It's almost September, and that means the hot and humid days of summer are almost over. The chilly air will soon start moving in from the north. Leaves will change color and pumpkin spice-flavored stuff will be everywhere, as most people spend the season digging out their sweaters, scarves and boots, in preparation for winter and the holiday season.
That's right: it's almost fall. And that means more than new shows appearing on TV (and old favorites returning). Fall also brings an increase in video game releases just before the holidays, including those AAA titles that gamers have eagerly awaited all year.
So which games can you expect to see hit retail and digital stores this fall? Here's a list of every video game release available – both AAA titles and indies – for the next few months, along with our picks for those you just can't miss out on.
August 21
Little Battlers eXperience: Baku Boost (3DS)
Risen 3: Titan Lords Enhanced Edition (PS4)
The Flock (PC)
August 25
Amnesia: Memories (PS Vita)
Dishonored: Definitive Edition (PS4, XBox One)
Gears of War: Ultimate Edition (Xbox One)
I Am Bread (PS4)
Madden NFL 16 (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Mega Man Legacy Collection (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Nova-111 (PC, PS3, PS4, PS Vita)
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 (PC, PS4, PS3, PS Vita)
Shadowrun: Hong Kong (PC)
Steins;Gate (PS3, PS Vita)
Until Dawn (PS4)
August 26
Octodad: Dadliest Catch (Xbox One)
August 28
Nova-111 (Xbox One)
Satellite Reign (PC)
August 30
Disney Infinity 3.0 (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, WiiU)
August AAA Pick: Until Dawn
Until Dawn is a PlayStation 4 exclusive that is a do-not-miss for video gamers. The survival horror adventure promises enough content to warrant multiple playthroughs, just to catch the entire story. The game even uses the concept of the "butterfly effect," so choices you make in-game affect everything that happens thereafter.
August Indie Pick: The Flock
The Flock is a unique multiplayer game that actually ends when everyone in the game is dead. Once that happens, the game is no longer for sale and gamers get to play an end scenario. Until now, no multiplayer game has even tried having an actual ending, so this is a title you want to get in on from the day it releases.
September 1
Armello (PC, PS4)
Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls (PS Vita)
Mad Max (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence (PC, PS3, PS4)
September 2
Act of Aggression (PC)
September 4
Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse (PS4, Xbox One)
Super Toy Cars (Xbox One)
September 8
Armikrog (PC)
Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX (3DS)
Tearaway Unfolded (PS4)
September 9
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime (PC, Xbox One)
September 11
Super Mario Maker (WiiU)
September 15
Forza Motorsport 6 (Xbox One)
Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 (PC, PS3, PS4)
September 20
Skylanders: SuperChargers (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, WiiU, Wii, 3DS)
September 22
Blood Bowl 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
FIFA 16 (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Soma (PC, PS4)
September 25
Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer (3DS)
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
September 28
NBA Live 16 (PS4, Xbox One)
September 29
Grand Ages: Medieval (PC, PS4)
Fallout Anthology (PC)
Lego Dimensions (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, WiiU)
NBA 2K16 (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Persona 4: Dancing All Night (PS Vita)
Samurai Warriors 4-II (PC, PS3, PS4, PS Vita)
Sword Coast Legends (PC)
September AAA pick: Mad Max
Mad Max promises the insanity and chaos of the wasteland world from the Mad Max movies, but in video game form. It also promises multiple ways of playing the game (check out the interactive trailer for a sample), as well as some seriously "mad" scenes of Max driving through the desert in a tricked-out Interceptor.
September Indie pick: Soma
In Soma, a sci-fi survival horror video game, you must make your way through an underwater research facility. But something goes wrong and you lose contact with the outside world. Meanwhile, the machines inside the facility start taking on human traits and "the only way out is to do something unimaginable." It's sort of like BioShock meets Dead Space.
October 2
Lost Horizon 2 (PC)
October 6
Read Only Memories (PC)
Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax (PS3, PS Vita)
Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance (PS4)
Rock Band 4 (PS4, Xbox One)
October 9
Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash (3DS)
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection (PS4)
October 13
Dragon Quest Heroes: The World's Tree Woe and the Blight Below (PS4)
The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition (PS4)
Wasteland 2: Director's Cut (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
October 16
Yoshi's Woolly World (WiiU)
October 20
Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden (3DS)
Guitar Hero Live (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, WiiU)
Tales of Zestiria (PS3, PS4, PC)
October 23
Assassin's Creed Syndicate (PS4, Xbox One)
The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes (3DS)
October 27
Halo 5: Guardians (Xbox One)
WWE 2K16 (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
October AAA Pick: Halo 5: Guardians
That's right: October sees the release of a brand-new Halo game. In Guardians, Master Chief goes missing after colonies start getting inexplicably attacked. You take on the role of Spartan Locke to find the missing hero of Halo's world and find out what's threatening the entire galaxy.
October Indie Pick: Read Only Memories
Read Only Memories is a cyberpunk adventure game, and if that's not enough to hook you, check out the premise: The game's setting is the year 2064, and it tells the story of a journalist, who along with the world's first sentient robot, tries to find a missing friend in a cyberpunk version of San Francisco. Read Only Memories is also one of the first video games to prominently feature LGBT characters.
November 3
Anno 2205 (PC)
Need for Speed (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
November 6
Call of Duty: Black Ops III (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
The Peanuts Movie: Snoopy's Grand Adventure (PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, WiiU, 3DS)
November 10
Fallout 4 (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Rise of the Tomb Raider (Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Rodea the Sky Soldier (3DS, Wii, WiiU)
November 13
Sword Art Online: Lost Song (PS4, PS Vita)
November 17
Star Wars: Battlefront (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
November 19
Yo-kai Watch (3DS)
November 26
Trackmania Turbo (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
November 30
Knights of Pen and Paper 2 (PC)
November AAA Pick: Fallout 4
Obviously, the no-brainer pick of games to spend your time on for November is Fallout 4. Just announced earlier this summer, Fallout 4 will probably be the most popular game of the season. Of course, Bethesda still has the plot under wraps, but the game – set in the Fallout version of Boston – is a "must play" title.
November Indie Pick: Knights of Pen and Paper 2
If you plan on taking a break from Fallout 4 and want something different, Knights of Pen and Paper 2 offers a new take on an old D&D-like RPG-style game. Enjoy old-school pixel art with funny off-beat pop culture references, and fight danger in the dark recesses of multiple dungeons, all while praying for saving throws.
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