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Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries has provided an update on the project, revealing a new release window, talking about microtransactions, and showcasing the first multiplayer map in a post on the Halo Waypoint. Alongside all of this, the company supplied a number of new images, which fans of Microsoft’s iconic first-person shooter franchise are sure to poreover in the coming days.

The images include environments from the game, weapon models, and a close look at some of the Spartan armors that will be available when the game launches. Much of the discussion around Halo Infinite when the first gameplay was shown was about its somewhat questionable visual fidelity and this is something acknowledged by 343 Industries.

“The primary goal for the Campaign demo in July was showing Halo Infinite gameplay for the first time. While that aspect generally landed as we wanted, the reality is that the art and visuals weren’t at the bar we hold for Halo – even in a work-in-progress state.

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“Much of the feedback we heard from the community aligned with our own views and work we were already committed to doing around things like indirect lighting, material response, foliage and tree rendering, clouds, level-of-detail transitions, and character fidelity. Still, the feedback was humbling, and it also pushed us to look at additional opportunities for improvement.”

However, the studio added that the team has been “heads down working on everything from lighting to fog to wear-and-tear on Spartan armor.” It continued, “July was indeed a very much work-in-progress slice of the technology, and a reasonable set of key features from global illumination and dynamic time of day, to GPU-driven rendering and variable rate shading were all in active development.

“Much of the graphics team’s capacity, along with that of some key technical artists, was focused on achieving high resolution and performance leading up to the demo, which meant several of these features didn’t quite get the level of polish and bug fixing that was warranted.

“Visual fidelity is a very important goal for Halo Infinite, and the graphics and art teams have been continually aspiring, and working closely with each other, to create the best-looking Halo game ever. I definitely want to acknowledge the input that we got from the Halo community and our fanbase; staying open to critical feedback and looking at areas where we can learn and do better is an inherent part of our culture at 343.”

How that looks in motion remains to be seen, and it may be some time before we get another look at Halo Infinite gameplay, but the images do look significantly improved. The environments and models look sharp, detailed, and vibrant, while also sticking close to the Halo aesthetic fans know and love.

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According to Joseph Staten, a longtime Halo developer that returned to the franchise to work on Halo Infinite, the game is now expected to release in Fall 2021. As part of the same Halo Waypoint update, 343i revealed the interiors of an as of yet unnamed multiplayer map. It is believed the final game will have a mixture of interior and exterior locations, as has been the case with most Halo games.

As previously confirmed, the multiplayer component of Halo, which is usually incredibly popular and enduring, will be free for the first time in the franchise’s history. Halo Infinite’s free multiplayer mode will also run at 120fps. GameSpot’s Eddie Makuch discussed why this will be such a boon for Microsoft, which you can read for further insight into the potential ramifications of the decision.

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Immortals Fenyx Rising might have only launched less than a week ago, but if you decided to wait a little on Ubisoft’s latest IP you can now enjoy it at a steeply discounted price.

Amazon is selling Immortals Fenyx Rising on Xbox One and PS4 for $40, down from $60. To get the full discount, you have to click the coupon on the store page. This deal only applies to the physical versions of each, but both are still eligible for the free Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PlayStation 5 upgrades, as long as you have the disc inserted into the console.

Unfortunately, the deal doesn’t extend to Immortals’ other launch platforms, Nintendo Switch and PC, as well as any digital versions of any platform. The Switch version is currently on sale for $50, while the PC version is full price at $60.

Immortals Fenyx Rising might share a lot of visual and gameplay similarities to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but its many engaging puzzles and methods of solving them make it a worthwhile journey in its own right. In our Immortals Fenyx Rising review, critic Suriel Vazquez wrote, “But even as it lives in the shadow of better games, its puzzles, combat, and open-world loop come together often enough for me to not only see it through for a few dozen hours, but also want to keep filling out its almighty checklist, even if it led me by the nose most of the way through.”

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We’re just weeks away from the release of the highly anticipated Wonder Woman 1984. As we’ve seen with other major releases in this very bizarre year, you won’t need to head to your local theater to watch the latest live-action film in the DC universe. Wonder Woman 1984 releases on December 25 on HBO Max, HBO’s streaming service that launched earlier this year. While it will also be available in theaters on Christmas Day, the decision by Warner Bros. allows fans to see the heroine’s new adventure from the comfort of their own homes.

To watch Wonder Woman 1984 at home on release day, you’ll have to sign up for HBO Max. Those with active HBO subscriptions from their cable provider already have access to the streaming service. HBO Max costs $15 per month, and unfortunately there isn’t a free trial to take advantage of. That said, if you’re watching it at home with family, paying $15 for a one-month subscription is likely significantly cheaper than the theater experience. And, of course, you can watch Wonder Woman 1984 as many times as you want on HBO Max.

