The Big New Games Coming In 2019 And Beyond (May Update)
2019 is already shaping up to be an exciting year with plenty of solid releases. Already we've received fantastic experiences, like Resident Evil 2 Remake, Tom Clancy's The Division 2, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. However, there are far more exciting games just over the horizon.
Many of us own one or two gaming devices and obviously stick to those systems' libraries for the long haul. But if you take a step back and look at the game release calendar as a whole, there are a ton of interesting games and other developments on the way that may tempt you to pick up a system you don't already own.
So what games does the future hold exactly? Let's dive into all the biggest and most exciting games on the way in 2019 and beyond. In the slides ahead you can find a full list of what's coming. You can also see all the latest news on a game by clicking on its name, which will take you its associated game page.
In the meantime, which games are you looking forward to the most this year? Shout your picks in the comments below.
Animal Crossing (2019)
Animal Crossing fans, rejoice! It's finally happening. The Switch is getting an entirely new game built from the ground up. The game was announced after the reveal of Isabelle during the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct presentation in September, which made for quite the bait-and-switch for loyal fans. Slight disappointment and shock was replaced by love and excitement. We wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
Since the reveal, little has been said about Animal Crossing Switch. Next to nothing is known about how the game will play or what new features are being added, but seeing as it is set to launch in 2019, new details are more than likely to come sooner than later.
Platforms: Switch | Release Date: TBA 2019
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Astral Chain
If you're eagerly awaiting the release of Bayonetta 3, then know you're not totally left astray. Developer Platinum Games is releasing another action game this year called Astral Chain. Like the studio's previous work, the premise is similarly playful and over-the-top. You play as a police officer a part of a special task force charged fighting against mysterious, alien-like creatures. But you're not without weapons when dealing with this otherworldly threat; you're equipped with a Legion, which is a special techno-organic weapon that assists you both in combat and crime investigations.
Platforms: Switch | Release Date: August 30, 2019
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Borderlands 3
If you're a fan of the Borderlands franchise, you can rest easy knowing the long-awaited third mainline game is launching this year. Borderlands 3 looks to build upon its predecessors by expanding the number of available guns to loot and worlds to explore. In addition, you have access to four new Vault Hunters, each with their own unique skills and abilities.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC | Release Date: September 13, 2019
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Control
Control is the latest game by Remedy Entertainment, the studio behind Alan Wake and Quantum Break. The debut trailer showcased a strangely shifting world, with a protagonist who can fly and control objects using telekinesis.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC | Release Date: August 27, 2019
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Days Gone
Days Gone takes players to a post-apocalyptic open world, set in the Pacific Northwest. The action-adventure/survival-horror game puts you in the shoes of Deacon St. John, once an outlaw and now trying to survive in a devastated world. While on the road, Deacon must battle Freakers, zombie-like humans and animals that have become mindless and violent and travel in fast-moving hordes, much like the zombies in World War Z.
Platforms: PS4 | Release Date: April 26, 2019
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Doom Eternal
Doom Eternal is the upcoming sequel to the critically-acclaimed Doom reboot from 2016. The game takes everything that the previous game did and pushes it forward: the Doomslayer is more powerful than before, the number of enemies have doubled, and it takes place on Earth. Multiplayer will take a different approach, however, with the removal of the Snap Map level editor and the addition of a new mode where players get the chance to invade another person's campaign, playing as demons.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC (Expected) | Release Date: TBA 2019
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Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Fire Emblem: Three Houses is the latest entry in Nintendo's critically-acclaimed strategy series. You play as a professor of a military academy who's in charge of educating and commanding a group of soldiers. The game retains many of the core mechanics the series is known for. Though, it does offer some changes. Battle screens are filled with armies, and you directly command one character, but they're leading a small battalion of other soldiers who join in on the attack. In addition, you can explore what looks to be a fully realized 3D world and establish bonds with the soldiers of your unit.
Platforms: Switch | Release Date: July 26, 2019
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Gears 5
Gears of War returns with its fifth entry. This time around you play as Kait, who originally appeared in Gears of War 4. This latest entry sees Kait embark on a journey to discover the truth behind the visions plaguing her mind--most likely an effect of the Locust necklace she inherited from her grandmother.
