Halo: Campaign Evolved – July 28th
This one is basically already here. A full ground up Unreal Engine 5 remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved campaign, landing on Xbox, PC and PS5. Yes, PS5. Halo on PlayStation for the first time ever, which is still a strange sentence to type. The campaign has been completely rebuilt and three brand new prequel missions are included called Operation: METEORITE, following Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson on a covert UNSC operation aboard a Covenant research vessel. Four player online co-op is in, multiplayer is not. Game Pass day one. Early access started the 23rd so if you want to go in unspoiled, stay off social media for a few days.
Star Wars Zero Company – August 27th
Respawn Entertainment and Bit Reactor doing a turn based tactics game set during the Clone Wars. That Respawn, the Jedi Survivor people, teaming up with a studio formed by XCOM veterans. Anakin is in it. If you bounced off the Jedi games wanting something slower and more strategic, this looks like exactly that. PS5, Xbox and PC.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 – August 27th
Same day as Zero Company, which is just rude. After Vol. 1 had a troubled launch, all eyes are on Konami to do this one properly. MGS4 is the big one, a PS3 exclusive for nearly twenty years and finally coming to modern platforms. How well they’ve handled it is the only question that matters. PS5, Xbox, Switch, Switch 2 and PC.
A Plague Tale: Resonance – August 27th
Three enormous games on the same day in August, brilliant scheduling from everyone involved. Asobo’s third Plague Tale following Amicia and Hugo into what looks like a significantly darker chapter. The first two were brilliant and Asobo have never put a foot wrong with this series. PS5, Xbox and PC.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword – September 4th
The first new Onimusha in over twenty years and one of my most anticipated games of the year. Capcom have actually moved the release date forward from September 25th to September 4th, which almost never happens and immediately tells you they’re confident in what they’ve made. You play as Miyamoto Musashi in a dark fantasy version of Edo-era Kyoto that’s been twisted by supernatural clouds of Malice, fighting off demonic creatures called Genma using the series’ signature Oni Gauntlet, Issen counter system and Soul Absorption mechanics. The demo that came out in June was brilliant and the combat feels exactly like a modern Capcom action game should. Twenty years is a long time to wait for a sequel. Everything I’ve seen suggests it’s been worth it.
The Blood of Dawnwalker – September 3rd
Made by Rebel Wolves, founded by Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, the director of The Witcher 3, alongside other ex-CD Projekt Red talent. Medieval dark fantasy action RPG set in 14th century Southeast Europe. You play as Coen, a half human half vampire with 30 days to save his sister. Directional blocking, Hex magic, vampire powers that shift between day and night. Built in Unreal Engine 5 and looks stunning. This is the one people aren’t talking about enough. PS5, Xbox and PC.
Marvel’s Wolverine – September 15th
Insomniac’s next game after the Spider-Man trilogy, M rated, brutal claw combat, Liam McIntyre voicing Logan. Set three years after Wolverine left Team X, with Bolivar Trask abducting mutants and Logan getting dragged back in. Shares continuity with the Spider-Man games, planned as the first of a trilogy. PS5 exclusive. Insomniac haven’t made a bad superhero game yet.
Silent Hill: Townfall – September 24th
This is the one I keep coming back to. Developed by Screen Burn and co-published by Annapurna Interactive and Konami, Townfall is a standalone Silent Hill set in Scotland, following Simon Ordell who is called back to the island of St. Amelia to put things right. He finds a town covered in heavy fog, seemingly abandoned but very much not at peace. It’s first person, it’s stealth heavy, there are limited weapons, and there’s a handheld CRTV device that detects nearby threats you can’t see with your eyes and picks up signals that reveal plot information. The atmosphere from every trailer has been suffocating in exactly the right way. The fact that it’s Annapurna involved gives me enormous confidence. PS5 and PC.
Control Resonant – September 24th
Same day as Townfall, which is genuinely criminal scheduling. Remedy’s sequel to 2019’s Control follows Dylan Faden as he fights for his humanity against a reality-bending cosmic threat in a warped version of Manhattan on the brink of paranatural annihilation. Remedy described it as open-ended with optional quests and objectives, which sounds like a significant expansion of what the original did. The first Control was one of the most atmospheric and genuinely strange games of that generation and everything about Resonant suggests they’re swinging even bigger this time. PS5, Xbox, PC. This is my most anticipated game of the year and September 24th cannot come fast enough.
Gears of War: E-Day – October 6th
The Coalition taking the series back to Emergence Day, fourteen years before the first Gears, Marcus Fenix and Dom experiencing the Locust attack for the very first time. Xbox and PC exclusive, no PS5. Horde Mode and versus multiplayer both expected to return. Game Pass day one. The biggest Xbox exclusive of the year.
Grand Theft Auto 6 – November 19th
This is the one that has reorganised the entire industry’s release calendar. Two delays later, November 19th is the date Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick reaffirmed just days ago in a letter to shareholders. PS5 and Xbox Series X/S only at launch, no PC confirmed, $79.99 standard edition. Set in Leonida, Rockstar’s Florida, with dual protagonists Jason and Lucia. Analysts are projecting 37 to 51 million copies in week one. GTA 5 made $800 million on its first day in 2013. November 19th is going to be one of the biggest days in entertainment history regardless of how you feel about Rockstar.
Also worth keeping an eye on:
Enter the Gungeon 2, Songs of Glimmerwick, No Rest for the Wicked leaving early access on Switch 2 and Xbox, Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era, and Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen on October 9th.
That’s your lot. Good luck to your backlog.