For PC gamers, 2023 and beyond is looking remarkable in terms of upcoming games. Compiling the list you see below wasn't easy, because there's no shortage of exciting games ahead. Many of those on this list are expected or even announced to arrive in 2023, while others are almost surely further off. Still, for the best look at what 2023 PC games are coming, this list has you covered with a bit of everything.
From long-awaited sequels, to genre-bending new IP, to exciting remakes and reboots built from the ground up, here are the most anticipated PC games for 2023 and beyond.
Alan Wake 2
Speaking of unlikely sequels, Alan Wake 2 is a game for which fans have been clamoring for over a decade. The cult classic got a semi-sequel in 2012, but not until Remedy confirmed the existence of the Remedy Connected Universe (RCU) and openly admit that Control and Alan Wake take place in the same universe did the wheels start moving again publicly. For the Finnish studio, the sequel is the fulfillment of a promise 13 years in the making.
Assassin's Creed Mirage
If recent Assassin's Creed games have gotten too big for your enjoyment, don't worry. Mirage may be the salve you've been seeking. Said to play more like early Assassin's Creed games, such as those starring Altair and Ezio, Mirage is not the 100-hour RPG that Ubisoft has been turning this series into for the past six years. It could even be nostalgic for some players.
Avowed
One of the games that developer Obsidian Entertainment has up its sleeve is Avowed, and it's intriguing considering the studio's track record (Fallout: New Vegas, The Outer Worlds). Avowed looks to be the first big RPG from Obsidian under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella, but all we know so far comes from the short teaser trailer shown off during the Xbox showcase from July 2020, which revealed it as a new first-person fantasy RPG set in the Pillars of Eternity universe.
Baldur's Gate III
After proving its RPG mettle with the Divinity: Original Sin games, Larian Studios is making a true and proper sequel to the series that inspired it. Baldur's Gate 3 follows the events of Shadows of Amn and takes notes from both the classic Baldur's Gate games and the Divinity franchise. An early access version was released in 2020, and despite some rough spots, it showeda great deal of promise. It's currently slated for a full release in 2022.
Release date: August 2023
Company of Heroes 3
The World War 2 real-time strategy series Company of Heroes is coming back after a long hiatus. This time the game will focus on the Italian and North African theaters of war, and includes new features like a Tactical Pause that allows you to queue up commands and increased destructibility. An alpha test conducted in late 2021 helped prepare tacticians for the battle to come, but we don't expect to see the full game released until late 2022.
Dead Island 2
Dead Island 2 is a game that once looked unlikely to exist at all. After shuffling around from studio to studio, it's finally nearly here as the next game from Dambuster Studios (Homefront: Revolution). The sequel moves to LA (or HELL-A, as the trailers say), and though that isn't an island, the series' penchant for gory dark humor is alive and well.
Dead Space
Often lauded as one of the best horror games of its generation, if not ever, Dead Space is getting the remake treatment other recent horror games have seen. From what we've seen, it's set to be a faithful recreation that still includes some smart streamlining for a 2023 audience. Get ready to "cut off their limbs" all over again.
Release date: January 27, 2023
Diablo IV
After years of post-launch support for Diablo 3, Blizzard is finally putting out a proper sequel with Diablo 4--but it's been a long time coming, and it may be longer still. The studio known for its "polish it until it's perfect" approach has hesitated to put a date on Diablo 4, and so far has only shown off small snippets of the development process as it keeps fans informed of its progress. Now the studio is dealing with ongoing legal action that has led to some creative departures, which could impact development still. Previously planned for 2022, it has been pushed back, meaning we won't see it until at least April 2023. That's still a long time to wait, but we could also at least start to see more of the game shaping up as we get closer to its release.
The biggest change is Blizzard's focus on making Diablo IV feel a bit more like a live-service game. Its overworld will be public, and you can expect to run into other characters as you wander the wilds and engage enemies. There will even be public events and world bosses to defeat with the help of strangers. Dungeons will still be instanced for you and your party, but the inclusion of other players in the short demo we tried at BlizzCon made Sanctuary feel more like a living world beset by evil than in past titles. The only trouble is, we have no idea when Blizzard means to release Diablo IV--and by all accounts, it doesn't sound like it'll be in players' hands anytime soon.
