Oh boy, it’s hard to know what to be excited for with so many insane titles dropping imminently, as well as the PS5 and Xbox Series X coming this holiday season. With so much going on, and so many different developers and titles and rumors pulling us in every direction while we hyperventilate with excitement, we thought we’d do you a favor and organize the titles we think you should keep an eye on, and everything we know so far about each one.
Starfield
- Release Date: Expected 2021
- Developer: Bethesda
- Platform: Windows, PS5, Xbox Series X
- Price: TBA
Starfield has been the subject of so many rumors and leaks, it’s surprising how little we actually know about the game. Or perhaps unsurprising. Many are quick to liken it to Skyrim in Space, which is not only a reductionist way to frame it, but also a gateway to the single most hilarious youtube comment section for fans of Skyrim.
Starfield will undoubtedly adhere to some of Bethesda’s signature mechanics demonstrated in Skyrim and the Fallout franchise as a single-player, open-world ARPG, but players can expect it to be bigger. For multiple reasons. The fact that Starfield is slated to have had the longest development cycle in Bethesda’s history indicates something somewhat grandiose in terms of content.
Combine this with the fact that a game like Starfield has been sitting in the attic of Bethesda Director and Executive Producer, Todd Howard’s mind for decades — with them even trying to make a Starfield-esque game, and failing — and you’ve got a recipe for some badass developmental scope. Hopefully, because a lot of Bethesda fans are still yet to forgive them for Fallout ’76 (which actually isn’t so bad anymore, by the way).
Genshin Impact
- Release Date: Late 2020
- Developer: miHoYo
- Platform: Windows, PS4, Switch, iOS, Android
- Price: Free-to-play
Genshin Impact continues to gather a whole boatload of hype, nowhere more so than in the mobile gaming space where it’s primed to be one of the platform’s biggest title drops in recent years alongside the likes of the battle royales. But Genshin Impact is no Fortnite clone; in fact, it’s more like Zelda: Breath of the Wild than anything else.
Indeed, miHoYo doesn’t even shy from the comparison. While the game features a beautiful, cel-shaded, high-chroma world and lush landscape that is undeniably similar to BOTW, the gameplay mechanics are set to be something completely unique. In Genshin Impact, players can switch between the several attainable characters instantaneously — mid-combo even — allowing for ridiculous exploration of a skill-based, elemental combat system.
The game has been confirmed as a release for 2020, but will be holding another closed beta for eligible participants in North and South America first, and is expected to release free-to-play on PC, Console and Mobile simultaneously.
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Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
- Release Date: 17 November 2020
- Developer: Ubisoft
- Platform: Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Google Stadia
- Price: $43.99+
Vikings are not exactly known for their… stealth. But that didn’t stop Ubisoft from creating a gigantic viking game under the Assassin’s Creed banner. Fortunately, it looks awesome. In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, players play as Eivor, leader of a viking warband that gets entangled in an overarching conflict between the Brotherhood of Assassins and the Templar Order — and doesn’t really give a damn.
The game is set in historical East Anglia and starts out with Eivor trying to rescue Oswald, the guy who you really want to be King of the Vikings, and employs a heavily consequential branching narrative. There are also a wealth of varied quests for players to sink their teeth into alongside World Bosses and the Mythical Beasts to keep players entertained.
The meat of the game lies in completely appropriate viking assaults on English fortifications — instead of stealthy sneak attacks, you will be bellowing full rage under storms of arrows as you and your viking brethren batter the gates of the East Anglians and do your beast to wreak general havoc and mayhem on those cowering within.
Pre-Order Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
Elden Ring
- Release Date: TBA
- Developer: FromSoftware (Feat. George R.R Martin)
- Platform: TBA
- Price: TBA
Lord help us all, just look at that trailer. And yes, you read the quick points right: this game is a collaboration between Hidetaka Miyazaki, the twisted mind behind Dark Souls, Sekiro and Bloodborne, and George R. R. Martin, the twisted mind behind Game of Thrones. That alone should be enough to set your mind ablaze with all-consuming excitement, but it gets better.
The game is reportedly going to be FromSoftware’s biggest open-world ARPG ever, and, given the time frame, almost certainly being developed for the next-gen consoles. The game was officially announced with the above trailer back at E3 2019 and it blew the minds of gamers and content creators alike with the possibilities, but unfortunately (or perhaps, fortunately) both FromSoftware and GRRM have kept any details related to the game’s development close to their chest and little more has been learned since.
What we know for certain is that GRRM is engaged in the worldbuilding, creating the universe, characters, and lore while Miyazaki will be constructing the narrative. Basically, he’ll be taking us along for the ride while he goes wild with the toys that GRRM makes. So be excited.