HBO Max is available to stream on a myriad of platforms, including Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, mobile, and video game consoles such as the PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. It’s not currently available on PS5, unfortunately, and to watch on Roku devices you need to use Apple AirPlay.

While reviews for Wonder Woman 1984 aren’t out yet, early reception from critics who have seen it has been positive. GameSpot’s managing editor of entertainment Michael Rougeau said the film is an “absolutely delightful and wonderful movie for this moment in time.”

Wonder Woman 1984 is far from the only Warner Bros. film that will premiere on HBO Max alongside a theatrical release. Warner Bros. recently announced that every film it releases throughout 2021 will be available to stream for the first month of release on HBO Max. This will include upcoming films such as The Matrix 4, Dune, The Suicide Squad, Mortal Kombat, and Space Jam: A New Legacy. The Warner Bros. 2021 library alone arguably makes an HBO Max subscription worth it. We’ve been impressed by HBO Max since launch, and it earned a spot on our list of best streaming services.

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This year saw two new console launches in the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, but the Nintendo Switch is still going strong in its own separate lane. The hybrid console-handheld had another great year, rocketing to massive sales on the strength of its games lineup and quarantine conditions fueling consumers to look for new ways to occupy themselves and their families.

Nintendo obliged, of course, with particularly strong first-party offerings like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which became a bona fide cultural touchstone. (Just ask US Representative AOC.) But the wide slate also included an anniversary celebration for Mario with Paper Mario: The Origami King, the battle royale Super Mario Bros. 35, and the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection. The fall brought a remaster for Pikmin 3 and the musou game Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. And some of last year’s games continued to get more love, including the two large expansions for Pokemon Sword and Shield.

Meanwhile, third-parties continue to release some of their biggest games on Nintendo Switch. This year brought such varied games as Hades, Fuser, Minecraft Dungeons, and Ghostrunner, as well as tons of beloved indie hits. And Switch is starting to get some games usually reserved for more powerful platforms through cloud-based streaming tech, like the recent release of Control.

Suffice to say that 2020 was a great year to be a Switch owner. It was difficult to narrow down the best to just five, but the GameSpot staff decided on some of our absolute favorite games of the year below.

If you’d like to check out some of our other favorites, be sure to read all our end-of-the-year coverage in the Best of 2020 hub. You can also look over our top games of 2020. We’ll be highlighting each with insights as to why we picked them as the best of the year. Then on Thursday, December 17, we’ll reveal which one is named GameSpot’s Best Game of 2020.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing has been delighting fans for two decades, but this year’s world events truly made it the game of the moment. As people all over the world cope with a pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, Animal Crossing: New Horizons was a simple, socially distanced pleasure–a sense of routine and togetherness in a year sorely lacking both. Many games were notable in 2020, but none were as uniquely matched to this specific year and all that it entailed. New Horizons refines the tried-and-true Animal Crossing formula with new quality-of-life features and a true live game approach that keeps you coming back for the special holiday events. This has been a challenging year, and Nintendo’s sweet, gentle town simulator made it feel a little brighter.

In GameSpot’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons review, Kallie Plagge gives the game a 9/10, writing “New Horizons has a slower pace even than other Animal Crossing games, and at times, that can feel unnecessarily restrictive. But there’s still plenty to do, and each of those activities feeds into the next brilliantly for a rewarding and relentlessly cheerful experience. New Horizons certainly came at the right time, and its strengths are particularly comforting right now. I’m as excited to see what random events await me each morning as I am glad to have it during hard times, and that’s sure to keep me coming back for the foreseeable future.”

Hades

Supergiant Games has become known for its stylish action games that break genre molds. When it came to producing the roguelike Hades, the studio introduced the one thing that a genre based around repeated death and retrying doesn’t tend to tackle: an excellent, engaging story that develops and enriches because you die and restart, not in spite of it. As Zagreus, son of Hades, your various runs are attempts to escape the Underworld of Greek mythology. Your buffs are Boons granted to you by the gods who have an axe to grind against your dad or a soft spot for his child. As you fail, you learn more about the motivations and feelings of the various deities and demigods helping you, and even your own internal drive to escape. It culminates in an ending that feels rewarding and complete even as it maintains its roguelike roots.

The majority of your time is spent in combat, and Hades excels there as well. Supergiant taps its accumulated knowledge from hits like Bastion to create an isometric action game that is fast, fluid, and strategic. By merging impeccable combat mechanics with a story that keeps you coming back, Hades is a hell of a good time.

