Games
With new consoles and some extraordinary-looking games coming, 2020 looks set to be a banner year in gaming. These are the 20 games we can’t wait to play in 2020.
At the dawn of a new year it’s always tricky to not get too carried away with the potential a fresh new year brings. With Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Sony’s PlayStation 5 being set to hit shelves during “holiday 2020”, there’s still plenty of time for some incredible games to hit the current crop of machines. Then, of course, there’s Nintendo: a company that’s become a wildcard of late and who could even release an upgraded Switch next year if they felt like it and it wouldn’t even be a surprise.
But 2020 is also the start of a brand-new decade and one that looks like it could be one of the best ever for gaming. Whatever console you’re playing on, there’s a mix of superb-looking high-budget titles, remakes of stone-wall classics and some indie games that look set to shake things up. In no particular order (because they all look great), here are 20 of the games we can’t wait to play in 2020.
Cyberpunk 2077
(CD Projekt RED, Xbox One, PC, PS4, April 16, 2020)
How do you follow up on The Witcher 3, one of the best third-person fantasy RPGs ever made (and one of our games of the decade)? You completely change it up! Cyberpunk 2077 is a first-person game and set in a dystopian future full of machinery, hacking and guns. Developers CDPR rarely put a foot wrong and this is going to be comfortably one of the highest-rated games of 2020. The hype is very real, it seems. Also, Keanu.
Ghost of Tsushima
(Sucker Punk, PS4: Summer 2020)
Samurai are cool, right? Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice proved it already, but Sucker Punch (known for the Sly Cooper and Infamous series, both exclusive to PlayStation) are making a huge open world with no waypoints that you can explore without having your hand held. The visuals are incredible looking, to the point it’s almost hard to believe this isn’t a PS5 game. We can’t wait to play this one.
Axiom Verge 2
(Tom Happ, Switch: Fall 2020)
Since Nintendo’s own Metroid game is still a long way off, Axiom Verge developer Tom Happ is bringing a surprise sequel to the console (and we suspect other consoles and PC, but nothing has been announced on that yet). Channelling the original feeling of those 8-bit classics, this new title looks more colourful and vibrant, and we can’t wait to get exploring.
Resident Evil 3
(Capcom, Xbox One, PS4, PC: April 3, 2020)
Not content with putting out a remake of Resident Evil 2 and garnering adoration in 2019, Capcom is remaking Resident Evil 3 in the same engine with a 4v1 multiplayer mode called Resistance included, too. It looks intense, exciting and like Nemesis, the enemy who stalks you all through the game, we can’t wait to get our hands on Jill and play through this one again.
Sports Story
(Sidebar Games, Switch: Mid 2020)
Golf Story was a lovely, retro-looking joyous RPG-lite that tasked you with playing through a sports academy by playing golf. Sports Story is adding football, volleyball, tennis, baseball and maybe other disciplines that haven’t yet been announced. What’s not to love? Give us this now, please!
The Last of Us: Part II
(Naughty Dog, PS4: May 29, 2020)
The long-awaited sequel to one of the best PlayStation exclusives of all time? A new game from the creators of the Uncharted series? What more could you want? It’s been delayed once, so here’s hoping that doesn’t happen again. This looks incredible, and with talk of enemy heartbeats even playing a factor, it sounds like this could be groundbreakingly immersive.
Doom Eternal
(id Software, PS4, Xbox One, PC: March 20, 2020)
The 2016 Doom remake was a game nobody knew they wanted until they played it. That reimagining was one of the best first-person shooters of the generation, with remarkable combat and some intricately designed puzzle-platforming to go with it. The sequel looks set to build on that and add even more traversal options and enemies. Doom Eternal is going to be immense.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
(Moon Studios, Xbox One, PC: March 11, 2020)
Will of the Wisps is the follow up to one of the best Xbox games from the last 10 years. A glorious, painterly aesthetic is paired with a highly challenging MetroidVania game. Offering difficult combat and platforming, skill upgrades and exploration, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is one we really can’t wait to dig into.
Minecraft Dungeons
(Mojang, Xbox One, PC, Switch, PS4: April 2020)
Answering the questions “what will Mojang do next?” and “will there be a Minecraft 2?” simultaneously, the studio behind Minecraft are back with a dungeon crawler (think Diablo) that has no crafting or building but uses the Minecraft look. Again, it’s by the creators of Minecraft, so we’re all in.
