September kicks off a very busy fall for the video game industry. While some titles are delaying themselves out of the month to avoid one game in particular, there’s still plenty to look forward to throughout September.

It’s a quieter month with regard to first-party game releases for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch 2, but lots of prominent third-party games from developers big and small are imminent.

While Halloween is in October, quite a few games with spooky vibes are coming out this month, such as Hell is Us, Silent Hill f, and Cronos: The New Dawn.

That said, games like Borderlands 4 are also set to add some lighthearted comedy into it all.

Overall, it’s quite a bit for one person to have to choose from. That’s why, as we head into the month, I’m ranking seven of the games that I’ve identified as September 2025’s most important game releases.

From there, you can decide what you want to play as the month goes on.

7

Dying Light: The Beast

Launching on September 19 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X

For the past decade, Dying Light has essentially been the definitive zombie video game series. The third game in the franchise, Dying Light: The Beast, drops this month and feels like the culmination of the series thus far.

It started development as DLC for Dying Light 2, so there’s clear connective tissue to that title in the look and feel of Dying Light: The Beast. That said, its protagonist and story are more connected to the first Dying Light.

I played Dying Light: The Beast at Summer Game Fest this year. While it didn’t blow me away, it delivered exactly what I felt it needed to. It should not disappoint Dying Light fans eager to see what the series does next.

6

Cronos: The New Dawn

Launching on September 5 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch 2

Bloober Team finally broke free from being associated with horror game mediocrity last year with its Silent Hill 2 remake. Now, the studio is showing us what it’s got with a completely original sci-fi horror game.

Cronos: The New Dawn is a horror game with a time-traveling twist. Players fight horrific creatures in a post-apocalyptic world, while occasionally going through time rifts that send them back to 1980s Poland, where they can horrifically extract the essences of people from back then.

As it seems like we won’t be getting a new Dead Space or The Callisto Protocol game in the foreseeable future, Cronos: The New Dawn is coming out at a perfect time. Hopefully, it truly is one of the best horror games to release this year.

5

Hell is Us

Launching on September 4 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X

Hell is Us is another new IP with an eerie tone, releasing early in September. What really makes Hell Is Us stand out beyond its narrative is that this game does not feature any map or quest markers.

As players explore its open world, they won’t have access to the typical, helpful objective markers that are common in the genre. This means players must rely heavily on their own intuition, listen closely to dialogue, and keep a close eye on the level design to understand how to progress.

That’s definitely experimental, but Hell is Us seems like the kind of game that will be off-putting to some, but absolutely enthralling to others. In a month of franchise games, Hell is Us serves as an experimental breath of fresh air.

4

Silent Hill f

Launching on September 25 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X

While the Silent Hill 2 remake and The Short Message demo did impress last year, Konami is delivering the first full-fledged new Silent Hill horror game for consoles in over 13 years.

It also happens to be the first game in the series that takes the action out of the United States.

Instead, Silent Hil f is set in Japan, following a high school student as she gets swept up into an adventure in a horrific, Japanese version of the titular town.

It will also feature melee combat that’s not quite like anything we’ve seen from this series before.

Silent Hill is a video game franchise with a storied history, much of it not positive. Konami finally seemed to have found proper footing for it again with Silent Hill 2’s remake, so hopefully, Silent Hill f can keep that positive momentum going.

3

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds

Launching on September 25 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch

While Mario Kart will always dominate the video game kart racer space, I’ve always had a great time with Sonic’s racing games.

I still play Sonic All-Stars Racing: Transformed on my Steam Deck. As such, I’m glad to see another more crossover-focused kart racer starring Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds’ gimmick is that players go through a “travel ring” at the end of each lap, which can take them to a new location dynamically mid-race. It’s a neat visual effect and opens the door for crossovers with everything from Persona 5 to SpongeBob SquarePants.

For those disappointed with the removal of vehicle part customization in Mario Kart World, that gameplay system is present in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.

Generally speaking, this is definitely the racing game to check out this year if you didn’t really love Mario Kart World.

2

Borderlands 4

Launching on September 12 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X

The Borderlands series needs little introduction as the premier looter-shooter game franchise. That core looter-shooter gameplay loop with Vault Hunters that have special abilities still hasn’t changed, but Borderlands 4 is a little more ambitious than the games that came before it.

It’s the first Borderlands game to fully embrace having a truly open world, as it’s set on a new planet called Kairos.

To account for that, there are also expanded movement options that let players jump and glide around as they are shooting enemies with increasingly wacky guns.

Gearbox Software also toned down the humor this time around, if that was something that had been getting too grating for you in its recent games.

Overall, Borderlands 4 looks like it will deliver everything you want from a new game in the series, and that’s all it needs to be.

1

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Launching on September 4 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and Switch 2

No game feels more deserving of the number one spot on this list than Hollow Knight: Silksong.

Infamous for going years without any meaningful announcements, we learned during Gamescom that it would finally be launching on September 4. That announcement sent shockwaves through the video game industry, causing some developers to delay games set for release the same week as it.

Now, Hollow Knight: SIlksong needs to live up to that hype, and it seems like it has a good chance of doing so.

The original is one of the best Metroidvania games ever, and Hollow Knight: Silksong only expands on that precedent with a new world, more enemies and bosses to fight, and even more beautiful animation.

In a great year for platformers, Hollow Knight: Silksong could turn out to be the best.