The Game Awards 2025 once again proved that the show is as much about future releases as it is about celebrating the past year. According to GameDiscoverCo's report, the broadcast reached 171 million global livestreams, an 11 percent increase over the previous high set in 2024. With that scale of exposure, new game announcements were positioned to generate immediate and measurable interest across multiple platforms.
To understand which reveals resonated most, data was analyzed across three indicators: Steam wishlist growth in the week following the show, YouTube trailer views from The Game Awards and IGN channels, and traditional media mentions tracked by Footprints.gg. Taken together, these signals offer a broader picture of which games cut through the noise after the event.
PC Audiences Drive Early Momentum
Steam wishlist growth strongly favored games that cater to PC-first audiences and launched their store pages alongside their reveals. Total War: Warhammer 40,000 emerged as the most immediate success, quickly climbing to roughly 760,000 wishlists. The result highlighted the continued strength of both the Total War brand and the Warhammer license among strategy-focused players.
Other high performers included Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis and Control Resonant, which added approximately 580,000 and 520,000 wishlists respectively. Both titles benefited from being new entries in established franchises, with clear branding and instant availability on Steam following their announcements.
Phantom Blade Zero also saw significant traction, surpassing 530,000 wishlists. While the game’s Chinese martial arts influences clearly appealed to Asian markets, data showed that more than half of its wishlists came from players outside China, indicating broader global interest.
Familiar Creators and Genre Signals Matter
Several mid-tier performers reinforced the value of recognizable creative talent and genre clarity. No Law, a cyberpunk-inspired surprise reveal, attracted early attention alongside Gang of Dragon, a new project from the co-creator of the Yakuza series. Bradley the Badger, a PC action platformer developed by members of the Mario + Rabbids creative team, also gained momentum despite its lighter tone.
Across many of these titles, wishlist-to-follower ratios were unusually high, suggesting that a portion of the audience was casually wishlisting multiple announcements from the show. Overlap analysis showed that roughly a quarter of users wishlisted several of the same high-profile games, pointing to broad curiosity rather than deeply committed fandom at this stage.
Trailer Views Tell a Different Story
YouTube trailer views offered a complementary perspective, especially for games without active Steam pages. While many of the same titles appeared near the top, including Phantom Blade Zero, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, and Total War: Warhammer 40,000, the rankings also highlighted interest in projects that are still early in development.
Resident Evil Requiem ranked highly in trailer views despite smaller wishlist gains, largely because it was already announced before The Game Awards. Similarly, Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic and Forest 3, the sequel to Sons of the Forest, drew substantial attention even without Steam listings, showing that franchise recognition alone can drive engagement.
It is important to note that these view counts only reflect uploads on The Game Awards and IGN channels. Several trailers also appeared on publisher or franchise-specific channels, meaning total interest is likely higher than the data suggests.
Traditional Media Focuses on Franchise Weight
Traditional media coverage, tracked across multiple languages by Footprints.gg, leaned heavily toward established franchises. Resident Evil Requiem led in overall mentions, followed closely by Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic and the newly revealed Tomb Raider projects. Larian’s next Divinity title also ranked highly, although some coverage had to be filtered due to overlap with unrelated industry discussions.
Other games drawing consistent press attention included Capcom’s long-awaited Pragmata, a new entry in the Ace Combat series, and Archetype Entertainment’s action RPG Exodus. While these titles did not dominate wishlist or trailer metrics, they maintained strong visibility in written coverage.
A Combined Look at Overall Interest
When rankings across wishlists, trailer views, and media mentions are blended and weighted to account for missing data, a clearer top tier emerges. Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, Phantom Blade Zero, Resident Evil Requiem, and Divinity collectively stood out as the most impactful announcements from The Game Awards 2025.
The results underline how established brands, timely platform availability, and clear genre positioning continue to shape early audience response. As development progresses and more gameplay is revealed, these early indicators will help frame expectations heading into release windows.
Source: GameDiscoverCo
What was the most successful new game reveal at The Game Awards 2025?
Based on Steam wishlist growth, Total War: Warhammer 40,000 generated the strongest immediate response, particularly among PC players.
Which games gained the most attention overall?
When combining wishlists, trailer views, and media coverage, the top performers were Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, Phantom Blade Zero, Resident Evil Requiem, and Divinity.
Why do some games rank high in trailer views but low in wishlists?
Some titles are too early in development to have Steam pages, while others were announced before the event. Trailer views capture interest even when wishlisting is not possible.
Do Steam wishlists accurately predict a game’s success?
Wishlists are a useful early signal, especially for PC games, but they reflect initial curiosity rather than long-term sales performance.
Why is traditional media coverage still important?
Media mentions help measure broader awareness and industry relevance, particularly for console-focused games or franchises with established audiences.
