Gaming has taken off across the UK—and Wales is no exception.
From Cardiff to Narberth, locals enjoy hyper-competitive hits like Fortnite, casual games like Royal Match, and indie titles like Monument Valley.
The boom in gaming interest is partly thanks to the accessibility of gaming technology. Smartphones are the easiest—and anyone with an Apple or Android device has immediate access to millions of games. But even handhelds like the Nintendo Switch and PCs have become cheaper for the average person.
The roll-out of new games and gaming devices has helped spur even more interest in this form of entertainment. But which trends have taken off this year? And what might they yield for Welsh gamers in 2025?
Virtual Casinos
Virtual casinos were some of the first games to launch on the internet back in the 1990s—and they’ve remained popular since then. Like other games, casino hits like roulette have benefitted from new mobile platforms.
In fact, gamers who want to spin the wheel only need to tap a few buttons to enter the virtual casino lobby. And with new technology like live dealer roulette available, the experience is even more immersive and interactive than ever before.
Narrative-driven Puzzles
Casino games deliver on excitement—but in 2024, some gamers have been more interested in unique narrative-driven puzzles. These titles combine the whimsy of story-driven games with the critical thinking of classic puzzles—and they come in all shapes and sizes.
Papers, Please even requires players to flex their emotional muscles as they step into an important social position. But other hits like Portal and Portal 2 take a much more thorough approach to concepts like physics. Both have fantastic storylines underpinning the action.
Tower Defense
Tower Defense games have taken off over the last five years. In 2024, there’s even more interest in mobile tower defense games. These titles—like the name suggests—require players to protect their territory against encroachers. It’s a type of strategy game that focuses on accruing resources and allocating them at the right time, in the right place.
The catch is learning how to balance all of those resources—but players don’t have to do everything alone. Many TD games include multiplayer modes that allow gamers to work with their friends to build and protect the most formidable tower in all the land.
Robot-Themed Games
Now that AI has become a hot topic around the world, it’s steered new gaming interests. In fact, one of the games listed here, Portal, includes a main character who is run by an AI algorithm. These types of games highlight the growing curiosity that gamers have in futurism, robots, and AI.
And Portal is far from the only hit. The Talos Principle is another highly rated and critically acclaimed puzzle game that features plenty of philosophical questions based on AI. From zanier and heady titles like Grow Home to more artistic and surprising games like Haiku, The Robot, this subgenre is diversifying at lightning speed.
Survival-Horror
Survival games and horror games have been around for decades—but there’s brand-new interest in the survival-horror genre. These games don’t just make it difficult for players to survive an inhospitable environment. While they do, they must navigate a series of untold horrors along the way.
The appeal here is the same that drives interest in horror films: a sense of fear, excitement, and immersion. Elements of survivalism add a layer of tactical gameplay, allowing developers to innovate with both gaming mechanics and the (very tense) sense of atmosphere.
Sandbox Games
Lastly, sandbox games have been steadily growing throughout 2024. The most famous sandbox game is Minecraft, which helped put this genre on the map. Sandbox games don’t include a linear storyline or any type of structured gameplay. Instead, they allow gamers to choose their own adventures, build their own worlds, and otherwise enjoy life in a virtual space.
While it might sound boring, it’s far from it. For example, Grand Theft Auto V is technically a sandbox game, as players can wander through a fictional city to do as they please.
