Another exciting year of gaming is upon us. The good news is there are tons of big sequels and delayed games to finally look forward to in 2022, such as Horizon Forbidden West, God of War Ragnarok, Starfield, and Elden Ring. The bad news is we still don’t have confirmed release dates for far too many games.
In fact, of the 22 games we’ve listed below, we have release dates for fewer than half of them. There may be a few hopeful wishes here (looking at you, Untitled Breath of the Wild sequel), but we’re confident at least most of these games should release this year.
Elden Ring
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Release date: February 25, 2022
Dark Souls has evolved from a beloved gaming series into its own subgenre of hardcore action-RPGs, but Elden Ring is a cut above. It’s developed from the Dark Souls creators, FromSoftware, directed by Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki, and features a fantasy world co-written by George R. R. Martin. That’s an incredible pedigree, and makes Elden Ring one of the single most anticipated games of the year.
Forspoken
Platforms: PC, PlayStation
Release date: May 24, 2022
Originally teased as Project Athia, Forspoken is an open-world, narrative-focused action game starring a young woman from our world (Frey) who’s transported into the magical realm of Athia. It’s being developed by Luminous Productions, a studio that was born from the development team of Final Fantasy XV.
God of War: Ragnarok
Platforms: PlayStation
Release date: 2022
2018’s God of War has received universal praise as one of the best action games ever made, building on the aging series with a fresh new story, giving Kratos a son, and changing from Greek Mythology into Norse themes. Ragnarok is a direct sequel that takes place several years later, with Kratos’ son Atreus now a teenager. I’m sure it will be a drama-free relationship from here!
Gotham Knights
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Release date: 2022
Gotham Knights is set in a world where Batman has apparently died, leaving four heroes to take up the mantle of defending Gotham: Robin, Batgirl, Nightwing, and Red Hood. All four will be fully playable, and the game supports two player drop-in co-op.
Hogwarts Legacy
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Release date: 2022
Little is known about this ambitious open-world RPG set in the wizarding world of Harry Potter, except that it’s set over 100 years ago, in the late 1800s. Players will fully customize their own young witch or wizard, attend classes, and get into all kinds of trouble.
Horizon Forbidden West
Platforms: PlayStation
Release date: February 18, 2022
Horizon Zero Dawn was one of our favorite games of the PlayStation 4 generation, with excellent action-stealth gameplay, a thriving open-world rich with exploration, and cool robotic dinosaur monsters to battle. The sequel, Forbidden West, brings Aloy to the ruins of North America to continue her journey of self-discovery and the mysteries surrounding the planet’s history.
Kerbal Space Program 2
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Release date: 2022
Even if the long-awaited sequel to 2015’s indie space flight simulator is more of the same, that’s more than enough for us. Kerbal Space Program 2 builds on its excellent, science-based simulator with new space colonization tools, interstellar travel, and multiplayer support.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Platforms: Switch
Release date: March 25, 2022
Our first main Kirby sequel since 2018’s Kirby Star Allies marks the pink puffball’s first foray into 3D adventure. Kirby explores the Forgotten Land to rescue Waddle Dees, using his classic swallow-and-copy to gain enemy abilities. Forgotten Land also adds a new hub town full of mini-games run by rescued Waddle Dees, and support for two player local co-op.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
Platforms: Switch
Release date: 2022
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was a surprisingly effective combination of XCOM-like tactical combat within the colorful, zany mushroom kingdom, along with a dash of Ubisoft’s odd rabbid characters. The sequel continues the strange but fun crossover, this time expanding the world into the entire galaxy.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox
Release date: 2022
Firaxis Games, makers of the excellent XCOM reboot series of tactical strategy games, are making a tactical strategy game set in the Marvel universe, with a slightly darker twist. You take on the role of the hunter, a customizable superhero and child of Lilith, a demon. Join forces with Marvel’s anti-heroes such as Blade, Ghost Runner, and Wolverine to take her down in a story based on the 90s comic storyline, Midnight Sons.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Platforms: Switch
Release date: January 28, 2022
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a prequel to Diamond and Pearl (recently remade into Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl). Instead of battling gym trainers, you’ll be surveying and exploring the Sinnoh region, then known as the Hisui region, and creating its first ever Pokedex. And battling and capturing lots of Pokémon along the way.
