Astro Bot
A wildly fun platformer that pays tribute to 30 years of PlayStation history by having cute little robots fly around adorable planet-sized levels in a controller-shaped spaceship. It looks cute but is deceptively modern – development team Asobi really knows the PS5 inside and out. Think Sony’s answer to Mario Galaxy.
September 6. PS5
UFO50
A collection of games from the 1980s by a little-known but ambitious developer whose work shaped the course of gaming history – only… the developer is fictional. Instead, these games are created by a small group of the world’s best independent developers, writing a fascinating alternate history of the medium.
September 18. PC
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
This is the first Zelda game to star the titular princess rather than her green-clad knight Link. It features the same toy-like visual style as the 2019 remake of Link’s Awakening and features Zelda wielding a magic wand to conjure furniture and creatures out of thin air.
September 26. Switch
Silent Hill 2
A remake of one of the most critically acclaimed horror games of all time, James Sunderland receives a letter from his late wife, summoning him to the fog-shrouded town of Silent Hill, where terrible things await. If the monstrous Pyramid Head didn’t give you nightmares in 2001, it will now.
October 8. PC, PS5
Featuring all the grandeur of a big-budget playable anime series, this quasi-medieval fantasy game was directed by Katsura Hashino, known for the Japanese teen dramas Persona. After the death of a king, candidates – from boozy tavern owners to theocrats – vie for the throne, and the player becomes embroiled in politics.
October 11th. PC, PS4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Life is strange: double exposure
The long-running drama series about teens and young adults with supernatural powers returns to its roots, with original heroine Max Caulfield once again using her wits to turn back time and solve—and maybe prevent—a murder.
October 29th. PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X/S
Assassin’s Creed Shadow
Ubisoft’s playful historical fiction series has finally set its sights on feudal Japan. Featuring Yasuke, a black samurai who is a mysterious figure in historical records from the period, and the shinobi assassin Naoe, Shadows should tide us over while we wait for the next season of Shogun.
November 15th. PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl
Developed by Ukrainian studio GSC Game World, which had to abandon its offices in Kiev during the Russian invasion, this exciting survival shooter has become an act of resistance for its creators. As a player, you must survive in a irradiated zone full of unpleasant creatures: this is not for the faint of heart.
November 20th. PC, Xbox Series S/X
Small steps
When perpetually stoned loser Nate is hurled from the questionably stained couch in his parent’s basement into a surreal mountain landscape, he must finally learn to put one foot in front of the other. They guide his legs as he stomps and stumbles, often falling flat on his face.
PS5