2021 is mercifully coming to an end, and a new year is coming, showing much promise if all the announcements pan out instead of being delayed into next year.
On the list below we’ve gathered fifteen of the biggest, more interesting games worth keeping an eye on in 2022. Ten of them have specified release dates, but it’s something to be taken with a grain of salt. Things always could get delayed, it’s not something to schedule your entire year around.
Five games do NOT have any release date, barring a hopeful “coming 2022”. It’s reasonable to expect them to come out in the coming year, but it wouldn’t be entirely impossible if they got pushed into 2023. Without further ado, let’s take a look at…
Monster Hunter Rise – January 12th
Release: | 2022-01-12 |
Genre: | RPG |
Developer: | Capcom |
Although Monster Hunter Rise has been out since March 2021, the availability has been limited to Nintendo Switch. Thankfully for everyone who doesn’t have Nintendo’s portable console, MHR is coming to PC (Steam, specifically) in early 2022. On January 12th, to be specific. It’s not a 1:1 port either, because it includes a large number of graphical improvements, including 4k resolution support.
The big thing of Monster Hunter Rise’s gameplay are the wirebugs, nifty little insects which assist you with traversal and enable new combat manoeuvres for every weapon. Unfortunately for some, the wirebugs replace the slinger PC players know from MH: World, but while you won’t be able to huck berries and stones at monsters, the wirebug moves are fun, exciting, and often spectacular.
God of War (PC) – January 14th
Release: | 2022-01-14 |
Genre: | Action |
Developer: | Sony Interactive Entertainment / Jetpack Interactive |
Another port of a great game to help us start 2022 in good spirits, God of War arrives on PC after spending almost four years on PS4. While PC players still can’t play any of the classic God of War entries, being treated to the universally praised soft reboot is certainly an appreciated gesture, even if Kratos is unleashing his rage on Norse, rather than Greek, mythology and bestiary.
Kratos also famously has a son now, and the plot focuses a lot on familiar relations in general, putting old man Kratos firmly among the bearded, gruff dads of popculture. Don’t worry, though, despite the family drama there’s still a ton of combat powered mostly, but not exclusively, by a fancy, ice-powered axe. It’s a fantastic game, and it feels great to have it on PC.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus – January 28th
Release: | 2022-01-28 |
Genre: | RPG |
Developer: | Game Freak |
Straying from the usual formula of the series, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is going to take a more action-oriented approach. There’s a sizeable, but not overwhelming open world and you’re going to fight wild Pokémon right there and then, instead of a dedicated battle screen. Even the battles themselves will be more dynamic, with a more flexible turn order.
There’s even going to be a crafting system, letting you create Poké Balls and other useful items from stuff you find during exploration. The game’s plot takes places hundreds of years before the events from other games, in the Hisui region which would later become better known as Sinnoh. It’s not going to be a Pokémon Breath of the Wild, but it has all the markings of an interesting, fresh take on the series.
Dying Light 2 – February 4th
Release: | 2022-02-04 |
Genre: | Action |
Developer: | Techland Publishing |
Long time in the making, delayed several times, but it’s finally, hopefully almost here. Dying Light 2 will tell a new story, set two decades after the events of the previous game, featuring a new protagonist. What doesn’t change is the importance of satisfying parkour system, the presence of zombies, and your ability to wreck their faces with cool jury-rigged weapons.
The rumours have it that The City has a map four times as large as the first game’s, with distinct districts and landmarks. The day/night cycle from the original game is making a comeback, so you must be prepared for more hectic fights and daring escapades as the zombies go into overdrive after nightfall. Thankfully the multiplayer comes back too, so your friends can help.
Sifu – February 8th
Release: | 2022-02-08 |
Genre: | Action, Indie |
Developer: | Sloclap |
The studio developing Sifu, Sloclap, made some headlines a few years back thanks to their previous martial arts-related project: Absolver. Their new project, Sifu, ditches the multiplayer and customizable fighting style in favor of tailor-made, singleplayer experience with polished, flowing animations. Sifu follows a student of kung fu seeking to unleash vengeance upon people who killed his family.
