The new year has just begun, and that means only one thing: new video games are on the horizon. The holiday season is over, 2022 is in full swing, and there are a ton of incredible new titles for gamers to get excited about in the coming year.
From first-party exclusives to genre-bending indies, 2022 is looking like a benchmark year for video games. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles are now in their second year, and developers are primed to take full advantage of their impressive hardware. So, without any further ado, here are some of the biggest games currently expected to release in 2022.
TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX EXTRACTION – January 20th
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction is Ubisoft’s latest attempt to diversify the Rainbow Six brand. Featuring cooperative play between three people, players must use tactics and stealth to navigate alien-infested bunkers in order to recover resources vital to taking down the intergalactic threat.
Platforms: Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Store, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, Luna, Stadia
POKEMON LEGENDS: ARCEUS – January 28th
Nintendo’s vaunted Pokémon series goes open-world with Pokémon Legends: Arceus. The new title takes place far in the past of the Sinnoh region and features new mechanics and variations of existing monsters.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
DYING LIGHT 2: STAY HUMAN – February 4th
Dying Light 2: Stay Human, the long-awaited sequel to Techland’s zombie-survival, parkour game, is finally coming this February, and the new game comes with a host of improvements over its predecessor. New zombies, weapons, and abilities will allow players to freely explore the game’s large open world and interact with the various factions within it.
Platforms: Epic Games Store, Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5
SIFU – February 8th
Sifu is a stylish, beat ‘em up game from the developers of Absolver. Featuring over 150 unique attacks, Sifu puts players in the body of a martial arts master on a quest for revenge. A magic talisman allows the main character to cheat death at the cost of rapid aging with each resurrection.
Platforms: Epic Games Store, PS4, PS5
HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST – February 18th
Aloy is back for another adventure after her breakout hit in Horizon Zero Dawn back in 2017. Initially dated for late 2021, Horizon Forbidden West sees Aloy heading out to the west coast of the United States to deal with new challenges, old foes, and another world-ending cataclysm.
Platforms: PS4, PS5
DESTINY 2: THE WITCH QUEEN – February 22nd
Destiny 2 has been rolling out new content for players consistently for years now, and developer Bungie isn’t slowing down. The next major expansion, The Witch Queen, finally brings one of the game’s most enigmatic villains out into the light while also kicking off another full year of seasonal content.
Platforms: Steam, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, Stadia
ELDEN RING – February 25th
Elden Ring is the next great epic from FromSoftware, the developer behind Dark Souls. Featuring background lore by the great George R.R. Martin, Elden Ring takes place in a vast, fantasy world filled with gory monsters. Players take on the role of one of the Tarnished, an exile from this world who must restore their honor by reforging the titular accessory.
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5
GRAN TURISMO 7 – March 4th
After a long wait, racing fans will be able to get behind the wheel of Gran Turismo 7 this March. The flagship series for Sony has been MIA for quite some time, with the last title being Gran Turismo Sport back in 2017. GT7 will also take full advantage of the PlayStation 5’s new hardware with upgraded graphics and Dual Sense integration.
Platforms: PS4, PS5
TINY TINA’S WONDERLANDS – March 25th
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is a Borderlands spin on the fantasy genre, serving as a follow-up to the critically acclaimed Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-Shot Adventure. The new game boasts deep class customization and new abilities and weapons based on the fantasy setting.
Platforms: Epic Games Store, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: HEART OF CHERNOBYL – April 28th
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart Of Chernobyl takes players to a war-torn interpretation of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone that’s filled with dangerous monsters and desperate survivors. Part survival horror, part open-world, first-person shooter, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 gives players the power to decide the fate of the entire zone.
Platforms: Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Game Pass Day One
SONS OF THE FOREST – May 20th
Sons Of The Forest is a survival horror game from Endnight Games that takes place on a remote peninsula filled with horrifying mutants. Little has been revealed about the game’s plot, but it’s safe to assume it will pick on some of the story threads from Endnight’s previous title, The Forest.
Platforms: TBA
FORSPOKEN – May 24th
From Square Enix and Luminous Productions, the developer behind Final Fantasy XV, Forspoken is the story of a young woman named Frei who finds herself gifted with unique magical abilities and a destiny to save the world of Alethia from a cabal of power-hungry witches.