Release Date: TBA
The Elder Scrolls 6
All we know about The Elder Scrolls VI is that it's real and it's being worked on. We got a short teaser trailer with a title, and that's it. Here we are patiently waiting. Maybe we'll get another Skyrim remaster for new-gen consoles and PC in the meantime.
Everwild
Everwild is a brand-new IP from Rare, and looks to be an adventurous game set in an expansive outdoors with a stunning art style. While we don't know exactly what to expect from Everwild, it seems like a marriage between the natural and supernatural world with interactions revolving around wildlife and your party of four, which is teased in its reveal trailer.
Fable
There is very little we know about the new Fable right now, but at least we know it's real. Its reveal concluded the Xbox Showcase back in July 2020 and confirmed that developer Playground Games is behind the project. Fable is an RPG series known for its take on choice and consequence, and how they affect the way your character looks, grows, and is perceived in the game world. It's exciting to think about what Fable could be in this new generation.
Forspoken
Forspoken (previously Project Athia) is a new fantasy action game from Square Enix with a fish-out-of-water story at its core. A regular girl from our world is pulled into a fantastic setting complete with dragons, and in doing so she gains her own supernatural abilities to ward off evil.
Release date: January 24, 2023
Hogwarts Legacy
Hogwarts Legacy is the much-anticipated action RPG set in the Harry Potter universe, but in this adventure in the Wizarding World, we don't need Harry. The story takes place in the late 1800s, but all the things you know and love about the franchise are still here: spells, potions, magical beasts, and the house rivalries of Hogwarts. J.K. Rowling isn't directly involved in the project--take that for what you will.
Release date: February 10, 2023
Homeworld 3
Gearbox's revival of the Homeworld franchise is markedly more connected to fan feedback than most. As a crowdfunded campaign, the studio invited surveys from investors on what elements or aspects of the original Homeworld games were most important to them. The project has brought on some key personnel from the original development studio, and studio Blackbird Interactive cut its teeth on the Homeworld Remastered Collection. It's due out in late 2022.
The Last of Us Part 1
The Last of Us originally released in 2013. Now, 10 years and two remasters later, it's finally coming to PC. The move was expected, though still not guaranteed, given Sony's more recent interest in bringing its prestigious first-party games to PC. For players who have managed to avoid spoilers for all these years, you're in for a treat. And by treat, we mean an emotionally devastating roller coaster.
Lord of the Rings: Gollum
Listen, I'm not sure who wanted a Lord of the Rings game starring Gollum, but we'll give it a chance, of course. If you check the Steam page, the release date is marked as "Lurking until the time is right." We respect that.
Mass Effect
That's right; a new Mass Effect is coming. Announced at The Game Awards 2020, the upcoming entry in the fan-favorite series still seems to be early in development, with Bioware at the helm. With only a teaser to go by, very little is known about the game. Many speculate that it may more directly tie into the original trilogy than continue from where Mass Effect: Andromeda left off. No release date has been confirmed, but if it's anything like the Dragon Age game in development, then it's likely still a while out.
Minecraft Legends
Not a ton is known about Minecraft Legends right now, but the prospect of the beloved survival sandbox series migrating into a new genre is exciting. It's even more exciting when you consider the last similar effort, Minecraft Dungeons, was a neat entry into the action-RPG space, offering up a Diablo-lite experience for the often-younger Minecraft audience. Legends is said to be a strategy game, and that can mean different things, but for now we're intrigued.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time first came out in 2003 and turned the series into a 3D action platformer. In a way, it also established the framework for parkour gameplay elements we've seen throughout Ubisoft's games since then. The remake was shown in action through its reveal trailer and was just recently pushed slightly back to March 2021.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 has been slowly teased since 2018. Much like the rest of the series, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 takes place in the Nuclear Exclusion Zone (or "The Zone") in radiated Chornobyl, but supernatural elements lurk about to create a horror-like atmosphere. It's said to have one of the biggest open worlds ever in games, which sounds pretty daunting to explore and ambitious for the first-person action franchise.
Redfall
One of a spate of games centered around superpowered multiplayer heroes taking on hordes of monsters, Redfall catches our attention based heavily on the pedigree. Arkane Studios, the developer behind Dishonored, Prey, and Deathloop, certainly knows how to make games that relish in granting you superpowers, so having those skills put toward a cooperative game make it one to watch.