When the main character falls in combat, he can resurrect…at the cost of becoming older, which is a mixed blessing. Along your path of vengeance, you’ll unlock new techniques, all based on or at least inspired by Pak Mei kung fu. While the proof of the pudding is in the eating, by all trailers and materials revealed so far Sifu looks like it might turn out to be the most interesting game of February.
Total War: Warhammer III – February 17th
Release: | 2022-02-17 |
Genre: | RTS |
Developer: | The Creative Assembly |
The third instalment of the remarkably successful Total War: Warhammer series is shaping up to be quite grand indeed. Featuring factions which have never been properly present in the tabletop wargame, Total War: Warhammer III goes beyond the source material the series has been so aptly adapting. The new mortal factions are Kislev, Ogre Kingdoms, and for the first time ever: Cathay.
The forces of Chaos are also making an appearance. You’ll be able to field the hordes of Nurgle, Slaanesh, Khorne, and Tzeentch demons against the Kislevite bear cavalry or ogres’ ever-hungry hordes. The new units TWWH3 is going to introduce look awesome, and many of the have been showcased in lengthy gameplay videos, so it’s super easy to see what the game is going to look like.
Elden Ring – February 25th
Release: | 2022-02-25 |
Genre: | Souls-like |
Developer: | FromSotfware |
For a long time Elden Ring remained rather mysterious. We knew it’s made by FromSoftware of Dark Souls fame, and that George R.R. Martin is working on it, but little more. And then the floodgates opened, and we learned a bunch of stuff. For one, the player character’s adjective this time is “Tarnished”, and that the world is seemingly livelier and more open than in Soulsbornes.
This new openness is probably this time around we will get a horse and there’s apparently going to be some mounted combat. The combat system is probably going to be quite familiar to any veteran of the Soulsborne games, although there are some tweaks, like more flexible builds, and the stealth system is said to come back after the success of Sekiro. It’s been a long wait, but it’s about to pay off.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl – April 25th
Release: | 2024-11-20 |
Genre: | FPS, Post-apocalyptic |
Developer: | GSC Game World |
13 years is a long time by any metric. Doubly so for video games. STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl has a very troubled history, involving cancellations and the developer dissolving, but after years of turmoil, it seems to be on the right course to actually come out in April 2022. The license is clearly as persistent and hard to kill as the characters it portrays.
What can we expect? A large open world modelled after the real Chernobyl exclusion zone, for one. The developers promise a branching, non-linear story, probably once again guided by multiple factions. We can also absolutely expect more extremely dangerous anomalies, more exceptionally unfriendly mutants, and plenty of artifacts which make living in the Zone worth the risk.
Saints Row – August 23rd
Release: | 2022-08-23 |
Genre: | Action |
Developer: | Volition Inc. |
After the world-breaking and reality-warping shenanigans which took place in Saints Row IV and Gat out of Hell there was little chance for the Saints as we know them to return to Stilwater or Steelport. As a result, what we’re getting is a reboot, with new characters, new city, but with familiar gameplay and the expected irreverent, sometimes dorky sense of humor.
This time the game is going to take place in Santo Ileso, inspired by the American Southwest, and the new Saints are formed out of people dissatisfied with other gangs and trying to make their own mark on the city. We can expect reclaiming districts from enemy gangs, plenty of silly side-content to take part in, and robust character customization. Hopefully old Saints do make some appearance.
Starfield – November 11th
Release: | 2022-11-11 |
Genre: | RPG |
Developer: | Bethesda Game Studios |
Late in the year we’re told to expect the coming of Starfield, Bethesda Softworks’ science fiction open-world space-faring role-playing game. So far, we’ve seen little beyond short teasers and art snippets, but what is there promises an interesting adventure, very different from Bethesda’s usual fantasy output of The Elder Scrolls series.