Rune Factory 5
Platforms: Switch
Release date: March 22, 2022
The first Rune Factory game since 2014 will bring the farm sim action-RPG series to Nintendo Switch. Rune Factory 5 continues the underrated gameplay of monster taming, farming crops, romancing friends, and battling through dungeons.
Saints Row
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Release date: August 23, 2022
After a series of increasingly wacky GTA-like action games, Volition is rebooting the Saints Row series. Simply called Saints Row, this new reboot will tone down the wackiness but maintain the fun, open-world urban mayhem, as well as character customization and drop-in cooperative multiplayer.
Sea of Stars
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox
Release date: 2022
Indie developers looking to capture beloved retro games are a dime a dozen, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love them. Sea of Stars is clearly inspired by Chrono Trigger, one of the all-time best 16-bit RPGs, with turn-based combat, a colorful world, and memorable heroes.
Slime Rancher 2
Platforms: PC, Xbox
Release date: 2022
Somehow it’s been five years since we first fell in love with Slime Rancher’s adorable mix of first-person exploration and monster-ranching on an alien planet. The sequel takes Beatrix to an all new world filled with never before seen slimes as she expands an entire slime conservatory.
Splatoon 3
Platforms: Switch
Release date: 2022
Splatoon 3 adds new items, weapons, and levels to the competitive paintball-shooter. Players can now choose between inklings and ocotlings as playable characters. The single player campaign is called “Return of the Mammalians,” and teases some big revelations for the squid-iverse.
Starfield
Platforms: PC, Xbox
Release date: November 11, 2022
Officially announced way back in 2018, Starfield represents the first completely new series by Bethesda in over 25 years, and has quaintly been described as Skyrim in space, which means Bethesda is taking their big open world RPG formula and taking it to the stars. Fun fact: Starfield launches 11/11/22, exactly 11 years after Skyrim’s memorable 11/11/11 launch date.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Platforms: PC, Switch
Release date: 2022
Shredder’s Revenge is a classic side-scrolling arcade beat ’em up modeled after the golden age of the pixelated genre in the early 90s, which included several great games based on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The beat ’em up will include up to four player local and online co-op, and a recent trailer revealed April O’Neal as a playable character.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Sequel
Platforms: Switch
Release date: TBA
We really hope we get an official title soon, as we’re tired of calling this the “Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.” But we’re still ridiculously excited. Breath of the Wild needs no introduction. The sooner we get details and, more importantly, a release date for one of the most anticipated sequels of all time, the better!
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Release date: March 25, 2022
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is a stand-alone spinoff of the Borderlands series, taking the sci-fi action-shooter romp squarely into a fantasy world designed by Tiny Tina herself. Players will choose between six classes with different abilities. But like Borderlands, it’s all about the randomized loot, and blowing your enemies away with increasingly crazy weaponry.
Triangle Strategy
Platforms: Switch
Release date: March 4, 2022
Fans of retro, 90s RPGs and strategy-RPGs should pay attention to Triangle Strategy, a tactical RPG from Square Enix that draws inspiration from Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics. Critical choices will bear consequences during battle, affecting your enemies and allies.
Two Point Campus
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox
Release date: 2022
Two Point Hospital was a successful reboot of Theme Hospital, and reignited our love of the top-down sim management genre. Two Point Campus takes the humorous sim to school, as we build and manage a variety of universities and college campuses. Unlike patients, students tend to hang around a bit longer, and have many more desires to fulfill.
What games are you most looking forward to this year? Let us know!
