The late fall and winter are arguably the best times of year for gamers. Not only do you get the excuse to stay indoors due to the inclement weather, you also get to experience some of the best new games as publishers look to cash in on the Holiday rush. It’s for that reason that the biggest and best titles for PS5 and other consoles get held back to the colder months.
Of course, it’s not as if we aren’t spoilt for choice in the meantime. Hammerwatch 2 and Wayfinder got released on August 15th. And across different platforms, you’ll find plenty of options to keep you entertained across the end of summer. Steam has had a bunch of interesting new releases in August, McLuck’s Games of the Month for August, including West Town and Moon Sisters, are well worth a spin, and even Netflix has been ramping up its mobile titles recently.
But there are some seriously big releases coming on PS5 toward the end of 2024. Below we count down 10 of the best for your diary:
Mortal Kombat 1 (September 19th)
The attempt to completely refresh the Mortal Kombat franchise continues with this, the 12th installment. Gamers are eager to see what comes with MK 1, particularly with the new story mode and introduction of the Kameo Fighters feature. Mortal Kombat 11 was fairly well received, but this release feels pivotal for the franchise.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage (October 12th)
Arguably the most highly anticipated game on this list, Ubisoft has been clever in building up demand by offering players who pre-order an exclusive mission titled The Forty Thieves. The successor to Valhalla, which wasn’t universally praised, Mirage intends to bring players back to the roots of the franchise. Another release that feels pivotal.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (October 20th)
Gamers might arguably join movie-goers in feeling a bit of Marvel fatigue, but Sony seems to have a lot of faith in this sequel to Spider-Man: Miles Morales. It pays a lot of respect to the comics, and it will arrive on the back of a lot of goodwill given to its predecessors. The word is that it’s going to be great.
Alone in the Dark (October 25th)
An intriguing addition to the horror survival genre from Pieces Interactive (Magicka 2), Alone in the Dark has notable voice actors in the form of Jodie Comer and David Harbour. The game is expected to be wildly different to the poorly received Alone in the Dark: Illumination, with THQ Nordic now publishing instead of Atari. Because of the mess of Illumination, expectations are tempered here, but we think non-believers might be surprised.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (November 9th)
This new addition to the Like a Dragon/Yakuza universe promises much more of the same, although that’s a good thing. Continuing the story of Kazuma Kiryu, players will be introduced to new characters and quests in Osaka and Yokohama. What we love about this, though, is the wealth of mini-games and activities, including karaoke and Kiryu playing classics like Alex the Kidd from the Master System era.
Modern Warfare 3 (November 10th)
The 20th Call of Duty game – how time flies. Modern Warfare 3 is notable for the huge amount of leaks that have come out this year, which have demonstrated that we will get more of the same, plus a few interesting extras. If it is an improvement on Modern Warfare 2 that should be enough to satisfy fans.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (December 7th)
A game that rivals Cyberpunk in terms of years spent on development, we have been informed that Frontiers of Pandora has been coming since 2017. A date has finally been set, and we will be introduced to a sprawling open-world title that has links to the movie franchise stories. It remains to be seen whether it will be worth the wait.
*Note the remaining titles have not yet a fixed date but are expected in fall/winter of 2023
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria (TBC Fall 2023)
The Lord of the Rings has the perfect IP for a gaming universe, although it certainly doesn’t always deliver (see the reaction to LOTR: Gollum for evidence). Nonetheless, this survival game, which charts the attempt by dwarves to retake the Mines of Moria after the events of The Lord of the Rings, looks perfect to recapture a bit of momentum and appetite for LOTR games.
EA Sports FC 24 (TBC Fall 2023)
What is in a name? We are about to find out as we get the first taste of EA’s soccer franchise that does not come under the FIFA banner. Players will expect perfection as EA embarks on a new era, but it’s probably going to be interesting to see what happens next. FIFA is working with a new partner to create the ‘only’ authentic soccer game. Where will your loyalties lie?
Among Us VR (TBC 2023)
Sony has largely struggled with sales of its VR hardware, but might the already-successful Among Us reinvigorate the VR division? Among Us VR received strong reviews when released for Steam-supported headsets, so the hope is that the PlayStation version will be even better, thereby giving Sony confidence that its VR division can thrive.