In GameSpot’s Hades review, Suriel Vasquez gives the game a 9/10, writing, “Like in the Greek myths Hades takes inspiration from, endings aren’t tidy, and they’re almost never final. They’re protracted, often unsatisfying, and are hard to find real closure in, and the fact that Hades understands this is its greatest strength. I’m sure there’s a point where, after running through hell enough times, I’ll have seen all Hades has to offer, both in its clever and endless fights and its many alluring characters, intimate moments, and rewarding quests. The story does end. But what matters so much more are all the moments between the start and end of a story, and the people who help us see those climactic moments but also stick with us between them. They’re the reason we keep trying, and the reason we keep coming back.”

Murder By Numbers

Picross games are common on Nintendo handhelds, but Murder by Numbers stood out this year by marrying the common nonogram gameplay with that of a visual novel. The strength of Murder by Numbers’ writing and characters made it a uniquely memorable experience. You play as Honor Mizrahi, an actress on a cheesy 1990s procedural crime show who turns into a real-life detective with the help of her robot buddy, Scout. He’s the one to scan and interpret clues, pushing all the hardware power 1996 can muster, which makes sense of why the clues appear as pixelated images. The story is particularly strong, thanks to a memorable cast of characters that puts an emphasis on representation through a modern lens. It infuses all of this with a kind spirit that and humor that makes even the grisly subject matter of murder investigations feel like a good time with your friends.

In GameSpot’s Murder by Numbers impressions, Steve Watts wrote, “Murder By Numbers has a special place in my heart. It stands the risk of flying under the radar and being missed, and that would be a real crime.”

Paradise Killer

Detective stories are common in video games, but Paradise Killer is the rare game that captures the spirit of it. Confronted with a mystery to solve, you aren’t hand-held through the major plot beats or driven toward a series of suspects. Instead, it’s an open-world structure where you can speak to everyone, draw your own conclusions, and go to trial to accuse your suspect–whether or not you have the necessary evidence or even the right suspect in mind. That freedom means each of the island inhabitants has a high degree of complexity and dialogue that reveals their underlying motivations. Just when you think you understand how everyone fits into the puzzle, you discover an even deeper layer that makes you question everything. All of this is complemented by a stylish aesthetic, wild character designs, and a fantastic soundtrack.

In GameSpot’s Paradise Killer review, James O’Connor gives the game a 9/10, writing, “Paradise Killer is a singular, exemplary experience. It’s a detective game that feels like real detective work in a way few games do, and it makes its extremely complex worldbuilding feel effortless. I put off the final trial for as long as I can not only because I wanted all the evidence I could find, but because I did not want to leave the island or the game. Paradise might have been killed, but when you’re deep into untangling the game’s conspiracies, it feels very much alive.”

Spiritfarer

In some ways, Spiritfarer is a farming and management game in the vein of Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing. What’s more, your friends are adorable, anthropomorphized animals. You can even give them hugs! It has all the hallmarks of a cozy-core romp. But the setting gives it an added layer of depth that extends well past the satisfaction of doing a job and doing it well. In Spiritfarer you are the ferrymaster for the underworld, keeping your passengers comfortable and happy as you usher them toward eternity. It’s a concept that lends itself to pensive reflection, and as you proceed with your passengers and learn more about them, you start to understand their personalities, their lives, and what they need to move on. It’s a death-positive approach that imbues all of your interactions with an added layer of grace and profundity. Even in the afterlife, or on their way there, everyone just wants to connect and to be understood for who they are.

In GameSpot’s Spiritfarer review, Hope Corrigan gives the game a 9/10, writing, “Spiritfarer is somehow a game with no risk but all reward. There’s no death, no pain, no rush on any task, and yet I don’t think I’ve ever felt this complete. You’re allowed to totally take your time, play on your own terms, and even though your tasks are easy, they are incredibly fulfilling. If the game had kept giving me quests, I feel as if I would have kept doing them for eternity, just because I wanted to. All of Spiritfarer’s novel mechanical variations kept potentially repetitive actions from ever growing old. Its gleeful little islands got more exciting to explore as new platforming abilities were unlocked. The characters, even small ones with funny little quips of dialogue that you encounter, were friends that I cherished. I absolutely adored existing in Spiritfarer’s beautifully animated, compassionate world so much that it genuinely came to feel like home.”

The rather chaotic 2020 is coming to a close, which means the GameSpot staff is sporadically taking breaks from the regular day-to-day coverage to look back on the year that was and discuss the games we liked the most. In the following article, we detail our five favorite Xbox games for 2020–so any game that released for Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S this year.

All said and done, 2020 was a pretty good year for Xbox. No standout first-party exclusives like PlayStation, but plenty of third-party games look great on Xbox One X, and they look even better (and load a lot faster) on Xbox Series X|S. So yeah, you can find all of the games on this list on other platforms, but that doesn’t detract that they all look and play very well on Xbox platforms. Three of the five are on Xbox Game Pass, too. So if you’re curious about trying Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Spiritfarer, or Doom Eternal, you should consider investing in the best deal in gaming. Doing so will also net you the somewhat niche but impressive line-up of Xbox console exclusives that were released this year, like Call of the Sea and Tetris Effect: Connected.

