In 2021, Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda was finalized, changing the course of the company forever. Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda has already seen it gain some console exclusive games, plus it's bolstered Xbox Game Pass with the addition of classic Bethesda titles. However, some existing Bethesda deals meant that some of the company's published games have been releasing for the competition's hardware, though that will change this year.
Bethesda has one more PlayStation 5 console exclusive game that it's obligated to put out, and that's Ghostwire: Tokyo from Tango Gameworks. Once that game's available, Bethesda will be focused solely on producing content for PC and Xbox consoles, with all of its new games coming as day one Xbox Game Pass releases.
Here are all the new Bethesda games confirmed for 2022 so far.
Bethesda Games Coming Out in 2022
- Ghostwire: Tokyo - Q1/Q2 2022
- Redfall - Q3 2022
- Starfield - November 11, 2022
As it stands, there are three Bethesda games that are confirmed for release in 2022. The one that's expected to come out first is Ghostwire: Tokyo, believed to be launching at some point in the first half of the year. Ghostwire: Tokyo is the latest game from Tango Gameworks, the studio behind The Evil Within series, headed by legendary game developer Shinji Mikami. It's not a full-blown horror game like the studio's previous work, but it still deals with supernatural elements. In the game, players take on the role of a character named Akito who is able to utilize supernatural abilities to fight back against ghosts that have invaded the streets of Tokyo.
Along with Deathloop, Ghostwire: Tokyo is one of the games that Bethesda promised to make PS5 console exclusive prior to the Microsoft acquisition. Microsoft has honored these commitments, with Deathloop released as a PS5 console exclusive last year and Ghostwire: Tokyo set to launch as a PS5 console exclusive later this year. However, it's highly likely that once the Ghostwire: Tokyo PS5 exclusivity window runs out that the game will jump ship to Xbox (Deathloop is expected to come to Xbox at some point in late 2022), so fans will just have to wait and stay tuned to see when exactly that might happen.
Ghostwire: Tokyo is far from the only game that Bethesda has on deck for 2022, however. Fans of the company also have Redfall to look forward to, which is currently aiming for release at some point in the summer of 2022. Redfall is a particularly interesting project as it's a co-op experience coming from Arkane, a company most well-known for its single-player games like the Dishonored series, the Prey reboot, and the aforementioned Deathloop.
Redfall is an open world co-op game where players use characters with unique abilities to fight back against hordes of vampires. Not much of the game has been shown in an official capacity, but it has an intriguing premise, and it will be interesting to see how it turns out come launch.
Both Redfall and Ghostwire: Tokyo are Bethesda-published games that are expected to drop in the first half of 2022, but neither one has a solid release date at the time of this writing. That's not the case with Starfield, the open world sci-fi RPG developed by Bethesda Game Studios itself, which currently has a November 11, 2022 release date that its developers are confident it will meet.
Starfield is easily one of the biggest new video game releases of 2022, as it marks the first single-player open world game from Bethesda Game Studios since 2015's Fallout 4. It's been a whopping seven years since Bethesda fans have had a new single-player experience, and so there's quite a bit of interest in Starfield. Fans are curious to see if Starfield is able to bring Bethesda to its former glory, or if the game will continue to damage the studio's reputation in the way that Fallout 76 did.
No Starfield gameplay has been shown just yet, but fans can expect that to change in 2022. It's highly likely that the marketing push for Starfield will begin in earnest in the months ahead, with a big reveal likely to happen during Microsoft's E3 2022 press conference in June. So far Bethesda has stuck to releasing cinematic trailers and concept art that gives Starfield fans a general idea of what to expect from the game, but hopefully they don't have to wait too long to actually see it in action.
New Content for Existing Bethesda Games
Most Bethesda fans are likely interested in the company's new video game releases that are coming in 2022, but others may be wondering what's in store from some of the company's existing games. Bethesda has a couple of live service games that it will almost certainly release new content for in 2022, so fans can expect new content for both Fallout 76 and the Elder Scrolls Online MMORPG.
As far as Fallout 76 goes, it's enjoyed some of its most significant content updates to date in 2021, with the game in a much better state than it was when it first launched. Fallout 76 had a disastrous launch back in 2018, and while it's still not fully embraced by the Fallout community, Bethesda has made a number of well-received changes to the game to improve it based on fan feedback.
Not much is known about what's in store for Fallout 76 in 2022 behind the Expeditions game mode, with the first one revolving around The Pitt. Fallout 3 fans may recall The Pitt as being post-apocalyptic Pittsburgh and the setting of one of the game's DLC expansions. It seems Fallout 76 will let players return to The Pitt in 2022, though further details on what exactly that will entail will have to wait until a bit later in the year.
The Elder Scrolls Online, meanwhile, will almost certainly have some big updates in 2022 as well, though like Fallout 76, they mostly remain a mystery at this point. The Elder Scrolls Online has enjoyed a major new expansion every year since 2017, with Morrowind dropping in 2017, Summerset releasing in 2018, Elsweyr releasing in 2019, Greymoor launching in 2020, and most recently, Blackwood releasing in 2021. More information on The Elder Scrolls Online's next big expansion should come to light within the next month or so, if previous expansion announcements are any indication.
New Bethesda Game Announcements and Reveals
Bethesda fans already have a lot on their plate for 2022. There are at least three major new Bethesda games planned to launch this year, plus Fallout 76 and The Elder Scrolls Online are set to receive some new content as well. However, Bethesda will most likely reveal even more of its upcoming projects in 2022. Bethesda announces big new games nearly every year, so fans should expect some reveals in the coming months at big events like E3.
It's also possible that fans will get an update on some previously-revealed Bethesda games, but they shouldn't necessarily hold their breath. It's known that MachineGames is actively developing an Indiana Jones video game, so maybe fans will get to see a new trailer that gives them a better idea of what to expect from it gameplay-wise. It's also possible that fans will finally get an update on The Elder Scrolls 6, though that seems highly unlikely, especially with the Starfield release date so close.
Regardless, 2022 should be a big year for Bethesda fans between the likely reveals and the confirmed new releases. It will mark Bethesda's first full year completely under the Microsoft umbrella, so it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.