Kara Dennison
June 18, 2025 
The summer anime season is two weeks away, and we can’t wait to start watching both new and returning titles! But if you find yourself with a little extra time on your hands, why not play these titles first? Many of this season’s offerings are attached to games—either because they’re adaptations or because they have a spinoff of their own. Join us for a look at what these games are and where you can play them while you wait for the new season to start!
Arknights Continues Its Game Adaptation
Arknights started life as a tower defense mobile app, casting you as an amnesiac doctor leading animal-girl soldiers into battle. The game is so much more than that, though—filled with deep worldbuilding, colorful characters, and a complex magic system. There’s enough story in there to warrant an anime adaptation, which kicked off with PRELUUDE TO DAWN and continued with PERISH IN FROST. It continues in the summer anime season with a new arc, RISE FROM EMBER.
Of course, you can challenge the original game yourself! The popular title is available for iOS, Android, and Windows. If you want to experience the story before the new season premieres, we recommend playing up through at least Chapter 8.
Arknights RISE FROM EMBER premieres July 4.
Nukitashi Started as a Visual Novel
Lots of anime series get their start as visual novels, including this summer anime season’s Nukitashi the Animation. And yes, this is one you can play. But if you do, you’re going to have to go get it yourself. Because this is, as they said, “not kids’ stuff.”
Nukitashi is an adult visual novel that came out in 2023 from Qruppo. The game follows a brother and sister as they journey to Seiran Island and confront, according to the game’s description, “a huge force that lurks in the sun.” For much more than that, you’ll have to either play the game yourself or wait for the anime to debut. Though the trailers we’ve seen so far have been pretty unhinged, so we have a good idea of the sort of vibe we can expect.
Nukitashi the Animation premieres in July.
Dr. STONE Has a Tie-In Mobile Game
Dr. STONE, of course, started life as a manga in Shonen Jump. And in this summer anime season, the final push continues. The second cour of the three-cour Dr. STONE SCIENCE FUTURE airs starting next month. But if you need more Science World action before then… you can play the game!
Though it hasn’t received an update in some time, Dr. STONE Battle Craft is still available to play on iOS and Android. The game is a pretty straightforward tie-in, featuring the voices of the anime cast. Recruit villagers, gather items, and do science to build your power and bring science to the stone world!
Dr. STONE SCIENCE FUTURE Part 2 premieres July 10.
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