Final Fantasy VII Remake
(Square Enix, PS4: March 3, 2020)
Look, we don’t really want to just say “it’s the long-awaited remake of one of the best games of all time” and be done with it, but that’s exactly what this is. All that remains to be known about part one of this episodic release is how long it’ll be. Will we get out of Midgar, or will we wait another five years to do that? Do we even care? Just give us this right now. Right. Now.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
(Nintendo, Switch: March 20, 2020)
Speaking of long-awaited, Nintendo are finally giving fans a Switch version of Animal Crossing to play. Hearts were broken when it was delayed out of 2019 and pushed into 2020, but the quality of life improvements and just the fact it’s on Switch are enough for our excitement to be at fever pitch right now. Bring on the debt, Nook!
Psychonauts 2
(Double Fine, PS4, Xbox One, PC: TBC 2020)
Psychonauts fans have waited 15 years for the sequel to Raz’s adventure, but financial difficulties stunted its development. However, Double Fine have since been acquired by Microsoft and it seems Psychonauts 2 is now on target for a 2020 release, so we’ll be able to enjoy some third-person platforming on all formats sometime next year. Great news!
Dying Light 2
(Techland, PC, Xbox One, PS4: TBC 2020)
Dying Light was strangely under-appreciated. Techland took what they’d learned from Dead Island and made an infinitely better game with their first-person-parkour zombie-em-up. Tentatively set for a 2020 release, Dying Light 2 looks to be pushing graphical boundaries, offering unprecedented player choice and, honestly, we wouldn’t be shocked if this was on next-gen hardware as well when it’s released in 2020.
12 Minutes
(Techland, PC, Xbox One, PS4: TBC 2020)
When publisher AnnaPurna Interactive (What Remains of Edith Finch, Donut County, Telling Lies, Wattam) gets involved, you usually know you’ve got something off-the-wall and really interesting on your hands. Developer Luis Antonio’s game was revealed at E3 2019 by Microsoft and the premise of repeating 12 minutes over and over, a bit like Groundhog Day, has us intrigued. So much happens, and you have to be reactive – we can’t wait.
Streets of Rage 4
(Dotemu/LizardCube, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch: TBC 2020)
Beloved series? Check. Original composers? You bet! Fresh new art style to give us hope? Oh yes. Streets of Rage, and beat ‘em ups in general, haven’t really been around much in the last decade, so we’re desperate for this to be good. If nothing else, we simply can’t wait to slip into the shoes of Axel, Blaze and Adam again.
Gears Tactics
(Microsoft Studios, PC, Switch: April 28, 2020)
How do you take something like Gears of War and mix things up? Well, you turn it into a top down turn-based strategy game and bring it to PC first (consoles later). A prequel to the original game and focused on a brand-new squad, we’re delighted to see Gears of War try something new and will be there on day one for this.
Bleeding Edge
(Ninja Theory, PC, Xbox One: March 24, 2020)
There was some concern when Bleeding Edge was first announced. Microsoft had just purchased developer Ninja Theory and since Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II hadn’t been announced, it was feared making a multiplayer hero-based competitive game was a strange use of the team. But the more people have played this, the more it seems like it’ll be really good and, frankly, Ninja Theory have earned our trust. Colourful and bombastic, we’re in!
Nioh 2
(Team Ninja, PS4: March 13, 2020)
It looks as though 2020 is currently going to be a slow year for “Souls-like” games, but Nioh was a massively challenging game when it was released in 2017, and a surprisingly high-quality one at that. Team Ninja have always been great at challenging fans (remember Ninja Gaiden?), and Nioh 2 looks set to continue that. If reports from the open betas are anything to go by, this is going to be a cracker.
Marvel's Avengers
(Crystal Dynamics/Eidos Montreal, PC, Xbox One: May 15, 2020)
Once upon a time, games based on movies and comic books were, to be kind, a bit ropey But things have changed and franchise tie-ins are often superb experiences these days. Marvel’s Avengers has a great pedigree behind it thanks to Crystal Dynamics’ rebooting of the Tomb Raider series, and with a choice of playing single player or co-op, we’re very excited to see how Marvel’s Avengers turns out.
Halo Infinite
(343 Industries, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X: TBC 2020)
You don’t release a new console without a marquee game and Halo Infinite is as high profile as you can get on Xbox. Next-gen + a new Halo = hype. It’s been five years since a new Halo game and launching a new console with one is a surefire way to get people excited. We can’t wait to find out why it’s called Infinite, or to see what developers 343 Industries have been doing with the Chief for the past five years.
