Kotaku’s Most Anticipated Games Of 2024 [Updated]

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows

Release Date: TBD

Obsidian Entertainment, creators of excellent games like Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds, has another RPG baking in the development oven right now. It’s called Avowed, and it’s a high-fantasy, Skyrim-esque first-person action-adventure game that lets you dual-wield guns, swords, and wands to lay into the many creatures you’ll fight during your journey. If you want to feel like a badass battle mage, this game is for you. Avowed launches this fall for PC and Xbox Series X/S.

Read More: Obsidian’s Avowed Will Defy One Major RPG Trend

Platforms: PS4/5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows

Release Date: June 4

After spending the better part of a decade wondering what the heck is going on with The Traveller, that giant white ball floating outside of Destiny 2’s fortress area, players will finally get to…travel inside the celestial being. The Final Shape, the last expansion in Destiny 2's “Light and Darkness” saga, will have you fight to stop a treacherous enemy called The Witness from using The Traveler’s Light to destroy the galaxy.

In typical Destiny 2 fashion, this expansion comes with new Solar, Void, and Arc supers and new Exotic weapons so you can save the world in style. The Final Shape was originally slated to release on February 27 but was pushed to its new release date of June 4 as a result of layoffs at Bungie.

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows

Release Date: March 22

You should definitely call this a comeback. Dragon’s Dogma, Capcom’s fantasy RPG, which first released in 2012, is returning with a sequel on March 22. The action-adventure game is doing a lot of the same stuff as the original, with players climbing on the backs of huge monsters to take them down with a squad of AI-controlled Pawns. But Dragon’s Dogma 2 is also offering some new stuff as well, such as a more robust world, varying vocations for your created character, and more emergent scenarios to keep the gameplay feeling fresh and intriguing. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is shaping up to be a welcome follow-up to the cult classic when it hits PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

Read More: Dragon’s Dogma 2 Devs Say Fast Travel Use Is A Sign Of Boring Worlds

Platforms: PS4/5, Windows

Release Date: TBD

Earth Defense Force 2 was the single craziest action game I encountered on PlayStation 2; the way it let me casually level whole cityscapes as I tried to blast the giant alien insects (and the console chugged to single-digit framerates) never failed to make me laugh. Little did I know the series would catch on, and here we are close to 20 years later readying for the launch of the sixth mainline game. This one’ll have the usual four player classes, new types of supersized fauna, over 1,300 weapons to discover, and no less than 147 do-or-die missions. D3’s got the series’ formula down pat at this point, so now it’s going big. Yeah, I’m down. — Alexandra Hall

Read More: Stupidity Escalates Exquisitely In Earth Defense Force 5

Platforms: PS5

Release Date: Out Now

Pre-order now: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the second installment in Square Enix’s remake trilogy, reinvents the beloved 1997 role-player in gameplay as well as story, just like its predecessor. This time out, fan-favorite characters like the red-cloaked hero Vincent Valentine, the adorable(?) Cait Sith, and the (formerly) chain-smoking engineer Cid will join Cloud and crew in action to prevent Sephiroth from destroying the world.

Rebirth offers up the same splendor as Remake but now in a sprawling open world and it is wonderful. Even with some pacing issues, the game’s amazing characters and mostly fun mini-games make Rebirth a can’t miss adventure.

Read More: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: 14 Awesome Things We Saw In The New Trailer

Platforms: Windows

Release Date: TBD

Transistor developer Supergiant Games shocked the world when it announced it was working on its first-ever sequel, for its 2020 Game of the Year roguelike Hades. Instead of galavanting about as Zagreus while he tries to escape Hades (the place), Hades II will follow Zag’s sister, Melionë, as she descends into the underworld to beat up their dear pop, Chronos, the Titan of Time. And you thought your family was dysfunctional. Developer Supergiant has said Hades 2 is set to launch into early access in Q2 of 2024.

