2021 was a fantastic year with many exciting games such as It Takes Two, Resident Evil Village, and Psychonauts 2. It Takes Two took home the Game of the Year award in December of 2021, and other games were awarded as well such as Deathloop and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. With so many games that made this year so much more entertaining, could 2021 be beaten? Let’s go over some of the most anticipated games of 2022 for gamers to look forward to. 

One of the biggest projects coming in February is Elden Ring which is written by George R. R. Martin, who wrote the iconic A Song of Ice and Fire, which is what the HBO show Game of Thrones was based on. The game promises a dark fantasy RPG (role-playing game) with in-depth lore and hours worth of content. The trailers for the game give off both a fantastical and spooky atmosphere that will feel very familiar for fans of games like Dark Souls or Bloodborne. Elden Ring will hit all consoles on February 25th. 

Even before that, the massive RPG of Horizon Forbidden West will be hitting shelves and online stores on February 18th. It is the sequel to the now-iconic 2017 game of Horizon Zero Dawn. It takes place in the post-apocalyptic United States with cybernetic animals comprising most of the wildlife of the world. Tribes of remaining humans battle for power as a deadly plague known as the “Red Blight” threatens all of the Earth. The main character Alloy must embark on a quest to find a way to stop this disease. It will only be released to Playstations 4 and 5 but it seems worth the money. The graphics and designs for the creatures and settings feel so alive and authentic. Make sure to grab this game once you can. 

If you’re looking for a fun looter-shooter, then Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands coming out on March 25th will be right up your alley. This game is developed by Gearbox, the same people who created the fantastic and chaotic video game series Borderlands. This is connected to the DLC expansion of Borderlands 2 known as Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep. The game of Wonderlands, like the aforementioned DLC, will be more focused on fantasy and Dungeons-&-Dragons-like shenanigans than the normal science fiction and Mad Max-like shenanigans of the Borderlands games. The game looks to improve on many features from previous games, such as much more options for character customization and even more mechanics to utilize. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is definitely at the top of my most anticipated games of this year. 

The highly anticipated sequel of 2018’s God of War, titled God of War: Ragnarok will come out sometime this year. This game will deal with the consequences of Kratos, the Ghost of Sparta, and his son Atreus’s actions in the last game, which will lead to them having a large role in the prophesied battle of the Norse gods: Ragnarok. The game plans to keep a lot of the same mechanics and ideas from the last game, including its one-shot take with no cuts between scenes. You will also be able to explore all of the nine realms of Norse mythology, unlike the last game which had many of the realms locked to players such as Asgard (the home of Thor and Odin) and Svartalfheim (the home of the Dwarves). Ragnarok will continue exploring the relationship between Kratos and his son as they must battle gods, giants, and everything in between. This will most likely come out exclusively to Playstation 5 but God of War (2018) just had a release on PC. This gives off the idea that it might have a future on other consoles, or even come out for past generation consoles like the Playstation 4. 

In Nintendo news, a sequel to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is in development with a possibility of coming out in 2022. The story will deal with a new threat to Hyrule that will disrupt the very environment of the world. Link must travel through an even larger setting than the last game to collect gear and take down enemies that thwart the peace of his homeland. This is definitely going to be one of 2022’s most successful games if it comes out this year. Be sure to stay updated on news about Breath of the Wild 2 if you own a Nintendo Switch. 

Many other games are coming out throughout the year that we don’t have enough time to talk about so keep on the lookout for any interesting game that catches your eye. 2022 is looking to be a very exciting year in the world of gaming. Everyone: get your controllers ready because it’s going to be a wild ride filled with a lot of all-nighters. Well, let’s hope no all-nighters.