New Games 2025: November Week 1 Spotlight

Welcome back to our weekly gaming roundup! November launches with an interesting mix that spans the entire spectrum of gaming experiences. Whether you're orchestrating championship-winning tactics, racing through nostalgic Sonic stages, or testing your patience with physics-based punishment, this week delivers something for every type of player. Before we dive into this week's new games 2025 releases, make sure to check out our esports predictions and analysis for comprehensive tournament coverage. Let's break down what dropped this week and catch up on the industry moves making waves across the gaming landscape.

Game Releases

Football Manager 26

Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, iOS, Android

Release Date: November 4, 2025

The most significant entry in the series' history arrives with a complete technical overhaul that promises to redefine football management simulation. Built on the Unity engine rather than the proprietary tech that powered previous entries, Football Manager 26 represents a fundamental reimagining of what the franchise can deliver.

The Premier League makes its fully licensed debut here, bringing authentic club badges, official kits, and real player photos to English football's top tier. This addition elevates the authenticity factor considerably, particularly when combined with the enhanced broadcast presentation that makes match days feel like you're experiencing the real thing from the best seat in the house.

Match day itself receives the deepest treatment in series history. Fresh motion capture and volumetric animations inject personality into player movements, making that perfectly weighted through ball or last-gasp title winner feel genuinely special. The engine upgrade enables greater on-pitch detail and more sophisticated player behavior, creating moments that capture the drama and unpredictability of real football.

Tactical innovation reaches new heights with distinct In and Out of Possession formations that give managers unprecedented control over team shape throughout different phases of play. Redefined player roles work alongside a dynamic visualizer that demonstrates exactly how your tactical instructions translate onto the pitch. This level of granular control should satisfy the most demanding tacticians while remaining accessible enough for newcomers to grasp fundamental concepts.

The introduction of women's football seamlessly integrates 14 playable leagues from 11 nations into the existing framework. The Women's Super League and National Women's Soccer League headline the additions, opening up entirely new career possibilities and fresh tactical challenges that differ meaningfully from their men's counterparts.

TransferRoom technology transforms squad building with Requirements and Pitch Opportunities systems. Broadcast your recruitment priorities and gain insight into rival clubs' needs, creating more strategic and realistic transfer market interactions. Combined with an overhauled interface designed for modern managers and the new FMPedia glossary that helps decode the beautiful game's complexities.

Sonic Rumble

Platforms: PC, iOS, Android

Release Date: November 5, 2025

SEGA takes Sonic into free-to-play battle royale territory with this cross-platform arcade brawler that throws up to 32 players into Dr. Eggman's twisted Toy World. This represents a significant departure from traditional Sonic gameplay, blending the series' trademark speed with survival mechanics and chaotic multiplayer action.

The roster pulls from Sonic's legendary lineup, featuring the blue blur himself alongside Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, and even Dr. Eggman. Each character maintains their distinctive feel while adapting to the battle royale format, and the extensive customization options let players personalize their favorites with skins, animations, emotes, and effects.

Stages span iconic Sonic locations reimagined for multiplayer chaos. Green Hill Zone and Sky Sanctuary return alongside entirely new environments, all designed around Dr. Eggman's diabolical obstacle courses and arena challenges. The variety of game modes ensures the experience never settles into predictable patterns, alternating between frantic races and intense survival battles that test different skill sets.

The cross-platform implementation deserves recognition for executing seamless play between PC and mobile without compromising either experience. Mobile players aren't stuck with a watered-down version, while PC players benefit from optimized controls that take advantage of mouse and keyboard precision. This accessibility approach could prove crucial for building the player base necessary to sustain a competitive multiplayer ecosystem.

The soundtrack leverages decades of Sonic musical heritage, incorporating iconic tracks that longtime fans will instantly recognize alongside new compositions that match the frenetic pace. For a free-to-play title entering an increasingly crowded battle royale space, Sonic Rumble makes smart use of its franchise legacy to carve out a distinct identity.

Egging On

Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S

Release Date: November 6, 2025

This brutally challenging physics-based climber asks one simple question: can you take a fragile egg to new heights without cracking under pressure? The answer will frustrate and fascinate in equal measure.

