While the first two Plague Tale games had a lead character in Amicia de Rune, she wouldn't have got far without support. The friends and family she drew into her orbit not only filled in gaps in her skillset, they also underlined that she was a single element in a wider social drama. It's an analogy of sorts for these games as a whole. Examine their mechanics and systems closely and you'll note that the pieces are mostly standard-issue, albeit well-crafted, third-person stealth-adventure fare. But they are part of something bigger, slotting together with plot, script, location design, music and more to produce a harmonious ensemble.

Now here's Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy – a slightly unwieldy title which aims to emphasise that this is more spinoff than direct followup. With Amicia's tale told, we're given a new charge in the form of Sophia (one of the companion characters in A Plague Tale: Requiem) and sent back along the timeline to 1333, 15 years prior to the events of the previous games. As we sit down to play through a full chapter of Resonance we're thus faced with a change of personality, time and backstory, but most of all, it transpires, a change in how we play a Plague Tale game. With all these shifts, can everything still pull in the same direction?

Into the Macula

As far as the setting goes, the change could have been much more pronounced. The dark, mystical power known as the Macula that afflicted Amicia's brother Hugo and brought forth millions of ravenous rats exists everywhere in this universe, so plague tales could potentially pop up in any time and place. Indeed, a teaser at the end of Requiem suggested the possibility of a modern-day treatment of the fiction. Was there ever a plan to make that game instead? Asobo studio head and Resonance creative director David Dedeine responds with a simple "no" – the aim was merely to emphasise the transhistorical nature of the Macula. Not that he rules out a more future-facing project. "We hope one day we will do A Plague Tale 3," he says, underlining that Resonance is more sidestep than continuation. "And it might be the case that we see how the Macula would express itself in a contemporary world."

For now, though, we're planted firmly in medieval Europe, albeit no longer trudging around French forts, farmland and battlefields. Sophia, a life-hardened smuggler and pirate when we met her in Requiem, is in her early 20s here, yet already far from wet behind the ears. With a protégé named Leni in tow, she's on the run from the Venetian army, which has decimated the gang of plunderers she belongs to. Sophia is also bothered by visions relating to the Minotaur of Greek legend, which has led her to the island that was, supposedly, its place of residence. Much of the game will unfold here, it seems, giving it a tighter focus, although it's certainly not a monotonous location. Playing through what will be the fourth chapter in the final game, we wind our way through an enormous ruin, where Sophia and Leni must work through 'trials' left for visitors many hundreds of years before. Fortunately, Sophia has a curious metal orb which acts as a key of sorts to unlock various doors and mechanisms.

If this sounds like the plot of an Indiana Jones film, this chapter of Resonance does have something of that feel. There are even moments that recall The Last Crusade as we consult a diary containing sketches that point to clues in the environment. In game terms, this means a departure from Innocence and Requiem's sneaking and crafting routines that riffed on The Last Of Us, bringing us closer to the kind of adventure you might stumble across in Uncharted or Tomb Raider. It's a concerted change, with a character who's also more comfortable crossing cutlasses than skulking in shadows. "As a starting point, we wanted to move on from the pure stealth gameplay," Dedeine says. "What we have tried to do is really shift into something more action-driven." It's a different challenge in terms of expressing the overall Plague Tale DNA, he adds, in which the interactive elements become one with the narrative direction. "The dynamics between the characters cannot be the same, so you need to find different types of layers of story."

Once we've picked our way into the ruins, a cycle of puzzles, combat and exploration begins in earnest. If we stand in the rays of sunlight that beam through portholes in the great domed roofs, our orb refracts the light to reveal hidden painted symbols like a UV torch. It then acts as an interface when we insert it into a dais with a dial to input our findings. If these trials are largely matters of observation, others demand nerves of steel. Deeper into the level we find that the ancient trial-setters were particularly fond of spike traps, which still function rather too well for comfort. One trek across a long, pressure-padded floor with only a single safe path is surprisingly tense, the orb illuminating the correct route, except where your light source is blotted out by obstacles, leaving you to memorise a section and step forward blindly. The instant, fatal punishment for a mistake is liable to make you jump, infecting your next attempt with a touch of doubt.

Not all chapters will be stacked with puzzles and traps like this, explains lead level designer Valérian Robert. They're there because it's designed to be a trial, and "it has to be brutal, so you can die in a lot of different ways". It's a sign that, as in previous games, the makers of Resonance are working hard to marry action and tone. While progress isn't truly difficult, by the end of the chapter we're having to put some thought into solutions, and being impaled is a real possibility. Nor are Sophia and Leni quick to give up clues with their chatter, although they may chime in eventually. "We didn't want to backseat players," Robert says. "We wanted players to think by themselves, and maybe if they find it a bit too hard, they can have some help." Action-adventure games of this type can become boring if you don't have to do a great deal, Dedeine adds: "We realised pretty fast that when it was like this, you don't feel like you are [on] an actual adventure. The story and the background and the graphics are not enough to give you the breadth of the adventure."

Combat follows a similar ethos. Before we get into the level proper, we're offered a tutorial to bring us up to speed regarding what's expected, which thrusts us into some close-quarters duels. Sophia's weapon of choice is a scimitar, but using it is not merely a case of hacking enemies into submission. Landing successive blows sends enemies into a stun state – the ideal opportunity to pull off a charged dagger strike that will finish weaker ones or bite a chunk out of the life bars of those with stronger constitutions. Guarding and dodging are important for working openings, and the quickest route to a stun is to pull off a parry. There's some colour-coding here as well – yellow-tinged attacks can be parried but not blocked, while red ones must be dodged. Sophia's grapnel, meanwhile, is especially handy for yanking archers from elevated platforms or reeling in foes, while a hefty boot sends most assailants staggering.

With Venetian soldiers soon teeming around the ruins (to a man, they have English accents), it's not long before our first real fight – a quick and vicious affair. Well-practised thanks to her bandit background, Sophia fights like a cornered tiger as enemies gather around her. Her sword swings mean business, while incidental actions are pleasingly direct – a bottle on the ground can be grabbed and spiked at a soldier's head with a single button press. At the same time, she's far from invincible, and death can follow swiftly if you lose the duck-and-jab rhythm or get caught off guard by yellow or red attacks.

As with the puzzles, Dedeine tells us, "when you act correctly, it's easy, but if you are doing it wrong, you can be killed brutally, because that's the tone of the Plague Tale games in general." By the end of the chapter, we're asked to link all we've been taught together and, indeed, the speed with which you can end a group of soldiers is highly satisfying, but it's hardly guaranteed as you juggle several enemies at once. Pulling an archer down is easier said than done when there's a mob around you, especially when its leader is built like an ox and on a rampage with a heavy club.

Ancient combat

If not exactly realistic, there's a palpable sense of weight and aggression to these encounters. That could be crucial in order to maintain the thrill of fighting throughout the game, since the mechanics won't increase in intricacy a great deal. With a title of this scope, Dedeine says, "you don't have the space and the time to make a very deep combat game. We wanted to be sophisticated enough to be interesting and rewarding, but not too complex either in terms of skill or in terms of RPG [elements]." Still, we can expect Sophia to learn techniques that take her beyond brawling. "We introduce at specific moments some sort of supernatural powers," Dedeine says, avoiding any specifics. But even here, Sophia won't become a superhero. "We would have broken the universe's rules if we had gone too far," Dedeine says. "We had to find the right balance between what could be believable and the fun of killing five or six soldiers," Robert adds. "I think we nailed it."

Together, the combat, puzzles and traps, along with some light exploration and relic finding, are already a pleasing combination. The new direction clearly works. Still, once again, there is nothing revolutionary here – somewhat reductively, we might call it Tomb Raider meets God Of War in the Middle Ages. Some puzzles, such as a series involving rotating mirrors reflecting beams of light, could generously be called classics of the form, while responding to flashes of red and yellow in combat is hardly new territory. That's in addition to common genre tropes such as wall sidling, zip-lining and navigating crumbling platforms as we spelunk deeper into the ruins. In this sense, Resonance shares the family trait of leaning on tried-and-tested formulae. As ever with Plague Tale, though, that is literally only part of the story. The combat and puzzles are one arm of a narrative experience, selected to feel at home within this adventure. Around them is a suite of artistic flourishes that elevates the journey.

One thing that catches our attention as we push through the ancient construct is its scale. At one point we step into a huge amphitheatre whose central stage is sunk down perhaps hundreds of metres below. Within it stands a kaiju-sized sculpture of a proud soldier. With the wear and tear on this place, we're sometimes poking about where nobody intended us to go, ducking through cracks to get behind the scenes, only to emerge again facing another implausible feat of engineering. "The scale of the structures was one of the pillars [we decided on] at the very beginning of development," Robert says. "We wanted to demonstrate this whole civilisation, and how big and extraordinary it was. We wanted players to experience this kind of shock when they see the gigantic statues." The intention becomes clear as the level culminates around an enormous effigy of the Minotaur itself, its arms animated by unseen mechanisms as you solve the puzzle around it.

More subtly impressive is Sophia herself, in many ways the polar opposite as a character of Amicia's naïvete, vulnerability and sense of privilege. Dedeine: "When we created her in Requiem, I think the team fell in love with her initially, and it was obvious for us to push her further. Based on her past and the level of involvement she had, she was the perfect character to start the new approach." In the ruins, she is keen to push forward, as awestruck as we are, and even a little blasé about the danger. She's also well prepared for a scrap and not averse to using deadly force. "The biggest difference is Amicia was forced to confront violence to protect herself and her brother," says lead writer Carol-Ann Bañuls, "but Sophia was born into it." In terms of writing the character as a protagonist, there was already plenty to work with from Requiem, Bañuls continues: "We knew she was in control of her emotions [and] strong, so we just had to follow the thread of her story to understand where she came from. She kind of talked by herself. She was so well written in Requiem, it was the easiest thing to do in Resonance."

With Sophia – at least, when she's partnered by Leni – Resonance takes on a different tone to that of Amicia and Hugo's traumatic expeditions. There has always been back-and-forth conversation between characters in these games, but here it feels lighter as the women comment on mosaics and statues and the mechanisms they find. "In this level, Sophia and Leni are still discovering the island, so we wanted to keep [their perspective] close to the player's, this sense of discovery," Bañuls says. It reinforces the sense that we're involved in an Uncharted-style adventure, as the pair approach combat with something close to arrogance and aren't exactly wracked with guilt about offing their opponents.

We shouldn't expect this levity to carry right through the tale, however. One of the reasons for taking this spinoff approach to the new game, Dedeine says, is that the team wanted "to breathe a little bit" after the grime and darkness of Requiem. And yet the shadows couldn't be kept at bay for long. "The lore of the Macula – and appetite in the team for all the drama – actually came back into the story during development." Our demo chapter is one of the lightest tonally in the game, he adds, "but there are levels which are even darker, I would say, than the ones in Requiem. So we have more contrast." Despite their humorous banter early on, then, Sophia and Leni are no Nathan Drake and Sully, which suggests there are further layers to unveil. "[Sophia] is the kind of character you admire for her strength," Bañuls says, "but you fall in love with her when you start to see the cracks in the armour."

Balancing all these elements has been a challenge for Resonance's developers, it seems, with combat and traversal and character personalities and relationships all needing to meld together. "There is a lot of back and forth between the writing and the design as a whole," Robert says, even for the chapter we play, which he explains has undergone the least alteration from the original plan. For example, the introduction of music to a level may give an area a different flavour, so the dialogue needs to be changed to adapt. "We write with the controller in our hands at all times," Bañuls says. "You just have to replay and replay the map." As experienced as Asobo may have become in making these games, then, not everything can be predicted. "Sometimes you have a good surprise," Dedeine says. "Sometimes there are things that everyone was happy with and finally it doesn't work. You need to remove them."

Towards the end of our demo, it's Leni who feels that something isn't working, not least with Sophia herself. In a cutscene, Sophia is spellbound by a bizarre vision that almost leads to her stepping off a precipice, but Leni pulls her back at the last second. And, after a few too many deadly traps, the reality of their predicament starts to kick in, Leni wondering what on earth Sophia has dragged her into. Yet she doesn't know the half of it, and perhaps nor do we, as things are about to get stranger still. In another vision we segue back to ancient Greece and suddenly we're in control of none other than Minotaur slayer Theseus, about to enter a combat trial where we must fend off fellow soldiers in a free-for-all until it's time to begin some kind of ceremony.

When we ask about the ancient Greek part of the tale, our interviewees think for a while to decide what they're allowed to say at this stage – clearly this side of the game is crucial to the story's box of secrets. "With the Greek mythology, what motivated us to go in this direction was the fact that the story of the Minotaur and the mythology was the perfect setting for us to offer a new experience to the player," Bañuls finally says diplomatically. As for how closely they've followed the original myth, that's somewhat comparable to how they treated the real Great Plague in Innocence and Requiem. "We revisited the mythology and what was grounded in the reality," Dedeine says. "Why this myth has been told to the people, and what the reality was behind it." Artistic licence will be involved too, especially in linking the past back to Sophia. "What I can say is that the title of the game is connected to that," Dedeine offers. "There is a resonance between the main character and Theseus, and that's what the story will unveil."

Something else remains a mystery at this point, but here Dedeine can set us straight. "There are no rats," he announces. "Let's break [the news]. There are no rats in Resonance. They are gone." This feels like a shift away from one of the series' signature features, but it's easy to appreciate the rationale. "At the end of Requiem, we did lots of gameplay with the rats," Dedeine says, "and at some point, when you know that you are at the end of a mechanic, you need to stop it. Otherwise we would have bored everyone." There were never going to be rats in Resonance, then, and it does feel as though they belong with Amicia and her style of play. The presence of the Macula will be felt in another form, Dedeine teases, which he can't reveal yet. "There is another expression of what the rats were in Requiem and Innocence, and it's something different. Light and shadow are [still] important because it's the lore, but there is something, I would say, more interactive and interesting than what the rats were doing in terms of gameplay."