Cyberpunk 2077
- Release Date: 19 November 2020
- Developer: CD Projekt RED
- Platform: Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Google Stadia
- Price: $59.99
CD Projekt RED’s first departure from the Witcher franchise is one of the most hyped games ever at this point, with gamers practically foaming at the mouth for a piece of the wildly disparate open-world setting coming this November when Cyberpunk 2077 finally drops.
The game is actually another exploration of previously created lore, based on the old school pen and paper RPG, Cyberpunk 2020, by Mike Pondsmith that came out in the late ’80s, and plays as an open-world FPS. Unlike Geralt of Rivia, the game’s central character, V, is fully customizable.
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Cyberpunk 2020 features a sprawling campaign mode as well as a titanic amount of side quests, developed by a team five times the size of the one responsible for developing Wild Hunt’s optional quests, and is set in an appropriately dystopian metropolis under the thumb of numerous corporate overlords.
Players can expect a variety of interesting mechanics, including a Street Cred currency that encourages stylish clothing and badass decision-making over more utilitarian outfits and better foresight, and a body augmentation system similar to the Deus X franchise that can implement abilities like aim assist or non-combat related boosts.
Minimal microtransactions and a lot of free DLC are expected, along with a few hints at multiplayer further down the road, so players can trust they will be getting above and beyond their money’s worth with Cyberpunk 2077. Plus it has Keanu Reeves as a co-star — are you not entertained?
Pre-Order Cyberpunk 2077: Steam | Cyberpunk.net
Halo Infinite
- Release Date: Holiday 2020
- Developer: 343 Industries, SkyBox Labs
- Platform: Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
- Price: $59.99
Halo Infinite is the single most hyped games made specifically for the Xbox Series X, which is no surprise given the Halo franchise’s history and is indeed confirmed to be one of the launch titles for the console when it drops this holiday season. However, it will also be available for the Xbox One and Xbox Game Pass owners will be able to play immediately, day one, alongside those who purchase the game directly.
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The game is set to be a direct sequel to 5 and seems to be a multi-pronged attempt to fix many of the gripes Halo fans had about 5 and double down on what made Halo 4 the longstanding legend it is. The game will center largely on Master Chief — with him possibly being the only playable character — and will bring Split Screen back for some of that good old, if not somewhat archaic couch co-op gold.
On top of all that, the game was created in the new Slipstream engine, one developed from scratch specifically for Halo Infinite.
Overwatch 2
- Release Date: Expected 2021
- Developer: Blizzard
- Platform: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
- Price: TBA
Overwatch 2 is coming, and it’s coming with a bang. Five years after Blizzard’s hero shooter smashed the ceiling on the sub-genre firmly cemented by Team Fortress 2, the sequel is coming and with a whole slew of new features. Overwatch 2 could possibly include 7 new heroes at launch, with one of them confirmed to be Sojourn who players of the original will recognize, as well as a new “Push” game mode similar to Payload in Paladins alongside several new maps.
One of the major thrusts that Blizzard seems to be making with the sequel is some serious PvE content designed to enhance the developed, but under-explored lore of the heroes and Overwatch universe. The game will feature Story Missions, where players can play co-op against AI to explore the backstories of the heroes, and Hero Missions which can be used to unlock new abilities and skill enhancements for selected heroes.
According to Blizzard, all unlocks from the first game will carry over to the sequel, so Overwatch players can rest assured their skins, sprays, and emotes are perfectly safe.
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Breath of the Wild 2
- Release Date: Expected 2021
- Developer: Nintendo
- Platform: Switch
- Price: TBA
Zelda: Breath of the Wild alone has sold almost 20 million copies on the Switch alone, is considered by many to be the greatest Zelda game of all time, if not the game of all time, and has spawned a litany of imitators poor and impressive in their own right.
Unsurprisingly, Nintendo decided to stick to the nascent format for Link that proved to be so universally loved, and for the first time stick with the same Link, in the same Hyrule for consecutive games — something the franchise has not done before.
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But unprecedented success demands unprecedented decisions, and it seems that Nintendo can’t go wrong with BOTW 2 which looks like both a doubling-down of what made the first a mega-hit alongside some brave exploration of new ideas and concepts. From what little we can glean from the trailer and interviews with the developers, it seems that Breath of the Wild 2 (which it may not even be called) will take on a much darker tone than any previous Zelda game.
The game was initially meant to be an expansion but contained so many ideas that Nintendo decided to create a brand new game from scratch, and apparently draws a lot of inspiration from Red Dead Redemption 2, similar to the way Skyrim influenced many of the developers working on the first Breath of the Wild, and will feature new gameplay mechanics and unexplored sections of Hyrule.
