The most anticipated games of 2020: Cyberpunk 2077, Final Fantasy 7 and more!
2020 is the biggest year in gaming for a while, packed full of exciting game releases and entirely new next-generation console launches.
Image source: PlayStation
2020 is one of the biggest years for videogames in a very long time. There is a frankly insane amount of huge games coming in 2020, with more titles on the way that haven’t even been announced yet. The next generation of gaming consoles will launch this year as well, with the release of the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5. E3 2020 is going to be massive.
It might be a little difficult to sort through all of these games to find the few gems you really want to play, but never fear! We’ve cherry-picked the most exciting games coming out this year, and compiled them in one big list.
Here are the biggest upcoming games of 2020:
Dreams - February 14, 2020 (PlayStation 4)
Dreams is less of a game, and more of a game creation system. You can literally make any game you could dream up with this, as well as explore the creations of other players all around the world. Just as an example, people have remade games like P.T., Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy VII, Undertale, Dead Space, a Zelda game and more just within Dreams. The possibilities are staggering!
Final Fantasy VII Remake - March 3 (PlayStation 4)
Fans have been clamouring for a Final Fantasy VII remake for 15 years now, and in a couple of months, they’re finally getting it! Well... part of it, at least. The game released this year is only part one of this remake, with the rest of the game arriving later. I doubt fans are too concerned about the original game being split into so many segments though, because this looks fantastic. Square Enix even somehow found a way to blend classic turn-based gameplay with modern Final Fantasy combat!
Doom Eternal - March 20 (PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
It honestly stings a little that Doom Eternal is even on this list. The game suffered a delay recently, postponed from November 2019 to March 2020. In the words of Shigeru Miyamoto, however - a delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad. Doom (2016) saw Id Software hone their skills at creating the ultimate first-person shooter, handing players the reins to the most powerful demon-slayer around without taking away the challenge of it all. Doom Eternal looks even better than its predecessor, if its trailers are anything to go by.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons - March 20 (Nintendo Switch)
It actually warms my heart that Animal Crossing has carved out its own Pokemon-sized fandom. This installment of Nintendo's life simulation series will see Tom Nook give us a ticket to our very own deserted island. We get to create an entire settlement of creatures, seek resources, do chores and generally have a relaxing, fun time. The game even has multiplayer now, allowing you to play with your friends on a shared island.
Half-Life: Alyx - Sometime in March 2020 (PC)
Honestly, this might be the closest we ever get to playing the fabled Half-Life 3. It's definitely the most hype a VR title has ever had going for it, that's for sure. Half-Life: Alyx is set in between Half-Life and Half-Life 2, with players taking control of Alyx Vance as she and her father build a resistance against the invasion of the Combine. Are you up for fighting Headcrabs in VR?
Resident Evil 3 - April 3 (PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Hot on the heels of the Resident Evil 2 remake, Resident Evil 3 is a remake of the original survival horror game released in 1999. Taking place around the same time as Resident Evil 2, the game focuses on Jill Valentine - a former S.T.A.R.S. officer fighting to escape Raccoon City while it’s being overrun by zombies. At the same time, she is being hunted by Nemesis, a far more capable and intelligent version of Mr. X, whose sole purpose is to kill her and every remaining member of S.T.A.R.S. The game also comes bundled with a multiplayer experience called Project Resistance.
Cyberpunk 2077 - April 16 (PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
In case you’ve been living under a Keanu-proof rock, Cyberpunk 2077 is a first-person RPG set in a futuristic megacity. The city isn’t perfect, of course - it’s run not only by faceless corporations, but criminal gangs as well. The choices you make during gameplay will affect the larger story you experience, and you can also influence gameplay by building your character up with different skills. The Witcher 3 developers CD Projekt Red are working on this game, and given their stellar record… This is going to be big.
Marvel’s Avengers - May 15 (PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
The story of Square Enix's Avengers begins on A-Day, which sees a devastating event that kills one of the Avengers and destroys an entire city. The Avengers are blamed for the tragedy and disband. Five years later however, Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) brings them back together after uncovering a shocking conspiracy centred around A.I.M. - an organisation controlling San Francisco. You can play as multiple Marvel characters in both online and offline missions. If the wait for the next Avengers movie is getting unbearable, pick this up!
The Last of Us 2 - May 29 (PlayStation 4)
We have finally arrived at my personal favourite of this list. The Last of Us 2 is a sequel to Naughty Dog’s groundbreaking post-apocalypse game released back in 2013 - so fans have been waiting a while, to say the least. The game is set five years after the events of The Last of Us, and you’ll play as a 19-year-old Ellie who comes into conflict with a mysterious cult. We know very little about the story otherwise, but we do know that Joel will be back in some capacity - and something will happen to make Ellie very, very angry. You connect the dots.