We can only guess for now, but whatever it is, we're optimistic based on what we've seen, heard and done in Resonance. For all the change, it is still all about the ensemble of features, all supporting one another, aiming to produce more than the sum of their parts. And in the spirit of celebrating the support acts, as we complete the final trial in our demo and Sophia and Leni head deeper into the ruin for more, we'll leave the last words to our companion. "The second trial. Let's hope it's as easy as the first," she quips sarcastically, recognising the difficulties they've overcome. Yes, and as enjoyable, too.

Want more creepy adventures? Check out our best horror games recommendations!

As I look at the seemingly endless torrent of zombies that Toxic Commando sends hurtling towards me, trying to stem the flow with an assault rifle like Wile E. Coyote trying to protect himself from a falling anvil with a tiny umbrella, I think: this is a good time. This is a very good time. Poke into the murky recesses of my mind a dozen hours after finishing the story for the first time, however, and you might find me distractedly wondering what I'm going to have for dinner.

Let's get one of the main questions out of the way first. It's called John Carpenter's Toxic Commando, but is it actually his? The legendary director has had a hand in the music, and his name is all over the marketing like police tape covering the entrance to a crime scene, but his involvement beyond this is unclear. Let's just say that if he had taken charge of the writing and cutscene direction, and was providing regular feedback from playtests, I'm pretty sure we would have heard about it.

That might sound like I'm being snide, but I'm really not. To be honest, his mostly hands-off approach is probably a good thing; he knows how to make a good movie, and he's famously a fan of videogames, but that doesn't mean that he knows what it takes to make one. This is Saber Interactive's Toxic Commando, and it has good reason to be proud of that.

Carpenter Diem

The immediate comparison is Left 4 Dead or, indeed, Saber's own World War Z. A team of four set out to survive and complete missions in a world swarming with the undead, which come in a variety of flavors. While the enemies are arguably overfamiliar – the standard grunt, The One Who Grabs You, The One Who Runs At You And Explodes, The One Who Runs At You And Explodes But In A Different Color, etc – there are a few fundamentals that help carve out a unique identity.

First mission aside, which is essentially an extended tutorial, the action takes place in large, open maps. As a result, there are vehicles scattered around for you to use; sometimes compulsory for objectives, often not. Each has a unique ability too, such as the military trucks armed with a machine gun or a flamethrower, and the police car which can be set as self-destructing bait. Working in a squad of four, using vehicles to drive across huge maps, gives things a slight Battlefield feel.

Distinctly unBattlefield-like are the four character classes (you may not get to play as your preferred character when joining a game, but there is no limit on classes). Thanks to a story-dictated mishap, each finds themselves with a special ability. The Strike can launch explosive projectiles, the Defender can put up a temporary forcefield that damages enemies who enter, the Operator has a drone accompanying them, and please don't tell me that you need me to explain what the Medic can do.

This element is something of a misfire though, in that when it comes to these special abilities, cooldowns are long and durations are brief. This certainly makes sense for the Medic; but it means that you only get a few seconds of fun at a time flinging balls of energy around as the Strike, the Defender's forcefield only makes cameo appearances, and the Operator's drone only makes itself useful in battle for brief stints while the ability is active.

Commando & Conquer

Toxic Commando is, however, brilliantly designed when it comes to making everybody feel useful. Wandering off on your own is often to invite death, so you're incentivized not to do that. All vehicles (apart from one plot-specific one) can carry the whole squad for example, and it's never just the driver that has something to do. If there's a turret, of course, somebody can jump on that and let loose; while all passengers can shoot from the windows. This is especially useful when enemies are chasing after you, and when zombies jump onto the vehicle – likely when your car's speed plummets while stuck in mud. With plenty of tyre-hating goop, and even a winch, vehicle physics take a surprising leaf out of Saber's own MudRunner, leading to sticky situations – things can go from "See you later, losers!" to "Oh, erm, hello again" quite quickly.

Saber's Swarm engine, as seen in World War Z and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, allows for absolutely huge waves of enemies to come thundering towards you during siege sequences. For this reason, you're encouraged to explore the map to dig out Spare Parts, which can be used to repair defenses such as turrets and barbed wire. Resource gathering can easily double the length of a mission, but building these defenses can and will make these sections much more manageable, so it's worth the time and effort.

If you don't bulk up your defenses, a good squad can still emerge victorious, but things can get pretty stressful. I'm reminded of one occasion where I was the last member of my squad left standing, and I was surrounded by zombies in every direction, with no way of getting to my teammates to revive them. There were just ten seconds left on the clock, but ten seconds is a long time when you're stranded in the middle of a sea of zombies, let me tell you. Still, I managed to survive (because I am awesome) and the mission was a success. Toxic Commando can be something of an anecdote generator in this way.

Despite the sometimes panic-inducing number of enemies on screen at once, all of the weapons are viable. In part, this is because Saber understands that it's important for a basic zombie to collapse like blancmange when hit, and for basic zombies to make up the majority of foes. It is also, however, in part due to the weapons packing a decent punch and being fun to wield. I've put my favorite pistol through the Call of Duty-style prestige system twice so far, and it's yet to feel like a grind.

Zombie or not Zombie

Regarding solo and offline options – for which there is an undeniable appetite here, as I've seen through some chatter on Steam – yes, you can play this alone. Well, sort of. Toxic Commando is an always-online game, so if you lose connection during a match you'll be booted back to the hub even if playing on your own. As for the bots, they are – on lower difficulties at least – admirably competent in combat. However, I found that I had to kick the difficulty down to Story for the last two missions when playing alone, simply because bots are completely unable to interact with objects or follow instructions. If you mark a switch for them to pull, an objective for them to defend, or an object for them to carry, they'll just stand around and stare at you blankly like cats watching you trying to teach them to play fetch.

Played with others, Toxic Commando is good fun, but there's a big ol' question mark over longevity. There are only nine missions (including that introductory one) and, despite a small amount of randomization (your squad's initial spawn point can change, and the location of some items and objectives might shift) the vast majority of tasks and important locations are the same every time. If you have three buddies keen to make this a regular hang, I can see it lasting you hundreds of hours. Otherwise? I'm not sure.

Each character class has a skill tree and individually earned skill points to play around with (pleasingly, you can redistribute them as much as you like), but the grind is primarily concerned with the weapons. All are available immediately – just as well, there's not a huge amount of them – but attachments and skins are not. These are paid for (once unlocked) via the 'Sludgite' that can be harvested from the maps in between decorating the ground with the undead. If you find weapons you're particularly enamored with, you can go through the previously mentioned prestige to unlock fancy animated skins, at the cost of losing all attachments (no, your Sludgite is not refunded).

Despite the supernatural tint to your enemies and your intrinsic powers, the weapons are an unambitious and disappointingly grounded selection of assault rifles, shotguns, and so on. If there were some more futuristic or inventive weapons to chase after once the story had been completed for the first time – or perhaps upgrades that, say, made your powers more regularly accessible while limiting your ammo reserves – I'd find that more exciting to grind for in this zombie-filled world than a new gun barrel. As it is, it's mainly things for controlling the recoil on your guns and pretty colors for your cars.

Make no mistake, Toxic Commando is a lot of fun. Making terrifyingly huge waves of enemies manageable is a hell of a challenge, but Saber has nailed it. You're gently nudged to stick together and help one another, everybody feels like a useful part of the team, and taking down the undead is consistently satisfying. How long you might keep coming back for all of this, however, is unclear.

John Carpenter's Toxic Commando was reviewed on PC, with a code provided by the publisher.

Looking for more to play with a pal? Check out our best co-op games ranking for more!

If you're looking for an excuse to boot up Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2, then the new Reclamation update is for you. Not only is it out now, and absolutely free, but it includes a number of boons such as six new hero weapons, eight new pieces of armor, and a new PvE mission.

The free update includes the usual gameplay improvements, but also offers plenty of new stuff to dig into. The addition of the PvE Reclamation Operation is the star of the show, and lets you board the derelict Wrath of Espandor and fight Tyranid Prime.

New hero weapons include Bolt Sniper Rifle, Heavy Bolter, Instigator Bolt Carbine, Heavy Bolt Pistol, Thunder Hammer, and the very snazzy looking Power Fist for those who like slamming people into the ground. These weapons as well as four different helmets and pauldrons are redeemable via accolades.

There are also new battlefield conditions for Stratagems Mode. The trailer offers a sneak peek of Migraine which causes enemies to explode, damaging those around them when you land a headshot. All of these changes are out now for PC players.

Those who have purchased the second season pass can also grab two new DLC packs full of skins. The first is the Blood Angels Champion Pack, which includes a tactical champion skin, a Blood Angels jump pack skin, and a chainsword weapon skin. The Salamanders Cosmetic Pack is focused on armor sets.

We don't need reasons to play Space Marine 2, but a new operation and boss are always welcome.

I highly recommend these Warhammer 40K Battleforces if you want a new army for Christmas, and they're $37 off right now.

It's been a rough time for the game industry, with layoffs, studio closures, more layoffs, more studio closures, yet more layoffs, and yet more studio closures dominating the headlines for longer than I'm willing to admit to myself. But that doesn't mean game development is without its success stories, and the boss of the publisher that brought us Space Marine 2 says there are plenty of success stories around the industry to latch onto.

"There are plenty of games and publishers that are seeing very healthy performances," as Geoffroy Sardin, CEO of Focus Entertainment owner Pullup tells The Game Business. "Pullup and Space Marine 2 are not alone in having a great year. Look at the really strong numbers achieved recently by our Frenchy friends with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and also Monster Hunter Wilds and Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. They all broke records."

Sardin admits that "the industry has not grown over the past few years, but it has stabilized at a very high level after years of impressive growth. The industry remains powerful. And it is used to having phases of stabilization before returning to growth." Presumably all those layoffs – Sardin alludes to a period of "over investment" – show that "stabilization" in action.

For Sardin, the industry can effectively be split in two: there's AAA, "which is suffering from the over-investment. And also skyrocketing costs, up to $300 million maybe more… I don’t want to guess the investment behind GTA 6."

But Sardin feels that the AA and indie space has more room for success, and the AA games that make up much of Pullup's catalog are paying off. That includes Space Marine 2, which has attracted 7 million players and proven the value of catering to a niche audience.

Sardin says FromSoftware exemplifies how dedication to that niche audience can pay off in mainstream success. "They work very closely with the community in advance, doing tonnes of beta tests, to be sure that they hit the heart of their core audience, before thinking about expanding. It's a good mantra for us."

Most of the industry would probably love to make an Elden Ring right now, but it seems like Sardin would prefer to make a few more Demon's Souls first – niche titles that appeal to a certain core demographic. Who knows where the success of those niche games might go in the future.

There are still plenty of excellent titles to play among the best games of 2025.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 was a breakout hit to such a degree that's surprised even the game's publisher. But equally, it served as proof that the company's approach – games with a narrow focus made for an extremely specific audience – is working better than a AAA appeal to a mass market that may never show up.

"The road to success for us is based on a simple idea: players are looking for niche and very targeted, impactful experiences," as Geoffroy Sardin, CEO of Pullup, the parent company of Space Marine 2 publisher Focus Entertainment, tells The Game Business.

"The core of our manifesto is we do not design and produce games for everyone," Sardin continues. "We design and produce games for someone. And when the execution is good, [it might] end up resonating with many more people. It's exactly what happened with Space Marine 2. To be very frank, we didn't believe before we launched that we could hit seven million unique players. It was incredible for us."

We've seen that line of thinking manifest in the mission statement of Arrowhead Game Studios, developer of Helldivers 2: "A game for everyone is a game for no one." We've equally seen it in FromSoftware's septupling down on uber-difficult games. Those games cater so well to a niche core of players that the word of mouth has gone on to make them mainstream hits.

Sardin similarly credits word of mouth from hardcore Warhammer fans for helping build Space Marine 2's success, and that approach – games laser-targeted at a specific group of players – continues across Pullup's entire catalog. That includes Focus-published games like Space Marine 2 and road-building simulator RoadCraft, titles with retro spirit from Dotemu, and even niche sims like Train Simulator from Dovetail Games.

"What unites them is their focus on highly targeted audiences who seek uncompromising gameplay and complex game mechanics," according to Sardin. He specifically cites RoadCraft, which was a hit during Steam Next Fest and seems to have gone on to even greater heights, as exemplary of the company's methods. "There is no comparison for this game. There is no competition. We are proposing something new. And this is exactly the path we want to pave and invest in."

According to Sardin, there are 50 games in the works at Pullup's various labels, and while you can call a few of them – like Space Marine 2 and Train Simulator – live-service titles, none of them are properly AAA. Given the AA approach's continued surprising success, it seems unlikely to change.

Even Matt Karch, CEO of developer Saber Interactive, was surprised by how well Space Marine 2 has sold.

The signature move in Deck 13's action adventure is the sand slide. Endowed with the power of a mysterious otherworldly being, your avatar can skate along reams of desert as if riding an invisible snowboard, cresting dunes and banking into turns apparently by making the sand particles move beneath their feet. As a form of cruising around an open world, it has instant appeal. You slide for the fun of it, just because it's smooth and flashy. At least that is until you start to wonder: why doesn't Atlas Fallen make more of this?

After an on-rails introduction to your skiddy new skill, you may expect a string of exhilarating chase sequences scattered throughout, or slopes that let you gather speed to launch yourself across the land. But other than looking stylish, sand sliding is really only another way of running – functionally identical to the sprint action your character performs when they aren't on a dirt surface. It's both disappointing and indicative of a game that, once you scrape away the topsoil, has little of note to offer.

Standing tall

The movement of your customisable character, whether sliding or not, is one of few standout features. Once Atlas Fallen's plot acquaints you with a magic gauntlet that houses the spirit of the enigmatic and powerful Nyaal, you'll be sliding, double jumping, rolling, and air dashing with agile ease. You'll also be fighting with an axe and a whip conjured from sand (a combination unabashedly inspired by God of War), yanking yourself towards hostile monsters, known as wraiths, before delivering crispy combos. You may even detect hints of Bayonetta's showy poise in your actions.

