With the impact of COVID-19 slowly diminishing, there's an awful lot for gamers to get excited about over the coming 12 months. There's a host of tantalizing exclusives currently in the pipeline, as well as a healthy selection of big multi-platform titles and innovative indie games. When exactly some of these titles will actually be released, though, remains something of a mystery.
It's not uncommon for a developer or publisher to provide a release window rather than an exact release date. Generally, however, these are typically revised as they draw nearer in order to let players know exactly when they can get their hands on the game. Of the many big titles coming out over the coming year, quite a few are still to receive a definitive release date.
10 Halo Infinite
Officially Announced: E3 2018
Current Release Window: Holiday 2021
Platform(s): Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X & PC
Microsoft had originally planned to release Halo Infinite as a launch title for the Xbox Series S and X, but delays in development led to it being pushed back until 2021. The company didn't specify an exact window at the time, but has since revised the release date to the holiday period at the end of the year. Based on the footage of the game shown at E3 2021, further delays seem unlikely at this time.
9 Abandoned
Officially Announced: April 2021
Current Release Window: 2021
Platform(s): PS5 & PC
Announced in a PlayStation blog post in April 2021, many believe that Abandoned is connected to Hideo Kojima and Konami's Silent Hill franchise. Intense speculation has led to developer Blue Box Game Studies refuting the links on numerous occasions, but they just won't seem to go away. Upon its announcement, the game was slated for release at some point during 2021, although there have been no further updates to suggest when exactly the game will drop.
8 Horizon Forbidden West
Officially Announced: June 2020
Current Release Window: Late 2021
Platform(s): PS4 & PS5
Horizon Forbidden West is the follow up to Guerrilla Games' hugely successful Horizon Zero Dawn and will once again place players in the shoes of the young huntress, Aloy. The game was first announced during Sony's PS5 reveal event in mid-2020 and the company has done a decent job of keeping expectant players updated since then. In June 2021, the head of PlayStation Studios confirmed that the game was still on track for release in late 2021, although an exact date has yet to be given.
7 Call of Duty WW2 Vanguard
Officially Announced: March 2021
Current Release Window: November 2021
Platform(s): PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X & PC
Given the frequency with which new Call of Duty games are released, it should come as very little surprise that another one is planned for late 2021. What's more, the series' annual releases typically arrive in either October or November, so its November 2021 release window is also fairly predictable. As of the moment, however, Activision is yet to provide a firm date for when the World War 2-themed title will be hitting store shelves and digital storefronts.
6 Jurassic World Evolution 2
Officially Announced: E3 2021
Current Release Window: 2021
Platform(s): PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X & PC
There weren't all that many surprise announcements at E3 2021, but Jurassic World Evolution 2 definitely caught one or two people off guard. The upcoming construction and management sim will allow players to build their own dinosaur parks, with over 75 unique prehistoric species at their disposal. The reveal trailer suggests a big step up in quality from its 2018 predecessor, both in terms of its visuals and its gameplay.
5 God Of War: Ragnarok
Officially Announced: September 2020
Current Release Window: 2022
Platform(s): PS4 & PS5
The new God of War game was one of many big titles announced at Sony's PS5 showcase event in September 2020. Unfortunately, however, updates on the project have been few and far between since then. Following months of speculation, though, Sony did eventually confirm that the game's release date had been pushed back from 2021 to 2022; meaning fans will have to wait a while longer to continue Atreus and Kratos' epic journey.
4 Axiom Verge 2
Officially Announced: December 2019
Current Release Window: Summer 2021
Platform(s): PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch & PC
Many consider the first Axiom Verge game to be one of the very best Metroidvanias around. With that in mind, there was an almost tangible air of excitement when a sequel was announced for the Switch in late 2019. It was originally planned to release at some point in 2020, but delays ultimately led to the game's creator pushing the release back to Summer 2021. It's not all bad news, however, as PlayStation and PC ports of the game have since been announced.
3 Digimon Survive
Officially Announced: July 2018
Current Release Window: 2021
Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch & PC
There's a lot of hype surrounding Bandai Namco's Digimon Survive, but when exactly it will come out is anybody's guess at this point. It was originally planned for release in 2020, but is now slated to arrive at some point in 2021. Some are a little concerned by the lack of news as of late, but with six months still left of 2021 at the time of writing, there's every chance that the game will see the light of day before 2022 rolls around.
2 The King of Fighters 15
Officially Announced: Evo 2019
Current Release Window: Q1 2022
Platform(s): Unknown
The latest King of Fighters game looks fantastic and may well end up being the series' best entry to date. It was first announced in Las Vegas at Evo 2019, with plenty of updates having followed since then. Though the developer has been pretty forthcoming when it comes to the characters that will feature in the game, SNK is yet to confirm which platforms the game will actually be available on. With plenty of time between now and its intended Q1 2022 release window, however, series fans likely won't be too concerned by this just yet.
1 Six Days in Fallujah
Officially Announced: May 2009
Current Release Window: Q4 2021
Platform(s): PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X & PC
Few games have caused quite as much controversy as Six Days in Fallujah, nor have many gone through such challenging development cycles. The developer behind the original game was forced to file for bankruptcy in 2011, despite the game reportedly being ready for release at the time. Almost ten years later, a new studio led by some of the original development team announced that the game would be releasing in late 2021, bringing an end to more than a decade of development hell.