Spiderman: Miles Morales
https://youtu.be/gHzuHo80U2M
- Release Date: Late 2020
- Developer: Insomniac Games
- Platform: PS5
- Price: TBA
Miles Morales has been on quite a hot streak lately: Into the Spider-Verse won itself a freakin’ Oscar for Best Animated Feature and Miles Morales got himself bitten by Spider 42 in the Spider-Man PS4 DLC that strongly hinted at the possibility of the game we now have before us. And what a game it is, judging by gameplay snippets and that trailer — any game with a Kid Cudi chorus in its trailer has got at least one thing going for it.
It looks like Spider-Man: Miles Morales will be set in the same New York as the first one, but pick up a little later on during the holiday season (suggestive of probable release date) with blankets of lush snow laid across the city. Gameplay-wise, it seems to share the same focus on sleek real-time combat and stealth that the first one did, but with highly enriched detail for the next-gen console.
Fans of Into the Spiderverse will certainly be pleased that Morales gets his own entire game this time around, instead of being relegated to hiding from Rhino like a cosplay-version of Last of Us.
Watchdogs: Legion
- Release Date: Late 2020
- Developer: Ubisoft
- Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia, Windows
- Price: TBA
Watch Dogs: Legion looks a lot like The Purge meets Orwell’s 1984 with the potential to be awesome. Set in a dystopian near-future London, private security company Albion is given charge of policing in the wake of a series of terrorist bombings, and Nigel Cass, Albion CEO, decides to go full-blown tyrant on everybody.
Because of course, he does. And of course, Dedsec is wrongly blamed for the bombings, Albion cracks down on the city and starts to terrorize its populace in the name of law and order, and you, the player, must take control of citizens ordinary and extraordinary alike to harness their unique, sometimes everyday skills to get the city out from under Cass’ thumb.
The game bores deep into the Play as Anyone mechanic, having you recruit everyday citizens like construction workers or harmless-looking grandmas as often as you will the flashier hitman or spy, and emphasizes the situational utility that even your average joe might provide.
Because sometimes fitting into a construction site without raising any eyebrows is more useful than being a one-man-army — adding a touch of thoughtful, gameplay-oriented realism to the mix that makes Watch Dogs 2 look even more satisfying. Players can progress through the game, gradually liberating neighborhoods from Albion’s control, in a number of playstyles.
You can double down on the stealth mechanics, utilize the variety of new non-lethal combat options, or straight up hack-and-slash your way to freedom — you decide how you want to play.
Star Wars: Squadrons
- Release Date: 2 October 2020
- Developer: Motive Studios
- Platform: PS4, Xbox One, Windows
- Price: $39.99
Star Wars: Squadrons is a game long overdue for the Star Wars franchise, hearkening back to Star Wars games of old, games like Rogue Squadron or X Wing VS. Tie Fighter. While nowadays, most of the bigger Star Wars title understandably focused on the more salient features of the more recent installments in the Star Wars universe (i.e. lightsabers, Force Lightning, CGI acrobatics), there exists a healthy segment of the sprawling Star Wars fandom that wants to see more of the richly detailed space combat that factored much more heavily in the foundational trilogy.
Well, Star Wars: Squadrons caters to exactly that flavor of nerd with a game focused entirely cockpit-oriented space combat and absolutely stellar graphics. Players are given the choice to play for either the New Republic or Imperial Remnant in 5v5 space dogfights or in respective solo campaigns set in the aftermath of the Battle of Endor and fall of the Empire.
It looks like the game will have a more simulation-focused experience than the space combat sideshows featured in previous Star Wars games, and will give players not only access to all of the classic starships from the franchise but a wealth of customization options.
With the troubling past of Star Wars monetization, the news that Squadrons will be free of loot boxes and all items obtainable via in-game progression will no doubt come as a welcome relief to gamers and longtime fans of the franchise.
Pre-Order Star Wars Squadrons: Steam | EA | EpicGames
Microsoft Flight Simulator
- Release Date: 18 August 2020
- Developer: Asobo Studio
- Platform: Windows, Xbox One
- Price: $59.99
The Flight Simulators aren’t everybody’s cup of tea. Many feel that previous installments take the realism a little too far, while others appreciate the sincere fidelity to the bonafide pilot experience. Whether you like the Flight Simulator franchise or not, you will respectFlight Simulator 2020 for what it is. A game only Microsoft money can create. What’s so great about it? Well…
It takes place on Earth. The whole earth. Like 2 million or so cities and towns, all 45,000 of the world’s airports, and everything in between.