Admittedly, there isn’t a whole lot known about Starfield right now, which is fine. The release doesn’t come until November, there’s plenty of time to show the gameplay off from every angle, so we can enjoy the bits and pieces that have been revealed so far.
A Plague Tale: Requiem
Release: | 2022-10-18 |
Genre: | TPP, Stealth |
Developer: | Asobo Studio |
After the satisfying success of A Plague Tale: Innocence, it should come as little surprise that there’s a sequel coming. A Plague Tale: Requiem stays with Amicia and Hugo from the first game, as they go on a lengthier journey to address the curse that troubles their family.
There’s very little known about the game, but the announcement trailer promises more rats, more medieval Europe struggling against the plague, and more familial issues. It wouldn’t be surprising if the stealth mechanic and tactical use of rats also made a comeback.
God of War: Ragnarök
Release: | 2022 |
Genre: | Action |
Developer: | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
The much-awaited sequel to PlayStation 4’s probably best-received exclusive (not exclusive anymore, ha!), God of War: Ragnarök seems to pick up where the last scene of 2018’s GoW left off. The Norse end times are coming, and Thor’s dusted off his hammer to give Kratos a stern talking-to.
The story takes place three years after the previous game’s events, and will feature big lad Tyr, apparently not dead. Not a whole lot of the game was shown so far, but it’s reasonable to expect the gameplay seeds planted by its predecessor to fully bloom in Ragnarök.
Baldur’s Gate III
Release: | 2020-10-06 |
Genre: | RPG |
Developer: | Larian Studios |
Still deep in development at the time of writing, Baldur’s Gate III released the Work-in-Progress version of its first chapter in Early Access to gather players’ feedback and use it to polish the base experience. A definitive release date is unknown, but late-ish 2022 might be achievable.
Baldur’s Gate III updates the classic RPG series in big ways: For one, there’s a new engine capable of handling high-quality 3D, interactive environment and detailed animations. The game also shifted from real-time to turn-based combat to better accommodate the Dungeons & Dragons 5e ruleset.
Dead Space
Release: | 2022 |
Genre: | Survival Horror |
Developer: | Motive Studios |
The original Dead Space was an exceptional horror game. It took place on a huge, industrial spaceship, and the scares were provided by gruesome mutated monstrosities called Necromorphs which infested and reconfigured dead bodies. It was like a modern take on Alien, and it rocked.
It’s definitely a game worth remaking with modern technology, and said remake is coming in 2022, featuring the premise you’re already know, and, hopefully, using all the fancy technical terms to turn USG Ishimura into an even more terrifying place, worthy of Xeno- and Necro-morphs alike.
Warhammer 40.000: Darktide
Release: | 2022 |
Genre: | Hack'n'Slash |
Developer: | Fatshark |
If you liked Warhammer: Vermintide 2 (or its predecessor), you might be interested in WH40k: Darktide. Swapping Warhammer Fantasy for its Gothic space age counterpart, Darktide will follow a group of Inquisition agents trying to eradicate Chaos cults from planet Atoma Prime.
Unlike Vermintide with its pre-made characters and classes, in Darktide you’re going to create your own characters, from appearance up to their skills and loadouts. It’s an interesting strategy. Hopefully we’ll be able to make big ogryn lads like the trailer promised, it would be shame if we couldn’t.
A lot to wait for
This concludes our quick look at year 2022 in game releases. These titles are just a small selection releases which are set to come out next year. There are sequels and remakes, there are games arriving to a different platform than they originated on, there are AAA games as well as a scrappy indie or two. Plenty to be excited about, plenty to add to your wishlist, plenty to get your budget ready for.
There are still many more games beyond what we described. A new Kerbal Space Program, for example, a sequel to Breath of the Wild, or Firaxis’ Midnight Suns. The release calendar is very promising, hopefully it delivers.