Despite everything else happening immediately, this year is thanks to being an absolutely epic year for video games.
Both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are confirmed to release for the vacation season, but even before then, there’s a huge wealth of tremendous-looking games coming for the systems we already wield.
From Cyberpunk 2077 to Halo Infinite and many more in between, there are a lot of games already filling up our list. Here are the 27 games we’re most excited about immediately, and we’ll be updating this list as new games are announced et al. release.
1) CYBERPUNK 2077
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
From what we have seen, Cyberpunk 2077 has quite a futuristic grand larceny Auto kind of feel, albeit with body modifications and incredible-looking cinematics. Night City, California seems like an area we’ll want to explore again and again… and therefore the surprise addition of Keanu Reeves as the main character only sweetens the pot in our eyes.
2) SPIDER-MAN: MILES MORALES
Platform: PlayStation 5
Miles! We’re so pumped to ascertain Miles Morales get his turn within the spotlight with this standalone side story of sorts for PlayStation 5. it isn’t a correct sequel to Insomniac’s Spider-Man, but it’s said to be more like Uncharted: Lost Legacy in scope.
Sony is promising technical improvements to the open-world superhero experience because of the facility of the PS5, and after the hype of Into the Spider-Verse, we’re looking forward to swinging around Manhattan with Miles.
3) STAR WARS SQUADRONS
Platforms: PS4, XB1, PC, VR
Following last year’s pretty-good Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and therefore the gradually much-improved Star Wars Battlefront II, EA hopes to finally prove that it truly knows what it’s doing with the license with this year’s Star Wars Squadrons.
We haven’t seen gameplay yet, but we’re intrigued to ascertain this dogfighting game in action. it is a 5v5 vehicular shooter amidst the celebs, with both a single-player campaign and microtransaction-free online multiplayer – and while said to be smaller in scope than those aforementioned games, it’ll even be sold for fewer than full price. Sign us up.
4) THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD 2
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Nintendo had one hell of a “one more thing” surprise at E3 2019, dropping a primary tease of a sequel to the absolutely brilliant The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – and that is all we have seen and heard officially thus far.
Will it release in 2020? we do not know. Maybe! Will it have a special name? Undoubtedly. Are we super excited and hoping Nintendo has it ready by year’s end? and how. Recent rumors have suggested an early 2021 launch alongside a more powerful Switch hardware edition, but it’s all wide-open speculation immediately. We’re certainly willing to attend for what seems like a darker sequel that perhaps makes Zelda a playable ally, but we still hope it is a holiday 2020 release.
5) DEATH LOOP
Platforms: PS5, PC
Death loop drops you onto the island of Blackreef, which seems to be… let’s call it time-challenged. Two assassins are during a seemingly eternal struggle to off one another, but they keep reincarnation during a Groundhog’s Day-esque fashion. Can one among them finally do the deed and break the tiring routine?
Now that we have seen proper gameplay footage, this gritty first-person adventure seems like a cross between the developer’s Dishonored games and Prey reboot, with ample style and personality rolled in. It’ll be console-exclusive to PlayStation 5 and can run in 4K at 60 frames per second, so this is often bound to be one among the launch window showcase titles.
6) KENA: BRIDGE OF SPIRITS
Platforms: PS5, PS4, PC
There were many impressive-looking games within the PlayStation 5 games reveal stream, but visually none wowed us quite the maximum amount as Kena: Bridge of Spirits.
That’s especially impressive as long as this is often the primary game from an indie studio, but the in-game graphics pack a visible punch that basically seems to showcase the facility of the PS5. It’s considerably Legend of Zelda-like in nature, and if it can be compared to delivering a Breath of the Wild-quality experience on PS5, PS4, and PC, then it’ll be something truly special.
7) HALO INFINITE
Platforms: Xbox Scarlett, Xbox One, PC
Given that Halo 5: Guardians hit with a shrug and therefore the Master Chief Collection was beset by tech issues for months, it has been a while since we’ve truly been excited a few new Halo games.
This E3 2019 trailer above gives us enough of a tease to urge excited about, and therefore the prospect of learning a replacement Xbox with a replacement Halo next holiday is giving us serious old-school vibes.
8) WATCH DOGS: LEGION
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, PC
Each Watch Dogs game has accompanied a really different location and tone, all united by action amidst an increasingly tech-enhanced urban society. Watch Dogs: Legion jumps across the pond, as Ubisoft’s latest open-world game looks to require a post-Brexit authoritarian regime in London.
Watch Dogs 2 was fun thanks partially to its lighter, sillier tone, and Legion looks to hold on a number of that spunk. It’ll finally launch on 29 October on current-gen consoles and PC before reaching the new hardware soon after.
9) METROID PRIME 4
Platform: Switch
Nintendo revealed Metroid Prime 4 way back in 2017, with Bandai Namco handling development – but something went wrong. At the beginning of 2019, Nintendo announced that it had been handling the project off to original Prime developers Retro Studios instead.
Here’s hoping all of the difficulty and time proves worthwhile. it has been several years since a complete new Metroid game, and therefore the Prime series has been reliably excellent, turning the brilliant 2D design into a compelling 3D adventure experience. Hopefully, we’ll get the much-rumored Switch port of Metroid Prime Trilogy beforehand, too.
