2023 was a gargantuan year for game launches – and if you made it through with your wallet (mostly) intact, give yourself a pat on the back. Whether you spent months lost in Hyrule, fostered a love-hate relationship with dice in Baldur’s Gate 3, or cowered from every shadow in Alan Wake 2, the last 12 months have been jam-packed with gaming goodness.
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Usually, the start of a new year offers a chance to catch up on the games you might have missed at launch. In 2024, you might need to move a little faster to clear that backlog: it’s already looking like yet another hectic year, with some highly-anticipated titles dropping as soon as January. From long-awaited sequels to charming debuts, there’s a lot to look forward to – out of all the games coming out in 2024, here are the ones we’re most excited to get our hands on.
Tekken 8
Release date: January 26
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Developer: Bandai Namco
One of the first big hitters to launch in 2024, Bandai Namco’s legendary fighting game series is set to return this month with Tekken 8. A gigantic cast of 32 fighters, along with a new Heat system that rewards playing aggressively, means this is already shaping up to be one of this year’s presents for fighting game fans.
Tekken 8 Credit: Bandai Namco
Persona 3 Reload
Release date: February 2
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Developer: Atlus
If you’re after the next big role-playing game (RPG) to sink your teeth into, look no further than Persona 3 Reload. In this ground-up remake from Atlus, you’ll keep up with your schoolwork and busy social life by day, and venture into the dangerous depths of Tartarus by night. Our hands-on with Persona 3 Reload left us enamoured, so keep your schedule clear for this much-needed trip to Tatsumi Port Island.
Persona 3 Reload. Credit: Atlus.
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League
Release date: February 2
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
As the title suggests, for Rocksteady’s next game we’ll follow the villainous Suicide Squad on a mission to kill Super-Man and his Justice League pals. It remains to be seen if this will be worth the wait after a series of lengthy delays, but one last Batman performance from the late Kevin Conroy will make this irresistible to plenty of DC fans.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Credit: Rocksteady Games
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Release date: February 29
Platforms: PS5
Developer: Square Enix
Back in 2020, Final Fantasy 7 Remake brought Square Enix’s ’90s dystopian classic to a whole new generation. However, some smart twists – including the revival of a once-dead fan-favourite character – mean fans should expect the unexpected with Rebirth, the second instalment in FF7‘s remake trilogy. Who will live? Who will die? Will Aerith get to hit someone else with a steel chair? We’ll just have to wait to find out.
‘Final Fantasy 7 Remake’ Credit: Square Enix
Life By You
Release date: March 5 (Early Access)
Platforms: PC
Developer: Paradox Tectonic
At Gamescom 2023, we watched fitness instructor Ronnie Maisonet fend off rude gym-goers, arrange flowers, and skip work in life simulator Life By You. Fans of The Sims should be on high alert for Life By You – partly because development is being led by Sims veteran Rod Humble, but mostly because you can meddle extensively in the lives of anyone in the game. Not that you’d do that, of course.
Life By You. Credit: Paradox Interactive.
Alone In The Dark
Release date: March 20
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Developer: Pieces Interactive
For horror aficionados, Alone In The Dark promises a March full of fright. Starring David Harbour (Stranger Things) and Jodie Comer (Killing Eve), this reimagining of a ’90s horror classic will take players to Derceto Manor to search for a msising person. However, that’s going to be easier said than done – expect to find monsters, scares, and plenty of Southern Gothic style along the way.
Alone In The Dark. Credit: THQ Nordic.
Princess Peach: Showtime
Release date: March 22
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Developer: Nintendo
Lights, camera, action! For Nintendo’s first big game of 2024, it’s Princess Peach’s turn in the spotlight. When her night at the theatre is ruined by dastardly stage invaders, Peach is tasked with saving a variety of plays (including a heist whodunnit) from their schemes. We’ve not seen too much of this game ahead of its launch, but the latest trailer suggests it could be a showstopper for Switch owners.
