14 DAY TRIAL // 2019 was an eclectic year for the video gaming community, but the next one seems to hold the industry's most anticipated games. There are at least five major game releases happening in the first half of 2020, but before we dive in, don't forget to check out Softpedia's Game of the Year Awards where we highlight the best games launched in 2019.
It looks like January is the quietest month of 2020 when it comes to game releases, but come March, we have the first major release: Final Fantasy VII Remake. The remake of the game launched on PlayStation back in 1997 will not include the entire content of the original; not even a big chunk of it.
Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy VII Remake will be released in episodic installments, with the first scheduled for a worldwide launch on March 3, 2020. This is a full remake, with fully polygonal graphics instead of pre-rendered environments.
March holds yet another major release, as the folks at Team Ninja have already scheduled the launch of Nioh 2 for March 13. The game takes place 50 years before the first game and lets players create their own characters instead of stepping into the shoes of foreign samurai William Adams.
One week after Nioh 2's release, Nintendo is bringing Animal Crossing: New Horizons to Switch. Set for March 20, the life simulation game lets players explore and develop a deserted island into a community of anthropomorphic animals.
Another important launch scheduled for March is Doom Eternal. After a short delay, id Software announced Doom Eternal will launch on March 20 on PC and consoles. The game introduces new climbing abilities and hooks that will allow players to navigate Hell and derelict space stations easier than before. The multiplayer aspect has been reworked and improved to offer fans of the genre an exhilarating experience.
Ninja Theory, the studio behind Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, recently announced a sequel to the dark fantasy action-adventure game, but their first game to come out this year is Bleeding Edge, a 4v4 competitive multiplayer game scheduled to release on March 24.
The last day of March is reserved for Persona 5 Royal, a revamped version of the base game, which includes new characters, new palaces, new areas to discover and items to collect, as well as new social scenes.
Keep in mind that Half-Life: Alyx, Valve's VR title is scheduled for release in March, but we don't have an exact launch date yet.
One of the most anticipated games of 2020, Cyberpunk 2077 will be released on PC and consoles on April 16. Since we've already seen a couple of gameplay demos, we know what to expect.
The next big release happens on May 15. Crystal Dynamics' Marvel's Avengers hopes to reignite players' interest for superhero games, which should be an easy task after Insomniac's Spider-Man.
After being acquired by Microsoft, inXile was given enough resources to develop a much better Wasteland game than the studio set to create initially. Wasteland 3 will be out on May 19 on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but you'll be able to get it for free at launch if you have an Xbox Game Pass subscription.
The month of May ends with a bang, as Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part II is set to arrive on May 29. Switching to a new protagonist, Ellie, the game adds new stealth and combat mechanics, as well as many weapons and items. Although it's already been revealed that Joel will eventually rejoin Ellie along the way, how's that going to happen remains to be seen.
Halo: Infinite, the next chapter in the Halo series is expected to be released during holiday 2020. Players will once again step into the shoes of Master Chief for what appears to be the ending of the Halo saga.
We're also waiting for more details about Dying Light 2's release, but we know it will be launched in 2020. The survival action RPG added writer Chris Avellone of Fallout and Divinity: Original Sin 2 fame, so we're expecting his impressive work to leave a mark on Techland's upcoming triple A game.
Elden Ring remains one of the biggest mysteries of 2020. The game that reunites developer From Software and publisher Bandai Namco has George R.R. Martin, the creator of Game of Thrones, as the main writer. Few things are known about Elden Ring aside from the fact that it's an open-world game designed around souls-like combat mechanics.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has been initially set for release in April, but it's been delayed for a later date. We're still waiting for details about the game's launch date, but we believe it will come out this year.
Three other games that should be launched in 2020, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Ghost of Tsushima and Watch Dogs Legion have yet to receive release dates. We expect both titles to be out in the second half of 2020, although Ubisoft's Watch Dogs Legion might miss the deadline if the French studio thinks the game needs more development time.
We have a handful of important releases beyond 2020, such as Baldur's Gate III, Bayonetta 3, Diablo IV, The Elder Scrolls VI, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 and Starfield. We're still waiting for more details on these projects, which might be revealed throughout the coming months.