Don't get too excited by the A-list name dropping, though, as Atlas Fallen struggles to convert these skills into interesting things to do. As an open-world game (although technically it's split into a handful of separate areas that you access one at a time), it's remarkably unambitious in structure. NPCs no sooner say 'Hello' than ask for favors, which see colourful markers plopped on the map. Slide on over and more than likely you'll need to dispatch a sizable wraith before heading back for a reward. Sometimes a marker is surrounded by a big circle, which of course means you have to search within its circumference for some hidden thing or other. It's all about as fun and varied as it sounds.

The other key trick the gauntlet places up your sleeve is called 'Raise', which means you can pull great chunks of stone up from the ground. Well, specific chunks of stone marked with a blue glow that invariably serve to bridge a gap, making its use heavily prescribed. Still, it does help to reveal paths for exploration, and there's pleasing verticality in the landscapes when you do, providing some mild platforming challenges. Then again, most of the treasure chests you find at the end of the rainbow either contain a bit of cash or if you're lucky precious artefacts that, oh yes, you can sell for a bit of cash.

As in many routine open-world games, then, you go about tidying up the map by charging from one errand to the next like a courier without a bike. Even that's not always straightforward, though, since the map of this three-dimensional world is so obstinately two-dimensional – reach your marker and you may suddenly realise you need to be much higher or lower, which requires a very different route. Given how much Atlas Fallen is about navigating the contours of its environments, it's also dismaying to be partnered with a camera that can't pan up to a steep angle, that your smooth moves glitch on slopes, and that there's aggressive pop-in when you're racing about. 

Combating frustration

Indeed, a very ordinary execution of very ordinary ideas pervades Atlas Fallen, not least its combat. Despite initial promise, it's a slippery pig to get to grips with, as if its systems want to evade your grasp. The camera and lock-on are chief culprits, both requiring constant micro-management to maintain any coherence. Whatever you train your sights on, you can bet it'll bolt off across the arena, leaving you gawping from afar as its mates hammer you from behind. The presence of little warning arrows for offscreen attacks is some relief, but it's difficult to focus on those and signals coming from visible enemies at the same time. Nor does it help much when a large wraith smothers the entire view.

The other problem is a parry system that's as baffling as it is essential. After 20 hours I'm still barely any the wiser how to time it correctly. Reacting to red sparks that signify an incoming attack works sometimes but not others, and even though you'll get used to facing the same kinds of wraiths over and over (there are only some 16 in all), you may remain as likely to get trashed by a familiar combo as ace it. When compared to a recent peer such as Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, this is, well, hard to defend. 

Scrapping in Atlas Fallen isn't entirely without its pleasures, though, when you can make it work. Airborne combat can be maintained for satisfyingly long chunks of battles, using the whip and air dash to track hovering enemies. The ability to target and break individual body parts on big wraiths can make taking them down a worthy proposition too. There's also decent potential for customisation – not so much with weapons (only a pair of hard- and fast-hitting fists joins the original pair) – but in a wide range of special moves you can earn then choose between. To the extent the combat did eventually click for me, it was because I was able to use these abilities to avoid or mitigate the damage when the camera or parry system fought against me.

The way these abilities are implemented, in fact, is the one fresh idea in Atlas Fallen, and it deserves to reside in a better game. During fights, you gather 'momentum', which increases the damage you dish out and receive. But also, the longer it grows, the more of your equipped perks and attacks are activated, with the most powerful of all coming into play when the momentum bar is near full. At any time, however, you can empty all momentum into a 'shatter' attack that damages everything nearby. Deciding when to unleash this barrage and when to keep accumulating is a neat little risk-reward mechanism.

Empty promises

If Atlas Fallen does build some momentum of its own here, though, it's never long before it slips back into suffocating ordinariness, and nothing highlights the point more strongly than its surrounding fiction. Setting, lore, plot, characters, you name it – they're all cliched, hackneyed, and lifeless. The main thrust of the story about an evil god that watches over the desolate land produces scenarios that would slot into any shrugged up fantasy confection. Vapid discussions with NPCs, meanwhile, see them shift their opinions the moment you suggest an alternative. The script is also robotically dull, matched only by the flat voice performances.

What grates most here is the absence of any tangible commitment or substance. At one stage, you rescue a group of people from their decaying home and bring them to a new settlement. Soon you overhear the refugees complaining about not being welcome, and locals saying things like, "I do hope they'll contribute to our little society." It's an attempt to dip a toe into modern debates on immigration, but it doesn't push on to anything more thought provoking beyond such throwaway observations.

This is Atlas Fallen in a nutshell, though. It isn't a disaster. It's proficient in some respects, adequate in others, and manageable at worst. But that leaves a creative void in its world and the way you interact with it that calls into question the value of the whole endeavour. If you're hankering for yet another open-world action adventure, particularly for its co-op play, maybe you'll extract some joy from this sandbox. Otherwise, let it slide on by.

Atlas Fallen was reviewed on PS5, with code provided by the publisher.

German developer Daedalic Entertainment is ending internal development to focus exclusively on publishing after the disastrous launch of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, according to a report from German media.

GamesWirtschaft reports that 25 of Daedalic's roughly 90 employees will be affected by the news. Daedalic says (quoted here through Google Translate) that "we value each and every member of our team and it is important to us that the transition goes as smoothly as possible. Therefore, we will support our former employees in finding new opportunities within our network."

The report also says that Daedalic's other Lord of the Rings game - which received over €2 million in funding from the German government - is ending development.

Daedalic's main studio is located in Hamburg, Germany. In 2015, it opened a new studio in Dusseldorf, and in 2018, opened an additional studio in Munich. Both satellite studios were shut down in 2021. In 2022, Daedalic was acquired by French publisher Nacon.

Gollum was initially announced in 2019 for launch in 2021, and was delayed numerous times until it finally launched last month. It instantly became the worst-reviewed game of 2023, prompting an apology from the studio and a promise of improvement patches, which remain in development.

Prior to Gollum, Daedalic had primarily been known as a developer of point-and-click adventure games in the vein of classics like Monkey Island. The Deponia series was a particular standout, running for years to satisfy the underserved fans of an often-dormant genre. The survival and crafting-themed spin-off, Surviving Deponia, remains in development at external studio AtomicTorch.

Daedalic has been growing its brand as an indie publishing label for years, and it seems that will be the core of its business from here on. The company has published well-regarded indies like Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, Barotrauma, Inkulinati, and many more. Daedalic tells GamesWirtschaft that it has "eight promising releases" set to launch this fiscal year.

Game devs around the industry sympathized with Gollum's poor reviews at launch.

EA is restructuring, and will separate its development staff into two major divisions: EA Sports and EA Entertainment.

EA CEO Andrew Wilson will continue to preside over both divisions, so it's perhaps best to think of this as an internal business restructuring rather than a full-on de-merger. Wilson says in the announcement that "this evolution of our company continues to empower our studio leaders with more creative ownership and financial accountability to make faster and more insightful decisions around development and go to market strategies."

EA Sports will be headed up by Cam Weber, and as IGN reports will continue to oversee everything from F1 and Super Mega Baseball to the usual Madden, NHL, and FIFA - now EA Sports FC - releases. Not every sports-adjacent title will be under that banner, however, as Full Circle, the studio behind Skate 4, will be part of EA Entertainment.

EA Entertainment, then, is what we'd generally have called the majority of the publisher's output as EA Games. Laura Miele will be the overall head of EA Entertainment, with groups of studios reporting to other sub-executives. Vince Zampella will continue to lead Respawn and DICE, while Samantha Ryan will continue to run "leading lifestyle franchises and blockbuster single-player experiences" - meaning everything from Mass Effect 5 and Dragon Age 4 at BioWare to The Sims 5 at Maxis. Jeff Karp will similarly continue to head up EA's mobile division.

This comes on the heels of reports that BioWare's making plans to give its Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO to a separate, third-party studio. Hopefully this all means that EA's studios will be able to focus on making the types of games they're best at. 

I've always found there's some undeniably horrific about real-time strategy games. Peering down on a battlefield and seeing an army getting massacred beyond belief and knowing "oops, I did that" will really make one feel horrendous. While smaller in scope, Aliens: Dark Descent is gunning for this same terrifying feeling of helplessness. 

The new real-time strategy game from developer Tindalos Interactive puts you in control of a group of space marines, armed to the teeth, fighting tooth and nail against Xenomorph horrors. It would've been easy to look at Dark Descent's tactical trappings and wonder what possessed Tindalos to take the series in such a direction, but the tactical action has a chokehold of suspense on you from the jump.

Fight to survive

You'll command your squad of marines into dark caverns and dingy corridors, peering into rooms and just praying there aren't a couple Xenomorphs there waiting for you. Every foot forward feels like rolling the dice, gambling with the lives of your squad as they press on to encounter the unthinkable, and then reacting in a split second when a Xenomorph inevitably appears and charges full pelt at your squad. 

Aliens: Dark Descent's action is pulse-pounding. As I maneuvered from one claustrophobic environment to the next, I could barely take my eyes off of the motion tracker. As soon as something out there moves – whether that's towards or away from you – it's time to hunker down and prepare for the worst. Just one Xeno ambushing your squad can instantly render a marine dead, so you're constantly on the lookout for any threat.

You can command marines to use abilities like overwatch on a particular area, placing a mine to block a route, or setting up a lethal sentry turret. These are key to survival, but they're also a limited resource, hinging on a recharging meter. This means that while firepower can feel overwhelming against the aliens, it's also neatly stunted – you're always thinking about saving some gas in the tank for the next encounter. 

The hordes are where everything comes to a terrifying head. Every now and then you'll get a notification that a horde is on their way to disembowel your marines, and you've got roughly 20 seconds to prepare for arrival. Palms get sweaty real quickly here, as you'll have to find a good point to defend, and pray you've got enough ammo, turrets, grenades, and special abilities to see out the Xenos. It's a randomized element you can never truly predict, and works wonders for making Aliens: Dark Descent feel genuinely threatening.

Sadly though, boss battles do unravel this tension. Occasionally, a mission will throw an elite enemy at you, but it'll warn you that pressing a button of interacting with a terminal will trigger said fight. Knowing the fight is coming sort of takes the wind out of its sails, but on the other hand, the boss fights are near-impossible to overcome if you haven't already planned for them. Aliens: Dark Descent is sort of caught between a rock and a hard place here, and as a result, the boss battles are a little jarring to the pacing of a mission. 

Down time

Aliens: Dark Descent is so much more than just pressing forward and shooting. Every marine has a 'Stress' meter that can increase for a myriad of reasons. Did they just shoot a Xenomorph in the face, get splashed by its acidic blood, and see its friends come out to play on the mini-map? They're really stressed now, and it's up to you as the commander to manage that stress level and literally stop them from freaking out. 

To do this, you need to create a Safe Room. Having your soldiers weld a door shut is all well and good for halting a Xenomorph, but if you weld shut every entrance to one room, you'll create a space where your squad can take a breather and recoup their mental strength. It's a brilliant and original feature that makes you stop and consider your squad of toughs as a little more human than just walking guns. 

This also feeds back into the management aspect of Aliens: Dark Descent. Tindalos takes a page out of XCOM's book and makes you consider your soldiers after a mission. If they're overly stressed, they'll need treatment in the trauma center, while a wound will take days to recover in medical, taking them out of subsequent missions. It's an extra layer of complexity which works to make the marines under your command feel like more than an expendable resource.

Unfortunately though, the writing of Aliens: Dark Descent is just plain poor. We're playing as Deputy Administrator Maeko Hayes, teaming up with space marine toughs like Jason Harper. There's incredibly little depth to these characters, especially the marines, who talk with their chests puffed out and like every interaction is a battle to be overcome and won. Dark Descent feels like it wants to take after Aliens' bro-tastic writing of its marines, but there's not enough depth here to make individuals shine through. 

There's a neat idea at the outset of Aliens: Dark Descent though. Horror always has its 'idiot' characters, people who do things that go against all sense and logic in the heat of the moment, and the Aliens series is no exception to this (Aliens' Burke locking himself away from the only people who can save him springs to mind). Dark Descent actually has us playing as this idiot trope, as the game begins with Hayes mercilessly opting to launch rockets at every ship in the vicinity after a Xenomorph outbreak, just in case they're infested. 

They are, in fact, not infested, and Hayes realizes this pretty quickly. One of these ships is the Otago, which is your base of command for the rest of Dark Descent, immediately putting Hayes at ground zero of her error. It's a really good narrative point, twisting that idiot trope to put you in the command chair of the role for a change. It's a shame nothing else in Dark Descent's story comes close to this level, but it's a nice setup nonetheless. 

Aliens: Dark Descent is a surprisingly inventive new strategic take on the series, bringing fresh ideas to the party with stress levels and hordes, while borrowing from XCOM's action and the movies' air of pure dread. The writing and characters fall woefully short of this high bar though, and boss battle work to sadly undo a lot of the tension Dark Descent brilliantly establishes. In its moment-to-moment gameplay though, Dark Descent is a really fun time. 

Aliens: Dark Descent was reviewed on PC, with code provided by the publisher. 

The big Summer Game Fest presentation is now over and it really did kick off the E3 2023 schedule in style. You can catch up on all the announcements below.

Keighley's event almost acts as the tentpole for E3 now that the official E3 2023 event is now canceled, with the host collating all the various showcases under his Summer Game Fest banner nowadays. He calls it "a season of digital video game events from the world’s top game platforms and publishers", which includes the Summer Game Fest showcase that's happening on June 8.

Read on for everything we know about the event, including when and where to watch.

What is Summer Game Fest?

Summer Game Fest is Geoff Keighley's big June extravaganza where we're bound to get a mix of new announcements and updates for some top new games en route. It's a big digital showcase, for which Keighley usually has many reveals lined up, with very few leaking before the event. 

The showcase is expected to last two hours. It is immediately followed by Double Fine's Day of the Devs event, which is dedicated to showing off new and exciting indie games in development. 

The Summer Game Fest banner also ties in other publisher presentations like the Xbox Game Showcase 2023 and the subsequent Starfield Direct, and later streams like the Ubisoft Forward too. 

