By Tom Hoggins

12 February 2021 • 4:01pm

In a challenging 2020, video games provided solace for many as a chance to connect with friends and escape to different worlds.

Plenty of terrific games and new consoles spurred the industry and its players and 2021 is shaping up to provide a spectacular array of titles of its own. And. here, we have picked 30 of our most wanted new titles that we hope to see across the year.

With the influence of Covid-19 still impacting development, many might not make their anticipated 2021 release date, so this list is very much subject to change. Let us know what you are most looking forward to in the comments below.

Hitman 3

The concluding chapter of the World of Assassination trilogy has Io’s globetrotting Agent 47 again getting creative with his killing. The exceptional stealth sandboxes will likely make Hitman 3 the game to beat early in 2021, while it should prove a fitting send-off for 47 before Io turns its attention to its upcoming James Bond adventure.
(PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Google Stadia, Nintendo Switch; 20 January)

The Medium

An ambitious psychological horror from the creators of Layers of Fear, The Medium has you inhabiting two worlds simultaneously to solve puzzles and fight off demons. It is a game made to use the grunt of next-gen hardware, while legendary Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka provides his signature chilling sound.
(PC, Xbox Series X/S; 28 January)

Little Nightmares 2

This sequel to 2017’s skin-crawling puzzle-platformer looks to chamfer off some of the rough edges of its predecessor. But its grotesque horror and cloying atmosphere looks effective as ever, tapping into our childhood fears with grim abandon.
(PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Stadia; 11 February)

Returnal

Shoot ‘em up specialists Housemarque take on temporal psychological horror in this sci-fi roguelike. You are Selene, a lost pilot battling through a hostile alien planet stuck in a timeloop. The developers promise advanced use of the PS5 controller’s haptic feedback, as well as harnessing the console’s grunt for fast loading and advanced action.
(PS5; 19 March)

Balan Wonderworld

Sonic the Hedgehog creator Yuji Naka turns his eye to a different kind of action-platformer with a colourful surrealist journey through a mix of reality and theatrical fancy.
(PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Google Stadia, Nintendo Switch; 26 March)

It Takes Two

Outspoken developer Josef Fares continues his fascination with co-operative action in this quirky, genre-bending game. You and a pal play as one half of a couple in a fractured relationship, transformed into dolls and dropped into challenges in a fantastical reality by a magical love guru.
(PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S; 26 March)

Monster Hunter Rise

Capcom translates a slew of lessons from its brilliant console title Monster Hunter World to this Switch exclusive of its eccentric RPG.
(Switch; 26 March)

Deathloop

The Bafta-winning Arkane Studios return with this time-splintering action mystery. You are an assassin, Colt, stranded on the island of Black Reef and trapped in a temporal cycle which requires you to take out eight targets before the night ends and the loop resets. To complicate things, a rival assassin has been sent to preserve the loop and stop you by any means necessary. In a devilish twist, this assassin can be controlled by another player invading your game.
(PS5, PC; 21 May)

Back 4 Blood

Seeing as Left 4 Dead has seemingly been, well, left for dead by publisher Valve, the game’s original developers have taken matters into their own hands. Back 4 Blood is a spiritual successor to Turtle Rock’s seminal zombie co-op shooter, with 4-player co-op raids on the undead. As with L4D, the hordes are controlled by an AI director to keep things fresh (in a manner of speaking) on every run.
(PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S; 22 June)

The Gunk

From the creators of the brilliant Steamworld series, The Gunk has a duo of space explorers wading through a hostile, goo-infested planet armed with a high-tech vacuum cleaner and a variety of gadgets.
(Xbox, PC; September)

Ghostwire: Tokyo

“It’s karate meets magic,” says combat director Shinichiro Hada. “We want the player to feel like a badass, spell-casting, high-tech ninja exorcist defeating countless evil spirits.” Hard to argue with the sell on Tango Gameworks terrific looking action-adventure, which pitches you into a futuristic Tokyo where all the city’s inhabitants have vanished and malevolent forces have moved in.
(PS5, PC; October)

12 Minutes

Luis Antonio’s fascinating temporal mystery 12 Minutes was a hit at E3 2019. Its high concept has a couple’s apartment trapped in a time-loop of, yes, 12 minutes as a husband must discover the truth behind a mysterious and dangerous visitor. The game has since added some mainstream star power with the voice talents of James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley and Willem Dafoe.
(Xbox, PC)

Biomutant

Any game described as an “anthropomorphic post-apocalyptic Kung Fu fable” is likely to turn some heads. BioMutant has been oft-delayed, but the hope is that creating your own mammalian warrior to give mutants a good shoeing will be worth the wait.
(PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Dying Light 2

The original Dying Light managed to overturn expectations of being just-another-zombie-game, with a smart city setting and thrilling parkour. Since its announcement, Dying Light 2 looks to continue its surprising trend with a fascinating system that fundamentally changes its post-apocalyptic gameworld depending on your actions. Development hasn’t been plain sailing, with some controversial high-profile departures, but its core is still enough to excite.
(PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)