Rise Of The Ronin
Release date: March 22
Developer: Team Ninja
Platforms: PS5
While Nintendo fans will spend March 22 glued to Princess Peach: Showtime, PS5 owners will have a console-exclusive journey of their own to make with Rise Of The Ronin. An open-world RPG set in 1860’s Japan, players control a ronin warrior trying to navigate through a civil war. As this takes place during the turbulent years of Bakumatsu, Rise Of The Ronin should be doubly exciting for anyone who enjoyed the same setting in last year’s Like A Dragon: Ishin.
Rise Of The Ronin. CREDIT: Team Ninja
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Release date: September 9
Developer: Saber Interactive
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Likely one of the goriest games of the year, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 will drop players into the shoes of a hulking Space Marine to battle hordes of alien Tyranids. Warhammer fans will be pleased to know that this shooter looks set to capture the vast scale of its battles, with hundreds of monsters appearing on-screen at a time. Staying alive won’t be easy, but spare a thought for whoever has to clean up after you.
Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2 (Credit: Focus Entertainment)
Hades 2
Release date: Q2 2024 (Early Access, exact date TBC)
Developer: Supergiant Games
Platforms: PC
Back in 2021, we gave Greek mythology roguelike Hades a glowing five-star review. But how do you follow up “one of the most essential games of our generation”? Later in the year, we’ll find out: in Hades 2, we’ll be playing Underworld princess Melinoë on a quest to defeat the evil Titan Chronus. Expectations for this roof are through the roof, but if anyone can live up to the hype, it’s the team at Supergiant Games.
‘Hades 2’ Credit: Supergiant Games
Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior
Release date: early 2024 (exact date TBC)
Developer: Sand Door Studio
Platforms: PC
In Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior, you’ll bend time and use past copies of yourself to defeat an army of escaped demons. If that description alone doesn’t sell you, check out the trailer below to see how it looks in action. With a gorgeous art style and captivating premise, there’s a lot to be excited for in Sand Door Studios’ debut game.
Star Wars Outlaws
Release date: 2024 (exact date TBC)
Developer: Ubisoft
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
According to Disney we’ll be seeing Star Wars Outlaws pop up in “late 2024”, so anticipate a bit of waiting for this open-world adventure in a galaxy far, far away. We’ll be following up-and-coming scoundrel Kay Vess (and her very cute pal Nix) as she schemes to pull off one of the universe’s biggest-ever heists. If you spent last year watching Ahsoka or chopping down Stormtroopers in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, we probably don’t need to tell you to keep both eyes peeled for Outlaws.
‘Star Wars Outlaws’ Credit: Ubisoft
Tales Of The Shire: A Lord Of The Rings Game
Release date: 2024 (exact date TBC)
Developer: Private Division
Platforms: console and PC (specifics TBC)
Admit it: every time you watch The Lord Of The Rings, you fantasise about living in The Shire, the cosy heartlands of the Hobbits. Who wouldn’t? Private Division had the same idea, and while we know very little about Tales Of The Shire, we’ve got our Pipe-weed-stained fingers crossed for a Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing-style slice-of-life game. We’ll have to wait and see what’s in store, but this could be an unexpected party for Tolkien fans.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
Release date: 2024 (exact date TBC)
Developer: The Chinese Room
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
We don’t want to give you hope, but according to publisher Paradox Interactive, 2024 will be the year we finally explore the supernatural side of Seattle in Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. After years of delays, a near-cancellation and a change in developer, this spooky RPG will let you dabble in vampire politics while developing bloodsucking powers of your own. After a 20-year gap since the first Bloodlines, we can’t wait to sink our fangs into this sequel – let’s hope it’s worth the wait.
‘Vampire: the Masquerade – Bloodlines 2’ Credit: Paradox Interactive
The Plucky Squire
Release date: 2024 (exact date TBC)
Developer: All Possible Futures
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC
A Toy Story-style adventure about storybook characters who discover the real world outside of their pages, we’ve been desperate to play The Plucky Squire since it was revealed in 2022. Besides a charming art style and creative plot, The Plucky Squire has some exciting developers attached – including Pokémon Sword and Shield art director James Turner and Stealth Bastard Deluxe creator Jonathan Biddle.
The Plucky Squire. Credit: All Possible Futures.
While you wait for 2024’s games to start pouring in, why not keep yourself busy with some of NME‘s 20 best games of 2023?
The post 15 huge games that we can’t wait to play in 2024 appeared first on NME.
