April Fools’ Day 2025 compilation
Life Crossing: Fantasy Horizons, Rival Fantasy: Ever Crisis Academy Seven, and more.
Welcome to the 2025 edition of Gematsu‘s annual April Fools’ Day games industry jokes and gags roundup, featuring Life Crossing: Fantasy Horizons from LEVEL-5, Rival Fantasy: Ever Crisis Academy Seven from Square Enix, and more.
April Fools’ Day 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | More
(This post will be updated with new jokes throughout the day.)
■ Added April 1 at 2:20 p.m.:
■ Added April 1 at 1:30 p.m.:
● SEGA
https://twitter.com/SEGA/status/1907123335013495267
■ Added April 1 at 12:00 p.m.:
● Mojang
Minecraft
What if you could craft mines? Introducing the “Craftmine” update.
■ Added April 1 at 11:00 a.m.:
Free-to-play parody game Awkward Valley now available for PC via Steam.
■ Added April 1 at 10:00 a.m.:
● Raw Fury
Kingdom Two Crowns
■ Added April 1 at 9:00 a.m.:
Introducing PAYDAY: Drill Simulator! Play it now in your web browser.
● WFS
Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space
The door to the future is open. Varuo and Scott star in Les Chats Terribles. Coming soon.
■ Added April 1 at 8:30 a.m.:
Experience the future of the Arma Platform in Reforger Rumble!
DayZ
DayZ Contact challenges you to survive not just the wild, but also the survival against the otherworldly forces! Will you uncover the truth about the visitors… or be lost to the Rapture? The unknown awaits.
The Talos Principle: Reawakened
the future of puzzle gaming is here! No struggle. No challenge. Just pure, uninterrupted progression.
Introducing the Fisher Mech.
● Gameloft
Thanks to the innovative efforts, Asphalt takes the next step into the future with 3D frames!
Enlisted
“In the ‘Leadstorm’ event, you will be introduced to both new unique soldiers and old ones adapted to new conditions for the first time. Unfortunately, the resources of the development team are limited, so we won’t be able to add all the new characters instantly, so we’ve decided to leave the choice of who to add up to you!”
● Iron Gate
Feel lonely no more with Rocky the Pet Rock!
● KRAFTON
Watch the TV show teaser trailer for Nested Lands, a TV adaptation of the settlement survival RPG developed by 1 Million Bits Horde.
● miHoYo
Brace yourself for a visual spectacle in this special remake of Honkai Impact 3rd.
(Also available in Japanese, Korean, and Traditional Chinese.)
New Bangboo available in “An Outstanding Partner“! After the X Version update on February 30, 2222, the S-Rank Bangboo XBOO will be available for a limited time on the Bangboo Channel.
● Odencat
Announcing Meg’s Monster 2! This time, Meg’s the one who will protect Roy.
Abomi Nation: Monster Rifts
A mysterious visitor arrives in Abomi Nation: Monster Rifts!
■ Added April 1 at 12:00 a.m.:
● GameXplain
An important message from SQ on this day when even those who are not Gnosia will lie.
“To be honest, we added a new board game to winter cabin. It will go live within 12 hours. A good boy like me does not lie, even today.”
■ Added at 11:30 p.m.
Introducing the version 0.1 update for Wuthering Waves.
(Also available in Japanese, Korean.)
■ Added at 10:00 p.m.
● KRAFTON
April Fools’ Day 2025 commemorative content “Winner Winner Romance Dinner” now available. Play a gun romance simulation game set in a high school within the world of PUBG: Battlegrunds.
● Sony Interactive Entertainment
PlayStation China
● Yostar
Blue Archive
Announcing the romance visual novel ToSchool: Kimi ga Soba ni Iru Nichijou, playable now in your web browser.
■ Added at 9:00 p.m.
Announcing DAVE THE DIVER: REMASTERED, coming to LS7, Ybox Series X|L, and Swhich in 2049.
Kamaitachi no Yoru
A life-size (172cm) acrylic stand of Kamaitachi no Yoru protagonist Toru Yajima is now available.
■ Added at 8:00 p.m.
Something BIG is coming…
● SHIFT UP
GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE
Introducing Mecha Shifty.
(Also available in Japanese.)
■ Added at Press Time
● Aiming
The Eminence in Shadow: Master of Garden
Sanrio characters collaboration announced.
● Aniplex
Fate/Grand Order
This year’s annual April Fools’ Day Fate/Grand Order spin-off game is the casual action game Fate/Final Journey. It is available now for iOS via App Store and Android via Google Play. It is a casual action game.
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
Introducing Too Kyo Games‘ new employee and public relations character: Too Kyo-chan!
Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Magia Exedra
(Also available in Japanese.)
Katamari Series
A collaboration between That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime ISEKAI Memories and the Katamari franchise has been announced.
● BeXide
The Fox’s Way Home collaboration with Wizardry Gaiden: The Five Ordeals announced.
● Cygames
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising
(Also available in Japanese.)
Apex Legends (Japan)
Valkyrie’s voice will be changed to Kansai dialect in the next update.
Nekura na Classmate ga Ore no Ibukuro o Tsukande Hanashite Kurenai
Announcing the new visual novel Youkya-na Classmate ga Ore no Ibukuro o Tsukande Hanashite Kurenai.
● Gaijin Entertainment
War Thunder
The long awaited and highly requested addition of infantry to the battlefields of War Thunder is finally here!
Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World
Announcing the otome visual novel Re:Zero – School Life in Another World. Coming soon…?
● LEVEL-5
FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time
Introducing the Fantasy Getaway Package. FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time is now Life Crossing: Fantasy Horizons.
(Also available in Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese.)
● LOCOBIT
Announcing BUTTO BIRD Cassette Edition for Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom).
● NEXTON
Novamicus
A completely new original title is in development featuring illustrations by Itaru Hinoue. (This may or may not be a joke.)
● PONOS
Introducing the Neko Nyaturn, a new game system due out on February 22, 2222.
● SEGA
Sonic the Hedgehog (Japan)
The April issue of the Weekly Hedgehog is out now, with stories like “Knuckles Hires a Gang of Thieves to Guard the Emerald!?” and “Rising Costs Mean More Rings Are Required to Get a 1UP!?”
● SHIFT UP
GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE
GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE‘s blockbuster movie, “FINAL BATTLE,” will be released on April 1!
SHIFT UP
The newly launched SHIFT UP YouTube channel has surpassed one million subscribers.
● Square Enix
Dragon Quest Walk
Bunmeido Tokyo collaboration announced.
Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis
Announcing Rival Fantasy: Ever Crisis Academy Seven (title tentative) with the opening of two new schools in the city of Midgard: Midgard Seventh High School and Shinra Private Academy.
(Also available in Japanese.)
NieR
An 8-bit version of NieR: Automata is finally here.
Key
Announcing the release of the new movie Key: Escape from the White Locked Room, a new horror movie from the studio behind games like Kanon and Clannad.
● Yostar
Azur Lane
Announcing the new anime Azur Lane: Bisoku Tensei!