Yes. Seriously. Apparently Microsoft’s Flight Simulator is set on a 1:1 scaling of the entire planet Earth, with everywhere you’ve ever been rendered in photorealistic detail based on 2 petabytes (i.e. 2 million gigabytes) of map data. You could literally go check out any place you have ever been in your life, no matter how remote. And yes, your computer should be scared. Any game with 1.5 trillion trees is not messing around.
With absolutely wild rendering distance and incredibly detailed physics inside a novel game engine, Microsoft Flight Simulator looks like a professional hitman eyeing your poor little graphics card with a murderous glint in its eye.
However, the game has numerous optimization features like the procedural generation in lieu of real-world accuracy and other options you can use to get your computer to stop trembling in primal, animalistic fear. With such raw, unmatched fidelity and nigh-limitless exploratory freedom, if there was ever a Flight Simulator to check out, this is unequivocally it.
Pre-Order Microsoft Flight Simulator: Xbox.com | Microsoft
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2
- Release Date: 4 September 2020
- Developer: Vicarious Visions
- Platform: Windows, PS4, Xbox One
- Price: $39.99
The multiple installments of Tony Hawk games accompanied many kids along the path to adulthood, always there in some form with its distinctive soundtracks, unmistakable style, and addictive, arcade-style gameplay that put more shoes on grip tape than probably anything else from the Skate world.
And thus many gamers, young and old(er) alike, were quick to rejoice when news broke that the original games, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2, were being remade by Vicarious Visions (who, interestingly, had actually been the primary developer for the handheld versions of the early games back in the day) for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
While dubbed by many as a simple remastering, the game is actually rebuilt from the ground up using completely new, modern assets (while keeping almost completely in-line with the original structure). The only constant element is the original handling code from Neversoft that informs the game how the tricks are actually performed.
Other than that, even the original skaters have been recreated, mo-capped, and rendered in vivid detail. This new version will feature online multiplayer, secret levels, most of the original soundtrack (a key element in the Tony Hawk’s formula), secret levels, and a modernized creative mode. Gamers who pre-order the game ahead of time will be able to play a free demo of the classic Warehouse level this August.
FIFA 21
- Release Date: 6 October 2020
- Developer: EA Games
- Platform: PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X, Windows, Stadia
- Price: $59.99
Despite having an official release date, surprisingly little concrete detail is known about the specifics of FIFA 21 and what its most salient departures from Fifa 20 will be. That is due to change in August when EA is planning numerous major reveals and undoubtedly getting the game into the hands of the media and highly opinionated YouTubers in the lead up to its October release.
What is known for sure is that you don’t have to wait for a PS5 or Xbox Series X of your own to purchase the game, as FIFA 21 will come with dual-entitlement, meaning should you purchase it on either of the soon to be old-gen consoles you will be able to upgrade to the PS5 version for free once you’ve scrounged the couch cushions of enough quarters to shell out for it.
It should be noted that while FIFA 21 Ultimate Team progress will shift over The game’s apparently sports a new “Deferred Lighting and Render” system that is supposed to add more distinction to not only overall visuals but help prime the game’s more distinctive fidelity to each athlete’s real physical bodies — i.e. players will look better, and won’t look like the same mannequin with a bunch of different faces plastered to it.
There will also be some presumably mo-capped “Off-Ball Humanization” in the way of idle player movements like shin-guard readjustments to shouting at other players. So, go immersion?
Godfall
- Release Date: Late 2020
- Developer: Counterplay Games
- Platform: PS5 (Timed Exclusive)
- Price: TBA
Godfall is a looter slasher — yes, you read that right — that seeks to combine classic looter shooter games with a high fantasy setting like something straight out of a Brandon Sanderson novel. The game was announced at the Game Awards 2019 by the developers, Counterplay and Gear Box who will be Godfall’s publisher.
Players step into the greaves of the last remnants of the Knights Radiant — cough, cough, we mean Valorian Knights — who will dawn massive, intricate armor known as Shardplate — cough, er, Valor Plate — and travel across several elemental realms, contending with a variety of fantastic enemies and, of course, looting the crap out of everything in sight.
The game features a wide variety of weapons, two of which can be carried and switched out at a time, and tons of armor that can augmented for all sorts of bonuses like stat buffs or special on-hit effects. The real-time combat looks to be heavily skill-based with major consequences for timing and precision ala FromSoftware as well a weak point mechanic that presumably works like something of a critical hit system.
Counterplay might not be a recognizable developer, but the 75-person team features veterans of the industry that have worked on games like God of War and Destiny, and we highly recommend fans of open-world ARPGs and looter shooters stay primed for what might be one of the more innovative games of 2020.
Which way is your own internal hype-compass pointing? Are we blaspheming against the gaming gods by omitting any giant, massive, super-game from this list? Let us know, we’re all ears.
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