dead space
It’s no exaggeration to say that 2008’s Dead Space is to video games what Alien was to movies: ambitious, bloody, chilling sci-fi horror that raised the bar for an entire genre. This remake involves some of the same talent and will bring a chilling classic to a new generation of gamers.
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, PC, January 27
Kerbal Space Program 2
2015’s Kerbal Space Program has you helping an alien civilization figure out how to get to the moon, with plenty of explosions and physics-based mishaps along the way. In the sequel, the little green astronauts go further, head to the stars and establish colonies. Expect an endearing and deceptively demanding space travel simulator.
PC, PlayStation, Xbox, February 24
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The sequel to Breath of the Wild, widely regarded as one of the greatest games ever made, was always going to generate anticipation. Here, sword-wielding hero Link not only explores the continent of Hyrule, with all its cartoonish monsters, riddle-filled dungeons, tantalizing treasures and hidden secrets, but also the skies above.
Nintendo Switch, May 12
star field
A sci-fi RPG from the champions of emerging player-driven stories at Bethesda. Travel light years beyond our solar system in your own custom-built spacefarer and find your own purpose among the stars. Those yearning for the glory days of Mass Effect will find plenty to look forward to here.
Xbox Series X/S, PC, Spring
red fall
Vampires go wild, and not the sexy kind. A cooperative shooter where you must team up to defeat creatures of the night on an island in Massachusetts – and luckily you have your own supernatural abilities to use in battle. Will you be a magic sniper, a gadget-loving cryptozoologist or a student of telekinesis?
Xbox Series X/S, PC, Spring
Light Year Frontier
A farming game with a difference: instead of laboriously hoeing and sowing by hand, you have access to a really cool robot. Strap on your robot and you can water, harvest, build and landscape with ease – and the planet you’re farming has a fascinating story waiting to be uncovered.
Xbox, PC, spring
Diablo IV
Fans of Blizzard’s infernal hack-and-slash series that slays demons, clicks treasure, and racks up loot will approach Diablo IV with some trepidation, as it promises to steal many, many hours from your life. It’s old-school D&D-style dungeon-crawling fantasy – you can play as a thief, necromancer, witch, barbarian, or druid – paired with terrifying, compulsive game design.
PC, Playstation, Xbox
Pikmin 4
A game about tiny alien flower-creatures stuck in a garden, where you – an equally miniature astronaut – must herd them against the creatures and threats lurking there. It compensates for nature’s soothing surroundings with the low-level stress of trying to keep your teenage loads from being gobbled up by wildlife.
nintendo switch
Street Fighter 6
One of the oldest video game series returns, inviting us to punch and kick each other in spectacular Technicolor style. Features a Shenmue-inspired single-player adventure mode for the first time, alongside the usual player-versus-player tournaments, and a streamlined, newcomer-friendly control scheme.
PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Hollow Knight Silksong
Hollow Knight is an exceptionally eerie and atmospheric dungeon explorer, where you slowly discover an underworld filled with strange insectoid beings that look darkly cute but will likely kill you. The movement and combat is so crisp and balletic. This long-awaited sequel doesn’t have a specific date, but I’d bet it’s its year.
PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation
Thirsty suitors
Back in his hometown, Jala must face off against his disappointed parents and a phalanx of bitter exes in this stylish and interesting game about cooking, skateboarding, and (literally) wrestling with your past. It contains elements of Bollywood, Scott Pilgrim and the cult roller game Jet Set Radio, a combo that has surely never been seen before.
PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC
Pickup
You are a fisherman arriving in a strange new town. Everyone is oddly unfriendly and they all warn you not to go fishing at night. So you do, and the things you catch start to get more…wrong. This Lovecraftian fishing game is mysterious and gently disturbing.
Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, PC
Lies of P
A gothic horror take on the folk tale of Pinocchio from a Korean developer, which has you hunting down Geppetto and dismembering aggressive automatons in your quest to become a real boy. This has some very obvious Bloodborne vibes, with its high challenge, Victorian appearance, and heavy, steampunk weaponry.
PlayStation, Xbox, PC
Venba
In this story about a family’s immigration experience in Canada, told through cooking and conversation, a Tamil woman brings with her an inherited cookbook to start a new life in a new country. It’s a game about the importance of food in culture and as an expression of love.
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
Mineko Night Market