We’ve officially crossed over into August, so that means we’re one month closer to the most wonderful time of the year. While most people can’t wait for cooler weather, I can’t wait for the onslaught of must-buy games. So, without further ado, here’s my top six most anticipated games for the holiday season. Note: we’ve only included games that have been confirmed to hit later this year, though there is always the chance of any game being pushed back, but as of today, these titles are all confirmed to ship out this holiday 2020!
(Ed’sNote: The opinion expressed here is that solely of the author’s and doesn’t represent the entirety of MP1st and its staff).
1. Cyberpunk 2077
Let’s kick things off with a game that we should already be playing: Cyberpunk 2077. Originally scheduled to release on April 16, developer CD Projekt RED first delayed the futuristic RPG to September, then delayed it again to November 19.
Based on the fact that Microsoft is releasing a limited edition Cyberpunk 2077 themed Xbox One X, I can’t help but think that the delay to November 19 might line up pretty closely to the launch of the Xbox Series X. If that’s the case, what better way to start a new generation. Fans of CD Projekt RED’s other highly successful RPG The Witcher 3 will surely want to sink their teeth into this one. Cyberpunk 2077 allows you to customize your character in more ways than you might think (if you know, you know).
In addition, the game completely wraps itself around the choices you make. For example, based on how you create your character will directly affect where you start in the game. Oh, and did I mention that Keanu freakin’ Reeves is in it? And he’s not just a normal NPC; his role as Silverhand will play a crucial part throughout the entire game. The neon lights of Night City awaits us.
Release date: November 19 on PS4, Xbox One, PC (also coming to next-gen plaforms).
2. Halo Infinite
It’s been five long years since last we saw of Master Chief. At times, Halo 5’s campaign seemed a bit convoluted with the Forerunners and evil Cortana, so that might explain why Halo Infinite looks like a soft reboot for the franchise.
During the Xbox Games Showcase on Jul 23, 343 Industries finally revealed real gameplay footage of Halo Infinite. Master Chief is back taking it to the Covenant, but will also have to deal with the Banished. The Banished appeared in Halo Wars 2 and will be front and center as the main antagonists of Halo Infinite. Regardless of how you felt about the most recent Halo titles, Halo Infinite is poised to breath new life into the franchise. And more importantly, Halo Infinite will be available on Game Pass and the multiplayer will be free-to-play. It’s almost time to suit up, Spartan.
Release date: Holiday 2020 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X and PC
3. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Confession time: The first Assassin’s Creed title I played was Origins, and honestly, it didn’t hit for me. A year later, I decide to give Assassin’s Creed Odyssey a try and thank goodness I did. Traversing through ancient Greece as Kassandra (who should’ve been the only main character, Alexios sucks) was incredible. Visiting places like Athens, fighting mythical creatures such as Medusa and the Minotaur, conversing with Socrates, all of that made Odyssey such a breathtaking experience.
So what can we expect from the next installment, Valhalla? Well, first, the main character Eivor can either be male or female, but the difference between Valhalla and Odyssey is you can switch genders anytime throughout the game. Valhalla will focus on Norse Mythology, so it’s a safe bet that a certain thunderous Avenger might show up. Although I’m not too keen on the Vikings theme (sailing in Odyssey was the worst), I’m very much on board with exploring Norse Mythology. Odin be with us!
Release date: November 17 for the PS4, Xbox One and PC (also coming to next-gen).
Read more about Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
4. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
We’re currently in the Golden Age for Spider-Man. Insomniac delivered a masterpiece in 2018 with Marvel’s Spider-Man, and I’m confident that title would’ve won Game of The Year across the board if not for a certain an axe-wielding god killer.
It was only a matter of time until Insomniac announced its follow-up project and I’m stoked it’ll be a Miles Morales-focused adventure. It’s unfortunate that the standalone Miles game won’t be a “true numbered sequel” and apparently will only be around 7-10 hours, this is a massive indication that Miles will be a prominent figure in the eventual Spider-Man 2.
Given the extremely high praise that Into the Spider-Verse received, Insomniac dedicating an entire side adventure to Miles is a slam dunk. Not to mention the recent Black Lives Matter movements across the country, I can’t overstate how important this game will be for a lot of people. Representation in media is so important, so to see a young Black man as a superhero (let alone Spider-Man) will inspire many other young Black kids and give them someone to look up to.
Remember, anyone can put on the mask.