RELATED: Summer Game Fest fills the hole left behind by E3, but it needs to tell a tighter story

 Where to watch Summer Games Fest

You can tune in to watch the Summer Game Fest on the following platforms:

• YouTube
• Twitch
• Twitter
• TikTok

Summer Game Fest news

• Summer Game Fest is returning in 2023 for the third year in a row
• Summer Game Fest will provide "updates from 40+ partners"
• Cyberpunk 2077 devs are showing off the Phantom Liberty DLC at Summer Game Fest
• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a side-scrolling hack-and-slasher
• First Mortal Kombat 1 gameplay is predictably brutal and reveals the Kameo Fighter system
• Path of Exile 2 eyes Diablo 4's crown with a killer gameplay teaser
• The Witcher season 3 trailer teases monsters and mayhem
• Dark fantasy FPS Witchfire gets September release date
• Sonic Superstars looks great and it's not just because of the playable Amy, Knuckles, and Tails
• Lies of P just dropped a demo and release date at Summer Game Fest
• Sandland,The Dragon Ball creator's most underrated manga is being turned into an open-world game
• Party Animals, one of the most-wishlisted games on Steam just got a release date after three years in the dark
• Alan Wake 2 is doing one hell of a Resident Evil impression in first gameplay reveal
• Toxic Commando looks like John Carpenter's Left 4 Dead
• Baldur's Gate 3 introduces Gortash, voiced by veteran actor Jason Isaacs
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is out in October
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2's Venom is not Eddie Brock
• Ever Crisis looks like a must-play for Final Fantasy 7 fans
• Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name gets November release date
• Fortnite's Chapter 3 trailer puts dinosaurs next to Optimus Prime
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth trailer has Tifa fans very worried
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth delayed to early 2024 and is coming on two discs

RELATED: Summer Game Fest 2023 predictions: all of the games we could see during the event

Summer Game Fest partners

The full list of the 40+ Summer Game Fest partners can be found below:

• Activision
• Amazon Games
• Annapurna
• Bandai Namco
• Behaviour
• Capcom
• CD Projekt Red
• Day of the Dev's
• Devolver Digital
• Digital Extremes
• Disney
• EA
• Epic Games
• Focus Entertainment
• Gearbox Publishing
• Grinding Gear Games
• HoYoVerse
• Kabam
• Larian Games
• Level Infinite
• Magic The Gathering
• Neowiz
• Netflix
• Nexon
• Niantic
• North Beach
• Paradox Interactive
• Pearl Abyss
• Phoenix Labs
• Plaion
• PlayStation
• Pocket Pair
• Razer
• Samsung Gaming Hub
• Second Dinner
• Sega
• Smilegate Entertainment
• Square Enix
• Steam
• Techland
• Tribeca Festival
• Ubisoft
• Warner Bros
• Xbox

Summer Game Fest events

In lieu of E3 2023 actually being technically cancelled, Keighley is incorporating the events that are happening under the Summer Game Fest umbrella. They are as follows:

Day of the Devs
Date: June 8
Time: 2PM PDT / 5PM EDT / 10PM BST

Devolver Digital
Date: June 8
Time: 3PM PDT / 6PM EDT / 11PM BST

Tribeca Games Spotlight
Date: June 9
Time: 12PM PDT / 3PM EDT / 8PM BST

Wholesome Direct
Date: June 10
Time: 9AM PDT / 12PM EDT / 5PM BST

Future Games Show
Date: June 10
Time: 10AM PDT / 1PM EDT / 6PM BST

Xbox Games Showcase / Starfield Direct
Date: June 11
Time: 10AM PDT / 1PM EDT / 6PM BST

PC Gaming Show
Date: June 11
Time: 1PM PDT / 4PM EDT / 9PM BST

Ubisoft Forward
Date: June 12
Time: 10AM PDT / 1PM EDT / 6PM BST

Capcom Showcase
Date: June 12
Time: 3PM PDT / 6PM EDT / 11PM BST

Focus and Saber Interactive have given us our first peek at gameplay from their upcoming action game, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.

Starring Vikings' Clive Standen as Lieutenant Titus, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 sees you "embody a Space Marine, a superhuman warrior who protects humanity from untold horrors, in brutally efficient third-person action". 

"Expect the distinctively fast and fluid game feel from best-in-class studio Saber Interactive - the team and engine behind World War Z," the blurb teases. Check out the action yourself in the trailer below:

That's not all we found out on Thursday night, either; the Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Collector's Edition is now available to pre-order. For $250 / £230 you'll get the game on the platform of your choice, as well as a steelbook cover, a 64-page book detailing the art and making of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, and a 21 cm resin statuette of Lieutenant Titus fighting a Tyranid.  

You can see it all showcased in this handy video:

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is set to release on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X - no last gen versions, I'm afraid - sometime in 2023.

The Game Awards 2022 has come and gone, but don't panic if you missed it - we've rounded up everything announced at The Game Awards 2022 right here.

Geoff Keighley may have hinted that the show would be shorter this year, but The Game Awards 2022 ran for almost four hours (including the pre-show, that is), so it covered a lot of new stuff, including an update on the Super Mario Bros. movie, Horizon Forbidden West's upcoming DLC, confirmation that a Hades sequel is on the way, plus Final Fantasy 16's release date.

Christopher Judge - who portrays Kratos in God of War - gave an eight-minute acceptance speech, whilst Halsey showed up to sing a song dressed as Lilith from Diablo 4, and Hideo Kojima took to the stage wearing a Death Stranding 2 suit.

Here are the upcoming games of 2023 we really just can't wait for.

At the end of a long day, sometimes it's nice to just sit down, pick up a controller, and punch a bunch of vampires until they explode. Evil West, the latest game from Shadow Warrior developer Flying Wild Hog, offers simple pleasures. Its sci-fi and horror-laced wild west setting gussies up a very straightforward combat-heavy action experience – one which is heavily influenced by the original God of War trilogy, right down to the treasure-chest-smashing animation. 

Evil West presents a beat-em-up toy box that sets you up with arenas full of monsters to kill, and lots of tools for smashing, shooting, and burning them to a crisp. It's a one-trick pony: There collectibles to hunt for and the occasional puzzle that to create a sense of pace, but it's all punching, all the time in Evil West. There are times when you may wish for a more balanced experience, but if you approach Evil West as a vehicle for pure beat-em-up pleasure it has a lot to offer.

A new take on the old west

Evil West follows Jesse Rentier, a large, angry cowboy who happens to be the ace agent and heir-apparent of a secret, family-run government vampire killing agency called the Rentier Institute. When a group of vampires threatens open war with humanity, starting with the Institute, Jesse picks up a one-of-a-kind electric gauntlet and smashes through hordes of monsters to stop them.

The story and dialogue is pure B-movie fare, in the worst way. Evil West is full of plot holes, predictable twists, and superficially drawn characters who yell and swear at each other, but develop little to no meaningful personality. Flying Wild Hog adequately dresses and binds the levels together, but the cutscenes are made for skimming, not reading deeply.

Even without a compelling story, Evil West manages to cultivate an interesting and surprisingly fresh aesthetic within the boundaries of the western, retro sci-fi, and horror tropes it pulls from. Its levels run the gamut of conventional western settings – train heists, swamps, one-horse towns, and oil fields – but they're often decorated with grindhouse horror flair. You may stumble upon a corn field full of vampiric leeches, or a train station crawling with spiders and covered in their webs. (FYI: You can turn off the aesthetic spiders in settings if they freak you out.) 

Likewise, many of the enemy designs riff on conventional western and monster movie staples with enough flair to feel like something you haven't seen before. Many of the enemies feel like genre staples, including Half-bat vampires, zombie-esque wretches, and western-style bandits, but they have a unique design all their own, and some have an inventive aesthetic spin that makes them a little more interesting to look at. All the gore and bugs create a mildly gross, mucky veneer that blends well with those western settings. Throw in an occasional retro-futurist Tesla coil-powered generator or a gigantic zeppelin, and you have a world that stands out as different and interesting, even if it isn't well defined.

Big Beat-Em-Up Energy

Jesse isn't here to take in the sights, though. You spend most of your time in Evil West clobbering waves of vampires and other monsters in large, open combat arenas. Following Jesse with a very familiar over-the-shoulder camera, the hunter brings a constantly expanding arsenal of weapons to every fight, giving you lots of options for how to deal with every combination of enemies you encounter.

You'd expect a cowboy to rely heavily on a pair of six-shooters, but Jesse's main weapons are his fists. Not only does he have a mean right hook and an uppercut that launches enemies into the air, but he uses his electrified gauntlet to dash over to enemies or pull them close for a flurry of punches that will kill or do substantial damage. He has the pistol too, and a shotgun, and a rifle, and a flamethrower, and a host of other destructively-entertaining weapons. Many of these are, in essence, special moves regulated by cooldowns. A couple of long-range weapons, like his rifle, give you the ability to hit enemy weak points at distance, which both prevents the attack and generates a useful healing orb.

All of these weapons and attacks make Jesse feel incredibly powerful. Especially in the early levels, you can handily crush large numbers of enemies simply by wailing on them until they start to glow – prompting you to trigger a stylish finishing move. Over time, the enemies power up to match your own and come at you in larger numbers, pushing you to use your skills strategically to prevent attacks and take out foes in an order that limits their capacity to wail on you right back. 

As you find gold and earn experience, those weapons and abilities gain more powerful wrinkles that make them more effective when used tactically. For example, you can upgrade Jesse's shotgun to deal extra damage when it's used to interrupt an attack, or learn an ability that slams enemies you launch in the air back down for extra damage. By the end of Evil West, you have a large number of powerful weapons and abilities to cycle through before going in for a conventional punch.

That sounds overwhelming, but most of these moves are mapped to a button press, or a simple (often situational) combination of a movement and an attack. These fights feel tactical, but don't require you memorize combos like in a fighter or technical action game like a Sifu or Bayonetta 3. The fights in Evil West never feel mindless, but you can often punch and shoot your way through, intuitively picking your moves step-by-step based on what feels right in the moment.

Between fights, Jesse walks from arena to arena, exploring cracks and crevices along the main path to uncover hidden rooms with money for upgrades, chests with cosmetics, and collectibles that offer small snippets of lore. There isn't much to these in-between areas. You get the pleasure of finding loot and upgrading your gear as you go, but without a strong story the narrative interludes aren't as engrossing as they could be. 

Every once in a while you'll run across a small puzzle or an on-rails mine cart sequence, but they never feel challenging or engaging enough to feel like more than a means of breaking up a formula that teeters on monotonous. Luckily though, there's just enough exploration to break up the combat sequences and give you a little breathing room without overstaying their welcome.

Punching with Friends

There's one last little wrinkle worth mentioning with Evil West: You can play the full game with a friend in online co-op. On the one hand, Evil West's large, bountiful arenas full of very punchable enemies makes perfect sense as a two-player beat-em-up – especially when Jesse gets more powerful and has abilities that affect groups of enemies, making it easy for you to chain attacks together. On the other hand, co-op comes with a lot of technical caveats. 

For starters, only the host player makes story progress, so there's a disincentive for people to be their friends' player-two instead of playing alone. On an aesthetic level, there's no secondary character for the second player, so you just have two Jesses running around. It's not really a technical problem in two-player mode: With the over-the-shoulder perspective, you'll never confuse your Jesse and your friend's, but the lack of meaningful distinction makes co-op feel poorly defined. 

Regardless of how you choose to play it, Evil West feels like the best version of the AAA "B-tier game" that we don't see as often as we used to. It's not technically polished and I wouldn't call it innovative, but it's mechanically solid and comes equipped with a lot of fun ideas that mostly pan out. Sometimes you just need a game to punch out some bad guys; it can feel familiar and straightforward, just as long as the punching feels good. Evil West fills that specific, but very relatable need quite well.

Evil West was reviewed on PC, with code provided by the publisher.

I've put together every upcoming PS5 game on the horizon in 2026 so you can see everything in release date order.

With August nigh off the back of a busy July (check out our Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced review for one of the most recent heavy-hitters), it's also been a news-heavy time for Sony in general. The publisher plans to bring disc production to an end by 2028, a move that has been met with plenty of backlash and threats to boycott the platform despite the plethora of new games slated to launch soon. There's still lots of upcoming PS5 games still yet to get a firm release date, however, so we'll be keeping an eye out for which future releases may be impacted by Sony's digital-only push.

But with a new God of War game lead by Kratos' wife Laufey that's set to be a PS5 exclusive, and the final part of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake series on the way, there's plenty to look forward to in the meantime. For a recap, read on below to find our list of all of the biggest upcoming PS5 games for 2026 (and beyond), as well as any release date info where possible.

Upcoming PS5 games to watch out for in 2026

2026

Beast of Reincarnation

Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: Fictions
Release date: August 4, 2026

From the minds that brought us Pokémon, this new PS5 game will have us chasing a very different kind of monster. In Beast of Reincarnation, you'll play as Emma the Sealer as you pursue the titular beast, which seems to be causing nature to run rampant in ways that are somewhat destructive. Set in the year 4026, you can expect sword-clashing action, a wolf companion, and a post-apocalyptic world to explore.

Marvel: TOKON Fighting Souls

Developer: Arc System Works
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release date: August 6, 2026

Here was a State of Play reveal that nobody had on the cards: Arc System Works (Guilty Gear, Double Dragon) unveiled Marvel: TOKON Fighting Souls, a 4v4 tag team fighting game set in the Marvel universe. We've already seen that the likes of Spider-Man, Doom, Ghost Rider, Storm, Captain America, and Iron Man will all be playable. It's hard to understate how big a collaboration this is, so fans of the best fighting games should absolutely keep their eyes peeled for this one.

Hell Let Loose: Vietnam

Developer: Expression Games
Publisher: Team17
Release date: August 13, 2026

Get ready for shootouts, jungle warfare, and the smell of Napalm in the morning because a new Vietnam War game is coming to the PS5. Hell Let Loose was one of the best tactical first-person shooter games of 2021, and Hell Let Loose: Vietnam looks set to be building on what came before with 50v50 player battles.

