Fall is fast approaching, which means fans will be getting treated to a plethora of new games. Some of the early months may be on the lighter side, but once November comes around, it's full steam ahead. Of course, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year is a little different than most.
Adding to that is something that's not usually seen come August: more games than usual do not have release dates. This makes the delay for some of these more likely, while others are due to the fact that the PS5 and Xbox Series X release dates are still MIA. Either way, every game that follows at least has a release window of 2020 confirmed (found below in order of release date). In other words, unannounced games like Batman or games that are years away (Avowed, Fable, The Elder Scrolls 6) are not listed here.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 Remastered
The first game to kickstart the 2020 gaming season is Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2, the remaster of first two iconic skating games. Only time will tell, but it seems the skateboarding game genre is seeing a resurgence, with this being the first big game to release. It's possible more Tony Hawk games come as a result, but Skater XL came in, Pro Skater is up next, and eventually Skate 4 is set to release. Even moving into a new generation of games, it's clear nostalgia is and may always be a seller in the industry.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 Remastered is set to drop on PC, PS4, and Xbox One on September 4.
Marvel's Avengers
When Square Enix and Marvel first announced a brand new partnership, many were excited to see what would come of it. The MCU has made Marvel more popular than ever, with several games seeing high-profile releases now too. Marvel's Avenger is no different, yet it is at the same time. Unlike a more traditional superhero game in Marvel's Spider-Man or the Batman Arkham series, Marvel's Avengers is a live service game with comparisons to Destiny. Loot and builds will matter so that two player's Hulks may not be the same, there's co-op and raid-like mechanics, and a ton of content coming post-launching, including free new heroes like Hawkeye and Ant-Man.
Marvel's Avengers releases September 4 on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X to follow.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning
The original Kingdoms of Amalur was the only game developed by 38 Studios before it filed for bankruptcy, meaning it seems the original did not sell as well as it needed. However, the original is likely one of the most slept-on RPGs in the industry, as it received a ton of praise and developed a cult following. THQ Nordic acquired the IP in 2018 and has now taken the first step in hopefully correcting this mistake when its remake, Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning, releases on September 8. Fans should expect a ton of visual improvements and more, but at its core, it's still a solid game that checks all the boxes of a fantasy RPG. It would be hard-pressed to mess this one up.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is coming to PC, PS4, and Xbox One on September 8.
Mafia: Definitive Edition
The third (and final) remaster or remake to make this list is Mafia: Definitive Edition, but much like others, nostalgia is a big draw for this one as well. Players will once again find themselves in the shoes of Saliere crime family mobster Tommy Angelo in the 1930s, but the city of Lost Heaven has been completely rebuilt from the ground up. It is a textbook remake with new assets and story, while still maintaining much of the original including its hardest and most controversial level. Furthermore, it is said to play a lot more like Mafia 3 and will be introducing at least one new element: motorcycles, a first for the franchise.
Mafia: Definitive Edition will be available on September 25 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is both an allusion to the long fan wait for the game and the actual content thereof. Crash 4 follows the original trilogy where Neo Cortex and Dr. Nefarious Tropy have escaped their prison yet fractured time and space in doing so. Fans will be able to play as Crash, Neo Cortex, and more throughout the game when it drops later this fall.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time releases for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on October 2.
Star Wars: Squadrons
There's a lot of nostalgia for Star Wars video games, but one itch that has yet to be scratched is the explicit dog-fighting space combat subgenre. Enter: Star Wars Squadrons. Players will explore two customizable pilots' stories (one of the New Republic's Vanguard Squadron and the Empire's Titan Squadron) after the Battle of Endor. It's being shipped as a complete day one package with exciting multiplayer, customization options, and unique classes for both the Galactic Empire and New Republic.
Star Wars: Squadrons will release October 2, 2020, for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Watch Dogs Legion
After the lackluster release of Ghost Recon Breakpoint, Ubisoft needs a win and it's clear that it's going for one. Several Ubisoft games have been delayed to this fall and early 2021, with Watch Dogs Legion finally releasing in just a couple of months. Built with a "play as anyone" mindset, players will be directing the Resistance against its would-be oppressors of all kinds, from those who run the street to those who have military power over London. It went relatively quiet after its delay, with games like Assassin's Creed Valhalla and the then-rumored Far Cry 6 overshadowing it, but it came back bigger and better than ever at Ubisoft Forward. Now, it has to do that at release.
Watch Dogs: Legion launches October 29, 2020, for PC, PS4, Stadia and Xbox One. PS5 and Xbox Series versions will launch alongside the consoles.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
Fans of Man of Medan will be getting the second entry of eight games in The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope, just in time for Halloween. Supermassive games has made some adjustments based on the first, including no tank controls, faster walking, and easier QTEs, and Little Hope is exploring new themes (every installment is said to, with Little Hope being witchcraft), as well as presenting a story with time leaps. Opposed to the first game's modern story, it seems that the two installments will be like night and day.
The Dark Pictures: Little Hope releases on October 30 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Destiny 2: Beyond Light
Recently delayed slightly to November 11, Destiny 2 will be getting a huge new expansion in form of Beyond Light. Unlike a traditional or smaller DLC, Beyond Light is more akin to an expansion and a new chapter in the live service game, where Bungie's ambition is a new era for the game. Beyond Light will see players travel to Jupiter's moon, confront the darkness, meet the Exo Stranger (again), as well as new missions, PvE content, PvP content, gear, weapon, a raid, and so much more. For fans of Destiny 2, this expansion has a lot of anticipation behind it, to both deliver this new era of the franchise and leave the old one behind.
Destiny 2: Beyond Light releases November 11 on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in development.