Ori And The Will Of The Wisps

Developer Moon Studios’ Ori and the Will of the Wisps takes a more action-oriented focus than its predecessor, giving brand-new combat abilities to the titular Ori in order to help them overcome nightmarish enemies and monstrous bosses. But it’s in the platforming segments where Will of the Wisps truly shines–the game leans on its floaty jumps but tight controls to curate challenging gauntlets that encourage you to dash about the world with fast, fleeting movements. The charmingly colorful visuals and beautifully somber orchestral score only improves the experience, creating a sensation that Ori is dancing, not jumping, through the air. Will of the Wisps doesn’t quite reach the highs of Ori and the Blind Forest‘s Ginso Tree escape, but it makes up for it with a memorable story that’s sure to shed a few tears.

In GameSpot’s Ori and the Will of the Wisps updated review for Xbox Series X|S, Mike Epstein gives the game a 9/10, writing “[Ori and the Will of the Wisps] was always an impressive visual showpiece, despite the technical flaws that initially held it back. It’s more straightforward, combat-heavy flow may still put off die-hard fans of the original Ori, but that’s a small nitpick for a game that retains its identity while finding a new flow. Most importantly for the Series X and S upgrades, next-gen hardware turns one of Will of the Wisps’ original weaknesses into a point of pride, and that’s worth celebrating.”

Yakuza: Like A Dragon

Kiryu’s adventures are a bit difficult to get into. The first few games have begun to show their age to those who haven’t yet bought into the franchise. His later games are far better, but understanding and appreciating their stories rely upon playing the first few games. That’s why Yakuza: Like a Dragon is such a welcome sight. The game builds upon the winning formula of heartwarming storytelling and rambunctious mission structure that’s been refined throughout Kiryu’s games, while also switching things up and introducing a brand-new protagonist and cast of lovable characters. It’s the best way for newcomers to finally see why Yakuza fans won’t stop talking about this series, and it’s also just really, freakin’ good.

In GameSpot’s Yakuza: Like A Dragon review, Michael Higham gave the game a 9/10, writing “For RGG Studio’s first crack at an RPG, [Yakuza: Like a Dragon] is a damn fine result. It delivers what I love most about Yakuza and introduces new ideas that largely pay off. Ichiban isn’t doing it alone, either. He has friends and mentors, ones who’ve helped him fight and overcome personal tragedies. It was an absolute thrill to watch him grow, and that’s what’s most important for a game so focused on its characters. Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a passing of the torch, and a fantastic entry in a beloved franchise that proves that it’s in good hands with Kasuga Ichiban.”

Spiritfarer

If you’ve ever played one of the Animal Crossing games and thought to yourself, “Ya know, this formula would be vastly improved if an overall narrative acting as a throughline pulled me through the grind of daily tasks,” then Spiritfarer is the game for you. This cute management sim sees you care for your sentient animal neighbors, each of whom needs your help in building them homes, as well as personal services to improve buildings and the tasks you’re able to do. But here’s the catch: you’re basically the new Charon, a spiritfarer designated with helping your neighbors–who are really spirits–work through their grief, regrets, and hangups in order to assist in their transition to the afterlife.

In GameSpot’s Spiritfarer review, Hope Corrigan gave the game a 9/10, writing, “Spiritfarer is somehow a game with no risk but all reward. There’s no death, no pain, no rush on any task, and yet I don’t think I’ve ever felt this complete. You’re allowed to totally take your time, play on your own terms, and even though your tasks are easy, they are incredibly fulfilling. If the game had kept giving me quests, I feel as if I would have kept doing them for eternity, just because I wanted to. All of Spiritfarer’s novel mechanical variations kept potentially repetitive actions from ever growing old. Its gleeful little islands got more exciting to explore as new platforming abilities were unlocked. The characters, even small ones with funny little quips of dialogue that you encounter, were friends that I cherished. I absolutely adored existing in Spiritfarer’s beautifully animated, compassionate world so much that it genuinely came to feel like home.”

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2

The original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and its sequel were released in 1999 and 2000, respectively. That’s 20 years ago, and for many folks in their early to mid twenties (like me), that means they didn’t get a chance to play them. We were babies when those games first came out. But along comes Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 and suddenly, two of some of the best skateboard video games ever made are easily acquirable for a whole new generation. Revamping the levels and skaters from the first two games and building upon the original games’ already solid trick system foundation with the improvements introduced in later entries, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 creates an experience that’s approachable for new players while still offering what made those early games so appealing to the now veteran crowd.

