It’s that time of year again when we can all start looking forward to all of the massive video game titles hitting new and old consoles alike this year. So get hyped! …wait? What do you mean we probably won’t get half of these?
It’s true, it saddens me to say but given the state of the world right now and how game release dates are more of a placeholder than anything else, I can see at least half the games on this list not even making it out this year. Having said that we can only go off what’s been reported along with a few exciting rumours along the way so let’s push all the negative thinking aside and get hyped for the top 10 games coming in 2021!
As always you can check out the video version of this list in the link below..
Note before we get started this is my own personal list rather than a joint one for all of Respawning so don’t @ me when the likes of Halo Infinite and Deathloop don’t pop up in this list. I just don’t like first person shooters okay?! Jeez..
First up is a first person shooter.. Okay okay Farcry gets a pass alright!?
Admittedly I haven’t been too high on the series since Farcry 3 surprised me with its mix of brilliant first person open world gameplay and a fantastic story to boot. Despite its weird 50/50 choice ending, it made me excited for future Farcry releases! Sadly other titles just haven’t lived up to expectations for me but I have a great feeling about this upcoming sixth instalment, especially with the power of next-gen consoles behind it.
Speaking of next-gen consoles, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart looks to push the new PS5 close to its limits in its early days. 100% exclusive to PS5 due to the need for instant load times, this game is beginning to look like a must buy for every system owner. I’m not even a huge fan of series or platformers in general but even I can’t deny how insanely fun Rift Apart looks right now.
Another upcoming game completely exclusive to PS5 (there’s a theme developing here), Returnal looks like it could be one of the surprise hits of 2021.
From the devolopers who brought us Resogun, this third person shooter looks to have a similar gameplay style to something like Control. Releasing in March, we won’t have to wait long to see how well Returnal makes use of the PS5 features and whether or not it can live up to the hype of its badass trailer.. Just look at it!
Stepping away from making incredible remakes in 2021, Capcom are due to release the long awaited follow-up to the hugely successful Resident Evil 7 with Resident Evil Village.. the 8 is in the world VIllage.. see what they did there?
Anyway, what makes Village so exciting is that it’ll continue the first person horror gameplay that worked so well in Resi 7 as well as a continuation of that story. As it stands, Resi 8 is only scheduled for release on next-gen consoles and PC which could point to some seriously impressive steps forward for the franchise.
Anybody who follows me will not be even slightly surprised to see this interactive horror drama make it into this list given my love for the Dark Pictures Anthology so far. Sure Man of Medan and Little Hope aren’t perfect games but they’ve both been fun little horror stories that I’ve enjoyed playing both solo and with friends over one weekend.
Due to pandemic related delays last year, Little Hope ended up being pushed back from the summer to Halloween weekend and was even better for it. I hope this becomes a trend now for supermassive games and I can look forward to another spooky tale this Halloween. Maybe the curator (I love the curator!) could finally hint to how these annual scary stories relate to each other if they do at all.. watch this space!
The eagerly anticipated sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn is scheduled to hit both PS4 and PS5 this year and you may be surprised to see it only just squeeze into my top 5. Well truth be told, the little I played of Zero Dawn didn’t blow me away despite it being the sort of third person action adventure that I would usually love.
The little we’ve seen of Forbidden West has really got me hyped though so I’m making it my own personal mission to compete Horizon Zero Dawn before the release of its second part so I can fully be aboard that hype train.
They say the definition of insanity is making the same mistake over and over again.. at least I think it is anyway!
This time last year I placed Marvel’s Avengers high on my 2020 list while still living in a fantasy world and believing the live service game could be brilliant. Well here we are again except this time it’s DC. It’s worth pointing out that Gotham Knights is not actually a live service game to be fair so I am a little more confident in WB Montreal’s ability to deliver on the game.
Instead of the soulless cash grab that was Avengers, Gotham Knights claims to be an online co-op RPG set in a Gotham City where Batman is dead. There’s no doubt that if this were a proper single player game then it would be in my top 2 but with any online game it’s made me weary. Surely I can’t be burnt again right?…right?
Okay this one is a risky entry as we don’t actually have an official release date so I may end up with egg on my face here! Reports claim we could see the gigantic JRPG anywhere between this year and 2023.
It still blows my mind that a Final Fantasy game is this high up on my list. Those of you who have been around for over a year (you mad but wonderful people) might remember me sticking Final Fantasy VII Remake in the number 10 spot this time last year as a bit of a joke as I used to be the anti FF guy around these parts. Well that all backfired as I ended up adoring FFVII Remake which led to me playing and also loving FFXV!
By the time the reveal trailer for Final Fantasy XVI rolled around, I found myself well and truly hyped for an upcoming Final Fantasy game for the first time in my life. Here’s hoping we get a miracle and see it released this year!
Oh lord this game looks incredible. Everything about Hogwarts Legacy just sounds like a dream for Harry Potter fans.
Set in the 1800’s, developer Avalanche Software doesn’t have to worry about creating plot holes or ruining beloved characters. They have near endless freedom to create their own wizarding world in which we get to play around in with our own created character.
Although we haven’t seen too much gameplay yet, the little we have seen is enough to fire this RPG into the top 2 games for yours truly. I well and truly hope Hogwarts Legacy can keep to its initial 2021 release date as it could be a genuine contender for game of the year!
As if anything else was going to take the number one spot!? The hyped out of this world sequel to the masterpiece that was 2018’s God of War, Ragnarok was announced as part of the PS5 showcase event last year and I’ve been stupidly excited ever since.
However I can’t say I’m not slightly concerned about the validity of being able to play the sequel this year as despite being told it’s coming out in 2021, we haven’t seen a single second of gameplay, not even a screenshot..
I’m still not even convinced it’ll be a proper sequel, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Ragnarok resemble something similar to what Miles Morales was late last year, but even then I think it’d still be my most hyped game of 2021!
Speaking of Miles Morales, that game wasn’t even a rumour when I made my 2020 list last year so there’s every chance a game we don’t event know about yet could become one of the greatest games of the year! What are your most hyped releases for 2021? Make sure to let me know in the comments below or by hitting us up on twitter over @RespawningUK.