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Here's everything announced at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2022. From a Sonic Frontiers release date reveal to an actual glimpse at Dead Island 2 gameplay, we saw plenty of new announcements over the show's two-hour runtime – hey, there was even a Hideo Kojima podcast announcement thrown in for good measure.
There were over 30 reveals shown throughout Gamescom Opening Night Live 2022, so you're bound to find something that aligns with your taste. Fans of chill city-building games like Dorfromantik will be pleased to know that it's coming to the Nintendo Switch, while comic fans will surely be thrilled to find out that Gotham Knights is releasing a few days early.
Everywhere
Well, it’s finally here. Nearly. Everywhere was unveiled with a brand new trailer, showing off various environments for players to create in and explore. Everywhere is aiming to launch at some point in 2023, and it’s clear that player-driven content is a big focus for this game, which has been in the works for over five years now.
Dune Awakening
It’s a Dune game! Dune Awakening is a survival game set in the expansive Dune universe, and basically takes the form of an open-world survival MMO. Oh, and if you were wondering whether the big bad worm would be making an appearance in this newly unveiled game, we can answer that with an emphatic “yes.”
New PS5 controller
After plenty of rumours, Sony has finally lifted the veil on the PS5 DualSense Edge, a fancy controller in the vein of the Xbox Elite series gamepads. You'll get options to tweak the dead zones and sensitivity of your analogue sticks, adjustable resistance for the analogue triggers, and, of course, back paddles. No price or release date info for the controller was announced.
The Callisto Protocol
The Callisto Protocol continues to look extremely gory, but that’s no surprise from the mind behind the Dead Space games. This was actually our first look at “live” gameplay for The Callisto Protocol, which showed our protagonist sneaking around an area and stabbing horrific monsters in the back, and hurling enemies with their stasis power into a blending machine. Oh, and then he gets swept away by a flood and chopped in half by turbine propellers. Hard luck.
The Lords of the Fallen
One of the earliest games to adopt the Souls-like moniker is getting a reboot for the PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The Lords of the Fallen has been revealed with a flashy three-minute trailer that features voiceover work from Joseph Quinn, who you may recognise from Stranger Things. Expect an all-new adventure set more than a thousand years after the first game's events in a world more than five times larger.
Moving Out 2
Couch co-op indie game Moving Out is getting a sequel you can play next year. The developer isn't messing with a good thing gameplay-wise, though you might be happy to know that Moving Out 2 introduces online co-op alongside cross-played enabled gameplay. Oh, and you won’t be stuck in Packmore this time around, as there are new worlds out there for you to visit.
Hogwarts Legacy
A new trailer focuses heavily on the darker side of Hogwarts. Potter fans will be familiar with the Unforgiveable Curses, and it seems you'll be wrestling with at least one of those as you journey through Hogwarts. Some of that dark magic might come in handy, however, as the caves beneath the iconic castle are full of some pretty unpleasant-looking magical beings.
The trailer closes on the reveal of the game's Deluxe Edition, which offers a bunch of cosmetics and mounts, but also grants 72 hours early access to the game, which is set to launch in February. Pre-order will be available later this week, starting on August 25.
New Tales from the Borderlands
You only have two months to wait to play New Tales from the Borderlands. Gearbox Software has revealed that the new standalone, choice-based interactive narrative adventure is due to launch on October 21, 2022, for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.
This time, you'll be shaping the stories of altruistic scientist Anu, her "streetwise" brother Octavio, and the frogurt-loving Fran through your decisions. While Telltale isn't around for this one, its influence certainly is.
Dying Light 2: Bloody Ties DLC
Dying Light 2's first story DLC is called Bloody Ties, and it's out on October 13. This one's all about arena battles, sending you to fight against other survivors in a new area called the Carnage Hall. We don't yet know what the balance between combat challenges and story missions will look like, but the new content promises an array of new weapons to play with either way.
Tortuga: A Pirate’s Tale
The developer behind the Port Royale strategy games series is working on a new pirate-themed adventure called Tortuga: A Pirate’s Tale. The reveal kept things brief, though we got a wee glimpse at ship customisation, open-sea battles, and Caribbean exploration, all the while a captain put a call out for some new recruits.
