While 2021 didn't have too many major releases, aside from "Deathloop" and "Returnal" (to name only but a few), 2022 will most assuredly satiate the gamer's palette with a ton of variety and vast new worlds to explore. Including major sequels, anticipated hits, and brand new franchises, these are the most exciting games coming to consoles, PC, and Switch in the next year.
"Elden Ring"
As arguably the most anticipated and hyped video game releasing in 2022, "Elden Ring" needs no introduction. Designed behind the legendary studio that birthed the "SoulsBorne genre," with "Game of Thrones" author George R. R. Martin penning the backstory of the overarching lore, "Elden Ring" shines as a dark fantasy playground wherein gamers will find challenges beyond their wildest dreams.
FromSoftware's next epic releases this February 2022 will undoubtedly enjoy much acclaim as it condenses nearly a decade of design and artistry into one fluid experience.
Enter the lands between PC, PS5/PS4, and Xbox Series X/S come February 25th.
"Starfield"
Announced back at Bethesda's E3 2018 Press Conference, "Starfield" took shape in the public's eye as an incredible voyage into the cosmos. The game is set in the distant year of 2310, basing its narrative around a somewhat peaceful time in the Settled Systems 20 years following the Colony War.
With the RPG veterans behind the wheel, makers of the legendary "Fallout" and "Elder Scrolls" series of games, "Starfield" amassed immediate excitement, but the wait for any additional news was slow and painful. Even now, on the cusp of a new year, fans will still have to wait for at least 11 long months before they can finally journey into the stars.
"Starfield" releases on PC and Xbox Series X/S come November 11th, 2022.
"God of War: Ragnarok"
Up there, as among the most exciting releases coming in 2022, "Ragnarok" will certainly be PlayStation's biggest spectacle in years. The "God of War" franchise, which has survived a total of seven installments, now takes the series in a whole new avenue. The 2018 hit saw Kratos reluctantly entering fatherhood with the likes of aspiring archer Atreus.
"Ragnarok" still will only further their relationship as the pair come face to face with the end days of Norse mythology. It was supposed to be released in 2021 but had to be postponed due to the pandemic, leaving it on many lists as one of the most anticipated 2022 games.
"God of War Ragnarok" will be released sometime in 2022.
"Hogwarts Legacy"
Initially intended to release this coming January, "Hogwarts Legacy" maintains an air of eerie silence as the New Year's steadfastly approaches. Fans of the Wizarding World have not stepped foot in a digital escape with Harry Potter or any of his many cohorts since 2020's lackluster "Wizard's Unite," an AR-based mobile experience in the guise of "Pokemon GO."
"Hogwarts Legacy" ups the ante by inviting players into the 1800s-set school of magic, wherein they will be host to various lessons, terrifying surprises, and a role set to their own making. The action RPG, made by Portkey Games under Warner Bros., will attempt to bring alive the school of witchcraft and wizardry through magic all its own - seemingly without the assistance of author J.K Rowling.
The official "Hogwarts Legacy" release date remains TBD but will debut sometime in 2022.
"Gotham Knights"
From the makers of "Batman: Arkham Origins," comes an interesting adventure into the cowl via "Gotham Knights." Bruce Wayne is dead, leaving Gotham alone to defend only itself in its darkest hour. Four of Batman's most notable proteges must come together to serve the city in its time of need, but the Court of Owls won't make it easy for them.
"Gotham Knights'' flips the age-old hero experience by handing players the keys to not one but four varied superheroes under the DC banner: Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood. Each one will have unique abilities and skill sets that set them apart, plus the game even touts a two-player cooperative multiplayer mode.
"Gotham Knights" hits the streets for consoles and PC sometime in 2022.
"Breath of the Wild 2"
Aptly named 2022 is rife with a myriad of anticipatory video game sequels, from "God of War: Ragnarok" to "Horizon: Forbidden West." Of most importance to Nintendo Switch players will most likely be the follow-up to "Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," which first debuted back in 2017.
"Breath of the Wild 2" has had very little open press via Nintendo but was given a very short tease amid E3 2021's Nintendo Direct showcase. This trailer has already attained nearly nine million views on YouTube, a testament to the hype swirling around Link's next outing.
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"Forspoken"
With its story penned by Gary Whitta, screenwriter of "Rogue One," and "Uncharted's" Amy Hennig, "Forspoken" vies to be an interesting fairy tale escape into a world unknown. So much of 2022 is packed with sequels and experiences already trekked before, whereas "Forsaken" relies on its own newness and ingenuity to attract audiences. The game is set in the fantastical land of Athia, where our protagonist, Frey, becomes trapped.
Ruled by the Tantas, as PlayStation blog describes "destructive and twisted all-powerful matriarchs," Athia is no wonderland despite its vast beauty. Mythical creatures and nightmarish monsters inhabit this space, acting as various obstacles in Frey's path as she attempts to journey back home to present-day New York City.
"Forspoken" releases on May 25th for both PC and PS5.
"Horizon Forbidden West"
Releasing in the same window as "Elden Ring'' doesn't seem inviting for a PlayStation exclusive, but if any experience can match FromSoftware's next title it's certainly "Horizon Forbidden West." The open-world adventures in the post-apocalyptic future sets players in the boots of Aloy as she ventures into the so-called "Forbidden West'' as a new entity seeks to wreak havoc across the land.
The first "Horizon" game, titled "Zero Dawn," was immediately praised for its intriguing world-building and the many various characters that populate it. "Horizon" is teeming not with ordinary, biological wildlife, but the animatronic machines of wild imagination, from giant tower-sized walking structures to tortoise-shelled mammoths. While the first game's story isn't as memorable as its open field universe, "Forbidden West" seeks to amend those complaints with the introduction of an extinction-level event that veers closer to home than Aloy may at first realize.
"Horizon Forbidden West" debuts on PS4 & PS5 come February 18th.
"Pokemon Legends: Arceus"
Pokemon had a big year in 2021, with "Pokemon Unite" garnering ample praise for its reworking of the formula into a MOBA setting and the fiery release of the "Diamond and Pearl" remakes, which surpassed 6 million sales in its opening week. Game Freak is starting 2022 in a similarly strong manner with the hyper beam hit of "Pokemon Legends: Arceus," a pseudo-open-world experience set in an ancient age of the Pokemon world's Sinnoh region.
The Nintendo Switch exclusive will try to tackle a feat no Pokemon game has yet attempted: semi-open-ended exploration, wherein players can at their own leisure bask in the wonders of the Hisui region (as it's called in this bygone era). The main goal for burgeoning Pokemon trainers is to catch them all and become a master battler and be the leading source for the world's first Pokedex.
"Pokemon Legends: Arceus" releases on Nintendo Switch January 18, 2022.
"Ghostwire Tokyo"
Horror doesn't often get much love in big triple-A experiences, but "Ghostwire Tokyo" takes the terror to a whole new dimension. The first-person experience focuses on the protagonist's psychic abilities as they embark upon a quest through the supernatural underside of Tokyo. Utilizing both the mind and the body, players will face off against "Visitors," or spirits, as they wrestle with the mystery behind Tokyo's sudden rapture of citizens.
Despite its supernatural setting, "Ghostwire Tokyo" plans to be more so an action-based adventure, but that doesn't mean horror won't be ever-prevalent throughout the game. It's thus far planned to be a PlayStation 5 exclusive for a year, after which it will be brought over to Xbox consoles and PC.
"Ghostwire Tokyo" will debut on PS5 sometime in 2022.
