(SPOT.ph) Even if most of us are heading out to touch grass and enjoy communal life with others in person, it doesn’t mean gaming as a pastime or hobby has slowed down one bit since it took off to new heights during the quarantine. We could even say that we’re paying closer attention to the future of gaming now more than ever because it’s become such an integral part of our kick-it-back-at-home lifestyle over the past couple of years.
As such, with 2022 already halfway over, we’re rounding up the games we’re looking forward to that are not only still dropping this year but are also giving us hope that the back-half of this year won’t be so bad after all. We hope.
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Here are 10 upcoming video games 2022 that we’re looking forward to:
God of War Ragnarök
Release date: November 9, 2022
Platforms: PlayStations 4 and 5
While Chris Hemsworth’s Thor is facing off against the villain Gorr the God Butcher in the movies, we’ll have to wait a few more months before we see our favorite video game god butcher, Kratos, face off against his significantly beefier version of Thor in God of War Ragnarök. The sequel to 2018’s Game of the Year award recipient God of War, this game looks to delve deeper into Norse mythology, with a narrative focus on the Norse “end of days,” as well as characters like Loki, Freya, and yes, the God of Thunder himself showing up. Like Mimir, we’re going to go “ahead” and call this our most anticipated game of the year.
Stray
Release date: July 19, 2022
Platforms: Windows, PlayStations 4 and 5
Undoubtedly the game with the most immaculate vibes still to come this year is Stray, from indie developer BlueTwelve Studio. Haven’t you always wanted to just play a game as a cat for a bit? No work, no responsibilities, just meow meow. Okay, there might be a little bit of work, as you’ll be playing a lost cat trying to make its way back to its family in a futuristic Hong Kong-like city. You’ll be avoiding killer robots and other dangers of the nighttime street life, but it also appears that you can just chill and hang out at a bar with your best friend, a robot wearing a rice hat. Just a couple more weeks ‘til this game drops!
Splatoon 3
Release date: September 9, 2022
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
While there are already a ton of great shooting games already available to play, like Call of Duty, Valorant, and PUBG, an upcoming title you should be keeping your eyes on—especially if you’re a Nintendo Switch player—is Splatoon 3. The upcoming sequel is returning with its classic 4v4 online multiplayer mode, where players blast the map and each other with paint in order to claim their turf and win. The game is also dropping with all-new ink-shooting weapons and a single-player story mode, where a new type of ink has invaded the land and is paralyzing everything it comes into contact with. The game’s not your paint-by-numbers shooter, as it looks fun for the whole family.
Overwatch 2
Release date: October 4, 2022
Platforms: Windows, PlayStations 4 and 5, Xbox One + Series X and S, Nintendo Switch
We can’t believe Overwatch, one of the pillars of the online first-person shooter genre, is getting a sequel. That’s like if chess got a Chess 2, or something. Yet, Overwatch 2 is already in the PvP beta testing phase and is expected to drop this October. The sequel is set to introduce all-new heroes, six new maps, player vs. environment modes, and a multiplayer story campaign, all of which are bound to shake up the meta and possibly the whole idea of what Overwatch is capable of being. We’ll no doubt be paying close attention to see if the developers can realize the sequel expansion to its fullest potential.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns
Release date: October 7, 2022
Platforms: Windows, PlayStations 4 and 5, Xbox One + Series X and S, Nintendo Switch
Marvel hasn’t been a stranger lately in putting a spotlight on their darker and more mystical characters, such as Moon Knight, Scarlet Witch, and Morbius. That looks to only be the tip of the iceberg, as their upcoming tactical RPG Midnight Suns looks to be going full-on with the mystical mayhem, having characters like Blade, Ghost Rider, and Magik join up with the more well-known Avengers, like Iron Man, Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, and Wolverine. You will get to play as all these characters (and then some) in the vein of Marvel Ultimate Alliance, and even get to create and customize your own superhero called “the Hunter.” Hit this game up if you want some spooky superhero vibes this October.
Forspoken
Release date: October 11, 2022
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Windows
A break from all the recognizable franchises and video game characters, Forspoken is an upcoming next-gen game that introduces a new fantastical world of magic, mythical creatures, and vast kingdoms that are surely abundant with intriguing side-quests. It also seems to have a wholly new spin on fantasy, open-world/RPG mechanics, as the protagonist’s main power is never skipping leg day—er, we mean super-speed and magic parkour. Essentially, familiar aesthetics with enough new features to make this a must-try for PS5 gamers.
A Plague Tale: Requiem
Release date: October 18, 2022
Platforms: Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, Nintendo Switch
No, no, A Plague Tale is not the story about how you learned to make iced coffee at home or how you spent endless days making TikToks from your bedroom during the 2020-2021 quarantine. While we’d actually pay to see that adapted as a video game, the real A Plague Tale: Requiem is set in the 14th Century, during the French Inquisition and the bubonic plague known as the Black Death. In it, you play as a woman traveling across the land with her sick, younger brother in search for a safe haven. The game mixes elements of action RPGs, stealth, puzzle mini-games, and survival horror to immerse us in the constant anxiety of surviving a pandemic and avoiding the wrath of a ruthless governing body of power—basically, just another week for us here in 2022.
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet
Release date: November 18, 2022
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
After finishing off Generation VIII with the one-two punch release of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl and Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the Pokémon Company is going full steam ahead with the launch of Generation IX this November with Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. The new pair of games will introduce to us a new region inspired by Mediterranean Spain, all-new characters and Pokémon, and a new four-player multiplayer feature. While all those are interesting, we’ve been hit and blinded by the Lechonk fever and there’s no turning back. You bet we’ll be in line on day one all for this adorable creature.
The Callisto Protocol
Release date: December 2, 2022
Platforms: Windows, PlayStations 4 and 5, Xbox One + Series X and S
Originally intended to be set within the distant future of the PUBG universe, The Callisto Protocol focuses on a prison colony located on Jupiter’s moon that has to fend off an alien invasion seemingly orchestrated by the prison’s warden. Essentially, it’s Alien 3 from one of the creators of Dead Space, the king of space survival-horror games. Whether you’ll actually play it or just put on a stream of another person playing through and getting jump-scared by it, The Callisto Protocol is definitely the game to watch out for over this holiday season.
Hogwarts Legacy
Release date: Q4 2022
Platforms: Windows, PlayStations 4 and 5, Xbox One + Series X and S, Nintendo Switch
You must not tell lies. Admit it, you’ve gone through the phase where you obsessed over Harry Potter, thought about which Hogwarts House you’d get sorted in and what form your Patronus would take, and wondered what a day spent in the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would be like. Well, you're in luck as the upcoming RPG Hogwarts Legacy will allow you to fully live out your Wizarding World fantasies. You’ll be able to create your own character, a new student at Hogwarts during the 1800’s, and get sorted into one of the four houses. Exploring the campus, you’ll meet a lot of familiar magical creatures and, yes, have to attend the various classes. Accio the controller.
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