Destiny 2 Lightfall
The Destiny 2 Lightfall reveal trailer is absolutely stacked. Of course, the headliner is the February 28, 2023 release date, but we've also got a new Darkness subclass called Strand. We'll need Strand's power (and grappling hook) to defend Neptune's cyberpunk city of Neomuna from the Witness and his new disciple Calus, who leads a Shadow Legion of Cabal bolstered by the new Tormentor enemy type. At least we've got some friendly and absolutely shredded Cloud Strider warriors to help us out. Oh, and we're finally getting loadouts, in-game LFG, and a new-player guide, plus promises of "no more expansion sunsetting" from Bungie.
Sonic Frontiers
Sonic Frontiers finally has a release date of November 8, 2022 for all systems. In this brand new trailer, we saw the Blue Blur activate some strange pillar-like device, before running headlong around and through tracks. There were brand new locations and enigmatic characters aplenty shown off in this new trailer, and there’s some mysterious “ancient” force awaiting to be uncovered.
Under the Waves
Quantic Dream is publishing a new single-player narrative-driven game called Under the Waves. You’ll be following a professional diver called Stan who starts to experience strange events at the ocean’s depths, tying into the game’s themes of the engulfing power of grief. This one is due to release next year on PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
Goat Simulator 3
We have got our first glimpse of Goat Simulator 3’s gameplay, and it’s every bit as bombastic as you’d hope. The new trailer shows goats charging around with jetpacks, wearing different outfits, and even playing a bit of soccer for good measure. It’s not all chaos, as there’s an opportunity for a spot of yoga, too.
Return to Monkey Island
Return to Monkey Island is nearly here! The new Gamescom trailer revealed it’ll be here next month on September 19, so there really isn’t long to wait until we rejoin Guybrush for more adventures. Oh, and you can even pre-order the new Monkey Island game for some special Horse Armour. Yes, that is a real thing. No, it doesn’t affect the wider game at all.
Moonbreaker
Well, this was something of a surprise. Moonbreaker is a sci-fi game featuring digital miniatures, set in a universe created by the best-selling author Brandon Sanderson. The game actually has you painting your characters before sending them out into turn-based battles on a playing field. Moonbreaker enters early access later this year on September 29, and it looks like a lush miniatures game for people who just can’t handle the stress of painting.
Friends vs Friends
What started as a cute trailer with anthropomorphic animal protagonists and a ukulele ditty soon turned into something else entirely as we have been introduced to Friends vs Friends, a stylish deckbuilding FPS that we didn’t know we needed until now. Battle your buds in various PvP modes, or simply tinker with your deck in a practice mode to get everything just right.
Lies of P
If you were on the fence about Pinocchio-bourne Lies of P, then the fact it's a day one Game Pass offering will probably ease it into your 'give a try' pocket. A new Life of P gameplay trailer has shown off an odd mix of FromSoftware-like combat, mixing up giant saw blade weapons, a very Sekiro-like moddable arm and JRPG-style 'gasp it's you' style cutscenes.
The Blue Fairy's there, Jiminy Cricket, Geppetto - it's basically exactly like you remember as long as you remember brutal monster killing and punishing boss fights. The overall premise sees you playing as a puppet mechanoid trying to find Geppetto in a city called Krat "overwhelmed by madness and bloodlust". This bizarre-but-intriguing mix of fairy tales and demanding soulsborne action will begin its once upon a time when it releases in 2023.
Stranded: Alien Dawn
Another one of Opening Night Live’s space-filled reveals was Stranded: Alien Dawn, a survival base-building tactical game where you and the gang help a group of stranded astronauts survive on an alien planet. You’ll deal with extreme weather, disease, starvation, and the looming threats of aliens. Sound good? This one hits early access in October.