In GameSpot’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 review, Mat Paget gave the game a 9/10, writing, “Because it nails so much about that original Tony Hawk experience, it’s really hard to be mad at Pro Skater 1 + 2 for any of its downsides. The load times aren’t enough to keep you away from the plethora of satisfying combos, and the lack of level goals for every skater isn’t enough to keep you from jumping back in with a new character. Playing through the newly remade levels is immensely enjoyable, and that on its own is enough to call Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 a success. However, smart additions and an engaging challenge system make it an experience that’s more than just a brief skate through Tony Hawk’s past.”

Doom Eternal

Doom Eternal is like the opposite of Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Instead of being a sequel to a platformer that adds more combat elements, Doom Eternal is a follow-up to a combat-heavy game that adds platforming elements. While that remains a contentious addition among fans, Doom Eternal still manages to deliver fast-paced, satisfyingly tight shooting mechanics that shine in its more self-contained, linear levels. Ya gotta love a game that knows what worked with its predecessor–big guns, bigger baddies, enough frantic blood and gore to satisfy any budding sociopath–and just doubles down, creating another great first-person shooter experience.

In GameSpot’s Doom Eternal review, Phil Hornshaw gave the game an 8/10, writing, “Though it can take a bit to get the hang of it, the intricacies of Doom Eternal’s combat, combined with its enhanced mobility and option-heavy level design, create a ton of white-knuckle moments that elevate everything that made Doom 2016 work so well. Its combat is just as quick and chaotic, but requires you to constantly analyze everything that’s happening in order to come out victorious. Once you get the hang of the rhythm of Doom Eternal, it’ll make you feel like a demon-slaying savant.”

In the wake of the big success and acclaim of the Star Wars TV show The Mandalorian, which is about a bounty hunter in space, God of War director Cory Barlog tweeted that he hopes there is a developer out there trying to make a new Star Wars bounty hunter video game.

Celia Hodent, a former Lucasfilm developer, responded to Barlog by pointing out that she and her team tried to do just that with Star Wars 1313. Announced in 2012, the game was a third-person action adventure title set beneath Coruscant where you play as a bounty hunter. However, when Disney acquired Lucasfilm, the mega corporation closed developer LucasArts and cancelled all their games, including Star Wars 1313.

Developer Patrick Wren worked on this game, and he responded to Hodent’s tweet, “If only people could have seen what was coming.”

Hodent went on to say that there is no chance that Star Wars 1313 will be revived. “It was very painful for the team… It won’t get revived.. it was canned too many years ago now (2013),” she said.

Hodent also clarified that Star Wars 1313 wasn’t at the finish line of its development, but she was happy with what the team had. “There was still a lot of work ahead. But what we had was magical (I’ll admit I might be biased),” she said.

Disney was at one point a big name in game development, releasing the Disney Infinity, Epic Mickey, and Split/Second franchises, among others, but has in recent years backed away for internal game development. Disney chairman Bob Iger has acknowledged that Disney’s game development track record has been spotty, which is why the company is now pursuing a different strategy where it licenses its games to developers, like EA, to make Star Wars games.

The release of CD Projekt Red’s highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077 isn’t the only attention-grabber happening on December 10. The Game Awards goes live on the same day and is all-virtual this time around as the world continues to grapple with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. There are 30 categories to get through, including the coveted Game of the Year award that games like Hades and The Last of Us Part II are competing for. Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s The Game Awards, including start time, where to watch, and what to expect.

The Game Awards Start Time

This year’s The Game Awards goes live earlier than usual. Instead of typically occurring in the evening, the livestream kicks off on Thursday, December 10 with a pre-show that starts at 3:30 PM PT / 6:30 PM ET. The main event takes place just 30 minutes later.

• US West Coast: 4 PM PT
• US East Coast: 7 PM ET
• UK: 12 AM GMT (December 11)
• Sydney, Australia: 11 AM AET (December 11)

Where To Watch The Game Awards

The Game Awards will be livestreamed on all the usual places, including the company’s official Twitch and YouTube channels. The award ceremony can also be viewed on Facebook Live, Oculus Venues, and Twitter. We here at GameSpot will stream The Game Awards through the livestream above and on YouTube.

The Game Awards Nominees

The nominees for this year’s The Game Awards have been announced, with Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II leading with an impressive 10 nominations. Competing against The Last of Us Part II for the highly sought-after Game of the Year award include Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Doom Eternal, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Ghost of Tsushima, and Hades. There are 30 categories in total to get through, with games such as Hades appearing in a lot of them.