You control an egg navigating vertical environments through pure physics manipulation. Synchronizing your jump with your roll-cycle becomes essential, timing that leap at the apex to maximize height while maintaining enough control to stick the landing. Miss that timing and gravity becomes your worst enemy, potentially sending you tumbling back to the bottom with nothing but yolk-stained regrets.

The environments embrace the egg theme with gleeful absurdity. Chainsaws, angry roosters, and various other hazards populate carefully crafted levels that each introduce unique atmospheric touches and fresh mechanical challenges. Not everything in these worlds wants you to succeed, creating tension that builds as you climb higher and have more progress at risk with each mistake.

Customization adds personality through decorative shells that let you roll in style while tackling increasingly demanding vertical gauntlets. Stamps scattered throughout levels reward exploration and skillful play, though falling means losing your collected treasures along with your dignity. This risk-reward system creates interesting decisions about whether to play it safe or push for completionist runs.

The deliberately limited control scheme creates a specific type of tension that fans of games like Getting Over It will immediately recognize. Every wobble and roll carries weight, making success feel genuinely earned through mastery of the deceptively simple mechanics. Expect to fall. A lot. But that makes finally reaching the summit all the sweeter.

Thrasher

Platforms: PC (including PCVR and Steam Deck)

Release Date: November 7, 2025

From the creative mind behind cult rhythm violence hit THUMPER comes this mind-melting arcade experience that transcends traditional genre boundaries. Thrasher guides players through psychedelic alien landscapes aboard a magnificent space eel, creating a flow state where music, visuals, and gameplay merge into something approaching transcendence.

The core loop evolves your eel from tiny worm to cosmic mega beast across 27 stages spanning 9 distinct realms. Each environment delivers breathtaking yet unsettling landscapes that range from primordial gloom to celestial bliss, culminating in confrontations with mysterious leviathans and a cosmic baby god that will challenge both skills and sanity.

Movement mechanics revolve around elegant swooping and thrashing, with precision mouse controls offering satisfying responsiveness for pulling off complex maneuvers. The unique circle-based combo system provides depth for players chasing leaderboard supremacy, rewarding pattern recognition and execution under pressure. Gamepad support ensures accessibility for those who prefer traditional controls.

Three game modes cater to different player priorities. Standard Play mode lets you vibe through the wild journey absorbing the audiovisual experience. Play+ cranks up the challenge for hardcore players, while Time Trial mode strips away everything except pure speed optimization. This flexibility respects that different players will engage with the experience in fundamentally different ways.

Brian Gibson's soundtrack, crafted by the Lightning Bolt bassist who also designed the game, leverages spatial audio and haptics to create genuinely stunning sensory immersion. The Steam Deck optimization running at 90fps with both gamepad and trackpad controls demonstrates technical polish, while the remastered VR mode with hand tracking support offers an even more intense way to experience the journey.

The PCVR implementation transforms an already impressive arcade experience into something genuinely otherworldly. Hand tracking support removes the barrier between player and eel, creating direct connection that amplifies the flow state the game chases. For players seeking something that pushes beyond conventional arcade design into more experimental territory, Thrasher delivers exactly that transcendent weirdness.

Happenings in the Gaming World

Vampire Survivors Spawns Official Warhammer Crossover

Poncle's bullet hell phenomenon continues its aggressive expansion with the announcement of Warhammer Survivors, developed in partnership with Auroch Digital. This standalone entry in what's being called the "official Survivors lineage" brings the series' signature mechanics to Games Workshop's grimdark universes.

The game pulls from both Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Age of Sigmar, incorporating characters and enemies from each setting into the familiar survive-and-level-up formula that made Vampire Survivors such an unexpected success. Auroch Digital brings relevant pedigree to the project, having worked on 2023's well-received Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun. A sequel to that title is also scheduled for 2026, suggesting Games Workshop sees strong potential in this partnership.

Currently slated for 2026 with only a Steam release confirmed, Warhammer Survivors represents another data point in Games Workshop's concentrated push to expand its franchise presence across gaming. Recent high-profile successes like Space Marine 2 and Total War: Warhammer III demonstrate there's substantial appetite for Warhammer properties done well, making this collaboration a natural fit.

