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The year 2022 is looking to be an exciting one for new video game releases, with millions of gamers adopting the PS5 and Xbox Series X and some highly anticipated Nintendo Switch games arriving too.
Paying close attention to the scene year-round as a reporter, I’ve rounded up 22 of the most interesting games releasing in 2022, from Nintendo’s freshly-launched Pokémon Legends: Arceus to Sony’s Horizon Forbidden West, and the next project from the creators of Dark Souls, Elden Ring.
My list doesn’t include some titles that have been announced but aren’t expected to arrive in 2022, like the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on Nintendo Switch, Spider-Man 2 on PlayStation, and the Xbox-exclusive Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II.
Below you’ll find the full list of upcoming games, with their expected release dates and the consoles they’ll be available on. I will keep updating this list through the year as new games are announced and release dates are confirmed.
$54.99, available on Gamestop
Nintendo’s blockbuster Pokémon franchise has typically belonged to handheld consoles like the Game Boy and Nintendo DS, but Pokémon Legends: Arceus uses the extra power of the Nintendo Switch to create the most immersive Pokémon game we’ve seen to date.
Pokémon Legends Arceus takes cues from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and the Monster Hunter series, leading players to explore and survive wild environments filled with Pokémon as they try to catch them all once more in a completely original way.
$59.99, available on GameStop
The first Dying Light was a celebrated adventure game set in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. The sequel continues the story 20 years later, following the downfall of modern civilization.
Dying Light 2 mixes first person exploration with gunplay and melee weapons and lets up to four players team up to complete the campaign. Developer Techland has already released a post-release roadmap for the game and plans to continue updating Dying Light 2: Stay Human for the next five years.
$49.99, available on Amazon
Sifu is a rogue-like (repeated losses become part of the game loop) beat ‘em up game from the creators of Absolver, an online game focused on hand-to-hand combat. Players will take on a series of stages inspired by classic martial arts films as the main character seeks revenge for the death of their family.
Along with learning an expansive list of kung-fu techniques, players can make special use of their environment to dispatch their enemies and choreograph their own unique fight scenes. Each time the main character dies they will age rapidly, so players will have to complete the game before the protagonist grows too old to fight, and the quest starts over from the beginning.
$69.99, available on GameStop
Horizon Zero Dawn marked the debut of a new PlayStation franchise on PS4, pushing the boundaries of the console with its impressive visuals. Its sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, continues the open world adventure series on a new continent, with players once again assuming control over the huntress Aloy in a post-apocalyptic version of the western United States, including regions of San Francisco, Utah, and the Yosemite Valley.
The creators of Horizon Forbidden West, Guerilla Games, say the haptic feedback of the PS5 controller will let players feel the resistance of Aloy’s bow while aiming, and it will have special interactions when fighting against machines and humans.
$59.99, available on GameStop
Elden Ring is the latest game from the creators of Dark Souls, FromSoftware. While Dark Souls is traditionally a difficult dungeon-crawling adventure game, Elden Ring adopts an open world format that let’s players explore a new, seamless land with a story designed by Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin.
FromSoftware’s last release, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was named the 2019 Game of the Year by The Game Awards, making Elden Ring one of the most anticipated single-player games of 2022.
$59.99, available on GameStop
Grid Legends is a motorsport racing game from Codemasters, and the first game in the series to be released since the developer was purchased by Electronic Arts in 2021.
Unlike EA’s Need for Speed, which can be described as an arcade racer, Grid Legends is closer to a racing simulation. Players will be able to play with friends between Xbox, PlayStation and PC, and Grid Legends will also include a story mode with live actors.
$59.99, available on GameStop
Babylon’s Fall is a dungeon-crawling action game from Platnium Games, creators of Bayonetta and Nier: Automata. Up to four players can team up to try and climb the Tower of Babel, encountering increasingly strong enemies as they improve their own character.
Players can swap between four weapons during combat, allowing you to customize your own fighting style.
$69.99, available on GameStop
Gran Turismo is Sony’s seminal racing franchise, with each new entry in the series pushing the limits of the PlayStation hardware.
Sony has confirmed that Gran Turismo 7 will incorporate ray-tracing visual effects, 3D audio, and haptic feedback using the PS5’s Dual Sense controller.
$59.99, available on GameStop
Stranger of Paradise revisits the story of the original Final Fantasy released in 1987 with a new action-oriented combat system. Players control a warrior named Jack Garland who is on a quest to defeat an evil entity named Chaos, the final boss from the first Final Fantasy. Chaos was revealed to be a fallen knight named Garland in the original game, so Strangers in Paradise will likely track how Garland fell from grace.
While the game will still use some of the role-playing mechanics Final Fantasy is famous for, the live combat is more similar to games like Dark Souls and Nioh. Players will be able to command other party members in battle while controlling Jack, or friends can control the other party members while playing online.
