The next 12-16 months could be one of the greatest stretches for video games ever. We are closing in on the end of this generation of consoles, and it looks like it’s going out with a bang.
There are literally dozens of potentially great games that are coming out. For this article, I’m only going to list a handful.
There are going to be some that I don’t list, and that doesn’t mean that I’m not excited about them. It just means that there are too many great games to have them all listed.
Without further ado, let’s start with the game I have listed as #8.
8. Empire of Sin
Release Date: Second Quarter of 2020
I’m pretty surprised I have this game on this list, but after looking at some gameplay and reading about what you can do, I’m all in.
The game is a strategy based game set in 1920s Chicago. It’s a character based game and you are cast as a crime boss. It’s up to you to make it to the top of the crime empire.
I’ve never been a huge strategy game fan. They are fun to play but I often find myself overwhelmed and unsure what to do. But the setting and the level of freedom of choice this game provides makes it one of the games I’m most looking forward to.
7. Dying Light 2
Release Date: Early 2020
The original Dying Light was a great game and mixed Mirrors Edge style parkour with the fantastic Dead Island style combat.
The sequel looks to expand upon that significantly. Not only does the open world look more impressive, the level of choice looks to be in the vain of a hardcore RPG.
The most exciting thing to me is that the game is being written by Chris Avellone. Avellone has written some of the best RPGs of all time, including my personal favorite Fallout New Vegas.
If Dying Light 2 can mix the excellent parkour and combat of the original and add in excellent writing, this game could be something incredibly special.
6. Watch Dogs: Legion
Release Date: March 6th, 2020
The original Watch Dogs was a part of the initial trend of this generation that showcased a glossy trailer and ambitious visions that ended up being downgraded for launch.
The sequel was basically a 180, and the tone was incredibly different. It was much improved over the first but I didn’t think it was a great game.
The third one seems to be going for it. In Watch Dogs: Legion, you are based in London. You are part of a resistance against a corrupt government. This doesn’t sound too ambitious as a premise, but it is when you realize exactly what you can do.
The development team claims you can play as any NPC, and recruit them to your cause. You can play as anyone, no matter who they are. Anyone can be recruited to join the resistance movement, and everyone has a different story and play style.
This sounds incredibly ambitious, and I honestly don’t know how it will pan out. But the potential to play as literally anyone in a massive open world has my attention.
5. Gears 5
Release Date: September 6th, 2019 with Game Pass Ultimate or Ultimate Edition of game. September 10th everywhere else.
Gears of War is one of my favorite franchises of all time. The original trilogy had an incredible campaign, and I grew to love the multiplayer by the third game.
When The Coalition took over production, they had to prove they could make a Gears game. With Gears 4, they did that. While the game wasn’t my favorite of the series, it was a competent game and they proved they knew what they were doing.
With this game, it seems like they are going much bigger. If Gears 4 was a proof of competency, Gears 5 seems like the game where they prove they have the chops to innovate.
The multiplayer beta was excellent and has me incredibly excited for what feels like the best iteration of the mode yet.
Horde mode looks intense and exciting, and the all new Escape mode looks like a pretty fun time.
The campaign is the biggest question mark for me. There have been hints of something much bigger than Gears 4, but The Coalition have been a little tight lipped on much information.
I have confidence they can pull it off, but I’ll just have to wait and see.
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Release Date: October 25th, 2019
The original Modern Warfare is one of my favorite multiplayers of all time, but that goes without saying. It was a landmark game and I played the hell out of it.
Call Of Duty seems to have had a bit of an identity crisis in recent years, going back and forth between heavy movement based gameplay and “realistic” infantry gameplay.
The upcoming Modern Warfare feels like a reboot of sorts, and is the first Call of Duty in years that has me excited.
The first thing that is noticeable is that it is a brand new engine. The game looks significantly better than any Call of Duty in recent years. The gameplay seems to have a real punch to it, and the animations and overall feel of the game seems much more impressive.
The game is also going back to Kill streaks, so the score streak system or recent entries is gone. Overall, the game just feels like a reboot of what made me love the first Modern Warfare so much, and that’s exciting.
It’s weird to feel this excited about Call of Duty in 2019, but I’m here for it. Let’s hope the game can deliver.
3. The Last of Us Part 2
Release Date: Expected before the end of 2020
The Last of Us is my second favorite game of all time. I beat it 5 times in about a month and a half, and I thought about the game for a year after. It’s an incredible game, and it perfectly matched intense combat with an intense and unforgiving story.
It was one of the first video game stories I played that treated you like an intelligent person, and the ending was so ambiguous that it had me thinking out numerous scenarios in my head for a while.
The combat was so brutal and the game made you think about every combat scenario in a tactical way.
It was a landmark game, and the sequel aims to somehow match or surpass it.
The little gameplay we have seen amps up the intensity, and the world seems even more unforgiving. In this game, we know that you play as Ellie. Joel is in the game, but we don’t know how he plays a role. Beyond that, theres not that much information.
There’s no official release date, but it’s expected to release before the end of 2020.
2. Halo Infinite
Release Date: Holiday 2020
Halo is my favorite series of all time. Halo 3 is my favorite game of all time, and most of the main line entries are somewhere in my top 10 games ever.
I will always be hyped for a Halo game, and this game has, so far, done nothing to stifle my excitement.
From what we know about Infinite, which is very little, the game takes place sometime after Halo 5. It refocuses on Master Chief as the main protagonist, it is being built on a brand new engine, and it is being called a spiritual reboot of sorts. It will feature an art style that is reminiscent of the original trilogy. It will be the first Halo game to launch with an Xbox console since Halo CE nearly 2 decades ago.
I am extremely excited and am anxious to get more information. The only thing that is holding this game back from being my number 1 is that I simply do not know what the game really is.
Halo 4 and 5 were disappointing to me in various ways. Halo 4’s multiplayer just wasn’t good and while Halo 5 improved on it immensely, it simply wasn’t as memorable as the original trilogy. Halo 4’s campaign was a decent entry to the series, but Halo 5 took a massive step back and made questionable design decisions that made it easily the worst campaign in the series.
From the little we know, Infinite seems to be heading in a better direction. They are taking their time with the game, and seem to understand the mistakes they made with 4 and 5. I have already written about what I Hope Infinite is, but those are just hopes.
Infinite could easily jump to #1 once I know more about the game, but until then, I simply can’t put it as my most anticipated game.
1. CyberPunk 2077
Release Date: April 16, 2020
This game has been in development for a while, and ever since the first trailer released more than 6 years ago, it’s been a game to keep your eye on.
The game is finally coming out early next year, and it looks like the wait was worth it.
This game is coming from the developers of The Witcher 3, which has received widespread critical acclaim as one of the best RPGs of all time.
Last year we saw a near 50 minute gameplay demo, which showed off one of the most detailed and lived in worlds we have ever seen. And everything we have seen of the game shows that the game lives up to its name. The game is CyberPunk as hell.
To give the quick elevator pitch on this game if you’re not sold already; this game is a hardcore RPG developed by the best RPG developers in the world, and is set in a futuristic CyberPunk world. Count me in.
I’ll be counting the days until this game comes out.
So, what do you think? Are you also excited for these games? Is there a game you think I missed? Let me know in the comments below.
For more on all things Xbox and more, stay tuned to XboxEra.com