Vampire Survivors launched in 2022 and maintained momentum through clever crossover DLCs featuring Castlevania, Contra, Balatro, Among Us, and SaGa. The game essentially created its own subgenre, spawning numerous imitators including recent viral hit Megabonk. Poncle's expansion into publishing with 2025 releases Berserk or Die and Kill the Brickman shows the studio leveraging its success to support other developers working in adjacent spaces.

SNK Doubles Down with Another Massive Tournament Prize Pool

Image source

Saudi-owned SNK announced a second consecutive $4.1 million prize pool for the 2026 SNK World Championship, matching the excessive amount offered at this year's event. The announcement came at DreamHack Atlanta following the conclusion of the 2025 tournament, which distributed the prize money across Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves ($2.5M), The King of Fighters XV ($1M), Samurai Shodown ($500K), and Art of Fighting 3 ($100K).

These numbers dwarf what other fighting game publishers offer for their premier tournaments. Capcom Cup maintains a $1.28 million prize pool for Street Fighter 6. Bandai Namco's Tekken World Tour offers $300,000. Warner Bros.' official Mortal Kombat 1 tournament featured $200,000 in 2025. The contrast becomes even starker when considering the 2024 SNK World Championship, run by SNK China and featuring only King of Fighters XV, offered roughly $41,000.

Saudi Arabian non-profit MiSK has owned 96.18% of SNK since 2022, and the publisher has aggressively marketed Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves through unconventional channels. Real-world crossovers with footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and DJ Salvatore Ganacci, branded tie-ins with boxing and pro wrestling matches, and collaborations with Capcom's Street Fighter series all supported the first new Fatal Fury entry in over 25 years.

Despite this marketing blitz and the tournament prize pool, the game appears to have launched softly. Steam's 24-hour peak concurrent player count sat at 188, though PS5, PS4, and Xbox Series versions are also available. Former SNK CEO Kenji Matsubara stepped down shortly after release. The company hasn't announced any sales milestones.

SNK formed KOF Studio in December 2024 to handle its fighting game legacy going forward and told Famitsu in 2023 that a new Art of Fighting game was in development. That franchise hasn't seen a new entry since 1996.

EA Acknowledges Saudi Acquisition Risks in Regulatory Filing

Image Source EA

Electronic Arts outlined potential complications surrounding its $55 billion acquisition by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners in a regulatory filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The document details various scenarios where the merger could create financial and operational disruptions or fail to close entirely.

EA expects the deal to complete by Q1 fiscal year 2027 but acknowledges closure depends on certain conditions not fully within the company's control. The filing warns that uncertainty about the merger's impact could cause customers, suppliers, and financial partners to alter existing business relationships. EA also notes the acquisition might prevent pursuing otherwise advantageous business opportunities while the company continues incurring major costs and fees related to the deal.

Following the filing, EA updated an employee FAQ document that previously stated there would be "no immediate changes to your job, team, or daily work" following the acquisition. The updated version added that "EA will maintain creative control and our track record of creative freedom and player-first values will remain intact."

These reassurances follow pushback against the acquisition from multiple sources. United Videogame Workers-CWA published an open letter criticizing the deal for concentrating "power and wealth into the hands of a few gatekeepers while doing nothing to address the concerns of players and workers." Several The Sims 4 content creators also departed the EA Creators Network in apparent response to the acquisition news.

The regulatory filing represents EA's first public acknowledgment of potential downsides to the deal, contrasting with earlier messaging that emphasized continuity and stability. Whether these outlined risks materialize or prove to be standard regulatory language remains to be seen as the deal progresses toward its expected 2027 closure.

That wraps up our November week one spotlight! What caught your attention from this batch of releases? Looking for competitive gaming action instead? We cover tournaments for Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2! Check out our analysis and predictions, or try your hand at forecasting match outcomes. Our Pick'ems system lets you predict tournament results and compete for expensive items and skins from the Steam marketplace. Ready to test your esports knowledge? Give it a shot.