written by Jih-Wei Peng
In these dark times, it’s always good to hold a little hope in your heart and think about what you have to look forward to, and in that spirit, we here at Games Insider would like to discuss our ten most hotly anticipated upcoming games for the PS5…so far.
To start with, there’s the PS5 itself. Its ultra-high-speed SSD and integrated custom I/O system can potentially cut loading times from minutes down to seconds, opening up a universe of possibilities for open-world games. Their custom AMD GPU makes full use of new ray tracing technology, simulating light with all-new fidelity and allowing for more realistic renders.. A new 3D audio system allows for far more immersive directional sound than ever before, even if you’re using headphones and not a fancy surround sound system.
The new Dualsense controller has a lot to offer as well, with a built-in microphone array as well as improved haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, allowing more nuanced touch-based interactions with the game than older rumble systems. The well-received Share button has also been replaced with a Create button, presumably allowing you to edit what you record so that you can create your perfect gaming memes on the fly.
But while the hardware is all very well, it’s all just a fancy doorstop without good software to go with it. So what has Sony got lined up for themselves and when can we expect to get our grubby hands on them? In no particular order, let’s go over our list.
Horizon Zero Dawn 2
After Guerrilla’s success with Horizon: Zero Dawn, it’s not surprising that a sequel is in the works and there are plans for a full trilogy set in the Horizon universe. Said to be gigantic in scope, with a larger world and more freedom to explore, HZD2 is also said to include some form of co-op gameplay as the devs had originally envisioned, though it’s hard to say yet whether it’s part of the main story or included in some other mode. Unfortunately, there’s little information on when you and your friends can go hunting giant metal animals, as Guerrilla and Sony have both been tight-lipped about release dates. It might hopefully be a launch title, but nobody can say for sure.
Godfall
Billed by Gearbox and developers Counterplay Games as a “looter slasher” a la Borderlands but with swords and armor, this third-person slasher will have you hacking apart all kinds of baddies to steal their equipment. Seems like there might be some logistical issues from looting armor from someone who you just cut in two, but that’s never stopped RPG heroes before. Playable in solo, duo, or trio co-op, Godfall seems set to be a PS5 launch title with a planned release in the 2020 holiday season.
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
Ever since Black Flag, Assassin’s Creed has been slowly and steadily moving away from their silent murder roots and shifting towards being adventure romps in entertaining historical periods, with our latest assassin being a screaming Viking leading a Warband of pillage-hungry Scandinavians. With a greater focus on reaving the shores of England and managing your clan, quietly knocking off your enemies feels very much a reduced focus but you’ll probably still find time to stab someone with your hidden blades for old time’s sake in between bouts of ax murder. Another PS5 launch title, you can expect to see AC: Valhalla during the holiday season.
Outrider
Bulletstorm devs People Can Fly are hoping to make their mark with a more mature third-person cover shooter than their precious wild adventure with a plot focused on finding hope for a dying Earth. Your team of Outriders will run into an energy storm on an alien world that’ll knock them out for thirty years, awakening to a world in chaos and gaining superpowers in the bargain. You should be able to start uncovering the secret of the Anomaly in Q4, 2020
Scarlet Nexus
Scarlet Nexus is a Bandai-Namco action RPG where mutant monsters immune to conventional weapons are countered by psychic teenagers who do battle by picking up cars with their mind and throwing them at said monsters in a “brain punk” city that blends the aesthetics of classic Japanese anime and Western sci-fi. Developed in part by the Tales of Vesperia team, this recent surprise reveal has no known release date as of yet.
Rainbow Six: Quarantine
An unfortunately topical game, Ubisoft’s Quarantine isn’t focused on enforcing stay-at-home orders with a heavily armed SWAT team during a worldwide pandemic but is instead a full spin-off of Rainbow Six: Siege’s limited-time Outbreak event which featured infectious mutant monsters and a faster pace than Siege’s normal gameplay. The current guess is that it’ll be released this year, though technically Ubisoft has said that it’ll be released “before the next fiscal year,” which is April 1, 2021.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
This much-awaited sequel to the cult hit Bloodlines sees you awaken as a newly fledged monster who requires human blood to live, challenging you to resist your urge to revel in your awesome new powers and wreak havoc as you navigate the complex political intrigues of vampire society. Written by Brian Mitsoda, the creative mind behind the original janky classic and developed by Hardsuit Labs, there’s no specification on a release date yet other than “sometime this year.”
Dying Light 2
Having been satisfied that they nailed down how to create engaging gameplay when escaping and killing zombies with parkour, Techland decided they needed to bone up on their story and hired Chris Avellone to oversee their narrative direction, creating a massive open world with numerous world-changing decisions that’ll open or close up different sections of the map while raising certain factions to prosperity while destroying others, encouraging replayability in a world of loss and dread. Originally slated for a spring release, the game has since been delayed indefinitely with no certain release date.
Marvel Spiderman 2
Sony has decided to make Spiderman one of their flagship titles when they acquired developer Insomniac Games for a swinging sum, but if the sequel is anything like its predecessor it’ll likely be worth it. Expect to see your friendly neighborhood spider facing off against Venom, the Green Goblin, and possibly Doc Ock, all while training up his new young ward from the first game. There’s no currently known release date, but there are hints that it may come out next year.
Cyberpunk 2077
CD Projekt’s mammoth debut in the sci-fi world is about the closest thing you’re probably going to get to living in a Shadowrun universe for some time, with a heavy focus on immersion, seamless gameplay/dialogue integration and more dirty deals done in the shadows than you can shake a dismembered cyber leg at. We’ve been told that the game will be released on September 17th this year, but with several delays in the past, we’ll have to see if this holds.