The most anticipated games of 2021

 All of the big games you need to play in the months ahead

With the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S now out and the Switch still going strong, there are loads of new games on the horizon, including some we thought we’d be playing by now. We're starting to see big games trick out and then there’s plenty more expected as the year goes on, including the return of beloved franchise and plenty of fresh fare, as well.

Here’s our initial list of our most anticipated games of 2021, but stay tuned: we will be expanding this list and then updating regularly throughout the year as games release and new titles are announced.

1) HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST

Horizon Zero Dawn was one of the PlayStation 4’s absolute best exclusives, a brilliantly compelling and utterly gorgeous adventure that just couldn’t be matched on Xbox or elsewhere. It was also a serious showcase for the power of the PlayStation 4 Pro.

Now it looks like Horizon Forbidden West will do much the same on PlayStation 5, exploring a brand new land full of robotic beasts with dazzling sights. This one’s slated for the second half of 2021 and looks far enough along to actually make that target.

2) GOD OF WAR: RAGNAROK

Speaking of brilliant PlayStation 4 exclusives, Sony’s God of War reimagining was among the generation’s best games, and now it’s coming back in 2021 on PlayStation 5.

While not officially confirmed to be called God of War: Ragnarok just yet, the first teaser hints at that title and suggests that the Norse mythological event - which led to the end of days - will drive the latest brutally intense adventure. It’s also unclear whether this one will also come to PS4, unlike Horizon, which has been confirmed for both.

3) HALO INFINITE

We should’ve been playing Halo Infinite already, and it was supposed to be the big Xbox Series X/S launch game. Instead, the above trailer showed that it could potentially use a fair bit more polish, and it wasn’t long after blowback that Microsoft and 343 Industries decided to push the shooter sequel into 2021.

Surprisingly, it’s now slated for an autumn release - but the stakes are high here. Halo 5 was a letdown and Halo Infinite is supposed to be the big boost the flagging series needs, so Microsoft can’t afford to rush it. We’ll wait… and hopefully be rewarded with an Xbox epic late in the year.

4) RATCHET & CLANK: RIFT APART

It’s been a long while since the last fully original Ratchet & Clank game (the last one was a remake), and while Rift Apart largely doesn’t look too different from the usual series formula, the PlayStation 5 hardware unlocks some compelling new twists.

Essentially, the system’s super-speedy SSD storage enables the titular rifts, which let the heroic duo hop between worlds on the fly. Otherwise, this looks like another fun, cartoonish quest with dreamy visuals and amazingly entertaining weapons, and is due in June.

5) DEATHLOOP

Arkane’s work on Dishonored and Prey made clear that they don’t make typical shooters, and Deathloop is coming to put an exclamation point on that statement. It looks to blend elements of those previous games, but with a whole new schtick.

Deathloop takes place within a time loop that keeps repeating unless your assassin lead can take out eight targets - but there’s also a rival assassin on the island looking to muck up your plan. You can even control her and hop into other random online players’ games to play spoiler. It has been delayed from its planned May launch, but we say take all the time you need to get it right.

6) RESIDENT EVIL VILLAGE

Capcom’s survival horror series keeps kicking, shrugging off a bloated and mediocre sixth core entry to deliver 2017’s compelling Resident Evil 7, which shifted gears to a first-person view and even offered optional VR support.

Resident Evil Village (there’s an “VIII” in there) will continue that theme, looping back on the same main character with a return to first-person horror. It’s unclear whether we’ll get VR again this time around in a quest set around an entire eerie village, but it ought to be plenty spooky however we’re able to experience it.

7) RETURNAL

Returnal is one of the most intriguing PlayStation 5 exclusives due out in the near future, with the roguelike shooter hailing from Housemarque, the studio behind such quick-hit gems as Super Stardust HD and Resogun.

Their debut PS5 game looks a fair bit more robust, yet still carries a familiar spark of tense excitement. Here, you’ll play as a spaceship pilot whose craft crashes on an unknown planet, and is forced to relive the trauma of her battle for survival and untimely death over and over again - each time a bit different. Your goal is to try and break the brutal time loop and figure out what the hell is happening in this strange place.

8) FAR CRY 6

Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito serves as an intimidating presence in every show or movie he appears in, and it looks like he’ll do just the same for Far Cry 6 as an authoritarian leader (and garbage dad) in a fictional Caribbean island nation.

You’ll play as a freedom fighter attempting to take him down, and if the series’ history is any indication, we should see an exciting open-world adventure full of unpredictable elements and beautiful sights. Ubisoft has this frustrating habit of showing potentially hot-button topics in trailers and then never really having anything meaningful to say in the actual game, so we’ll see.

9) BACK 4 BLOOD

It might say Back 4 Blood on the box, but make no mistake: this is unofficially Left 4 Dead 3. Valve has left the franchise dormant for nearly a decade now, so original developer Turtle Rock Studios has stepped up to pick up where it left off.

And it looks every bit as intensely fun and frenetic as the source material, delivering four-player co-op action against zombie shamblers. It’s already in closed alpha testing as of this writing and early impressions are very positive, so this should be a fun one come autumn.

10) FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE

No, it’s not the next episode of the Final Fantasy VII Remake. Instead, FFVII Remake Intergrade is an expanded next-gen upgrade, bringing the game officially to PlayStation 5 with a bevy of enhancements — better lighting, various other graphics improvements, speedy loading times — as well as fresh content.

The new content sees the addition of fan-favourite character Yuffie, who wasn’t in last year’s first chunk of Remake, starring in a new episode in which you’ll infiltrate Shinra to steal some powerful materia. Her combat looks frenzied and fun, and thankfully Intergrade will be a free upgrade to existing PS4 owners. Square Enix also announced a pair of FFVII mobile games releasing this year… so basically, Remake fever isn’t slowing down anytime soon.