Defender of the Crown: The Legend Returns

Developer: Black Tower Basement
Publisher: Nordcurrent Labs
Release date: August 13, 2026

Defender of the Crown: The Legend Returns is a reimagining of a classic Amiga game that's been rebuilt for modern hardware. As you conquer your way around England in 1149, you can try out a Retro Mode, Classic mode, and a new Kingdom mode that has procedurally generated maps with some difficulty level tweaks to keep things interesting.

Mortal Shell 2

Developer: Cold Symmetry
Publisher: Playstack
Release date: August 20, 2026

The first Mortal Shell was pretty gnarly and goopy, a unique take on the soulslike genre that was all about butting heads with strange foes by using equally as strange powers. Mortal Shell 2 dares to ask: what if things were even more metal? And there were guns? With an introductory metal song by Ben Sahar, performed by Behemoth, this is like they injected Doom straight into the original game, all flames and fury as you tear about the oddest beasts you could imagine.

Metal Gear Solid Collection Vol. 2

Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konomi
Release date: August 27, 2026

Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol 2 brings together Metal Gar Solid 4: Guns and Patriots and the HD version of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, along with Metal Gear: Ghost Babel bonus content. Following on from the latest remaster (which you can read more about in our Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater review), this looks set to be a great way to revisit or explore more of the series on PS5.

Star Wars Zero Company

Developer: Bit Reactor
Publisher: EA
Release date: August 27, 2026

Upcoming Star Wars game, Star Wars Zero Company, is developed by Bit Reactor (led by veteran developer Greg Foertsch, who previously worked at Firaxis on Sid Meier's Civilization series). In the single-player turn-based strategy game, you command an elite squad in a galaxy far, far away. We also know it's set slightly after the Clone Wars in the Star Wars timeline.

Brigandine Abyss

Developer: Happinet Corporation
Publisher: NIS America
Release date: August 27, 2026

As a new entry in the long-running strategy series that first landed on the PS1 back in 1998, Brigandine Abyss is a strategy RPG that explores the story of an empire that schemes to conquer the continent of Meltitea. With six different protagonists from one of six different factions to choose from, you'll command soldiers in combat strategically across a hex grid.

Plague Tale Legacy Resonance

Developer: Asobo Studio
Publisher: Focus Entertainment
Release date: August 27, 2026

Plague Tale Legacy Resonance is the third game in the Plague Tale series, but it acts as a prequel to A Plague Tale: Requiem, which released back in 2022. Set 15 years before the last game, you'll follow the story of Sophia as she has to journey to the Minotaur's Island in order to uncover the secrets of her past.

Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters

Developer: Tamsoft Corporation
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Release date: August 28, 2026

Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters is a new soccer action game that features characters from the classic manga series. Building and improving on the features of 2020's Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions, the second adventure features over 22 national teams and over 110 playable characters as you dive into new storylines based on the World Youth Arc in the manga, which has been brought to life under the supervision of original artist, Yōichi Takahashi.

The Blood of Dawnwalker

Developer: Rebel Wolves
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Release date: September 3, 2026

Developed by Rebel Wolves, a new studio founded by The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, The Blood of Dawnwalker is a moody vampire RPG where you'll have to race against the clock and the sweet allure of power in order to save your family within the game's 30-day and 30-night timeframe. Playing as a half-human, half-vampire, which side you give into more will be left up to you.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release date: September 4, 2026

It's been years since we've had a brand new Onimusha that isn't a remaster or a VR outing. So, you can imagine our excitement when Onimusha: Way of the Sword was announced during the 2024 Game Awards. Onimusha: Way of the Sword follows the story of a samurai who wields a mysterious artifact known as the Oni Gauntlet. It's up to you to use this strange object to defeat monsters from another world called Genma. The action will be set in Edo-era Kyoto and promises to include plenty of dark fantasy elements.

Halloween: The Game

Developer: IllFonic
Publisher: IllFonic Publishing
Release date: September 8, 2026

In Halloween: The Game from IllFonic, you'll get to play either as the masked Killer Michael Myers or as the Hero of Haddonfield, depending on the mode you pick. There is a single-player option as well as multiplayer features, so you can choose how you'd best like to experience the events of the iconic 1978 movie. We're curious to see if IllFonic will be able to pull off a Halloween game that stands the test of time. Fingers crossed we horror hounds won't be disappointed.

Marvel's Wolverine

Developer: Insomniac
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release date: September 15, 2026

Undoubtedly one of the biggest surprises of the PlayStation September 2021 showcase came in the shape of those famous adamantium claws belonging to none other than Wolverine. Yes, a new standalone Marvel's Wolverine game is currently in development. The game is set to follow Logan as he travels the world looking for answers – and yes, the combat looks exceptionally bloody and brutal.

Dune Awakening

Developer: Funcom
Publisher: Funcom
Release date: September 22, 2026

Funcom is bringing its survival open-world MMO set in the vast landscape of the classic sci-fi setting Arrakis to PS5. Dune: Awakening is said to blend the survival game genre with a multiplayer experience as you try to live in the harsh landscapes of the planet. You'll be building shelters to weather sandstorms, looking after your stillsuit, and trying to brave the deep desert land.

Control Resonant

Developer: Remedy Entertainment
Publisher: Remedy Entertainment
Release date: September 24, 2026

Control Resonant is the follow-up to 2019's Control and will see you take on the role of Dylan Faden in an action-RPG set in a warped Manhattan. With a debut trailer at The Game Awards 2025, we'll be joining Dylan after he's released from the Federal Bureau of Control after many years, where he finds himself caught up in a supernatural crisis.

Silent Hill: Townfall

Developer: Screen Burn
Publisher: Konami / Annapurna Interactive
Release date: September 24, 2026

Silent Hill: Townfall is a new, self-contained first-person horror game in the Silent Hill series that's set in Scotland in 1996. Following protagonist Simon Ordell as he returns to the island of St. Amelia, which is covered in a dense fog (of course), we'll follow Simon as he searches the seemingly abandoned town, uses a CRTV pocket television to tune into mysterious signals, and uncovers fragments from the past.

Minecraft Dungeons 2

Developer(s): Mojang Studios, Double Eleven
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Release date: September 29, 2026

The sequel to 2020's Minecraft Dungeons, Minecraft Dungeons 2, has been confirmed and will be with us this September folks. Now if you doind't know already this is a Minecraft spin-off where you and your friends explore procedurally generated dungeons. In this sequel you'll follow a quest, face monsters, and dive for some treasure as well. Pre-orders are already live and come with a Twisted chicken pet if you decide to pick up the game now.

Rayman Legends Retold

Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release date: October 1, 2026

Rayman Legends is back, switching the art style from 2D to 3D while retaining the excellent side-on platforming the original was known for alongside a painterly, gorgeous visual design. A faithful remake, returning levels are one-to-one (even using original geometry), while moving in and out of the background and a new camera breathes new life into the fast-paced jumping. New levels, from platforming to dragon-riding, make this worth returning for, and a fresh approach to the narrative aims to rebuild Rayman's foundations for future entries.

End of Abyss

Developer: Section 9
Publisher: Epic Games
Release date: October 1, 2026

Section 9 is bringing a spooky new isometric shooter in 2026. With goopy monsters serving a taste of The Last of Us alongside some creepy-cute animations circa Little Nightmares, End of Abyss looks like a survival horror nightmare with a sci-fi kick. The story is a little hazy at this stage aside from featuring a lot of bullets, gore, and deep space horror, but judging from the reveal trailer, this will be one for the classic survival horror fans to dig their teeth into.

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve

Developer: Bandai Namco Aces
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Release date: October 2, 2026

The people don't just need an ace military pilot this time around… they need a symbol. Continuing the story of political turmoil across Strangereal, you must become the titular Wings of Theve to bring back hope in a world where AI means information cannot be trusted. A greater focus on story than usual brings your wingmen (and beyond to life), and a dedication to realistic skies combined with escalating missions create Top Gun Maverick-style jet-powered thrills.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer

Developer: Fuse Games
Publisher: Secret Mode
Release date: October 6, 2026

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a new runs-based racer that sees you take part in the high-stakes racing that began in the lawless Outer Rim of the Star Wars galaxy. Announced during The Game Awards 2025, you'll be able to get behind the wheel of different repulsorcrafts that all have their own playstyles as you try to win.

Planet Zoo 2

Developer: Frontier Developments
Publisher: Frontier Developments
Release date: October 13, 2026

The 2019 zoo simulation is getting sequel on PS5 in Planet Zoo 2. Set to let you get creative in a wider world this time around, you'll be able to customize and bring to life various wildlife reserves. With the likes of aquatic aquariums and bird sanctuaries, you'll curate and run your own zoo and become an animal conservationist.

Valor Mortis

Developer: One More Level
Publisher(s): Lyrical Games, One More Level
Release date: October 13, 2026

I love some dark fantasy; I'm also a history nerd, so needless to say Valor Mortis immediately caught my attention. In this new PS5 game, you'll play as an undead soldier of Napoleon's army who can now use supernatural powers as well as your past weapons to slay some horrifying monsters. Valor Mortis is a first-person action soulslike, and from its teasers, combat looks plentiful and brutal; there's also apparently a larger story for us to follow about the fate of humanity.

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse

Developer: Konami / Evil Empire
Publisher: Konami
Release date: October 15, 2026

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is a new 2D action RPG that takes place in 1499, in Paris, which is overrun by monstrous creatures that come from the shadows. As vampire killer Trevor Belmont's successor, you'll head out into the streets and into a castle to take down the beasts and try to save the city from destruction.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4

Developer: Infinity Ward
Publisher: Activision
Release date: October 23, 2026

Promising to be the most technically advanced entry in the series yet, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is officially landing on the PS5 in 2026. Developer Infinity Ward revealed the game's core campaign "will push the series into darker territory" as you get caught up in a global conflict after a full-scale invasion of South Korea. With combat scenarios set against locations such as Paris and New York, you can also jump into multiplayer with 12 new 6v6 maps, as well as the DMZ extraction mode.

Phantom Blade 0

Developer: Cruel Man Studio
Publisher: S-Game
Release date: October 29, 2026

If you're a fan of samurai swashbuckling and moody feudal Japan as a setting, Phantom Blade 0 seems to be promising us both. The third-person action RPG has been developed on Unreal Engine 5, and blends classic Wuxia storytelling with the aesthetics of Ghost of Tsushima action. The new PS5 game sees you take on the role of Soul, a warrior who's framed for his masters death and now has only 60 days left to live, you set out to unravel the conspiracy that has condemned you.

GTA 6

Developer: In-hourse
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Release date: November 19, 2026

GTA 6 is coming to PS5 in 2026. The new Grand Theft Auto game is set in Leonida, and is going to take us back to Vice City, albeit now in the present day. While the studio is yet to show off any gameplay, we do know that it'll be a crime thriller starring two new protagonists in Lucia and Jason. After a score goes awry, we'll follow the pair as they get caught up in criminal conspiracy. With GTA 6 pre-orders now live, you can mark your calendars for November.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World

Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Release date: December 3, 2026

Announced as part of the Dragon Quest 40th anniversary stream, Dragon Quest Monsters: Withered World is the next entry in the Dragon Quest Monsters spin-off series. Following protagonists Nera and Bianca who are "fledgling monster wranglers", you'll set out on new adventure as you befriend and raise all kinds of creatures.

TBC 2026

Attack on Titan 3

Developer: Omega Force
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Release date: TBC 2026

One of the biggest surprises of Summer Game Fest 2026 was a new Attack on Titan game. Following on from 2018's Attack on Titan 2 and exploring the same story as the eponymous manga and anime, Attack on Titan 3 will draw Eren's story to a dramatic close. Set to see you face the Nine Titans in battle, you can expect "brand-new story arcs", too.

Blighted

Developer: Drinkbox Studios
Publisher: Drinkbox Studios
Release date: TBC 2026

Described as a "psychedelic western nightmare", this Metroidvania comes from the steady hands at Drinkbox Studios – responsible for the likes of Guacamelee and Nobody Saves the World. The colorful, crunchy action takes place in a sort of isometric perspective. You can play through your adventure either solo or with 3-players, too.

Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement

Developer: ArtPlay
Publisher: 505 Games
Release date: TBC 2026

Castlevania fans, this one's for you. Featuring all the 3D side-scrolling hack-n'-slash action you could wish for, Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement is already looking like everything a self respecting Victorian gothic fan could ask for: winding stone castles, dramatic flowing capes, a lady in a fancy hat sitting atop a pile of human skulls… honestly, the cool Soulsy combat is almost a mere bonus to the sheer spooky vibes the reveal trailer gives off. We'd expect nothing less from developer ArtPlay, so the new Bloodstained game is definitely one to keep an eye on.

Crimson Moon

Developer: ProbablyMonsters
Publisher: ProbablyMonsters
Release date: TBC 2026

Crimson Moon is a gothic action RPG roguelike where you'll play as a Nephilim, which is a half-human, half-angel hybrid that's made to defend humanity against hell. Outfitted with supernatural powers and weapons, you'll fight your way through an ever-evolving horde of demons through every run, taking on the undead, vampires, and demons. The new indie game coming to PS5 will also feature two-player co-op support.

Empulse

Developer: 1047 Games
Publisher: 1047 Games
Release date: TBC 2026

Empulse is an upcoming 6v6 movement shooter from 1047 Games. After launching in Early Access on PC and Xbox, the new PS5 game was delayed, and we're currently waiting on an update regarding a release date. From wall-running to using a grappling hook, and even jetpacking and holo-jumping, Empulse makes "movement the weapon" as you take on opponents in a "post-utopia" setting.

Forza Horizon 6

Developer: Playground Games
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Release date: TBC 2026

Forza Horizon 6 was officially revealed during Tokyo Game Show 2025, where it was also confirmed that the next Forza Horizon game will not only be taking us to Japan, but it will also be landing on PS5 "post-launch". Now out on Xbox Series X and PC, we're still awaiting word on when we can expect to see the new open-world driving adventure speed onto Sony's console.