Read More: Everyone’s Hot As Hell In Hades II, As They Should Be

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows

Release Date: Out Now

As the name implies, Helldivers 2 is the sequel to Helldivers, Arrowhead Game Studios’ 2015 top-down shooter about fighting enemy species while protecting Super Earth from calamity. Though the premise is largely the same, the sequel shifts from overhead to traditional third-person to create a more intimate perspective, putting you closer to the action. It’s a great move that combines tight shooting gameplay with the Starship Troopers-esque satire of the original. At a time when live-service games seem more tired than ever, Helldivers 2 is a shining example of what these games can be.

Read More: Kotaku Readers Share Their Most Anticipated 2024 Games

Platforms: Windows

Release Date: May 13

Homeworld 3, the first mainline entry into the popular real-time strategy space game series in 20 years, was first announced back in 2019. Since then, we’ve got two awesome gameplay trailers and a delay announcement. Yep, Homeworld 3 was one of many big games that got delayed in 2022. At the time, Homeworld 3’s developers said it pushed back the game’s release date to avoid crunch and “make good on our commitment to quality in a healthy and sustainable way.” Now, Homeworld 3 is slated to launch on May 13.

Read More: The End of the World Never Looked (Or Sounded) So Beautiful

Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, Windows

Release Date: TBD

Wolfenstein developer MachineGames is giving us a nice little surprise: a video game starring the sexiest—and wittiest—archeologist, Indiana Jones. Titled Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the first-person action-adventure game is a brand-new story that slots in between a few films—such as 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark and 1989’s The Last Crusade—in the larger the Indyverse. (Can I call it that?) You can expect the usual Indiana Jones things: whips, swinging, a desert of some kind, and of course, a very hot Harrison Ford who sounds all too familiar. (It’s Troy Baker.) While it doesn’t have a release date yet, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will launch sometime this year for PC and Xbox Series X/S (as well as Game Pass) and not on PlayStation, despite rumors.

Read More: Everything We Know About Xbox’s Big Indiana Jones Game

Platforms: PS4/5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows

Release Date: Out Now

Pre-order now: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop

For the first time in Yakuza history, the series has come to America (Hawaii to be precise) in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Like Yakuza 0, Infinite Wealth sees you play as two of the series’ toughest protagonists, the babyfaced Ichiban Kasuga and the mainline Yakuza stalwart Kiryu Kazuma, as the pair tear through Honolulu in search of Ichiban’s long-lost mother. And it’s great.

Read More: Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth: The Kotaku Review

Platforms: PS4/5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows

Release Date: TBD

Pre-order now: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop

Little Nightmares III, the latest installment in developers Tarsier Studios and Supermassive Games puzzle-platformer horror series, is set to arrive sometime next year. You (or a buddy in co-op) play as Low and Alone, the game’s dual protagonists, as they traverse the Spiral in search of a way out of the nightmarish hellscape, Nowhere.

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows

Release Date: TBD

Don’t Nod Entertainment, the studio behind the first two Life is Strange games, returns with another narrative adventure starring a female lead in Lost Records: Bloom and Rage. The story follows four rocker teens who forge a strong bond in the summer of 1995, but stop talking to each other after discovering a dark secret. Twenty-seven years later, the gang is back. Now it’s up to you to figure out what happened all those years ago.

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC

Release Date: TBD

From the creative team behind Persona comes Atlus’ Metaphor: ReFantazio, the studio’s first-ever “full-scale fantasy RPG.” This game mixes elements of real-time and turn-based combat with stylish anime art to create something that looks like Persona or Shin Megami Tensei, but make it sci-fi fantasy. If you wanted more Persona in your life but are tired of the Phantom Thieves, then you should watch out for Metaphor: ReFantazio later this year.

Read More: Metaphor ReFantazio Borrows Persona’s Most Compelling Mechanic

Platforms: PS5, Windows

Release Date: Out Now

Pacific Drive, by Seattle-based game developer Ironwood Studios, is a survival adventure game in which you drive for your life through a creepy forest scavenging for fuel and supplies to keep your trusty station wagon functional. Pacific Drive is basically a road trip from hell where Murphy’s Law will run rampant, and it’s unlike anything you’ve ever played on PS5.

