The 10 most anticipated games of 2020

Times are strange. With hardly a jolly story in the headlines and frowns on every face, it’s important to look ahead and shed a positive light on 2020. One form of entertainment that works pretty well in these conditions: video games.

As games become more advanced, more diverse, and generally more jaw-dropping, it’s no surprise that there are a whole bunch of incredible new titles destined to drop in 2020.

Pick up your controller and lock the door, this year is for gaming and it’s shaping up to be a doozy! Here are the 10 most anticipated games of 2020. DOOM Eternal – March 20 – id Software

Returning to glory after relative obscurity in 2016, DOOM is back on top in a big way. Injecting a much-needed sense of unabashed fun into modernity’s obsession with serious, player tailored story arcs, id Software created something magnificent.

Now with a slew of new weapons, faster movement mechanics, more enemies and a deeper story, we suspect this will be one of the most beloved releases of the year. And rightly so! At some point, people forgot the core mechanics of what made games so fun in the first place: shooting, bloodshed, and fun. Bucketloads of fun.

With DOOM Eternal just around the corner, we can already smell the gore. Step into the boots of Doomguy once more for an absolute rollercoaster of modern FPS glory.

Half-Life: Alyx – March 23 – Valve

If we told you last year there would be a new Half-Life game dropping in 2020 you wouldn’t have believed us, and I don’t blame you! Half-Life 2: Episode 2 came out in 2007 and we’ve heard barely a peep since.

Yet, with Valve still behind the franchise, our hearts retain more than a little hope. Recognising the demand for a AAA VR experience, Valve has been working on Half-Life: Alyx for over five years. The gameplay looks gorgeous, captivating, and incredibly fun. One of the more intriguing titles to be releasing this year.

Hollow Knight: Silksong – June 12 – Team Cherry

One of the most highly anticipated indie titles of the year, Hollow Knight: Silksong is a 2D Metroidvania game from Australian developer Team Cherry. It seems to take the darkness and intrigue of Limbo, and meld that with the character design and boss battles of Cuphead. To sum it up, the game looks stunning and wholly enveloping.

In a world where indie developers can essentially craft AAA releases, this is another shining example of a team of three creating something that looks exceptional. If you haven’t already got a Switch, this will be the game for you to finally embrace the conversion.

Ghosts Of Tsushima – June 27 – Sucker Punch

After FromSoftware’s incredible Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice it’s safe to say that our blood is hot for more samurai action, except this time there are no monsters or demons. Sucker Punch’s Ghosts Of Tsushima is set in feudal Japan, around the time of the Mongol invasion.

The tale of vengeance follows a lone samurai defending Tsushima, where you are the last surviving member of your clan.

“In Infamous you explore powers. In this game, we let you explore what it is to be a samurai inside of this enormous landscape of medieval Japan,” says creative director Nate Fox. The open-world scenes look just as majestic as the combat and movement and, let’s just say, the hype is very real.

Dying Light 2 –  2020 TBA – Techland

By tying in parkour, sprawling vertical cityscapes, and an in-depth crafting system, Techland were able to carve their own space into an already well-worn genre of zombie apocalypses. Expanding on the formula that made the original so great, Dying Light 2 looks to employ more character development and tailored storytelling into the mix.

Set 15 years after the original, Dying Light 2 takes places in the last great human settlement, though it seems to have plunged into a gothic dark age. The whole game can be played in 4-person co-op and we cannot wait to face more unspeakable horrors when the sun goes down.

Halo: Infinite – 2020 TBA – 343 Industries

The long-awaited follow up to the masterful Halo 5: Guardians, 343 Industries have certainly got big shoes to fill. But truth be told, after taking over the franchise from Bungie, they have hardly made a misstep. While there is no set release date as of yet, Halo: Infinite will be an exclusive release with the Xbox Series X, slated to drop in late 2020. However, it’s reasonable to assume the COVID-19 outbreak could delay the release plan.

Die-hard fans will be excited to know that Master Chief will be returning to the franchise along with Gyoza the pug doing the voice acting for aliens. Plus, to utilise the power of the new console, 343 industries have developed a new game engine called Slipspace. Sounds pretty appropriate if you ask me.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons – March 20 – Nintendo

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the latest entry in the beloved social franchise. Players can explore desert islands in the charming life simulator as well as link up with other players in-game. If you need some wholesome living amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, then Animal Crossing: New Horizons absolutely has you sorted.

This engrossing, expansive, and idyllic looking game is what everyone in the world needs right now as they self-isolate from the terrifying outside. Luckily the release date is just around the corner, so grab your copy now if you aren’t keen on heading down the store.

Elden Ring – December 21 – FromSoftware

While almost zero information has been released thus far, Elden Ring is still one of the most anticipated games of the year. This mash-up feels like something simultaneously natural yet genius, and one that absolutely no one saw coming.

The mastermind behind Dark Souls, Hidetaka Miyazaki is teaming up with Game of Thrones’ George R.R. Martin for a gritty, high-fantasy adventure. With two eternally grim minds behind it, we can expect a gorgeously realised, bloodthirsty world with colourful, in-depth lore. Although almost nothing has been revealed yet one thing can be said for certain, it finally makes sense why Martin has taken so long on the next Game Of Thrones book.

Cyberpunk 2077 – September 17 – CD Projekt Red

Cyberpunk 2077 is the long-awaited follow up to the massively popular The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, a franchise that brought Polish developer CD Projekt Red out of anonymity, and rightly so. The Witcher 3 was a sprawling masterpiece based on the popular novels by Andrzej Sapkowski.

CD Projekt Red’s ambitious follow-up looks like it’s ready to take the hype head-on. Instead of swords, sorcery, and witches, it’s guns, cybernetics, and Keanu Reeves. If you’re a fan of near-perfect role-playing then you’d be wise to keep your eyes peeled on Cyberpunk 2077.

The Last Of Us II – March 29 – Naughty Dog

Considering the last game came out in 2013 and it was a downright masterpiece, yep, The Last Of Us Part II is rightfully earns its place on this list. The gameplay looks insanely beautiful, gritty, intense, and most of all, human. This time around we play through Ellie, fighting for survival in a brutal world and meditating on morality and human nature. Sounds like the first game? That’s because it is. Why fix something that isn’t broken?

A new trailer has even given us our first glimpse of Joel, though they now seem estranged as Ellie embarks of a raging violent mission to avenge her dead lover. The complex gameplay mechanics, gorgeous graphics, and emotionally impactful trailers are enough to get us shaking in our boots. With excitement? With fear? Probably a good mix of both.