Atlas Fallen
No, this isn’t Forspoken, but it sure looks like it. A new game by Deck 13 and Focus Entertainment, Atlas Fallen is an action-packed game launching next year in 2023. The announcement trailer for the game showed a figure out in a wasteland, protecting a travelling caravan procession as it went through the desert, fending off monsters with an ally.
Homeworld 3
The latest in the long-running tactical spacefaring game has seen a short delay, but Homeworld 3 will finally be with us in the first half of 2023. Aside from the short delay, we saw brand new gameplay, as spaceships used debris out in the vast reaches of space to avoid detection from enemy ships, before launching a surprise attack on them.
Genshin Impact
The Genshin Impact 3.0 release time is just hours away at the time of writing, but Hoyoverse managed to fire out one more teaser trailer ahead of the big update. This is one of the most compelling looks at Sumeru yet, and the new characters Tighnari, Dori, and Collei still look incredible in action. Compared to previous trailers, this short preview shows off a bit more of the desert side of Sumeru, and it looks every bit as stunning as the region's rainforests, chock-full of relics and ruins waiting to be unearthed. Between ancient secrets, glorious sights, and new Dendro team comps, 3.0 is looking like Genshin's biggest patch yet.
Honkai Star Rail
We got a fresh look at another game from the Genshin Impact devs with a new trailer for Honkai Star Rail. This one's all about the story, featuring a very hot anime boy resting dreamily on the titular space train, before being disturbed by some nightmarish visions of weapons, villains, and general unpleasantness.
High on Life
We got an earful of some very talkative weapons in High on Life, a first-person action game previously unveiled at the Xbox showcase earlier this year. The action and platforming look solid in the gameplay footage shown, but your tolerance for the unending dialogue is going to depend a lot on how much you like the work of Rick and Morty creator Justin Roiland, whose style is all over High on Life.
Hardspace: Shipbreaker
Now here’s one game you should definitely have an eye on for this year. Hardspace: Shipbreaker is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X platforms next month on September 20, telling the story of a lone corporate worker caught underneath the crushing weight of capitalism. It’s currently on Xbox Game Pass for PC players, but trust is, you’ll really want to play this one.
The Expanse: Telltale Series
New gameplay for the Expanse Telltale game suggests it's following the show's themes closely- spacing people you don't like (flushing them out of an airlock), and trying not to die generally because everything off planet wants to kill you.
Cara Gee is reprising her role as Camina Drummer, a Belter - which is what you're called if you're born in space - when she's just a lowly scavenger and XO on a ship called the Artemis. Long before she was the feared Belter leader on TV.
The newly revealed gameplay shows a lot of zero-G action as you move freely through the stars, trying to stay attached to things because drifting off into the depths is every Belter's nightmare. As you deal with all this you'll meet a younger, less hardened Camina, trying to take care of a mutiny on board the Artemis while surviving the harsh unforgiving nature of space as portrayed in The Expanse on screen. It's coming in Summer 2023.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game
Well, who saw this coming? Killer Klowns from Outer Space is somehow back and ready for it all over again, this time in the form of a multiplayer game. This multiplayer spin on the old horror is being made by the studio behind Friday the 13th, so you know it’s in veteran hands already. If you’re looking forward to this one, beta sign-ups are already live.
Scars Above
Another sci-fi game that’s “coming soon”, Scars Above has shown off a good deal of story and gameplay during Opening Night Live. The story kicks into gear when a mysterious alien structure appears above the earth, giving us all the reason we need to experience a good helping of over-the-shoulder gunplay, exploration, and puzzle-solving.
Wyrdsong
Not only have we got a glimpse at a new open-world RPG from some of the developers behind Skyrim and Fallout: New Vegas, but we’ve got word of their new studio, too. Something Wicked Games is a new studio that’s headed up by
15-year Bethesda Game Studios veteran Jeff Gardiner. We’ve only got an animatic teaser trailer to go off for now, though we do know that Wyrdsong is an occult historical fantasy RPG that’s set in a fictionalised version of Portugal in the middle ages.