Read More: You Haven’t Played A Survival Game Like This Creepy Car One

Platforms: Switch

Release Date: July 22

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, one of the best-written and funniest games in the whole Super Mario RPG franchise (fight me), is finally making its way to the Nintendo Switch. I for one think we all owe Hollywood actor Chris Pratt an apology for trashing him over his shoddy vocal performance in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. If it weren’t for Nintendo’s newfound desire to double down on its box office success by announcing a treasure trove of new Mario games and remakes, we wouldn’t be in the Italian plumber renaissance we now find ourselves in. Thank you, Chris.

Read More: The Thousand-Year Door’s Peach Storyline Is Even Weirder Than It Looks

Platforms: PS4/5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows

Release Date: Out Now

Pre-order now: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop

Atlus’ extremely influential 2006 turn-based PlayStation 2 RPG, Persona 3, has gotten a full-blown remake with the release of Persona 3 Reload. With it comes a much-appreciated visual overhaul to the game, a new cast of voice actors, and new original songs to its already spectacular soundtrack. Now excuse me while I blast “Mass Destruction” while I soldier through the rest of my workday.

Read More: Persona 3 Reload: The Kotaku Review

Platforms: PS4/5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, Windows

Release Date: Out Now

Pre-order now: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop

Prince of Persia fans have been waiting for a new entry in the popular platformer series for ages. Now, after years of anguish, they’ll finally get the chance to return to Ubi’s decades-old universe via the newly announced 2D entry, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. We may still be waiting for that Sands of Time remake, but it’s great to have an original PoP game that’s actually good.

Read More: Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown: The Kotaku Review

Platforms: Switch

Release Date: March 22

Pre-order now: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop

Move over, Mario: It’s Princess Peach’s turn to mainline a new Mario game. Princess Peach Showtime! sees the Mushroom Kingdom ruler fight against hecklers at the Sparkle Theater, with magical girl transformations that give her new looks and abilities. Princess Peach, you’ll always be iconic.

Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows

Release Date: TBD

Replaced is a rad AF-looking pixel-art-styled cyberpunk platformer that was initially announced back in 2021. Since then, the game has seen numerous delays. Now Sad Cat Studios’ first-ever video game is set to release sometime next year, and I could not be any more excited. Give me all the gorgeous pixel art games, please.

Platforms: PS5

Release Date: March 22

Nioh and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty developers Team Ninja are looking to do what Elden Ring did for the Soulslike genre with its upcoming game, Rise of the Ronin, by giving players an open world to explore. I guess it’s kind of like Ghost of Tsushima, then, but swap out Sucker Punch Productions’ combat for Team NInja’s brand of violence.

Read More: I’m Here For Everything Rise Of The Ronin Is Serving

Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, Windows

Release Date: May 21

One of Xbox’s biggest exclusives for 2024 is Senua’s Sacrifice: Hellblade II. Although it doesn’t have a release date yet, the trailer revealed at The Game Awards was intense. This sequel to 2017's superb action-adventure game looks to be just as chilling and thrilling as its predecessor, but it takes place in a new Icelandic location. Much is still unknown about Hellblade II, however, I’m stoked to hear more from developer Ninja Theory in the coming months.

Read More: Xbox’s Big 2024 Exclusive Looks Intense AF

Platforms: PS4/5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, Windows

Release Date: TBD

Tengo Project can’t miss. Composed of veterans from 16-bit powerhouse Natsume’s glory days, Tengo’s sterling remakes of Wild Guns, Pocky & Rocky, and most recently The Ninja Warriors demonstrated an incredible talent for recreating the best aspects of these classic games while extending and enhancing them to take advantage of modern advancements. So, many fans fairly gasped with delight a few months ago when the team’s next project came to light: a complete reimagining of Natsume’s 1990 NES co-op sleeper hit Shadow of the Ninja. The video above will tell you much more than any words of mine could convey, and I think you’ll agree…doesn’t that look nice? — Alexandra Hall

Platforms: Windows

Release Date: TBD

Skate Story is a video game in which you skateboard through nine layers of the underworld as a cool crystalized dude. It looks sick as hell. Unfortunately, Skate Story was also included among the list of games publisher Devolver Digital had to delay into this year. Here’s to this year being filled with playing Skate Story.