Ghostrunner - August 6, 2020 (PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Ghostrunner is a fast-paced cyberpunk game where you play as a ninja murdering his way through the neon-lit landscape of a futuristic city. The game looks absolutely gorgeous, and the gameplay looks challenging - but buttery smooth at the same time. What's not to love about this title?
Destroy All Humans! - Early 2020 (PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
If you aren’t familiar with the PlayStation 2/Xbox game, this is a remake of of the original game. Destroy All Humans! is essentially GTA with aliens. That’s the single best way I can describe it. The game is set in 1959 in the United States, and pokes jokes at the time period repeatedly. You control Cryptosporidium 137 - an alien member of the Furon race, who has come to Earth to harvest human DNA. This will actually be the first entry in the Destroy All Humans! series since 2008, so here’s hoping it revives the classic series.
Dying Light 2 - Spring 2020 (PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Techland’s Dying Light 2 takes everything that made the first game great, and ramps it all up with a much, much bigger focus on its story. The first-person zombie horror element is still there, but now you’ll also have to deal with story choices that can massively change what happens to your game world. Dying Light 2's gameplay demo highlighted the fact that one simple choice could drastically change the narrative, and reveal entirely new sections of the open world that you might never find otherwise.
Ghost of Tsushima - Summer 2020 (PlayStation 4)
This is one of PlayStation’s big 2020 exclusives, developed by Sucker Punch Productions. The developers of Infamous are behind this beautiful-looking game set in medieval Japan during the first Mongol invasion. If you’re a stickler for authenticity, the game also has an option for Japanese voice acting! Man, this game looks gorgeous.
Halo Infinite - Holidays 2020 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X)
Besides Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, this is the only other title announced for next-generation Xbox consoles. Halo Infinite is a sequel to Halo 5, with a heavier focus on Master Chief. Cortana will also return somehow - though I doubt many fans are too excited about that. Halo is still a legendary first-person shooter series however, and I have to hope that this is the game to bring glory back to the series after a couple of disappointing installments.
Watch Dogs Legion - Sometime in 2020 (PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Here’s something I should probably mention about all these Ubisoft games: they might not even be coming out this year. Watch Dogs Legion was initially slated for a March 2020 release date, but Ubisoft delayed all of their upcoming games to 2020-2021 to ensure their quality. This game had a pretty unique concept: play as anyone in a post-Brexit London, and take down tyrannical forces that are controlling the British city. Hopefully it's only been delayed to later in 2020, and not beyond that!
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Quarantine - Sometime in 2020 (PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six Siege exploded in popularity after its release for being an incredibly tense and tactical multiplayer shooter. This is a spin-off of the game’s Outbreak event, which involves an enemy alien biohazard. The game will be a three-player cooperative first-person shooter that requires you to work with others while fighting against a mysterious enemy force.
Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 - Sometime in 2020 (PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
This is a sequel to the legendary 2004 game Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodlines, an action-RPG focusing on… You guessed it, vampires. You play as one of a number of humans turned into vampires during a Mass Embrace - an incident in which rogue vampires broke the ‘Masquerade’ and attacked humans. As a result, Seattle’s vampire groups have been thrown into chaos.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga - Sometime in 2020 (PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch)
Anyone who’s played and loved the Lego Star Wars games should have this one on their radar. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a total reboot of all the mainline Lego Star Wars games, introducing entirely new mechanics that have never been seen in a Lego game before. For example, the entire game will now be played in an over-the-shoulder perspective, and will feature over 200 playable characters, side quests and fully explorable planets. Read more here!
Kerbal Space Program 2 - Sometime in 2020 (PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
This sequel to the smash hit space flight simulation game is a lot more ambitious in scope! The game will build on its predecessor’s sandbox features, while introducing new propulsion methods, habitation modules and planetary colonies. Kerbal Space Program 2 will also come with a multiplayer mode, and interstellar travel to boot. You’ll see this game on a whole bunch of Youtube channels once it launches, that’s for sure.
Microsoft Flight Simulator - Sometime in 2020 (PC, Xbox One)
This is the first entry in the Microsoft Flight Simulator series after a long 14 years, and it looks fantastic. The game will simulate Earth - yes, the ENTIRE planet Earth - using textures and topographical data from Bing Maps. Microsoft Azure technology will also be used to render three-dimensional versions of the world’s features - such as foliage, buildings and water. The game will also have realistic physics and weather - to the point where if it’s raining somewhere in real life, it would also rain in that location in-game. Technology!
That’s a lot of games!
Image source: Square Enix
There are even more unannounced games out there that will probably be released in the second half of 2020. For now, we have more information on the first half - but that alone hosts so many of our most anticipated games, from titles like Doom Eternal to the Final Fantasy VII Remake. What are you planning to play this year?
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