cooperative action RPG features snappy controls, gem-based progression, and satisfying combat. A nostalgic yet modern experience.

🗓️ *Release Date: TBD

💔 Love Eternal

A horror-tinged precision platformer that mixes Celeste's tight controls with a dark narrative. You flip gravity, refresh skills with gems, and uncover a haunting mystery—all wrapped in Ysbryd’s signature tone.

🗓️ Release Date: Summer 2025

🔫 Neon Inferno

A stylish pixel-art beat-em-up with multi-plane combat, letting players shoot enemies in the background or foreground with a simple button press. Parry mechanics and bullet-slowing abilities round out the combat.

🗓️ Release Date: TBD 2025

🚂 Monster Train 2

The deck-building train ride is back, and better than ever. Featuring all-new clans, cards, and a sleek new interface, Monster Train 2 plays like a dream.

🗓️ Release Date: May 21, 2025

🎿 Fresh Tracks

This rhythm-roguelike on skis blends Guitar Hero with snow-slaloming gameplay. With branching music paths and EDM/metal track variations depending on your character, it’s shaping up to be something special.

🗓️ Release Date: TBD 2025

🎸 Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson

The most unique genre fusion of the show: an RPG deckbuilder rhythm game. Hit buttons in time with your guitar strums to gain bonus effects during turn-based battles.

🗓️ Release Date: May 22, 2025

🔍 Aether & Iron

A noir sci-fi RPG in the style of Disco Elysium, featuring a gritty cyberpunk New York and a female PI protagonist. Add XCOM-style tactical combat, and this may become one of 2025’s breakout indie titles.

🗓️ Release Date: TBD 2025

🧟‍♀️ Be My Horde

Think Vampire Survivors, but you're a necromancer raising your own undead army. Fun, chaotic, and morally questionable in the best way.

🗓️ Early Access Now; Full Release TBD 2025

🧶 Strings Theory

A compact but increasingly complex puzzle game built around different string-shaped characters with unique abilities. Great for bite-sized sessions.

🗓️ Out Now ($14.99)

🚉 Perfect Tides: Station to Station

A grounded, heartfelt point-and-click adventure about young adulthood. Beautiful writing, expressive pixel art, and real human connection make this one to watch.

🗓️ Release Date: TBD 2026

⚡ Bytebond

A split-screen co-op puzzler where two robots exchange energy to manipulate environments. Tight puzzles, charming visuals, and five biomes planned for launch.

🗓️ Release Date: TBD 2025

🎨 Constance

A lush, hand-drawn Metroidvania that borrows from Hollow Knight but adds painting mechanics and quality-of-life touches like in-room respawns and photo features. One of the show’s quiet stunners.

🗓️ Release Date: Q4 2025

🗡️ Gigasword

Built with love by a solo dev, this Metroidvania/Zelda hybrid uses a massive sword as a puzzle-solving tool. Deep dungeons, charming visuals, and a promising combat loop.

🗓️ Release Date: TBD 2025

🌿 Soulframe – Sneak Peek at the Next Preludes Build

For those following Soulframe, Digital Extremes gave fans a very brief (six-minute!) glimpse of the game’s next pre-alpha build during the PAX livestream. The update included:

• 13 collectible motes that grant elemental power to weapons
• A first look at a boss battle and new enemy faction (early placeholder assets shown)
• Details on the Festival of the Circade, a limited-time event featuring a puzzle that leads to a new spirit weapon
• A fresh gameplay trailer highlighting mid-combat weapon switching, magic abilities, and the adorable addition of pettable forest animals

While the segment was short, fans can look forward to TennoCon in July, where bigger reveals are promised.

🏜️ Dune: Awakening Panel Adds to the Hype

In addition to the impressive lineup of games and demos, PAX East 2025 also featured a special panel dedicated to Dune: Awakening, the highly anticipated survival MMO set in the iconic sci-fi universe. The panel offered new insights into gameplay mechanics, environmental storytelling, and how the devs are adapting the harsh desert world of Arrakis into an expansive, persistent online experience. While no major new trailer was shown, the discussion gave fans a better idea of what to expect in the coming months.

📅 Looking Ahead: PAX East 2026

Mark your calendars — the next PAX East has already been announced! The event will return to Boston from March 26 to March 29, 2026. Whether you’re an indie dev, AAA fan, cosplayer, or just there for the vibes, the show promises to be another unmissable celebration of gaming culture.

🎤 Final Thoughts

PAX East 2025 was a resounding celebration of creativity—from solo developers crafting passion projects to studios redefining genre expectations. Whether it was the fast-paced thrills of Neon Inferno, the narrative depth of Aether & Iron, or the nostalgic joy of Shrine’s Legacy, this year’s show proved once again that the heart of gaming lies in innovation and risk-taking.

And with titles like Monster Train 2, Fretless, and Soulframe just around the corner, 2025 is shaping up to be a phenomenal year for games—on and off the beaten path.