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows

Release Date: Out Now

Pre-order now: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop

To say Skull and Bones had been in development hell would be the understatement of the decade. But somehow the game finally actually came out, and it is…not great! Playing it feels more like a curiosity than something you actually do for fun, but if you want to see the shipwreck in action, you too can set sail with Skull and Bones.

Read More: Ubisoft’s Never-ending Skull And Bones Delays: The Complete, Decade-Long Saga

Platforms: PS4/5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, Windows

Release Date: TBD

Sonic Generations ruled when it came out in 2011. It switched between the classic side-scrolling perspective of Sonic games of yore and the more modern 3D levels like those found in Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Colors. Well, Sonic Team thought the game ruled, too, because the studio is bringing it back with a remaster that features the darkness hedgehog Shadow. Titled Sonic X Shadow Generations, the upcoming fast-paced platformer adds a new campaign with Shadow the Hedgehog as a playable character. There’s no release date, but Sonic X Shadow Generations drops this fall for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4/5, and Xbox Series X/S.

Read More: One Of The Best Sonic Games Is About To Get Even Better

Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, Windows

Release Date: September 5

Pre-order now: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl suffered a tortuous development cycle but the final 2007 game was electrifying, a thrillingly bleak, spooky sojourn through the fallout of the Soviet Union’s greatest nuclear disaster. Two follow-ups quickly materialized, as did critical praise, modding scenes, and even fan conventions. But where was a true sequel to this idiosyncratic trilogy? Development hell, again. And that was before Russia invaded Ukraine, the home of developer GSC Game World. It’s fair to say that threw a wrench in the works.

But now S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is finally nearing the finish line, and we’re all about to re-enter the Zone with another 15 years of video game technological progress behind us. What horrors await us in this next-gen irradiated wasteland? As a seasoned S.T.A.L.K.E.R. myself, I can’t wait to find out. — Alexandra Hall

Platforms: PS4/5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, Windows

Release Date: Out Now

After Doom’s December 1993 debut it became common to call just about any 3D PC game a “Doom clone,” such was the level of its influence. But it was no stretch to call LucasArts’ 1995 Star Wars first-person shooter Dark Forces a Doom clone, because it was unapologetically modeled directly on id Software’s megahit. What was unusual was how it actually improved on Doom in places, making it one of the more memorable shooters of that pre-3D acceleration era.

In the decades since, fans have struggled to produce software that would make Dark Forces easily playable on the PCs of today, add quality-of-life fixes, etc. But now, the retro remaster gurus at Night Dive Studio have taken their own stab at bringing this fun, influential, classic blaster to all the major consoles, too. When it rains, it pours. — Alexandra Hall

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows

Release Date: TBD

I don’t know about you, but I’m kinda Star Wars’d out. Something about having new content every quarter of the year turns my brain into mush. But, for whatever reason, I’m actually pretty excited about Star Wars Outlaws. It definitely might have something to do with the fact that it won’t involve the series’ “disaster lineage” and will instead have us experience a low-stakes back-to-basics kind of Star Wars open-world adventure. That sounds a lot more appealing than another visit with those Skywalker maniacs.