$59.99, available on GameStop
Kirby is Nintendo’s pink puffball hero, and his latest adventure is a 3D platformer for the Switch. As always, Kirby can copy the abilities of his enemies after swallowing them, and in the Forgotten Land, he’ll be able to swallow and control cars and other machines too.
Kirby will explore different stages in the Forgotten Land to free his friends, the Waddle Dees, and take on a variety of boss characters.
$79.99, available on GameStop
GhostWire Tokyo is a first-person survival horror game from Tango GameWorks and Shinji Mikami, director of Resident Evil and The Evil Within. Players must uncover the source of a supernatural phenomenon that has taken over the city of Tokyo and left its inhabitants possessed by demons.
Players will use a mix of magic spells and conventional weapons to defend themselves as they explore the abandoned citystape and dig further into the mystery surrounding Tokyo.
$59.99, available on GameStop
This spin-off of the Borderlands franchise expands on a Dungeons & Dragons-inspired adventure first featured as a small episode in Borderlands 2. Players will build their own character and embark on a fantasy campaign with up to three friends.
The game will incorporate the loot system made famous by Borderlands but focuses on dungeon-crawling rather than space travel.
$59.99, available on GameStop
The first Lego Star Wars games helped inspire a long-running series of games that includes partnerships with Marvel and DC Comics. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga will apply the same family-friendly approach to a game that spans all nine episodes of the Star Wars movie franchise.
The game will feature hundreds of playable characters as you progress through the story and features cooperative gameplay throughout.
$69.99, available on GameStop
Forspoken places a young woman from New York City into a fantasy realm called Athia, where she discovers a magic artifact that gives her special abilities. As she searches for a way home, she battles monsters and protects the people of Athia from an evil magic source called the Break.
From the publisher of games like Tomb Raider, Marvel’s Avengers, and Final Fantasy XV, Forspoken is an open world adventure game with an emphasis on combat and platforming.
$59.99, available on GameStop
Saints Row is a reboot of the open-world action franchise that debuted on the Xbox 360 in 2006. Three rival gangs control the fictional American city of Santo Ileso, and players will lead a new group determined to take control of the city.
Players will be able to create their own character and team up with a friend to progress through the campaign with shared progression. Like past Saints Row games, this one will feature a wide variety of cars and weapons for players to use as they clear through nine distinct city districts.
Not available for pre-order
Redfall is a cooperative shooting game from Arkane Austin, the creators of Dishonored and Prey. Players will choose one of four characters as they explore a Massachusetts town that has been beset by vampires.
In addition to character-specific weapons, each player will have access to unique abilities to help explore the island and deal with potential threats.
Not available for pre-order
Starfield is a new sci-fi role playing game from Bethesda, the company behind hits like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. It’s the company’s first new franchise in 25 years, though not many details about the gameplay have been released.
Director Todd Howard has described Starfield as «Skyrim in space,» which suggests that it will be an immersive experience with an emphasis on exploration.
Not available for pre-order
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a celebrated series of PC shooting games set in an alternate version of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, an area of Ukraine and Belarus left uninhabitable after a nuclear accident.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was announced more than a decade ago but internal problems at Ukrainian developer GSC Game World led to long term delays. The new game is expected to launch on Xbox Game Pass and will incorporate the series’s core themes of survival and isolation.
Not available for pre-order
The God of War reboot released in 2018 was one of the best games on PlayStation 4 and brought new life to the franchise. God of War: Ragnarok picks up where that game left off, with the former Greek god Kratos and his son Atreus preparing for a war between the Norse gods of Asgard.
Players will explore the Nine Realms to uncover the mystery behind Ragnarok, which is said to bring about the end of the world. You can expect the game to deliver more of the third person action and intense boss fights the God of War franchise is famous for.
Not available for pre-order
A Plague Tale: Requiem is the sequel to an incredibly successful stealth adventure game set in 14th century France. Controlling a woman named Amicia, players must navigate a series of puzzles, escape from enemy soldiers, and avoid a plague of rat hordes.
The story focuses on Amicia’s attempts to protect her sickly brother from the harsh environment and the black plague spread by the rats. Amicia can craft weapons and tools to help them on their journey as they navigate visually stunning landscapes.
Not available for pre-order
This game follows one of the lesser stars of The Lord of the Rings franchise on a stealth adventure set before the events of the book and film trilogy. Players will navigate familiar areas of Middle-Earth like Mordor and the forest of Mirkwood.
Gollum’s primary goal is to survive but occasionally the environment will give him ways to assassinate enemies and players will choose whether he listens to his kinder Smeagol persona or embraces his darker side.
Not available for pre-order
Marvel’s Midnight Suns pits iconic superheroes against a demonic force that plans to take over the world. The game will be a tactical role playing from the publisher of X-COM, meaning players will control a team of heroes in turn-based combat.
While we haven’t seen gameplay just yet, the look of the redesigned Marvel heroes and the innovative gameplay approach make it worth looking forward to.
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Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at [email protected].