Platforms: Epic Games Store, Steam, PS5
SAINTS ROW – August 23rd
Saints Row is a reboot of the beloved, open-world action series that takes the franchise back to its criminal roots. Players will take on the role of a new “Boss” as they build up a new version of the titular Saints gang in the crime-ridden city of Santo Ileso.
Platforms: Epic Games Store, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5
STARFIELD – November 11th
Starfield is the first new IP developed by Bethesda in over twenty-five years and is also their first foray into the realm of space travel. Starfield will be an immersive, open-world RPG similar to other Bethesda games and will make use of their improved Creation Engine.
Platforms: PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store, Xbox Series X|S, Game Pass Day One, Xbox One via Cloud Gaming
NEON WHITE – Early 2022
Neon White is a fast-paced, action speed-runner where players take on the role of a specialized demon assassin who’s hired to clear other demons out of heaven. In addition to killing demons and setting personal bests, Neon White also has a social sim element between the main character and the other assassins.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Steam
REDFALL – Summer 2022
Redfall is the next game from Arkane Studios, the developers behind such titles as Prey, Dishonored, and Deathloop. It features an open-world environment set in the town of Redfall, Massachusetts that has been overrun by a vampire horde. Players can choose one of four different characters who all have different abilities, and they can also team up with three other people in cooperative play.
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store
GOTHAM KNIGHTS – 2022
Gotham Knights is an open-world, action RPG that takes the Batman mythos and flips it on its head. Batman is dead, leaving Gotham in a state of panic as villains claim whole sections of the city. Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, and Red Hood team up to put a stop to the chaos all while under the watchful eye of the Court of Owls.
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5
SUICIDE SQUAD: KILL THE JUSTICE LEAGUE – 2022
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League is the next game from Arkham Asylum developer Rocksteady, and a return to the Arkham game universe they first created. Braniac has invaded Earth and taken over the minds of the Justice League. It’s up to Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, and King Shark to get them back to their senses. Or just straight-up murder them.
Platforms: PC via Steam, Xbox Series X|S, PS5
HOGWARTS LEGACY – 2022
Hogwarts Legacy places players in the shoes of a Hogwarts student as they explore their new school and grapple with the challenges of being a magical student. While set in the world of Harry Potter, Hogwarts Legacy takes place in the late 1800s, roughly a hundred years before the events of the books. The game will feature a variety of mechanics including spell casting and beast taming.
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5
GOD OF WAR RAGNORAK – 2022
God Of War Ragnorak is the sequel to 2018’s God of War soft reboot and will conclude the Norse saga of the series. Kratos and his son, Atreus, must deal with the ramifications of their actions from the previous game all while seeking to avert the coming apocalypse.
Platforms: PS4, PS5
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD 2 – 2022
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild remains one of the most beloved games in history, and its sequel is eagerly anticipated by Nintendo fans around the world. Details about the sequel are thin, but it is confirmed that Ganon will feature prominently and that there will be new areas to explore and mechanics to master.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
STRAY – 2022
Stray is the conventional, heartfelt story of a cat trying to find his way back to his loving family. The unconventional part is that he’s somehow found himself in a world inhabited entirely by robots. The cat will have to explore the world, solve puzzles, and defeat nasty enemies in order to make his way back home.
Platforms: Steam, PS4 PS5
A PLAGUE TALE: REQUIEM – 2022
A Plague Tale: Requiem continues the story of A Plague Tale: Innocence, following Amicia and her brother Hugo as they once more attempt to survive the perils of 1400s, plague-ridden France. The sequel also appears to expand on the magical realism and mechanics of the original game.
Platforms: PC via Epic Games Store and Steam, Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Nintendo Switch via Cloud Gaming
BAYONETTA 3 – 2022
Bayonetta 3 has been in development for a very long time, and it is finally slated to launch in 2022. PlatinumGames’ beloved action series was initially announced back in 2017 before going dark for about four years. Nintendo finally showed off footage of the game last September before revealing the release window of 2022.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
MARVEL’S MIDNIGHT SUNS – 2022
In a surprise announcement at Gamescom 2021, Marvel revealed Marvel’s Midnight Suns, a tactical RPG developed by Firaxis, the makers of XCOM. The game features an original story that pits iconic Marvel characters like Captain America and Ghost Rider against Lilith, the Mother of All Demons.
Platforms: PC via Steam, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch
There’s an incredible lineup of games coming in 2022, and the year is only getting started. Which of these games are you planning on picking up? Any games on this list you didn’t already know about or weren’t interested in before? Let us know in the comments below.