Read More: Star Wars Outlaws: All The Details We Spotted In Ubisoft’s Ambitious Open-World Game

Platforms: PS5

Release Date: April 26

Developer Shift Up’s Stellar Blade looks like a stellar amalgam of Bayonetta and Vanquish. That’s to say, this third-person action-brawler nestles nicely in the pantheon of titles that action game aficionados PlatinumGames is known for. As Eve, you’ll outfit a super soldier with some stunning fits to beat the shit out of creatures known as Naytibas that are threatening the Earth. (Sheesh, the Earth always needs saving, doesn’t it?) If you’re looking for another character action game not unlike a Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden, then be sure to check out Stellar Blade when it launches on PlayStation 5 on April 26.

Read More: Stellar Blade Has Some Absolutely Wild Outfits

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows

Release Date: Out Now

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, developed by Rocksteady (the devs behind the Batman Arkham series) sees Harley Quinn and crew battle an evil version of the Justice League with the help of Batman. It was certainly a premise with potential and we hoped for great things, but now that it’s here, we’re sorry to say that although the game has great-feeling combat, it’s bogged down by repetitive missions and a live-service structure that feels grafted on in an effort to keep you playing and spending money for months to come.

Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, Windows

Release Date: April 23

Surgent Studios’ Tales of Kenzera: Zau was an emotional breakout of The Game Awards. This stunning Metroidvania about a young boy’s journey to revive his dead dad was inspired by the passing of studiofounder Abubakar Salim. Salim previously voiced Assassin’s Creed Origins protagonist Bayek, and wanted to tell a story about grief through this new EA Originals 2D action-platformer. Filled with Bantu lore and imagery, Tales of Kenzera: Zau appears to be one of the few openly Black games of 2024, and I absolutely love to see that.

Platforms: PS4/5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, Windows

Release Date: TBD

Coming off the heels of its film’s box office success is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem the game. While we still don’t know who is developing the game, we do know that it will pick up where the movie left off and pit the turtles against a new mutant threat. The game will also enjoy the movie’s painterly Spider-Verse-esque art style.

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows

Release Date: Out Now

Pre-order now: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop

Tekken 8, the newest entry in the sleek-as-hell fighting game series, is set to launch in the new year. Time will tell whether the popular fighter will have as big of a launch as longtime competitor Street Fighter experienced with Street Fighter 6. I’m pulling for Tekken 8’s success purely because it’s the only game that has my beloved luchador King in it. And Kuma. Can’t forget about Kuma.

Read More: Don’t Sleep On Tekken 8’s Story Mode

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows

Release Date: TBD

Pre-order now: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, like many games on here, suffered from a contagious case of the delays. The game experienced multiple setbacks, lost its original developers, and issued full pre-order refunds to disgruntled players who got tired of waiting around for its release. Now, Bloodlines 2 is set to release sometime this year under a new dev team, The Chinese Room. Can it live up to its legendary 2004 predecessor? It’s too early to say, but a lot of fans sure are sure hoping it will.

Platforms: PS4/5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows

Release Date: TBD

The awkward stepsibling of Final Fantasy is coming back for an all-new installment after several retro remasters and remakes. Kotaku senior reporter Ethan Gach and the other old-school RPG lovers on staff are hyped for this one:

It’s been 15 years since the last proper game in the Mana series, and that one wasn’t even any good. The Final Fantasy action-RPG spin-off’s legacy has been marked by more downs than ups, but the peaks still burn so brightly in fans’ memories that it’s hard to believe the franchise won’t one day make good on its earlier promise. Visions of Mana is being pitched as exactly that. I hope it doesn’t let us down.

Read More: Everything We Know About Square Enix’s Visions Of Mana

Platforms: Consoles (unspecified), Mobile, Windows

Release Date: TBD

The Game Awards gave us another look at HoYoverse’s action RPG Zenless Zone Zero, which is probably the most anime name for a game I’ve ever heard. And it gets flashier every time it shows up. It’s got cool robotic monster designs, a variety of neat characters with different moves and skills, and some breakbeat-sounding tracks that underscore the stylish action. Seriously, this is one to watch.

Read More: Genshin Impact Devs’ New Urban RPG Looks Gorgeous

Are there any games we didn’t mention that you’re hyped about for this year? If so, be sure to sound off in the comment section.