Yakuza Like a Dragon
First released in Japan in early 2020, Yakuza: Like a Dragon follows Ichiban Kasuga as he tries to discover the reason his family and Patriarch betray him. This is after he went to jail for 18 years to cover for the family, and everyone seems to have just forgotten him. He faces off against several Yakuza, Triad, and Korean criminals along the way, breaking off from the series' typical beat-em-up genre for a more RPG-like combat system. It's worth mentioning current-gen platforms will be able to play on November 13, but the game itself is also a timed Xbox Series X exclusive, so those wanting to check it out on PS5 will have to wait a little longer.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon releases in the West for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on November 13, with a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X version coming at a later date.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is the next entry in the long-running franchise, and the first to make the leap to next-gen consoles. Players will take on the role of Eivor as a clan leader of the Viking Era, as they try to find their new home. Unlike Kassandra or Alexios, Eivor wields a hidden blade and will have some relationship with the Hidden Ones, but how that manifests remains to be seen.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla releases November 17 on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions to follow.
Cyberpunk 2077
Arguably the most anticipated game on this list is Cyberpunk 2077, a game first announced 8 years ago by the Witcher developer CD Projekt Red. The developer has a reputation for long waits and multiple delays, but this is superseded by its reputation for quality products and industry-defining RPGs. Players will take on the role of V, who have Johnny Silverhand (aka Keanu Reeves) stuck in their head, as they seemingly pursue something known as the Immortality Chip. Either way, fans should expect it to be one of the strongest closers of this generation and strongest openers of the next.
Cyberpunk 2077 releases November 19, 2020, on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. PS5, Stadia, and Xbox Series X versions are slated for release in 2021.
NOTE: Moving forward, the following games do not have release dates confirmed yet. They do, however, have a window and likely time period of release. They could still be delayed at this point, but new release dates for these games should be confirmed sooner rather than later.
Godfall
Praised as the first revealed PS5 exclusive and launch title, Godfall sees player take on classes otherwise known as Valorplates (Silvermane, Hinterclaw, etc.). It then adds the looter element of games like Borderlands and Destiny to a more melee-oriented gameplay style, self-dubbed "Looter Slasher." While Looter Shooters are going nowhere anytime soon, it'll be interesting to see if Godfall leads to more Looter Slashers down the road, much like what the original Borderlands did for the original looter video game genre.
Godfall launches holiday 2020 for PC and PS5.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales
One of the biggest shocks of the PS5 game showcase was the reveal of Spider-Man: Miles Morales and particularly that it was a launch game for the PS5. It follows Miles Morales during the winter months while Peter Parker is other disposed, likely serving as a bridge between Spider-Man PS4 and Spider-Man 2 on PS5 where he could also be playable. There are rumors that, because it seems slightly on the short side, it ships alongside a remastered version of Spider-Man. However, fans will have to wait and see if there's any truth to that.
Spider Man: Miles Morales is currently in development for PS5.
Halo Infinite
Halo Infinite is Microsoft's flagship for the cross-gen era, being playable on both generations of Xbox as well as PC, and is set to release alongside the Series X. Some have criticized the graphics of the game, but there are as many, if not more, just hoping for a game that takes the franchise forward while maintaining a true-to-Halo vibe. The gameplay presentation gave some fans that inkling, and confirmation that its multiplayer is free is going to go a long way in making Halo Infinite live up to the subtitle.
Halo Infinite releases Holiday 2020 on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
The Medium
Bloober Team is an expert at terrifying horror game releases, so when it says that next-gen power is required for The Medium, that's saying something. Fans are not likely just to be scared, but it seems Bloober Team is going for some powerful gameplay mechanics, such as its Dual Reality gameplay. As a launch title for Xbox Series X, it seems horror fans have plenty on the horizon, and The Medium likely tops that list for many of them.
The Medium will launch in Holiday 2020 for PC and Xbox Series X.
Outriders
Outriders is Square Enix's upcoming action Sci-Fi RPG, available across all platforms around the release of next-gen consoles. It gives off a serious Mad Max, Destiny, and Mass Effect vibe, and from what has been shown so far, it has the potential to be the next big Sci-Fi gaming franchise. Players awaken from cryo-sleep just to go back in after being struck by The Anomaly, in which gives them powers that define the game classes. Game Rant's recent Outriders interview dove into elements of the Pyromancer, the planet Enoch, and the game's crew, but fans should also expected the third broadcast to drop later this month.
Outriders releases Q4 2020 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and in 2021 for Stadia.
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Another huge game-changing expansion is that of Shadowlands for World of Warcraft. Set to release at some point later this year, Shadowlands sees Sylvanas confront the Lich King and shatter his helmet, opening the Shadowlands. This leads to new lore, new areas to explore, a level squish, a new level system, more race access to Death Knights, dungeons, raids, and far more.
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands releases in Q4 2020 for PC.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Officially, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga does not have a release window other than "2020." Some marketing material floated the date October 20 a while back, but strangely that hasn't been confirmed or denied since. It would seem that the developer would move ahead and confirm it, but since it hasn't, fans may want to temper expectations on this one. Either way, the game will be bringing all 9 movies of The Skywalker Saga to Lego format at some point this year, barring delays.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga releases in 2020 for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
Call of Duty 2020
The biggest question mark but still likely to release this year is Call of Duty 2020. It has already broken the tradition of a post-May announcement by quite a few months, but it's doubtful (though not impossible) that this game breaks its decade+ long streak of yearly releases. Marketing material has been leaked for the game, after all, via a Doritos promo, dubbing the game Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Supposedly, it is to be revealed via Warzone at some point soon, so fans should be keeping an eye out for it.
Call of Duty 2020 is in development.