Release date: Holiday 2020 for the PS5
Read more about Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
5. Watch Dogs: Legion
Ubisoft’s second big holiday title hopes to make headlines in its own right. Following the “hacker brings about social reform” theme, Watch Dogs: Legion takes that sediment and dials it way the hell up. For most games that involve recruiting and forming a team, there’s always one main protagonist. Ubisoft’s decided to completely flip the script on that and make everyone their own main character. That’s right, you’ll have the ability to recruit and control any NPC in the game. What does that mean exactly? Well, each individual NPC will have their own set of cut scenes, dialogue, and overall unique feel to them.
Set in post-Brexit London, a mysterious organization called Albion is tasked with policing the United Kingdom citizens essentially by “any means necessary”. Armed with a slew of technological weaponry, it’s up to you to fight the system and protect your freedoms. But remember, it’s not political.
Release date: October 29 for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC (also coming to next-gen).
Read more about Watch Dogs Legion.
6. Marvel’s Avengers
Alright, I understand that a September release date might not count as “holiday” for some people, but time is a social construct, so bear with me. When it was announced that Square Enix of all developers would helm an Avengers AAA game, I think we all collectively squealed with excitement. Fast-forward to when Square Enix unveiled the first look of its Avengers and I think we all collectively re-evaluated our excitement meter.
Now, Square Enix has always been transparent about its Avengers game being completely separate from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But when placed side-by-side, it’s jarring to look at. It’s like when you go grocery shopping and you’re choosing between the store brand and name brand. The MCU is the name brand and Square Enix is the water downed store brand. Don’t get me wrong, an Avengers game sounds rad as hell, but it’s going to take some time to adjust to these new Avengers, especially fresh off Avengers Endgame. Yet, there’s reasons to still be optimistic about Avengers. Although you’ll switch between the various members of the Avengers, the main focus will be centered around Kamala Khan.
Recently, it was reported that Khan will make her MCU debut in the next few years, so this’ll be a good introduction to the character before her silver screen appearance. In addition to Khan, Square has tabbed a new villain in the sinister MODOK. Gameplay footage suggests an action-filled adventure with a surprisingly deep customization and upgrade system. As long as we hear someone yell “Avengers Assemble” I’ll be one happy camper.
Release date: September 4 for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC (also coming to next-gen).
Read more about Marvel’s Avengers.
So, there you have it. My six most anticipated games for Holiday 2020. But what about you? What games are you most looking forward to? Let us know down in the comments below.
Featured image credit: ScreenRant
Every single one of those games except Spiderman I am avoiding like the plague lol.
I’ll wait for them to fix Cyberpunk a year later. Like with The Witcher 3, as a PlayStation gamer, I’m guaranteed to get special screwed over treatment.
ANOTHER copy and paste AC game that needs to go back to the drawing board already. 2 years to make this one. Why?
Watch Dogs 3, never touched the series, haven’t touched anything from Ubi this gen apart from Far Cry 4 and AC games.
Avengers……… do I really need to say anything that hasn’t been said by anyone since the leak before E3 2019 that it was a garbage gaas Destiny game?
Oh yeah…….. and Halo 6 lol, DEFINITELY nothing to say there.
I’m excited for Avengers (even if the beta has issues), Halo Infinite, Spider-Man, and of course, Cyberpunk. 😀 This definitely has been a great year for gamers.
They’ve shown off more gameplay for all of those games than Spiderman, but you’re still hyping it over everything else?
With how shot it’s development is I have no doubt the game is a copy paste of the first game.
Damn you’re one angry virgin aren’t you?
He Just voiced his opinion, you do realise this is the internet right ?
And actually he made some good points, where you presume to know about other peoples sex life.
Because if you go through his posting history and the fact that he’s dumb enough to use the exact same user name and avatar on every site including all Disqus sites, Twitter, and pretty much anywhere else he goes you can see that the dude spends about 98% of his life telling us why most games suck and why not Sony related is bad.
When an article starts injecting BS agenda politics, then it starts to lose all credibility. Miles Morales is important because he connects to the Marvel Universe. When is the gaming media going to stop embarrassing themselves? People that actually want to use their brain don’t look at Miles Morales as a symbol that supports BLM. His race isn’t what makes him an interesting character.
#All-Lives-Matter
No his race doesn’t make him an interesting character but it does give African American youths a super hero to look up to that is actually the same color as them, not just white. They are underrepresented in the comics and the world of writing them.
Am I the only one who’s excited about the new Crash Bandicoot Game and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1-2?
yes
I guess being a 90ds kid and growing up with these games have me excited to relive my childhood which will be great during this stressful and uncertain time we find ourselves in.
Nothing there worth buying or playing.