Grave Seasons

Developer: Perfect Garbage
Publisher: Blumhouse Games
Release date: TBC 2026

Grave Seasons is a new farming sim that puts its own unsettling spin on the classic life sim formula. While you can still very much expect to take up residence in a new town, make a home for yourself, and grow crops, the catch is there's a serial killer up to know good, and you'll be investigating your way the strange goings on. You can also romance the locals (but you could inadvertently find yourself dating the murderer if you're not careful).

Hela: of Mice and Magic

Developer: Windup
Publisher: Knights Peak
Release date: TBC 2026

Hela is a new 3D adventure from a team of developers that previously brought us Unravel. Set in a beautiful nature world inspired by Scandinavian landscapes, you take on the role of a mouse who's the little familiar of a witch in need of aid. As you set out into the big wide world, you'll gather ingredients and brew magical potions to help her. With puzzles to solve and a beautiful setting to explore, you can go on a journey in split-screen co-op with a pal, or in online multiplayer.

Infinitesimals

Developer: Cubit Studios
Publisher: Epic Games Publishing
Release date: TBC 2026

You might be small, but you are at least mighty – the threats you're facing… rather mundane? When your spaceship crashes on a strange planet, you have to contend with the wildlife and strange structures that resemble a somewhat futuristic Earth. Think if Pikmin were a shooter and looked way more realistic. With your fellow alien squad scattered to the winds, it's up to brave the blades of grass and insects in your way to get them back, and find out what happened to the colony you were sent to join up with.

InZOI

Developer: InZOI Studio
Publisher: Krafton
Release date: TBC 2026

The Sims-like life sim InZOI is officially coming to Sony's console in "the first half of 2026", but we're still awaiting confirmation on a concrete release date. Originally launching on PC in March 2025, the game is set to be fully optimized for console, with reworked controls for PS5. With realistic graphics brought to life on Unreal Engine 5, InZOI lets you create your own characters and explore your own stories as you also shape the world around them.

Kena: Scars of Kosmora

Developer: Ember Lab
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release date: TBC 2026

Following on from 2019's Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Kena; Scars of Kosmora will see us reunite with an older Kena who's now earned a reputation as a renowned Spirit Guide. But after travelling to the mysterious island of Kosmora, Kena encounters a powerful spirit who breaks her staff which was keeping her alive. Now, she has to embrace a forgotten form of spirit guiding which sees her use Alchemy connected to elements. We can expect to be joined by spirit companions once again as we navigate through the island.

No Rest for the Wicked 

Developer: Moon Studios
Publisher: Private Division
Release date: TBC 2026

No Rest for the Wicked from Ori and the Blind Forest and Will of the Wisps developer Moon Studios is an action RPG coming to PS5. You take on the role of a Cerim, who's a member of a group of mystical holy warriors with unique powers that have sword to fight back and defeat the Pestilence - a plague that has returned after 1000 years and is now spreading across the lands. The diablo-esque experience features different character builds to play around with, along with an online co-op mode that will allow you to play with up to three friends.

Rover's Tale

Developer: Observer Interactive
Publisher: Team 17
Release date: TBC 2026

If you are a fan of the Disney Movie WALL-E then Rover's Tale (formerly known as Good Boy) will likely become top of your PS5 Wishlist. In this adorable creature collector and exploration game you control a LAIKA Space Rover. Capture and research alien creatures, complete your Rover quests, form bonds, and discover all the secrets hiding on the planet Terra II. The trailer for this upcoming indie almost gave me a cuteness overload, so I'll definitely be picking this one up personally as well as soon as release date is announced.

Sea of Remnants

Developer: Joker Studio
Publisher: NetEase Games
Release date: TBC 2026

Any game introduced with its own folk song gets a pass in our books, and that goes double when pirates are involved. An adventure RPG set on the high seas, Sea of Remnants has opened pre-registration. Beyond that, we haven't heard too much about what's in store beyond ship-based battles and some sort of slot machine-wielding crab. Hopefully that last one's explained sooner rather than later, eh?

Toem 2

Developer: Something We Made
Publisher: Something We Made / popagenda
Release date: TBC 2026

The sequel to the delightful 2021 photography adventure is officially coming to PS5. Toem 2 will see you set out to snap more photos and capture moments in fresh new locations full of hidden paths and secrets to uncover. Designed to be taken at your own pace, your trusty camera is outfitted with new attachments to offer up fresh ways to engage with the environment, and you can also expect to meet lots of quirky characters along the way.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2

Developer: Auroch Digital
Publisher: Big Fan Games / Devolver Digital
Release date: TBC 2026

Following directly on from Warhammer 40,000 Boltgun, Boltgun 2 is set to bring more retro-style FPS action to the grimdark universe in a shiny new sequel. Promises more enemies and more weapons to take them on with, you play as either an Ultramarine or a Sister of Battle and make use of their unique abilities as you fight back against heretics.

2027

Stranger Than Heaven

Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku
Publisher: Sega
Release date: January 15, 2027

From the same developer behind the Yakuza series come a new action RPG in Stranger Than Heaven. Set across five different eras and cities, you follow the journey of Makoto Daito who, after losing both of his parents, decides to make a life for himself in Japan. You can expect beat 'em up action and a sweeping story that spans over 50 years.

Wandering Sword

Developer: The Swordman Studio
Publisher: Spiral Up Games
Release date: January 21, 2027

Wandering Sword is a martial arts RPG that's landing on the PS5 after releasing on PC back in 2023. In this one, you play as a young swordsman on a journey to reach the highest form of martial arts as he works to become a legendary hero. With plenty of endings to work through, I definitely recommend checking this one out if you are a fan of the best single-player RPGs.

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis

Developer: Crystal Dynamics / Flying Wild Hog
Publisher: Amazon Game Studios
Release date: February 12, 2027

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is set to bring us a reimagining of Lara Crofts classic 1996 adventure, with enhanced visuals brought to life on Unreal Engine 5, overhauled modernized gameplay, and some fresh additions that are said to "honor the spirit of the original".

Persona 4 Revival

Developer: Atlus
Publisher: Sega
Release date: February 18, 2027

After years of rumors and wishful thinking, Inaba is looking particularly luscious in our first look at the Persona 4 remake. Revealed during Summer Game Fest 2025, Persona 4 Revival will be giving one of the best Persona games a modern makeover for the PS5 as we follow the high schooler Yu Narukami in a high-stakes murder mystery. From the trailer, we've seen that all the original aspects that we loved about the JRPG are still seemingly intact.

Fable

Developer: Playground Games
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Release date: February 23, 2027

Fable 4 is officially titled Fable, and it's coming to PS5. Currently expected to arrive in February 2027, Playground Games debuted a fresh look at the reboot that will see us creating our own custom hero as we venture out to shape our own fairytale in an open-world Albion. With over 1000 NPCs to get to know (and date or marry), different approaches in combat, and a refreshed take on the morality system, it's already shaping up to be one very exciting adventure.

TBC 2027

Clutch

Developer: Maverick Games
Publisher: Maverick Games
Release date: TBC 2027

Clutch is new cinematic open world driving game from Maverick Games, a studio which founded by a former Forza Horizon creative director. With a narrative story-driven campaign that follows the sibling racing prodigies, it promises lots of customization and racing action.

Crazy Taxi World Tour

Developer: SEGA
Publisher: SEGA
Release date: TBC 2027

I can't believe that a new Crazy Taxi game is on the way, but heck I won't complain about it! Crazy Taxi World Tour was revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase at Summer Game Fest 2026, and it looks like it will be all kinds of fun. In this one you play as Axel and must try to recover your stolen taxi, causing some chaos along the way as you race through various bright locations. I will say that generative AI was used in this game's development so keep that in mind if that's something you care about before handing over any cash.

Danganronpa 2x2

Developer: Gemdrops, Inc
Publisher: Spike Chunsoft
Release date: TBC 2027

Bringing back the original 2012 visual novel, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair with shiny enhancements, Danganronpa 2x2 introduces new scenarios as you follow a group of students on a school trip on Jabberwork Island. Before long, they're caught up in a deadly game orchestrated by bear Monokuma, which sees you setting out to unravel the mysteries of the island and investigate murders that start occurring.

Exodus

Developer: Archetype Entertainment
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Release date: TBC 2027

Exodus is a new sci-fi action-adventure RPG coming to us from veteran BioWare developer, Drew Karpyshyn who's serving as narrative director. Taking on the role of "renegade among the stars" known as Jun Aslan, player choice will be at the heart of the experience, with time dilation said to factor into the way your decisions shape and alter future.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation

Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Release date: TBC 2027

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will see Cloud and the gang return for the third and final part in the saga. With a closer look during Summer Game Fest Live 2026, all the companions are said to have their own stories to explore as they head to face the final showdown with you as Cloud. Following in the footsteps of Rebirth, you'll be venturing to a sweeping open world setting that will take you to places like the outskirts of Midgar to the lands of Wutai.

Gundam Rogue Orbit

Developer: Bandai Namco Studios
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Release date: TBC 2027

One of the most iconic sci-fi action series is back in Gundam Rogue Orbit. Following on from the last release in 2024 and FromSoftware's decently successful Armored Core, you can expect plenty more mighty mechs laying waste to their foes when Rogue Orbit launches in 2027.

ILL

Developer: Team Cloud
Publisher: Mundfish Powerhouse
Release date: TBC 2027

Perhaps the gnarliest game of Summer Game Fest 2025, Ill has resurfaced after several years of cooking from developer Team Cloud. It comes with good news for horror fans: it looks gnarlier than ever, with its creature design leaning into body horror with zombified babies and – for lack of a better term – inside-out people. There was also a huge emphasis on reactivity to gunshots – shoot a humanoid in the leg, and it stumbles down for an execution. This has been on indie horror fans' radars for years, but fingers crossed it's inching toward a release date now that it's under the wing of Atomic Heart developer Mundfish's new creative label.

Kemuri

Developer: Unseen
Publisher: Unseen
Release date: TBC 2027

Set in a realm where yokai hide within the population, Kemuri is a new action game that sees you take on the role of a yokai hunter who sets out to restore balance to the world. As you fight yokai, you'll collect their powers and use them to overcome challenges. Drawing from traditional Japanese folklore and exploring existential themes, the game will see you take on moral dilemmas and get stuck into fast-paced combat, with the option to play with pals.

Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra

Developer: Skydance New Media
Publisher: Plaion
Release date: TBC 2027

Out of all the upcoming Marvel games on the horizon, we are most excited about MARVEL 1943: Rise of Hydra. So far, we've only seen a cinematic story trailer for this new PS5 game, showing off Black Panther and Captain America facing each other in a war-torn occupied Paris during WW2.

Metro 2039

Developer: 4A Games
Publisher: Deep Silver
Release date: TBC 2027

Metro 2039 has been revealed as the next entry in the FPS series. Coming from Metro Exodus developer 4A Games, 2039 will you see take on the role of the first fully voiced protagonist called The Stranger in post-apocalyptic Moscow. Made on the purpose-built 4A Engine, it looks set to be the darkest entry in the series.

Resident Evil Veronica

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release date: TBC 2027

The rumors are true: the Resident Evil Code Veronica Remake is real, and it's coming in 2027. The stunning announcement trailer revealed at Summer Game Fest 2026 was a clever fakeout, seeing protagonist Claire Redfield entering a wrecked Parisian apartment through her first-person perspective – the very place her brother, Chris, was last seen before the events of Code Veronica. The survival horror spin-off is considered one of the must-play entries in the Resident Evil timeline, and soon you'll be able to play it on modern hardware when Capcom's latest launches in 2027!

Senua

Developer: Ninja Theory
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Release date: TBC 2027

While it's not titled Hellblade 3, Senua is the third instalment of the Hellblade series and has been confirmed to be heading to PS5 sometime in 2027. In this upcoming action-adventure game, you'll have to help Senua make her way through purgatory as she tries to get to the afterlife. Her journey isn't going to be an easy one, though, and you'll need to cut down foes who stand in her way.

Spyro: A Realm Beyond

Developer: Toys For Bob
Publisher: Activision
Release date: TBC 2027

The purple dragon is officially making a comeback in a new adventure from Spyro Reignited Trilogy developer, Toys for Bob. Titled Spyro: A Realm Beyond, you'll be able to take flight properly for the very first time as you set off on a journey to find your way back home after getting stranded in a mysterious realm.

Tomb Raider: Catalyst

Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Amazon Game Studios
Release date: TBC 2027

Tomb Raider: Catalyst promises to be the largest Tomb Raider adventure "to date". In it, we'll follow Lara as she sets out in search of the truth behind a mythical cataclysm in Northern India. With platforming and puzzles to solve, we'll be seeing the famous heroine return sometime in 2027.

Until Dawn 2

Developer: Firesprite
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release date: TBC 2027

Over a decade since Supermassive's Until Dawn, a different studio is about to take a stab (literally) at a sequel. Until Dawn 2 looks like another thrilling interactive horror movie coming exclusively to PS5 in 2025, featuring Baldur's Gate 3's Neil Newbon among the ensemble cast of young hopefuls whose lives we'll soon hold in our hands. The announcement trailer shows off a classic slasher movie setup, as loved-up teens explore an abandoned island… and they aren't alone in the wilderness. Expect quicktime events, branching narrative choices, and more as we await a firm 2027 release date!

The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past

Developer: CD Projekt Red / Fool's Theory
Publisher: CD Projekt Red
Release date: TBC 2027

Made in collaboration with Witcher 1 remake developer, Fool's Theory, CD Projekt Red is bringing us a third expansion in 2027 for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Titled Songs of the Past, we're still awaiting story details and confirmation as to where it will be set in the events of the sprawling RPG, but it looks set to be the perfect excuse to step back into the world as Geralt.

Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember

Developer: KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD
Publisher: KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD
Release date: TBC 2027

Set in a war-torn Three Kingdoms era China, Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember, is one of the most cinematic looking games on this list. This is a sequel to the 2023 game, and will have you swinging swords at imposing demons on the battlefields. It is a classic action RPG, so expect to see combat at the forefront of the this one. We are also still waiting for a firm release date, so stay tuned.

