If you’re anything like us, (and as you’re reading this site, we presume that you are) then you’ll be the type of person who spends your spare wages long before it reaches your bank account. If that is the case, then time to get busy with pre-ordering the most anticipated video games from the coming year.
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1. Far Cry Primal
OK, this game was already released on February 23, but it still deserves to be on the list because it is that darn good. The latest installment in the Far Cry franchise, sees the developers at Ubisoft taking us back to 10,000 BC, where mammoths roam free and Snapchat is not a thing. Here we play as a Wenja tribesman who is destined to rise up in the ranks and become the new tribe leader. Due to the setting, the franchise has opted to replace the over-the-top artillery of previous versions, in favour of more primitive weapons. This could change the whole dynamic of the game and we can’t wait to play.
Expected release: Out now
PC | Playstation | Xbox One
2. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Despite the game being involved in controversy due to some rather colourful, in-game language and a controversial pre-ordering system, that hasn’t stopped it from making our list. The sequel to Deus Ex: Human Revolution, takes place in 2029, two years after the mass genocide of mechanically-augmented humans. Cyborgs have been deemed outcasts and segregated from the rest of society, and it’s up to you to put that right in this cyberpunk-themed action role-player.
Expected release: Aug 23
PC | Playstation | Xbox One
3. Hitman
Our favourite assassin is back. And in order to quench our anticipation, the developers have decided to release this game in an episodic manner. Playing as Agent 47, every month you will receive new assignments that will run all the way into late 2016. But don’t worry if you are completing them too fast, there are several weekly events and additional assignments planned in between. This could be a smart move on the developers side as it could allow them a lot more time to further develop every level while not delaying the game’s release to the end of this year.
Expected release: March 11
PC | Playstation | Xbox One
4. Quantum Break
This third-person, action-adventure game makes it way onto our list for a multitude of reasons. One, it is a digital live-action series that is dedicated to villains; two, the decisions you make in the game affect the outcome of the storyline, and three, the cast includes Dominic Monaghan and The Wire‘s Lance Riddick and Aidan Gillen. As for the game itself, the developers are the people that brought us Max Payne, so if you loved that, then you definitely will love playing as Jack Joyce – who can manipulate time. If you’re in the market for a good action game, or just a huge fan of super slow motion, then be sure to check this game out.
Expected release: April 5
PC | Xbox One
5. Dark Souls 3
The latest entry in the role-playing Souls saga. Dark Souls 3 follows closely on from the previous installment, so fans will be right at home with questing thorough a medieval, fantasy-like environment, battling disfigured monsters and bosses to with some rather terrifying weaponry.
Expected release: March 24
PC | Playstation4 | Xbox One
6. Uncharted 4 – A Thief’s End
Nathan Drake needs little introduction. The modern-day Indiana Jones is back, and he’s bigger and better than ever before. The developers, Naughty Dog, are working on making the game run entirely in 60 fps (frames per seconds) which would make the game run as smooth as silk. It has already been announced that this will be the final installment in the Uncharted series, and certainly one that we cannot wait for.
Expected Release: April 26
Playstation4
7. Doom
It’s been over a decade since the last Doom game was released. True to it’s humble beginnings this game will be a first-person shooter, and total blood bath. This is one game that you might want to reconsider gifting to anyone under 18.
Expected release: May 13
PC | Playstation4 | Xbox One
8. Homefront: The Revolution
Philadelphia is a warzone. Well, that’s the case in 2029 as envisaged by the developers Homefront. In this follow-up they US city is in its fourth year of Korean occupation. The citizens are under close scrutiny in the wasteland of the Yellow Zone, and you play protagonist, Ethan Brady, as he stages a resistance movement waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Expected release: mid 2016
PC | Playstation4 | Xbox One | Linux | OS X
9. Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst
There are two things we love about this reboot of the original Mirror’s Edge. One, it’s an open-world game that will pretty much turn you into a parkour expert, and two, the protagonist is female. Faith Connors, is a badass, free-running chick with big ambitious goals to kick ass, and overthrow a a totalitarian conglomerate of corporations.
Expected released: May 24
PC | Playstation4 | Xbox One
10. Final Fantasy XV
The game that takes the word ‘sequel’ to a whole new level is back with the fifteenth(!) instalment to the Final Fantasy series. While we don’t know too much about it yet, the game is said to be darker than all the previous ones, with characters being more realistic humans than before.
Expect release: mid-2016
Playstation4 | Xbox One
11. Tom Clancy’s the Division
In true Tom Clancy style, trouble is brewing. In The Division, you find yourself in Manhattan, but not like we know it. A virus has spread throughout the country and the society has gone all ‘Old Boy’ to a state of anarchy. Thanks to the open-world engine, you can roam wherever you decide in order to restore society back to something resembling human.
Expected release; March 8
PC | Playstation | Xbox One
12. Horizon Zero Dawn
If human-kind died out, what would nature do? Well, it would do pretty well, if Horizon Zero Dawn is anything to go by. Set in a post-apocalyptic land ruled by mechanised creatures such as robot dinosaurs, this action role-playing game is said to combine role-playing elements from Assassin’s Creed and Skyrim. The world is dominated by robotic creatures and their components are essential for your survival. Kill and loot their corpses to get what you need as you explore the open world. Another bonus with this game is the developers have stated the game will not have any loading screens.
Expected release: mid 2016
Playstation4
13. Street Fighter V
The world’s most popular fighting game returns with its fifth main entry. Sticking with a similar art style to Street Fighter IV, the new game brings a vibrant colour palette with beautiful graphics to new-gen consoles, with punches and kicks brought to live with paint brush swipes. Most of the the familiar favourites are back including Ryu, Bison, Ken, Blanka and (old) Dhalsim. but are also joined by newcomers: Necalli, Rashid and Laura.
Expected release: out now
Playstation4
14. Detroit: Become Human
This upcoming science fiction game developed by Sony Computer Entertainment for Playstation 4 will see you adopt the role of an android named Kara who escapes the factory she was made in to find out what it’s like to live around humans. While it has been announced for release later this year we can only hope it doesn’t get delayed.
Expected release: late 2016
Playstation 4
15. No Man’s Sky
The universe is big. Yup, you read that here first! They only way we can even begin to fathom just how big it is will be to play the indie gem No Man’s Sky, where not only are procedurally generated planets massive, but each one exists within its own solar system, within its own galaxy. Developers are currently being rather hush-hush on the concept, but we do know that in-game you can travel anywhere – as long as your equipment and spaceship is upgraded enough.
Expected Release: June
PC | Playstation | Xbox One