The Game Awards Expectations

The Game Awards has become known for its assortment of announcements, and this year is no different. There will be the unveiling of a “special look” at Dragon Age 4, an announcement of the new Fall Guys map, and the reveal of Striking Distance Studios’s first game. Microsoft’s Halo Infinite won’t make an appearance, but The Game Awards should dazzle at least a little.

Activision plans to showcase the first-look at Season 1 of Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War and Warzone, where we will see the new Warzone map Rebirth Island and playable operator. Further, a brand-new look at Neir Replicant will go live during the pre-show. Those looking for deals can hit up the Epic Game Store to get discounts on games, including those nominated.

The Game Awards Presenters

The Game Awards is expected to feature a plethora of big-name guests, including A-list Hollywood celebrities some might not expect. Familiar faces, like Reggie Fils-Aime and Troy Baker, will show up. But others alongside them include Christopher Nolan and Nolan North.

With a new generation of consoles just launched at the tail end of 2020, the future looks bright for the PlayStation and Xbox platforms. But, as always, PC remains its own unique gaming platform that can provide experiences you might not be able to find on consoles while also offering a place to play multiplatform games at their best. PC’s seemingly infinite backlog of games makes it a beast of a platform, but there’s just as much to look forward to in 2021 and beyond.

It is exciting that PC gamers have options for even more powerful video cards with Nvidia’s RTX 30-series and AMD’s RX 6000-series (if you can find them), providing more graphical horsepower than ever before and new features like ray tracing and AI-driven supersampling. But while PC pushes innovation in graphics and performance, what matters most is the games. And if you need a cheat sheet for what’s in your PC gaming future, and details on why you should be excited for each of these upcoming titles, we have you covered.

Avowed

One of the games that developer Obsidian Entertainment has up its sleeve is Avowed, and it’s intriguing considering the studio’s track record (Fallout: New Vegas, The Outer Worlds). Avowed looks to be the first big RPG from Obsidian under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella, but all we know so far comes from the short teaser trailer shown off during the Xbox showcase from July 2020, which revealed it as a new first-person fantasy RPG set in the Pillars of Eternity universe.

Deathloop

Arkane Studios has an impressive history with the likes of Dishonored and Prey, and it looks to be taking many of those concepts into something brand new with Deathloop. It’s a first-person action/shooter game with a slick art style, wild abilities to seek and assassinate targets, and a mind-bending concept of being stuck in time loops. Deathloop is set to launch on PS5 and PC in May.

Dying Light 2

It seems like Dying Light 2 has been in conversations about anticipated games each year since its reveal at E3 2018, and after a few delays that pushed it out of its 2020 release window, here we are again. While it’s still intended to bring that first-person action and parkour experience from the previous game, Dying Light 2 is also said to have a bigger narrative focus that will dynamically impact the state of the game’s world and cast of supporting characters therin.

Elden Ring

Folks keep asking, “Where is Elden Ring?” But nobody stops to ask, “How is Elden Ring?” Hi, From Software, may we please get a crumb of the ring of eld? If you don’t know, Elden Ring is the upcoming action-RPG from the Soulsborne creators but it’s set in an original fantasy world co-created by A Song of Ice and Fire author George R. R. Martin–what a wild collaboration.

Everwild

Everwild is a brand-new IP from Rare, and looks to be an adventurous game set in an expansive outdoors with a stunning art style. While we don’t know exactly what to expect from Everwild, it seems like a marriage between the natural and supernatural world with interactions revolving around wildlife and your party of four, which is teased in its reveal trailer.

Fable

There is very little we know about the new Fable right now, but at least we know it’s real. Its reveal concluded the Xbox Showcase back in July 2020 and confirmed that developer Playground Games is behind the project. Fable is an RPG series known for its take on choice and consequence, and how they affect the way your character looks, grows, and is perceived in the game world. It’s exciting to think about what Fable could be in this new generation.

Far Cry 6

Ubisoft’s marquee open-world FPS series is going to the fictional island of Yara, which closely resembles Cuba during a revolutionary part of its history. Far Cry 6 is said to emphasize guerilla warfare as you try to overthrow a tyrannical government led by main villain Anton Castillo (played by actor Giancarlo Esposito). After a delay, it’s now set to launch on all major platforms sometime in mid-2021.

Final Fantasy XIV’s Next Expansion

Square Enix’s top-tier MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV keeps getting better and better with each expansion and update. And the team behind FFXIV has been on schedule for one expansion every two years. December’s 5.4 update sows the seeds for what’s next in the story, too. With a special event scheduled for February 2021, it’s likely that the new expansion will be revealed then, and if the past is any indication, it could launch by the end of 2021.

Ghostwire: Tokyo

Ghostwire: Tokyo is a bit different from what we’ve come to expect from developer Shinji Mikami and Tango Gameworks. After two entries in The Evil Within, it seems the studio is still going for a supernatural concept, but now in a first-person game with a more stylized action focus. Spirits haunt Tokyo and you’ll have to fight them with what’s described as “karate meets magic.”