TBC

Alien Isolation 2

Developer: Creative Assembly
Publisher: Sega
Release date: TBC

We got our first look at Alien Isolation 2 during Summer Game Fest Live, with scenes showing off the signature retro futuristic tech of the Alien series. Most excitingly of all, we got to see the setting, which will be drawing us into an unsuspecting colony world, where we'll be facing a desperate struggle to survive and escape. More Xenomorph scares are in store.

Assassin's Creed Hexe

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release date: TBC

Ubisoft Montreal – the birthplace of Assassin's Creed – is working on a very different type of entry to the series. Following the release of Assassin's Creed Valhalla in 2020, the studio has been quietly working on Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe. We'll still waiting to see the game, but an early tease suggests a far darker setting that could revolve around Europe's bloody 16th century witch trials.

Atomic Heart 2

Developer: Mundfish
Publisher: Mundfish
Release date: TBC

Look: managing to work the phrase "Atomic Heart 2" into your Atomic Heart 2 reveal trailer is a feat that's worth acknowledging. Soundtrack it to Don't Stop Me Now, and you've already got a tone that's sillier than even the first game. We've got no release window for this upcoming PS5 game, but given the trailer's only just confirming it's in development, it could be a while before we get our hands on Atomic Heart 2.

Bancho the Chef

Developer: Mintrocket
Publisher: Mintrocket
Release date: TBC

One of Dave the Diver's most popular side characters is about to get his own spin-off. Bancho the Chef will let you step into the kitchen as a sushi master – think Cooking Mama, only with a lot more style and finesse. We'll soon be joining the burgeoning chef as he hones his craft across Asia, from Japan to Korea, China, and beyond according to a recent Playstation blog post. There's no release date just yet, but this is one upcoming PS5 game to keep on your radar while we wait for the next big Dave the Diver update!

Blood Message

Developer: 24 Entertainment Lin'an
Publisher: Netease
Release date: TBC

A new bloodsoaked slasher is on the way in Blood Message. Hacking apart enemies with your katana has never looked more brutal, and the stakes are made even higher due to the fact that you've got a little baby to take care of on the way. Get ready to survive the war-torn Tang Dynasty in this third-person action adventure… whenever it comes out, of course.

Chrono Odyssey

Developer: Chrono Studio
Publisher: Kakao Games
Release date: TBC

With enough Soulslike energy and grimdark fantasy vibes to give Malenia a heartattack, Chrono Odyssey is an upcoming action-MMORPG set in a "seamlessly designed open world". Team up with your friends (or total strangers) to explore every inch, defeating all manner of hulking, brutish monsters in your path using time-bending powers to even the score. Freezing foes in place, levitating them… you decide.

Cities Skylines 2

Developer: Colossal Order
Publisher: Paradox
Release date: TBC

Cities Skylines 2 is finally coming to console after its PC launch last year, and is the long-awaited sequel to one of the most popular city builders of all time. It's bringing with it enhanced features like better road tools, public and cargo transportation, traffic AI, massive 150 tile maps per unique city, and a cinematic camera. We'll also be able to get much closer to the action than ever before, with the opportunity to follow individual citizens from birth to death in your city.

Crossfire

Developer: That's No Moon
Publisher: Smilegate
Release date: TBC

Ex-Naughty Dog devs at new studio That's No Moon have a new third person action game heading our way in Crossfire. The announcement trailer introduces us to a strange sci-fi world where two army operatives must work together to ensure their survival. Crossfire will feature an intriguing new mechanic called "adaptive cover", where the protagonist will change her stance to keep out of the enemy's sight. It's still early days for this one, but you'll want to keep your eyes peeled as we learn more about this intriguing new shooter.

Elder Scrolls 6

Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher: Bethesda
Release date: TBC

Ah, the Elder Scrolls 6. The 37-second trailer that blew the world's mind at E3 2018. The game that we know nothing about beyond this same trailer, that is in development somewhere within Bethesda Game Studios along with Starfield. Even after all this time, it's likely still a ways off, but we're hoping to see the next entry in the RPG series find its way to PS5 (and hopefully not whatever the PS6 could be).

Euro Truck Simulator 2

Developer: SCS Software
Publisher: SCS Software
Release date: TBC

For too long, PC players have had one of the best simulator games all to themselves, well, no more! Euro Truck Simulator 2 (as well as American Truck Simulator) is finally coming to consoles. Travel across Europe as a new trucker with a ton of deliveries to get through as you grow your truck empire. Explore 60 real-life cities, build up your own fleet of drivers, and customize your vehicles to your heart's content. Euro Truck Simulator 2 is still one of the best PC games you can play right now, and we can't wait until a PS5 release date gets announced.

Fairgames

Developer: Haven Studios
Publisher: SIE
Release date: TBC

Haven Studios was acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2022, becoming part of the PlayStation Studios family to help lead the PS5's expanding live service initiative. The studio's debut is Fairgames, an all-new co-op experience where you'll team up with friends to go up against the corporate overloads squeezing the life out of the world. A report surfaced in 2025 that studio lead Jade Raymond had parted ways with the project, and we're still awaiting a further update on the new multiplayer experience.

Gen Atlas

Developer: Team Ico
Publisher: Epic Games
Release date: TBC

Fumito Ueda, the creator of ICO, Shadow of the Colossus, and the Last Guardian is bringing us a new game in Gen Atlas. Revealed for the first time at the Summer Game Fest Live 2026 showcase, it will bring us a new single-player action-adventure game set in an open world. It sounds very mysterious, with you awakening on an abandoned planet where you're met with colossal structures and strange remnants that cover the surface.

God of War Laufey

Developer: Sony Santa Monica
Publisher: Sony
Release date: TBC

The next instalment in Sony Santa Monica's Norse mythos-fuelled action-adventure series is finally on the way. God of War Laufey will center on Kratos' wife as the goddess grapples with a very different afterlife from the one she'd expected. Instead of Valhalla, she's stuck in the Everywhen alongside other power-hungry gods and goddesses from cultures and belief systems around the world. The announcement trailer gives us a taste of the thrilling combat we can expect.

God of War Trilogy Remake

Developer: Santa Monica Studios
Publisher: Sony
Release date: TBC

During the February 2026 PlayStation State of Play, God of War developer Santa Monica Studios revealed that a remake of the original God of War Trilogy is in the works, with the original actor who brought Kratos to life, TC Carson, making the announcement of the Greek saga's return. While the project is "still in very early development", the studio teases that whenever the next update comes around for it, "we aim to make it a big one!".

Horizon Hunters Gathering

Developer: Guerrilla
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release date: TBC

Horizon Hunters Gathering is a new co-op action game set in the Horizon universe. Playable solo with NPCs or with pals in teams of three, you take on the role of a Hunter who sets out to protect the land from the deadly dinosaur-like machines. With various classes to choose from and powerups to tailor your playstyle, you'll venture to various locations and be able to take on different mode challenges.

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet

Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: SIE
Release date: TBC

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is the new game from Last of Us and Uncharted developer Naughty Dog. Currently in development for PS5, the project has been in the works since 2020 and will see us take on the role of new protagonist Jordan A. Mun, a bounty hunter who ends up stranded on a distant planet that's said to have lost communication with the outside universe hundreds of years ago.

John Wick game

Developer: Saber Interactive
Publisher: Saber Interactive
Release date: TBC

A new untitled John Wick game is in the works from developer Saber Interactive. Made in collaboration with the action movie's franchise directors, the AAA game is set to explore an unseen part chapter of Wick's life, and promises to draw from the signature elements of the film such as its unique use of camerawork, gun-fu action, and intense driving experiences.

Judas

Developer: Ghost Story Games
Publisher: Ghost Story Games
Release date: TBC

BioShock creator Ken Levine has finally revealed his new project - Judas. With seriously strong BioShock vibes, Judas is a single-player narrative title where you must try to escape a disintegrating starship. You must survive by either making or breaking alliances with the other people on the ship, your so-called worst enemies. You're playing as the titular Judas, who is described as "mysterious and troubled", and seemingly has powers in her left hand that she can switch out - again very Bioshock in space vibes all round.

Light No Fire

Developer: Hello Games
Publisher: Hello Games
Release date: TBC

No Man's Sky developer Hello Games is bringing us a new experience with Light No Fire - a survival sandbox adventure you can play with others. Set on an open-world fantasy planet that's described as being the same size as the Earth, you'll be given the freedom to explore its diverse biomes as you try to unravel its lore and mysteries. With building and survival aspects, we also saw in the reveal trailer that you can fly through the vistas on the back of a dragon, climb mountains, and even set sail across the oceans.

Little Devil Inside

Developer: Neostream Interactive
Publisher: Neostream Interactive
Release date: TBC

Little Devil Inside first began life on Kickstarter back in 2015. Fast forward five years later, and we see a debut trailer during a PS5 reveal stream with the news that it will be a timed exclusive. As an RPG with survival elements, Little Devil Inside is set in the "Victorian-like" era in a semi-open world. There's been a long spell of radio silence on the project since 2024, and we're still waiting for this one to resurface.

Mass Effect 5

Developer: BioWare
Publisher: EA
Release date: TBC

It might be quite a way off release, but that isn't going to stop us being ridiculously overexcited for a brand new Mass Effect game - aka Mass Effect 5. We're still waiting to find out where it will lead us, but with a familiar face in Liara T'Soni making an appearance, we can't wait to find out more. Of course, the big question of whether Shepard will return remains, but we're ready for everything.

Mighty Cuphead Adventure

Developer: Studio MDHR
Publisher: Studio MDHR
Release date: TBC

A new Cuphead game on the way. Revealed during Summer Game Fest 2026, Mighty Cuphead Adventure is a new 8-bit action platformer that takes direct inspiration from the 1980's by using tech of the era to bring it to life. Programmed using classic Assembly language (specifically the Sega Master System).

Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault

Developer: Digital Sun
Publisher: 11 bit studios
Release date: TBC

Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault will be releasing in Early Access on PC and Xbox before landing on PS5, though we're still awaiting a release date for the launch on Sony's console. As a sequel to the 2018 action role-playing Moonlighter, The Endless Vault sees you run your own little shop. But in order to get things to sell, you'll need to brave dangerous levels, weaving in roguelike mechanics to your otherwise cozy RPG life. There are new shops, a new town, and new biomes to explore, too.

New Virtua Fighter Project

Developer: Rya Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: Sega
Release date: TBC

Very little is known about the new Virtua Fighter Project currently in the works, but the the brief teaser trailer showed off a powerful figure in a hat who punched another man through a wall. Said to be a completely new project in the Virtua Fighter series, it's certainly one to watch out for.

Okami sequel

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release date: TBC

A sequel to the beloved painterly adventure Okami is currently in the works from Capcom and game director Hideki Kamiya. With a brief teaser trailer show so far, we've only gotten of glimpse of the follow-up so far, but it looks set to bring us to another gorgeous world in the same signature style, with the promise of a heartwarming story in the same vein as the original as we once again take on the role of Amaterasu.

Persona 6

Developer: Atlus
Publisher: SEGA
Release date: TBC

After years of rumors Persona 6 is indeed real and will be heading to PS5 sometime in the future. Revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase at Summer Game Fest 2026, we got to see a very small teaser of the game's logo and some supernatural images. There isn't a lot to go on just yet, but we expect to learn more once Persona 4 Revival gets released in 2027.

Project Windless

Developer: Krafton Montréal Studio
Publisher: Krafton
Release date: TBC

PUBG publisher Krafton revealed a new open-world action RPG during the February 2026 State of Play. With a dark fantasy setting that's said to be inspired by the Korean novel series The Bird That Drinks Tears, you'll be taking on the role of a nomadic warrior race of humanoid birds known as Rekons that are known for being powerful and imposing figures.

Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic

Developer: Arcanaut Studios
Publisher: Lucasfilm Games
Release date: TBC

Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic has been announced as a spiritual successor to Knights of the Old Republic. As a single-player RPG, we can expect to have lots of player agency and make choices in this story-driven experience with "heart-pounding combat" as we follow the journey of a Force user.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake

Developer: Aspyr
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment and Lucasfilms Games
Release date: TBC

After many rumors began circulating, the latest Sony showcase confirmed that a remaster of BioWare's beloved Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is on the way, and the upcoming Star Wars game is coming to PS5. Aspyr and Sony Interactive Entertainment are working with Lucasfilm Games to rebuild the classic adventure, which promises to bring KOTOR to a new generation with "modern tech, features, visuals, and more, while maintaining the integrity of the story and characters" so many have come to love.

Stuntman Hollywood

Developer: Saber Interactive
Publisher: Sony
Release date: TBC

It's been almost 20 years since Stuntman Ignition, but movies still need a good Stuntman to get the job done. This time around the arcade-style precision driving challenges have moved beyond mere parody, embracing (as we've come to expect from Saber) some great licenses including Back to the Future's DeLorean and Knightrider's KITT. Quite how far we'll be recreating iconic movie scenes remains to be seen, but it's great to see the series' unique approach to vehicle gameplay return.

Terminator: Survivors

Developer: Nacon Studio Milan
Publisher: Nacon
Release date: TBC

Terminator: Survivors is a new open world survival adventure that takes place four years after the events of Judgement Day in James Cameron's T2. After leaving a shelter, you set out in the aftermath to try and help re-establish society, but with Skynet and its deadly machines out to get you, that's no easy task. Featuring iconic characters and a new storyline, we're still awaiting a release date for this new PS5 game.

The Cube

Developer: Mundfish
Publisher: Mundfish
Release date: TBC

As if Atomic Heart 2's reveal at Summer Game Fest 2025 wasn't enough, Mundfish also revealed The Cube – an MMO RPG set in the same universe as Atomic Heart. The premise is as simple as it is weird: a gigantic floating cube has appeared in the sky, and scientists are racing to uncover a reality-changing equation that's hidden within. The catch? There's all sorts of sentient life on its surface, and the cube itself – so big it has its own biomes – is constantly rotating. Multiplayer shooters are hard to crack, but this one really does sound as interesting as it does strange.

The Lost Wild

Developer: TheGreatApe
Publisher: Annapurna
Release date: TBC

Imagine Jurassic Park, except… scarier? The Lost Wild is a new first-person survival horror adventure that sees you step into the prehistoric wilderness and try to elude dinosaurs that roam the lands. From using the environment to create distractions, to stealthily trying to get past the predators, you can even hide if worst comes to worst. If you've ever wanted to see if you can handle dinos, then this is your chance to find out.