Resident Evil 4
You can't mention horror games without Resident Evil 4, and amid an ongoing and highly successful Resi revitalization campaign from Capcom over the past several years comes the full remake of arguably its most beloved series entry to date. Leon, Ashley, and those unforgettable chainsaw-wielding killers are sure to look lovely in the RE Engine, even if we'll sometimes be running for our lives too much to notice.
Returnal
Expect to see Playstation games come to PC more often going forward, and expect to see few of them look as mesmerizing as Returnal. This bullet hell third-person shooter brings Housemarque's trademark arcade gameplay into a more story-centric framework with strong Alien vibes. It's as gorgeous as it is unforgiving.
Senua Saga: Hellblade 2
Senua's Saga: Hellblade II continues the harrowing journey of the titular protagonist that started in Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. Although we don't know much about the next of this sequel, it was revealed alongside the Xbox Series X in 2019 with a cinematic trailer, and it's one of the major upcoming games from Ninja Theory, which is now under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella.
Star Citizen
At this point, Star Citizen is most famous for raising an incredible amount of money. After ending its Kickstarter campaign 2012, developer Cloud Imperium continued raising money through crowdfunding and release of purchasable modules that are said to eventually be operable within the game itself. It currently sits at more than $400 million raised, with no official release date for the commercial product. Though some playable slices have been available, the uncertainty around a release has made it a hotbed of controversy. It's almost certainly not coming in 2022. But as an ongoing project that could make a big splash when or if it materializes, lots of people are looking forward to their virtual voyage among the stars.
Starfield
One of the big hitters in development at Bethesda is Starfield, which seems to be sci-fi space-themed take on the studio's RPGs. Not much, if anything, is known about Starfield gameplay-wise other than it's said to have a major game engine overhaul. Todd Howard has spoken about it in vague terms, too, and mentioned we'll see it before The Elder Scrolls VI.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
Rocksteady helped create one of the all-time great superhero franchises with Batman: Arkham Asylum and its sequels, and now it's returning to the world with a take on the antihero troupe Suicide Squad with Kill the Justice League. We haven't seen much from the game aside from a teaser, but we know that it centers around the four title characters--Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and King Shark--taking on brainwashed superheroes like Superman and The Flash. It's set in the same universe as the Arkham games but takes place in Metropolis instead, so we'll get a very different view of the world Rocksteady created.
System Shock
One of the most revered first-person shooters of all time is getting a remake this year. System Shock was a major inspiration for later hits like BioShock, and after a successful Kickstarter campaign, Night Dive Studios is bringing it back. What originally began as a remaster has morphed into a full-on reboot. An early alpha version was released in May 2020, and now the wait is on for more details. Night Dive has run into development troubles related to the pandemic and other factors, but the game is said to be coming in 2022.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Who will survive and what will be left of them? The famous tagline of the 1974 movie will soon be something you and your friends must ask yourselves as Gun Media is adapting the all-time horror classic into a smart and scary asymmetrical multiplayer game. Just the sound of the chainsaw alone gives us goosebumps.
Total War Warhammer 3
The Creative Assembly has built up a reputation for itself with top-tier expertise in real-time strategy. That makes its return to the Warhammer universe with Total War Warhammer 3 an exciting treat for fans who have been waiting for a proper sequel since 2017. As usual for the Total War franchise, you'll have to engage in careful diplomacy and all-out battle to navigate the campaign. Owning the first two games will unlock their races in multiplayer, and a new set of factions include the Kislev and Grand Cathay human civilizations, and four based on Warhammer's Chaos Gods. It's coming on February 17, 2022.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is such a fascinating concept considering the cult status of the original games from 2000 and 2004. It's a first-person RPG set in the same World of Darkness universe as its tabletop RPG source material, but in a modern-day Seattle, and it looks to build on what the Bloodlines did in 2004.
The Wolf Among Us 2
The continuing story of Bigby Wolf seemed lost to time when Telltale Games was shuttered in 2018, but with the studio reborn for a new era--thankfully alongside a new game engine--our neo-noirish fantasy vibes are back in play. It's been so long that this sequel may wind up feeling like a reboot, but in any event, we're just glad to be huffing and puffing as the Big Bad Wolf again soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.