Gotham Knights

Who’s going to protect Gotham City without Batman around? Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin, of course. And in an open-world action RPG called Gotham Knights, no less. The game can be played solo or in two-player co-op with what’s said to be a seamless drop-in-and-out system. The story will be separate from the existing Batman: Arkham series, though. Gotham Knights’ main story will be about the rise of the Bat family following Batman’s apparent death, and their conflict with the Gotham City’s rogues’ gallery, which includes the infamous Court of Owls.

Guilty Gear Strive

Guilty Gear never ceases to impress from a visual and art direction standpoint, especially with its stunning take on 2D anime-inspired art pressed against 3D environments and camera cuts in Guilty Gear Xrd. Somehow, Guilty Gear Strive pushes it forward with refined art, stages, and transitions. But it’s also a return for the rad fighting game series with new and familiar characters. We’ve had hands-on time with it in preview form and it’s the fighting game you’ll want to look out for in 2021.

Halo: Infinite

Halo: Infinite is, of course, one of the most anticipated games of 2021, considering Halo’s status as Microsoft’s marquee franchise. But this upcoming entry has been through a few ups and downs. It was originally slated as an Xbox Series X|S launch game (simultaneously releasing on Xbox One and PC), but was pushed into 2021 shortly after its first full gameplay reveal. It’s taking on a more open structure with its campaign, with a multiplayer component that’ll be free-to-play. Notably, it will be the first-ever core Halo game to launch for PC on day one.

Hitman 3

Soon, we’ll be back in the world of assassination for the third entry in the Hitman reboot series. The two previous entries set a new standard for the franchise by focusing on the stealth-action and spying within expertly designed sandbox levels. Hitman 3 is said to be darker and more serious in tone this time around. There will also be PSVR compatibility, which is wild to think about for a Hitman game. For PC specifically, IO has outlined how it’s optimizing for the platform.

Hogwarts Legacy

Hogwarts Legacy is the much-anticipated action RPG set in the Harry Potter universe, but in this adventure in the Wizarding World, we don’t need Harry. The story takes place in the late 1800s, but all the things you know and love about the franchise are still here: spells, potions, magical beasts, and the house rivalries of Hogwarts. J.K. Rowling isn’t directly involved in the project–take that for what you will.

Humankind

One of the few high-profile PC exclusives coming in 2021 is Humankind, which is a 4X strategy game similar to the Civilization franchise. Humankind is being developed by Amplitude Studios, which did the Endless Space series, and seems to be trying different things compared to Civ. It introduces different victory conditions and an emphasis on how civilizations develop over the ages, rather than a specific end-goal.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits

Kena: Bridge of Spirits looks to be a whimsical action-adventure game starring a young girl who can guide spirits and use magical abilities in a world influenced by East and Southeast Asian locations. You might get the impression of Pixar-esque art style in Kena, but it’s developed by a Vietnamese studio called Sparx. It was revealed during a PS5 showcase but is coming to PC, too.

Kerbal Space Program 2

The original game was a wild space flight and aerospace engineering simulation with many daunting systems and mechanics and a lighthearted concept of sending Kerbals to space. Kerbal Space Program 2 is said to emphasize tutorialization to help players get into its intricate gameplay. It was recently announced that the game was being pushed to 2022, however.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

The Lego Star Wars games always seem to hit a nice spot of lighthearted fun while retelling the events of the Star Wars universe. However, The Skywalker Saga will capture the events from all nine mainline movies, which seems wildly ambitious, especially because this isn’t a remaster of the previous Lego Star Wars games that covered Episodes I through VI. It’s set to launch in Spring 2021 on all major platforms.

Little Nightmares 2

This sequel to the horror puzzle-platformer Little Nightmares picks up right where the story left off, but now with two characters in the mix: the returning main protagonist Six and newcomer Mono, a boy with a paper bag for a head. However, Six will be an AI-controlled character who guides Mono along the way. You can read more in our hands-on Little Nightmares II preview.

Oddworld: Soulstorm

Oddworld: Soulstorm marks a return for the long-running series and sticks to its roots as a 2D side-scrolling puzzle platformer. But it has a modern-day look thanks to detailed 3D environments as a backdrop to main character Abe’s new adventure. It’s set for release sometime in 2021 for PC, PlayStation 4|5, and Switch.

Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139…

With the success and critical acclaim of Nier: Automata, it’s likely that it made a ton of new fans who haven’t played the original Nier from 2010. Thankfully, we’ll get to experience that game in a full-on remake with Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139… and we’re in for a wild Yoko Taro trip. It’ll feature a revamped combat system, new music, and new art while retelling the original Nier story.