10) ASSASSIN’S CREED VALHALLA
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, XB1, PC
Ubisoft’s historical action series is back on the proper track after a few stellar entries, and it will next explore the Viking invasion of England in 873 in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
Valhalla builds upon the prevailing foundation with a really distinctive-looking tone, consistent with the trailer above, alongside what’s bill as a more “hand-crafted” world and therefore the ability to dual-wield nearly any weapon within the game.
11) CRASH BANDICOOT 4: IT’S ABOUT TIME
Platforms: PS4, XB1
Damn right it’s about time. After original developer Naughty Dog moved on, Crash suffered through some hit-or-miss sequels within the early aughts before the franchise went for an extended slumber… only to return with the good remastered trilogy from a few years back.
Well, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time pretends that those shoddy sequels never happened, learning right after 1998’s Crash Bandicoot: Warped and delivering frantic platforming action that appears sort of a natural evolution of the old-school formula. Welcome back for real this point, Crash.
12) DIABLO IV
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Diablo is back, and it’s darker than ever. Blizzard’s latest dungeon crawler hearkens back to the design of Diablo 2, but keeps the more polished play of Diablo 3, finding a seemingly ideal middle ground that would make this one a winner out of the gate. And did you see the bulky dude within the trailer above who turns into a bear? That’s our guy, handily.
Blizzard showed Diablo IV off for the primary time at BlizzCon 2019, and it had been playable – but as of now, there is no clear indication of whether it’ll actually release in 2020. Here’s hoping.
13) BUGSNAX
Platforms: PS5, PS4, PC
If you liked the zaniness of Octodad: Dadliest Catch, then you recognize why we had giant grins on our faces while watching the reveal for Bugsnax.
The long-awaited follow-up from Young Horses drops you onto an island during which the items you eat literally become a part of your body. Wackiness ensues, naturally – and while we do not fully have a grasp on what meaning in terms of gameplay, we are thoroughly charmed by the trailer and need more.
14) OVERWATCH 2
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Overwatch appeared like the type of game that would just continue on forever with steady content updates, but Overwatch 2 does something we’ve been waiting for an extended time: finally turns the superb lore into real gameplay.
The sequel will pack in new characters, modes, and maps for multiplayer, and it’ll have a shared server setup with the first game in order that everyone can still play together.
15) DIRT 5
Platforms: PS4, PS5, XB1, Xbox Series X, PC
Codemasters’ off-road Dirt franchise has never disappointed over the years, but that reliability has yet to show boring: again and again, this raucous racer continually entertains.
We’re expecting much of an equivalent from Dirt 5, which can hit current-gen consoles and PC in October then reach PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X likely at launch for every. It’s gorgeous, needless to say, plus the story-driven career mode and four-player split-screen sound great, and therefore the nighttime racing seems wild. Sign us up for this one.
16) GRAN TURISMO 7
Platform: PlayStation 5
Every PlayStation console must have a Gran Turismo and support the extensive check out of the gameplay and menu system at Sony’s streaming reveal, we’re hopeful that this one is going to be ready at launch.
At its core, Gran Turismo 7 doesn’t look to be doing anything too terribly different – it’ll deliver a blisteringly realistic racing sim with a lot of cars and therefore the best possible graphics. The franchise has come to feel a touch long within the tooth over time, but hopefully, the improved career mode and new hardware will provide it an equivalent quiet spark we felt way back when.
17) MARVEL’S AVENGERS
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
The realistic character designs (again, not supported by the movies) were a touch jarring, and that we weren’t sure the gameplay would live up to the franchise’s glory.
But the more they show off, the more we’re getting excited about the premise. Playing as Ms. Marvel and helping to reassemble the team after a catastrophic event may be a neat premise, and therefore the myriad costumes and upgrades are appealing.
18) TELL ME WHY
Platforms: Xbox One, PC
Dontnod Entertainment has enraptured players with its Life is Strange episodic series, which tells emotionally gripping stories while letting you manipulate the events with special powers… which tends to not make things better within the long run!
Now the studio will start a replacement tale with Tell Me Why, a Microsoft exclusive with a few pairs of grown twins— The twins recall some moments differently but also are bound by their twin connection. If the studio’s previous output is any indication, it’s sure to be interesting. All three episodes are due to air in the summer.
19) EVERWILD
Platforms: Xbox One, PC
Rare’s Sea of Thieves might not be perfect from the outset, but it showed a spark and creativity that we hadn’t seen from the legendary studio in ages. It’s encouraging to ascertain that the developer’s next project seems even as marvelously unique initially glance.
We don’t know tons about Everwild just yet, as Rare let this trailer represent itself at the X019 event—but it’s a gorgeous-looking affair, and one that we hope can live up to the Rare name. So far, it’s super promising.
20) MICROSOFT trainer
Platform: PC
Microsoft trainer is essentially the last word dad (or mum!) game, but you and your folks haven’t seen a flight sim look anything like this.
The new Microsoft trainer – the primary proper, core entry in 14 years – looks as real as any game we have seen, with staggeringly lifelike environments and planes. It’s launching on PC first in August and can be available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers on Windows also, with an Xbox One launch expected to follow.