When a video game console generation nears its end, we tend to see a higher number of high quality releases as developers work to get their big games out before the launch of new hardware. That's exactly what the video game industry is experiencing for the first half of 2020, with the first six months of the year stacked to the ceiling with long-awaited new game releases as we head toward the launch of the PS5 and Xbox Project Scarlett.
While the first half of 2020 in general has a staggering number of big game releases, one month stands out as particularly busy. If it weren't for the new consoles releasing in the holiday season, March 2020 would likely be the biggest month of the entire year, with numerous major titles set to release.
These are the games that are going to make March 2020 one of the biggest months in gaming history.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Originally slated for release in 2019, Nintendo pushed Animal Crossing: New Horizons to March 2020. Standing out as one of the biggest announced Nintendo Switch-exclusives, perhaps only behind The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, Animal Crossing: New Horizons looks to be a significant step forward for the franchise. New Horizons is introducing a number of new gameplay features and expanding the Animal Crossing experience in ambitious ways, and it will be exciting to see if it all pays off. From the looks of things, Animal Crossing: New Horizons will make another critically-acclaimed addition to the increasingly impressive Nintendo Switch library of games.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons releases on March 20, 2020 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
Bleeding Edge
Ninja Theory may be best known for its single-player action games, but the Bleeding Edge multiplayer game has turned some heads, and for good reason. The first Ninja Theory game released after the Microsoft acquisition, Bleeding Edge takes clear inspiration from Blizzard's Overwatch, but trades shooting for a bigger focus on melee action. It's a risky project to be sure, but early impressions of the game have been largely positive so far. While it remains to be seen if Bleeding Edge can reach the same level of success as Overwatch, it will at the very least give fans of Blizzard's hero-shooter a similar experience to try.
Bleeding Edge releases on March 20, 2020 for PC and Xbox One.
Doom Eternal
Bethesda delayed Doom Eternal from its original November 2019 release date to the busy date of March 20, 2020, giving the developers time to add some extra polish to the experience. Doom Eternal is taking the over-the-top action of the well-received Doom reboot and dialing things up to 11, introducing a new asymmetrical multiplayer mode that is definitely experimental, but could also prove to be fairly compelling. As long as the developers are able to match the quality of the Doom reboot, they should have another hit game on their hands.
In the meantime, Doom Eternal isn't the only Doom release that will happen in March of 2020. Doom Eternal will be joined by the Doom 64 re-release, giving fans a chance to play the classic game on modern platforms.
Doom Eternal will launch on March 20, 2020 for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Quite possibly the biggest new game release of March 2020 is Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Fans have been waiting literal decades to get their hands on a Final Fantasy 7 remake, but for one reason or another, Square Enix never decided to pull the trigger. That all changed at Sony's E3 2015 press conference when Final Fantasy 7 Remake was announced for PS4. The game has had a somewhat troubled development, but things appear to be back on track, with many responding positively to Final Fantasy 7 Remake's new combat system and the massively improved visuals. Final Fantasy 7 Remake is what really solidifies March 2020 as being huge for the gaming industry, and it's arguably the most-anticipated new game release of the entire year.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake will launch on March 3, 2020 for PS4.
Spawn in Mortal Kombat 11
Video game enthusiasts will be most excited about the completely new releases that will be coming in March 2020, but the year will also be marked by some new content for 2019's biggest games. Perhaps most notably, the popular fighting game Mortal Kombat 11 will be getting the final fighter for its first Kombat Pack. Comic book character Spawn will be joining the Mortal Kombat 11 roster on March 26, and after his release, we may learn more about the rumored Mortal Kombat 11 Kombat Pack 2 DLC fighters.
The Return of Half-Life
Half-Life fans have been waiting for a new game in the series since 2007's Half-Life 2: Episode Two. Unfortunately, Valve dedicated its resources to running Steam, more or less giving up active video game development. As a result, Half-Life 3 has never materialized, and while that long-awaited game still hasn't entered active development (as far as we know), fans will be treated to the first new Half-Life experience in over a decade when Half-Life: Alyx launches in March 2020.
Half-Life: Alyx doesn't have a firm release date, but we do know that it's launching in March of 2020 for PC-powered virtual reality headsets. While some fans have expressed disappointment that Half-Life: Alyx is a VR game, others have been overjoyed at the fact that Half-Life is back at all in any capacity. Considering how innovative the Half-Life games were for the first-person shooter genre, it's quite possible that Half-Life: Alyx will be the killer app that VR needs to convince more consumers to adopt the technology. Its first gameplay trailer was extremely impressive for a VR game, and if the final product can live up to expectations, we could have the first truly must-own VR title on our hands.