Persona 5 Strikers

Persona 5 Strikers (the western version of Persona 5 Scramble) was revealed to launch in February 2021. What’s more surprising is that it’s also coming to PC via Steam. This game is a continuation of the events after the original Persona 5 featuring the main cast of the Phantom Thieves and a few new faces, but with an action combat system similar to what we’ve seen in Dynasty Warriors and Hyrule Warriors. Many elements of the Persona games are woven into the combat gameplay, and the social simulation aspects are a part of the experience, too.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time first came out in 2003 and turned the series into a 3D action platformer. In a way, it also established the framework for parkour gameplay elements we’ve seen throughout Ubisoft’s games since then. The remake was shown in action through its reveal trailer and is said to launch in January.

Psychonauts 2

It feels like Psychonauts 2 has been talked about for a very long time, given its announcement in 2015 and crowdfunding run in 2016. But after a number of delays, 2021 is likely the year we’ll see it release. We saw it in action during E3 2019 with a live gameplay demo that showed off Raz’s new story and combat abilities, and the types of puzzles and trippy environments we’ll navigate.

Project Athia (Working Title)

Little is known about Project Athia, but it is a brand-new action-adventure IP out of Square Enix. Judging from its reveal trailer, the main character seems to be in a foreign fantasy world that features vast mountain ranges in the sky and a broken world below. She has traversal and supernatural abilities to fight monsters, and a dragon shows up. Wild.

Resident Evil Village

Resident Evil Village is picking up where Resident Evil 7 left off, not just in terms of narrative, but also in gameplay concept. The franchise’s shift to first-person survival horror and action was met with critical acclaim, and with two solid remakes since then, it’s exciting to see Capcom build on what Resident Evil 7 started.

Ruined King: A League of Legends Story

Ruined King: A League of Legends Story is a single-player turn-based RPG that’s also a narrative-focused take on the League of Legends universe. In the reveal trailer, you see several well-known Champions from League of Legends in a new context for the game world of Runeterra.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 has been slowly teased, at first in 2018 with just a website that had “2021” below the title, and most recently with a cinematic trailer during the Xbox Showcase. Much like the rest of the series, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 takes place in the Nuclear Exclusion Zone (or “The Zone”) in radiated Chernobyl, but supernatural elements lurk about to create a horror-like atmosphere. It’s said to have one of the biggest open worlds ever in games, which sounds pretty daunting to explore and ambitious for the first-person action franchise.

Scorn

Scorn is an Xbox Series X|S and PC exclusive and looks like a grotesque horror FPS. We got to see gameplay of Scorn, and its environments are like a mix of gothic structures inside of a monster’s body with mutant flesh hanging on the walls and creatures used as tools for environmental puzzles. Big H.R. Giger vibes.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II continues the harrowing journey of the titular protagonist that started in Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. Although we don’t know much about the next of this sequel, it was revealed alongside the Xbox Series X in 2019 with a cinematic trailer, and it’s one of the major upcoming games from Ninja Theory, which is now under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella.

Starfield

One of the big hitters in development at Bethesda is Starfield, which seems to be sci-fi space-themed take on the studio’s RPGs. Not much, if anything, is known about Starfield gameplay-wise other than it’s said to have a major game engine overhaul. Todd Howard has spoken about it in vague terms, too, and mentioned we’ll see it before The Elder Scrolls VI.

The Elder Scrolls VI

All we know about The Elder Scrolls VI is that it’s real and it’s being worked on. We got a short teaser trailer with a title, and that’s it. Here we are patiently waiting. Maybe we’ll get another Skyrim remaster for new-gen consoles and PC in the meantime.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum

Listen, I’m not sure who wanted a Lord of the Rings game starring Gollum, but we’ll give it a chance, of course. If you check the Steam page, the release date is marked as “Lurking until the time is right.” We respect that.

The Medium

Bloober Team is known for its horror-themed games such as Layers of Fear, Observer, and most recently The Blair Witch. And it seems that its latest, The Medium, is an ambitious Xbox and PC title that follows an investigator who can instantly switch between realms to solve puzzles and mysteries.

Unknown 9: Awakening

Unknown 9: Awakening was revealed at Gamescom 2020 with a trailer that showed kids in what looked to be a South Asian setting and a girl being bullied, before she uses her time-stopping powers to fend off others. And that seems to be just one piece of a larger supernatural story, as there are other characters shown before the trailer concluded. It’s coming to PC and new-gen consoles but no release date has been set.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is such a fascinating concept considering the cult status of the original games from 2000 and 2004. It’s a first-person RPG set in the same World of Darkness universe as its tabletop RPG source material, but in a modern-day Seattle, and it looks to build on what the Bloodlines did in 2004.