Thick as Thieves

Developer: OtherSide Entertainment
Publisher: Megabit Publishing
Release date: TBC

What happens when several thieves, each with their own special set of talents gets put on the same heist. Well, you can find out the answer to that question with the upcoming PvPvE game, Thick as Thieves. Outwit and act fast to steal treasure before any other players can get their hands on it. However, be warned, it isn't easy rising through the ranks in a 1910s metropolis that is filled with shadows and magic. Thick as Thieves looks to be tons of fun and an exciting spin to typical stealth based gameplay. Currently, we're still waiting for a release date for it, so stay tuned for updates.

Total War: Warhammer 40,000

Developer: Creative Assembly
Publisher: Sega
Release date: TBC

Total War: Warhammer 40,000 is set to take us into a galaxy-spanning turn-based strategy experience as we get stuck into real-time battles in the sci-fi universe of Warhammer 40,000. Set in the Era Indomitus, when the galaxy is witnessing endles war, you'll command factions, customize your war machine, and more as you fight among the stars.

For more future releases coming to other platforms, head over to our lists for all the upcoming PC games, upcoming Switch 2 games, and upcoming Switch games.

Update: The leaked Atomic Heart release date from yesterday is now official, with Focus Entertainment releasing a new trailer confirming the date.

Atomic Heart, the upcoming sci-fi first-person shooter from Moscow-based studio Mundfish, is officially launching on February 21. Pre-orders are also available for the game's three different versions: standard, Gold Edition, and Premium Edition. Pre-order bonuses are available for all three versions, but the latter two also include an "Atomic Pass" with some other goodies.

Original story follows...

Atomic Heart has seemingly leaked a February 21, 2023 release date ahead of the official announcement.

Mundfish's uber-creepy sci-fi FPS take on a Soviet-era dystopia was previously pegged for a Fall 2022 release, but it was discreetly delayed to 2023 back in September. Now, it seems we have an exact release date, though it's yet to be confirmed in any official capacity.

Whatifgaming first reported the release date yesterday, and Twitter user IdleSloth then mined the date from IGN's YouTube video expected to make the news official tomorrow. Noted leaker ALumia_Italia also corroborated the leak, sharing what seems to be an official poster for the game's Premium Edition and related contents.

Atomic Heart takes place in a terrifying, alternate version of the 1950's in which the Soviet Union developed highly advanced robotics and technologies during World War 2. Naturally, these aren't the kind of robots that can make the milk in your latte look like a pretty little oak leaf; no, these are the kind that want you and all of humanity dead, and they damn well look the part.

I've been transfixed by the absolutely nightmare-inducing creatures in Atomic Heart since the debut of its "effing wild" cinematic trailer back in 2019. That said, its semi-recent combat trailer proved that the debut title from Moscow-based developer Mundfish has a lot more to offer than just exceedingly creepy robots, and thankfully we'll have plenty of interesting weapons to fight back with.

While we wait for Atomic Heart, here are the best sci-fi games you can play today.

The studio behind the first and second Life is Strange games, Don't Nod, currently has eight games in development.

As revealed in the company's 2022 half-year results, in the second half of 2022, Don't Nod plans to "continue to develop its rich pipeline of eight original creations." This includes "five self-published games, one co-production with Focus Entertainment, and two with external studios Tolima and Tiny Bull, to be published by Don't Nod." All of the games mentioned in the results are scheduled to release between 2023 - 2025. 

This shouldn't come as a surprise to fans of the studio, as earlier this year, Don't Nod revealed that it plans to release six games by the end of 2025 - to "capitalize on" the success of Life is Strange and Vampyr. It seems they've stepped it up even more, adding another two games to this upcoming release schedule. 

If you didn't know, Don't Nod is responsible for developing the first Life is Strange game, its sequel Life is Strange 2, and its short spin-off title The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit. The studio handed over the other games in the series - including Life is Strange: True Colors and Life is Strange: Before the Storm - to Deck Nine. They also developed a similar game called Tell Me Why exclusively for Xbox.

So, should we get our hopes up for another Life is Strange game from the Paris developer? The short answer is probably not. Back in 2021, it was rumoured that future Life is Strange games will reportedly be made by Deck Nine. Considering the last few Life is Strange projects have been handled by Deck Nine, we'd be surprised if Don't Nod did go back to developing games for the series. But, who knows, maybe one of those games is Life is Strange 3 and we'll get to see more of Sean and Daniel Diaz in the future. 

Need something to play while we wait for Don't Nod to release its games? Take a look at our games like Life is Strange list.

Well, it turns out I was right to worry that Atomic Heart might be delayed, as indeed it sounds like its release window is being shifted back.

Mundfish slapped a tentative fall 2022 release window onto Atomic Heart near the beginning of the year, which implied it would launch somewhere between September 1 and the end of the year. But now, Focus Entertainment has announced in a press release that it's publishing Atomic Heart, and in doing so, has shared an update on its release window.

"Initially planned for 2022, the hectic and explosive Action-RPG is set to release this winter. Polishing and delivering a game of the highest quality is the priority of this talented team, with a specific launch date to be announced shortly."

Now, this is a little confusing. Focus says the game was "initially" due out in 2022, which would imply that's no longer the case, but it doesn't explicitly say it's been delayed. However, it also says it's set to release this winter, which seemingly narrows down the new release window to early 2023, but again, it's not super clear. Luckily, it sounds like we'll get an actual release date soon.

The exact reason for the apparent delay wasn't specified, but back in June, Xbox Game Pass Poland (via Bloody Disgusting) claimed to have spoken with a developer working on Atomic Heart who said the game would likely be delayed to 2023 in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Mundfish, a Russia-based developer, later refuted the report.

Here are a whole bunch of new games of 2022 to look forward to.

With the Fall season soon upon us, there's never been a better time to escape into new worlds. And as you start to think about easing into the autumn, GamesRadar+ is here to guide you through the biggest video games, movies, TV shows, comic books, and board games that are set to release before the end of 2022. 

Let's be honest: It's been a difficult year, and it feels as if we've been saying that with increasing regularity. But no matter how bleak things may appear outside, inside there is plenty to keep your mind occupied. There are massive blockbuster video game releases with God of War Ragnarok, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and something for everyone in-between. 

Marvel is set to dominate the movie landscape with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, although it'll be facing stiff box office competition from DC's Black Adam and 20th Century Studios' Avatar: The Way of the Water. On TV we're getting season premieres for Cobra Kai Season 5 and new episodes of House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Oh, and there's a whole lot more happening in the realms of comics and tabletop gaming. 

GamesRadar+'s fall preview looks ahead at the biggest releases across our favorite forms of entertainment. Join us all throughout September as this hub is updated with new upcoming video game previews, as well as looks at what is happening in the world of film, TV, comics, and beyond. 

There's some fantastic distractions coming your way in 2022, and you'll find more information on all of them right here. 

Fall 2022 Preview: Games

Fall 2022: Grounded
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment | Publisher: Xbox Game Studios | Release date: September 27

Microsoft's first major first-party release of the Fall 2022 window is Grounded, the scaled-down survival game with big ambitions. Fallout: New Vegas developer Obsidian Entertainment launched Grounded into Game Preview two years ago, and it's finally ready to leave early access on September 27. Grounded has come a long way since 2020, and as we argue in our hands-on preview of the most recent build of the game, it's a fantastic experience more people should be shouting about. 

Fall 2022: FIFA 23
Developer: EA Vancouver | Publisher: EA | Release date: September 27

2022 is EA's final year at the helm of the FIFA franchise, and the publisher is going all out. We visited the EA Vancouver offices to learn more about the game, getting new details on why FIFA 23 is going big on crossplay, the World Cup, and Women's club teams. The transition to EA Sports FC isn't going to be easy, although it looks like FIFA 23 is going to generate enough goodwill to help close the gap.   

Fall 2022: A Plague Tale Requiem
Developer: Asobo Studio | Publisher: Focus Entertainment | Release date: October 15

Amicia and Hugo return for what is sure to be another emotionally wrenching adventure, with the brother-sister duo heading into southern France to flee both the Inquisition and skittering hordes of plague carrying rats. We've played A Plague Tale: Requiem and were so impressed that we drew a comparison to Naughty Dog's genre-defining The Last of Us Part 1. This could be the surprise hit of the year. 

Fall 2022: New Tales from the Borderlands
Developer: Gearbox Software | Publisher: 2K Games | Release date: October 21

Following the dissolution of the original Telltale games in 2018, we had all but given up hope of ever seeing a sequel to one of the best Borderlands games. Thankfully, Gearbox Software is set to deliver with New Tales from the Borderlands this October. We spoke with the developers to learn how this unlikely sequel is set to keep the best (and cut the worst) of the old Telltale formula. 

Fall 2022: Goat Simulator 3
Developer: Coffee Stain | Publisher: In-house | Release date: November 17

Goat Simulator 3 is coming and we are not ready for the carnage it's going to unleash. Coffee Stain is so committed to the bit – that Goat Simulator is gaming's longest-running joke – and skipped the second installment to the series entirely. Here's the funny thing we learned after playing it though: Goat Simulator 3 is a bigger and bolder sequel that has massively expanded on the ideals of the original game, all without diluting the humor at its heart. 

Fall 2022: The Dark Pictures Anthology – The Devil in Me
Developer: Supermassive Games | Publisher: Bandai Namco | Release date: November 18

When Supermassive Games first announced its experimental anthology series The Dark Pictures, we didn't know what to expect. Since 2019 we've had Man of Medan, Little Hope, and House of Ashes – arguably some of the best survival horror games in recent years – and now the studio is preparing to launch the season finale with The Devil in Me. We sat down with Supermassive to learn more about the H.H. Holmes inspired nightmare. 

Fall 2022: Evil West
Developer: Flying Wild Hog | Publisher: Focus Entertainment | Release date: November 22

There's more to the Old West than Red Dead Redemption 2. Whether it's because of a lack of vision or the lingering impact of one of the best open world games of all time, there are precious few titles exploring this setting, and it's a great shame. That's one reason we're so excited to play more of Evil West, the Devil May Cry-style vampire hunting game from the devs behind the Shadow Warrior trilogy. 

Fall 2022: Gungrave G.O.R.E.
Developer: Iggbymob | Publisher: Prime Matter | Release date: November 22

If you're over the age of 30, there's a high probability that you have fond memories of the best PS2 games, and occasionally long for a return to the blocky, uncomplicated AA action games that were so prevalent on the system. Well, for better or for worse, Gungrave G.O.R.E. is set to make that a reality – this may be the closest you'll ever get to finding a new PS2 game released for PS5. 

Fall 2022: Crisis Core – Final Fantasy 7 Reunion
Developer: Square Enix | Publisher: In-house | Release date: December TBC

If you're getting ready for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth in 2023, then you should consider Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion as a vital detour. Square Enix is developing an ambitious remaster of one of the best PSP games, and it's an essential play if you want to better understand Cloud's original FF7 adventure. Everything we've seen of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake so far suggests that Crisis Core protagonist Zack Fair will play a bigger role than ever before, so don't skip this one. 

Fall 2022: The Callisto Protocol
Developer: Striking Distance | Publisher: Krafton | Release date: December 2

The Callisto Protocol is undoubtedly one of our most anticipated upcoming horror games of 2022, the spiritual successor to Dead Space we didn't know we needed. While we're yet to play the game for ourselves, we have had a behind-the-scenes look at brand new footage, and sat down with The Callisto Protocol's creative director Glen Schofield to learn more about this horrendously creepy looking project ahead of its release this December. 

The GamesRadar+ Fall 2022 Preview hub will be updated all throughout September with new insight into the biggest video games, movies, TV shows, comic books, hardware and tabletop gaming releases that you can expect to see before the end of the year.

Life is Strange developer Dontnod has revealed ambitious plans to release several games across the next few years - though it hasn’t said what any of them are.

The Parisian company, which recently opened a subsidiary studio in Montreal, has six in-house projects on the go. They’re all expected to launch between 2022 and 2025. Announcing the news in a business review, Dontnod emphasised a commitment to its two great successes: Life is Strange and Vampyr.

“In four years, our royalties have increased fivefold to reach a record level in 2021,” said CEO Oskar Guilbert. “This dynamic is notably linked to the success of Life is Strange and Vampyr, which we intend to continue to capitalize on. It is therefore natural that we decide to accelerate our investments in the development capacities of new games that will follow in the same vein, both in the multi-project hub in Montreal and in the RPG hub in Paris.”

This year, the developer intends to ramp up production of the mysterious Project 8, a game in the “bouyant action-RPG segment”, made in partnership with Vampyr publisher Focus Entertainment. In Montreal, meanwhile, the company is building a multi-project division “with a strong narrative component”, led by the creators of Life is Strange.

Despite lukewarm reviews on release, Vampyr is Dontnod’s biggest ever financial success, alongside Life is Strange 1, and has apparently enjoyed a second wind. With two million copies sold since 2018, and a further eight million free downloads via the Epic Store, the developer has a strong base of public awareness upon which to build a potential sequel. It has to be said, too, that Vampyr’s Spanish flu era backdrop has only become more relevant over time.

Notably, though, 2020’s narrative adventure game Twin Mirror hasn’t done so well, with Dontnod covering only 75% of its investments on the project: “In a market that is globally saturated by the end of 2021 and penalized by the sudden closure of the Chinese market, the company believes that Twin Mirror will only generate a marginal level of revenue in the future.”

Beyond its own projects, Dontnod is overseeing two more games as a publisher. One is Gerda: A Flame in Winter, an intriguing narrative RPG-type-thing set during the German occupation of Denmark. And the other, just announced, will be based on a “minimalist universe” and developed by new Belgian studio Tolima.

Gosh, that really is a lot of stuff to be getting on with. It’s worth remembering that Life is Strange 2 ended on a high, which bodes well for the future.

Looking to board a hype train? Here are the 2022 games we’re eagerly waiting on.