Age of Empires 4
Two new civilizations are on their way to Age of Empires 4 in its upcoming anniversary update. The first, the Malians, are focused on strategy and cunning, with a gameplay preview that makes a lot of their attempts at stealth and ranged combat. The second new arrival, the Ottomans, are all about brute force, making the most of both powerful siege tools and larger formations to simply blast through their enemies' defences. Both new civs will be available for free when the update arrives on October 25.
Gotham Knights
Gotham Knights is no stranger to the game industry's sea of delays, but this time it's getting the opposite treatment: it's coming out four days early, on October 21. A new trailer focused on a host of villains you'll be battling throughout the game, including Mr. Freeze, Clayface, and Harley Quinn.
Where Winds Meet
Here’s one game that very nearly stole the show. Where Winds Meet is a brand new action-RPG with an open world, set in ancient China, and developed by Chinese studio Everstone Games. We saw lots of aerial combat throughout the new trailer for the game, complete with wall-running and martial arts combat. Hey, if you thought mainline Assassin’s Creed should head to China, this could well be the game for you.
Hideo Kojima is doing a podcast
Yes, really. Geoff Keighley's best friend made his customary appearance to say that while he's working on his new "games" (yes, that's games, plural), he's also putting together a new podcast. Arriving exclusively on Spotify this September, both English and Japanese versions will be available, with "simultaneous interpretation." Other details are scarce, but Keighley himself will be appearing with an industry news segment (alongside other industry guests), and the first episode is set to release on September 8.
Park Beyond
Park Beyond is a new take on the concepts built by the likes of Roller Coaster Tycoon and Planet Coaster, letting you build an amusement park full of increasingly unhinged rides equally sure to maim and delight.
A new trailer offered a broad overview of the game, alongside some unfortunate news: it's been delayed to a vague release window of 2023 from its previous vague release window of sometime in 2022.
Warhammer 40k Darktide
A new trailer for the co-op action of Warhammer 40,000: Darktide opened with the line "you are a reject," as if Warhammer fans didn't already suffer enough social stigma. The trailer offers a broad overview of the game, going through class selection, loadout building, and the combination of melee and ranged combat.
Blacktail
We got a new look at the first-person fantasy archery game, Blacktail, thanks to a gorgeous new trailer showcasing the setting, story, and monsters you'll be facing. Blacktail puts you in control of Baba Yaga, who seems to be presented in much more sympathetic terms than the traditional myths - though it seems you'll be able to decide how good or evil you want to be. Blacktail launches for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X and S this winter.
Phantom Hellcat
This theatrical platformer-slasher combines 2D jumping puzzles with brutal 3D combat, all with a distinct Phantom of the Opera vibe. Beyond a (very impressive) vibe check tonight, there's not much to go on, but you might just learn more later this week.
Crossfire X Babylon
Online FPS Crossfire X just got a major content update in Babylon, which adds a pair of new maps, one reintroduced map, four new weapons, a host of matchmaking improvements, better weapon handling, and updated UI.
Dorfromantik
As cute and cosy as you could possibly wish for, adorable miniature town builder Dorfromantik is heading to Nintendo Switch on September 29. A little like classic board game Carcassonne, the aim is to stitch together different tiles to make the broadest, most sprawling settlement possible.
The Outlast Trials
Yes, there is a new Outlast game, and yes, it continues to look downright horrifying. This time though, the horror franchise is putting a multiplayer twist on its usual formula, beckoning in multiple players at once to get absolutely scared silly. There’s actually a closed beta for The Outlast Trials taking place later this year between October 28 and November 1, for those who are brave enough.
The Finals
This one got the briefest of teasers, though that’s all we needed. The Finals is a "shooter wrapped in a game show format” from a new studio made up of former Battlefield developers. A full reveal is coming next month, though you can sign-up to playtest the game now.
Dead Island 2
Zombie killing? Check. Lenny Kravitz? Yes. Dead Island 2 is finally back and ready for more, and there isn’t even that long to wait until the long-gestating game is here, as it’s launching early next year on February 3, 2023. In this new trailer we were introduced to protagonist Jacob, but he’s actually just one of six available characters you can play as and master in the zombie-smashing sequel.