Platforms: Xbox One, PC | Release Date: TBA 2019
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
Niantic and WB Games are teaming up to create a new mobile game based on Harry Potter. Like Niantic's Pokemon Go game, Wizards Unite will be another augmented-reality game where you look at virtual characters that appear over real-world locations on your phone screen. Of course, being a Harry Potter game, expect lots of spell casting, fantastic beasts, and untold mysteries.
Platforms: IOS, Android | Release Date: TBA 2019
Judgement
The team that brought us over a half-dozen Yakuza games is ready to break out with a new IP in 2019, Judgement. Rather than put you in control of a complicated criminal caught up in an unforgiving life of crime, you play as a lawyer turned detective in modern-day Japan. Expect high drama, low-class laughs, and plenty of hard-hitting street fights when the game ships next year.
Platforms: PS4 | Release Date: June 25, 2019
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The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
The fan-favorite Game Boy adventure The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is getting remade from the ground up on Switch. Nintendo didn't share many details about the remake, but it seems to retain the top-down perspective of classic 2D Zelda games.
Platforms: Switch | Release Date: TBA 2019
Luigi's Mansion 3
Sometime in 2019, Switch owners will have the chance to step back into Luigi's shoes and into a haunted house for some old-fashioned ghost hunting...with a vacuum. It's an offbeat premise, but it's proven to work in the past. At the moment, there's no telling what studio is working on the new game, whether it's an internal Nintendo team or Next Level Games, a longtime Nintendo collaborator that helped develop Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon on 3DS.
Platforms: Switch | Release Date: TBA 2019
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order
Nobody saw it coming, but we're finally getting a Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3. Announced at the Game Awards 2018, this upcoming action RPG will bring together many of Marvel's biggest heroes to fight off a massive threat to the universe. The game is being developed by Team Ninja, the studio behind Nioh, Ninja Gaiden, and Dead or Alive.
Platforms: Switch | Release Date: July 19, 2019
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Mortal Kombat XI
Long rumored and finally unveiled at the 2018 Game Awards, Mortal Kombat XI is officially coming to PC and consoles in 2019--that includes Nintendo Switch. The series' history is legendary, and it's one of the few that has managed to not only stay around, but improve with each subsequent release. Many familiar faces are set to return to the roster this time around, including Scorpion, Kabal, and Sonya Blade. And much like NetherRealm Studios' previous game, Injustice 2, MK11 will sport a character customization system.
Read our full review:
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch | Release Date: April 23, 2019
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AMAZON | MICROSOFT STORE | PLAYSTATION STORE | GAMESTOP (SWITCH)
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Xbox One console exclusive Ori and the Blind Forest was a critical hit when it launched in 2015, and now developer Moon Studios is back with a sequel. Ori and the Will of the Wisps will hopefully build on the first game's ingenious platforming and compelling story, and we can't wait to see more.
Platforms: Xbox One, PC | Release Date: TBA 2019
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Pokemon Sword And Shield
Pokemon Sword and Shield are the latest games in the tenured monster-collecting RPG series. It signifies the beginning of the eighth generation, which is set in a new region named Galar. Like previous games, you play as a Pokemon trainer on an epic adventure across the region, encountering plenty of wild Pokemon to catch and rival trainers to battle. The two games are being directed by Shigeru Ohmori, a developer known primarily for directing Pokemon Sun and Moon, but also has credits with the series going as far as back as 2002's Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire.
Platforms: Switch | Release Date: Late 2019
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Psychonauts 2
More than 14 years after its predecessor's release, Double Fine is bringing a sequel to its classic, hilarious third-person action-adventure title in Psychonauts 2. The main cast from the original returns, and you can expect all kinds of sweet mental powers and the ability to venture into the twisted minds of other characters.
Platforms: PS4, PC, Xbox One | TBA 2019
Rage 2
Rage 2 is perhaps the most unlikely sequel to be announced, but with id Software bringing Avalanche Studios along for the ride there's plenty of reason to be excited about its potential. Avalanche has years of experience crafting large and chaotic worlds in games like Mad Max and Just Cause, with vehicle combat and special effects chief among their notable talents. Id, of course, is the studio that pioneered first-person shooting and continues to deliver hard-hitting games like 2016's Doom. It could be a match made in heaven, but we won't know until it ships in May.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC | Release Date: May 14, 2019
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Skull & Bones
Skull & Bones sets sail in the Indian Ocean, setting you on a quest to become a pirate of the ages. The game will feature single- and multiplayer options and is centered around naval warfare.
Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, PC | Release Date: TBA 2019
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Spelunky 2
Derek Yu's breakout indie hit, Spelunky, is finally getting a sequel next year. Spelunky 2 will feature the same style of procedurally generated underground levels and roguelike gameplay. There are bound to be a ton of new surprises and details throughout the game for returning players to discover, but everyone can enjoy playing as the new character Ana, daughter of the original game's nameless spelunker.
Platforms: PC, PS4 | Release Date: TBA 2019
Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order
Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order is the upcoming Star Wars game created by Respawn Entertainment, the studio behind the well-received Titanfall series and Apex Legends. It takes place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope during Darth Vader's persecution of the Jedi. We learned a whole lot more about the game at Star Wars Celebration, and it's looking pretty interesting.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC | Release Date: November 14, 2019
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Super Mario Maker 2
Many have clamored for a sequel to the much loved Super Mario Maker on Wii U. Given Nintendo's recent penchant for porting Wii U games onto Switch, it seemed like we'd get the same for Mario level creation tool. But it looks like we're getting a full-on sequel instead. Super Mario Maker 2 will contain many of the tools present in its predecessor and more. One of the big new additions is the ability to create slopes and the inclusion of Super Mario 3D World assets to craft custom levels.
Platforms: Switch | Release Date: June 27, 2019
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Team Sonic Racing
Team Sonic Racing is the third game in the well-received Sonic kart racing series. Unlike its predecessors, the game will only contain characters from the Sonic franchise. It differs from traditional kart racers due to its focus on cooperative play, having you be a part of a team of other racers that must work together and share power-ups in order to win a race. Teams are judged based on how well they work together, as their actions helping one another earns them points that are tallied up at the end of a race. It's an interesting concept that should serve as a nice change-of-pace from the typically cutthroat nature of the Mario Kart games.
Platforms: Switch | Release Date: May 21, 2019
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Total War : Three Kingdoms
The highly successful strategy series from the Creative Assembly and Sega will return in May 2019 with Total War: Three Kingdoms. The new game will be set just prior to, and during, China's Three Kingdom's period (220-280). It will notably feature two modes that offer very different possibilities for the game's turn-based combat. Romance mode will play off of the tropes defined in the novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, with characters who are imbued with superhuman strength and abilities. Classic mode will take a more measured approach, instead relying on the more historically accurate manuscript, Records of the Three Kingdoms.
Platforms: PC | Release Date: May 23, 2019
Wolfenstein: Youngblood
Wolfenstein: Youngblood is set in an alternate 1980s Paris and follows the events of Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. It stars series protagonist BJ Blazkowicz's twin daughters, who are working together to continue the fight against the Nazis. The game can be played solo or co-op.
Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch | Release Date: July 26, 2019
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Beyond: Bayonetta 3
Bayonetta 3 is the latest entry in the critically-acclaimed action game series from Platinum Games. Not much is known about the game, but its first teaser seemed to indicate that Bayonetta is going to be facing her biggest challenge yet. Fans noted that Bayonetta's appearance in the teaser is based on her look in the first game, which has obviously led to a lot of speculation. Is this a prequel? An alternate timeline? Whatever the case may be, Platinum is making us wait to find out.
Platforms: Switch | Release Date: TBA
Beyond 2019: Beyond Good and Evil 2
We saw a teaser of Ubisoft's spunky new space adventure at E3 2017, and even though Ubisoft has shared a few new details in the time since, we are still in the dark when it comes to a lot of important topics. What we know now about Beyond Good & Evil 2 is that it will be a prequel to the 2003 game and that players can choose to be either a male or female character and explore different planets. Space exploration will play a major role, with the dev team behind the game crafting a massive, simulated solar system for players to search, be it for riches, hijinks, or for the pure act of discovery.
Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, PC (Expected) | Release Date: TBA
Beyond 2019: Cyberpunk 2077
The next game from the creators of The Witcher, Cyberpunk 2077, is set in a dystopian, sci-fi future world. The game now appears more bright and vibrant than how it did during its initial tease a few years back. It appears to take place in a dazzling city of dreams, a metropolis of giant buildings adorned with dazzling screens, where organic skin is meshed with futuristic tech.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC (Expected) | Release Date: TBA
Beyond 2019: Dying Light 2
In the sequel to the first-person apocalyptic survival shooter, players will have plenty more chances to practice their sweet parkour while killing zombies. However, this time around, player’s choices will have real effects on the world and push the story down different paths.
Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, PC | Release Date: TBA
Beyond 2019: Death Stranding
Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima no longer works for Konami, but his new studio's game, Death Stranding, looks significantly weirder than that often-bizarre series. We don't know much about Death Stranding's gameplay other than it's an open-world action game. But it'll feature The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus and what appears to be a very important baby.
Platforms: PS4 | Release Date: TBA
Beyond 2019: Ghost of Tsushima
Ghost of Tsushima is the latest game by developer Sucker Punch Productions, the studio responsible for Infamous and Sly Cooper. The game is set on the island of Tsushima during the Mongol invasions of Japan in 1294. You play as a lone samurai turned vengeful assassin--likely fighting to drive out the Mongol army from Japan.
Platforms: PS4 | Release Date: TBA
Beyond 2019: Halo Infinite
Halo Infinite is the latest entry in the tenured first-person shooter franchise. Not much is know about the premise of the game or when it's set, but it appears you'll be once again playing Master Chief as he embarks on another mission to save the galaxy.
Platforms: Xbox One, PC (Expected) | Release Date: TBA
Beyond 2019: The Elder Scrolls VI
Bethesda finally announced the next game in the Elder Scrolls series: The Elder Scrolls VI. No other details about the game were provided outside of a short teaser. It shows a mountainous region and some fog accompanied by a version of the iconic Dovahkiin music. A setting wasn't specified, although fans are sure to do some sleuthing to narrow down the list of possibilities. Hopefully, we'll get more details sooner than later.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC (Expected) | Release Date: TBA
Beyond 2019: Metroid Prime 4
Metroid Prime 4 is the latest entry in the critically acclaimed Metroid Prime series. First announced at E3 2017, development of the game was recently restarted with longtime series developer Retro Studios and Nintendo producer Kensuke Tanabe.
Platforms: Switch | Release Date: TBA
Beyond 2019: The Last Of Us Part II
There is a huge amount of hype for Naughty Dog's next big game, The Last of Us: Part II. One of the biggest changes for the sequel is that you play as Ellie, not Joel. We're expecting to see a lot more of the PS4 exclusive very soon.
Platforms: PS4 | Release Date: TBA
Beyond 2019: Nioh 2
In a rather surprising announcement, Sony announced the sequel to the critically-acclaimed samurai-action game, Nioh. Not much is known about the game's story or if you'll be playing as the original's protagonist, WIlliam Adams.
Platforms: PS4 | Release Date: TBA
Beyond 2019: Starfield
For the first time in 25 years, Bethesda is creating a new IP. We don’t know much about Starfield. However, based on the game’s title and brief teaser trailer, it’s probably safe to say that this RPG will take place in space.
Platforms: The next generation of consoles, PC (Expected) | Release Date: TBA
Beyond 2019: Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey
Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is an upcoming third-person action-adventure survival game. Taking place 10 million years ago in Africa, Ancestors puts you in control of one of humanity's earliest prehistoric ape-like ancestors, a Nakalipithecus. Early pre-alpha footage showcases a Nakalipithecus free-running through the trees of a forest and standing up on two legs to gaze out at an African plain. Ancestors will have a documentary-style twist to its gameplay, allowing players to glimpse the earliest stages of human evolution.
Unfortunately, not much else has been announced about Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey. However, given that the game is being developed by indie studio Panache Digital Games, we're pretty excited about it already. Panache Digital was co-founded by Patrice Desilets, who now works as the studio's creative director. Desilets is most well-known for being involved in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and the first three mainline Assassin's Creed games, so if there's anyone who knows how to make a history-based adventure game, it's him.
Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, PC | Release Date: TBA 2019