Elden Ring

The fascinating medieval collaboration of From Software’s Hidetaka Miyazaki and Game of Thrones author George RR Martin remains shrouded in mystery, except to say that it is expected to be vaster in scope than the heralded Souls series and a ‘natural evolution’ of From’s work. Take brutal difficulty and peerless world-building as read, then.
(PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)

Far Cry 6

Ubisoft’s open-world shooter returns, this time tasking with overthrowing a dictatorship on the sprawling Caribbean island of Yara. BReaking Bad star Giancarlo Esposito stars as the tyrannical El Presidente, raising his son to take over the family business.
(PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Google Stadia)

Gotham Knights

Batman is dead, the GCPD is rife with corruption and crime is on the rise. It’s up to the Dark Knight’s pals, then, to restore justice to Gotham. Probably by punching folk. As Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl or Red Hood --each with their own special abilities-- you patrol an open-world city, dropping in on crime and uncovering the Court of Owls. While Gotham Knights isn’t directly linked to the Arkham series, it should kick off a good couple of years for DC video game fans as 2022 will see Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad.
(PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)

Gran Turismo 7

It has been a long wait, but a full-blown new entry into PlayStation’s defining racing series finally pulls up to the starting line. The quality of Polyphony Digital’s simulation won’t be in doubt, while the game will expect to stretch every inch of the new PS5’s graphical prowess and technical features.
(PS5)

Halo Infinite

Delayed from its original spot as an Xbox Series X launch game, the return of Microsoft’s flagship shooter is now releasing late 2021. Xbox will be counting on the return of Master Chief to help fire a successful year for its new console. An early look showed off the bombastic sci-fi action the series has refined over the years, but some rough edges too. The extra polish should make it worth the wait.
(Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Sequel to the critically-acclaimed indie smash, Silksong has a new diminutive hero, Hornet, battling to the peak of a haunted kingdom in a new ‘Metroidvania’ adventure.
(PC, Switch)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2

The sequel to Nintendo’s astonishing Breath of the Wild arriving in 2021 might be optimistic, yet the timing seems to fit. Five years have passed since Link’s adventure laid claim to being one of the finest games ever made, while rumours continue to swirl over an updated Switch console appearing this year. The two would certainly make a convincing partnership. Breath of the Wild 2 has been under wraps since its reveal in 2019, but expect a darker yarn and an increased presence for Zelda herself.
(Switch)

Lord of the Rings: Gollum

Tolkein’s fantasy tome has not been short on video game adaptations over the years, but none that focus on the curious creature bewitched by the One Ring. Gollum will focus on stealth and subterfuge, while Gollum’s conflict with his original self Smeagol will also have an impact.
(PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Neo: The World Ends With You

It has been nearly 13 years since Square Enix’s eclectic urban-RPG The World Ends With You delighted us on Nintendo’s DS. A surprise sequel now arrives, with a new set of Japanese teens battling in a spiritual game on the streets of Shibuya.
(Switch, PS4)

Overwatch 2

The sequel to Blizzard’s hugely successful ‘hero shooter’ main selling point is a new campaign mode that hopes to shine more light on its colourful and characterful world. An expanded roster and new modes look to bolster the influential multiplayer action.
(TBC)

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Insomniac’s boisterous cartoon action was an unexpected standout for the PS4. And Rift Apart looks to do the same for the newly minted PS5 and its fancy fast-loading SSD, catching the eye with extraordinary teleportation between vast and detailed fantasy worlds.
(PS5)

Resident Evil Village

After two years of impressive remakes for Resident Evil, Capcom’s famous survival horror brings a sequel to the exquisitely terrifying RE7. Again played from a first-person perspective for extra chills, 7’s ‘hero’ Ethan finds himself teamed up with Resi stalwart Chris Redfield in a mysterious --and no doubt deadly-- European village.
(PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Sable

This gorgeous sci-fi adventure gives you free reign to explore the rolling dunes and ornate ruins of its desert planet. Its Ghibli inspired artwork immediately catches the eye, but it is the rite-of-passage play that is looking to stay in the memory.
(Xbox, PC)

Scorn

Explicitly inspired by the macabre work of HR Giger, Scorn is a horror-FPS that casts you as a skinless humanoid fighting through a tower constructed of flesh and bone. Even the weapons you wield appear to be made of organic matter. Striking and gruesome, let’s hope it has the action to match.

(PC, Xbox Series X/S)

Stray

The Hong Kong street-cat simulator you have been waiting for, Stray casts you as an inquisitive feline exploring the streets of a futuristic Kowloon.
(PS5)

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2

The revered survival shooter finally gets its sequel. Details remain thin on the ground but, with Microsoft's backing, the return to the horrors of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone should be worth the wait.
(Xbox Series X/S, PC)

The reissues...

We have focused on brand new games for our list of thirty, but it is worth flagging a trio of starry reissues appearing early in the year. Nintendo re-release the superb Super Mario 3D World for Switch, which comes with a fresh new level in Bowser's Fury. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition pulls together the brilliant original trilogy of Bioware's sci-fi RPG. And the critically acclaimed Disco Elysium will finally make its way to consoles with a fully voice-acted Final Cut.