Here comes 2019, and already the roster shows more than enough games coming out to keep us busy. From rollicking combat games to quieter indie explorations of the soul, here are 50 games (listed alphabetically) that we’re excited to see, coming in the year ahead. Given the nature of the game industry these days, it’s too early to read much in the way of trends from this list. Many games that we’ll see in 2019 have yet to be announced, or do not have a firm release date. Even so, it’s encouraging to see a measure of variety in this list, which encompasses franchise shooters, roleplaying games, adventures and a few oddities. It’s worth mentioning that this list does not include certain big name games that might well come out in 2019, but have not been confirmed yet. Those include The Last of Us Part 2, Metroid Prime 4, Halo Infinite, Beyond Good and Evil 2, a new Pokémon and any number of big franchise possibilities, including Elder Scrolls and Dragon Age games. We’ve also skipped annual sports franchises and remakes of old games, as well as games that are currently commercially available and playable in early access. It’s also possible that we’ve missed some diamonds. If so, please feel free to steer us right in the comments section. Windows PC — 2019 Triumph Studios’ strategy series has previously restricted itself to standard fantasy lore of goblins, wizards and knights. This time, Age of Wonders is going science-fiction with a Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri-like tale of planetary colonization involving mechanized weaponry, aliens and genetic engineering. Planetfall is a turn-based hexagonal combat game, in which factions develop technologies, construct armies and expand their borders. PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One — 2019 First announced back in 2015, Ancestors is a third-person, action-adventure survival game, produced by Patrice Désilets’ studio, Panache Digital Games. Désilets is best known as the creator of the Assassin’s Creed series. This new game is set in the early years of humankind’s evolution. Set in a lush, beautiful Africa, it’s the story of colonies of apes and proto-humans at different points in our evolutionary journey, interacting with their environment, including now-extinct beasts of yore. Animal Crossing Nintendo Switch — 2019 It’s been five years since the U.S. release of Animal Crossing: New Leaf on Nintendo 3DS, so it’s high time for a return to Nintendo’s much-loved village-life series. This new game was announced during a Nintendo Direct in September, in which storekeeper Tom Nook told us to make ready for another bout of farming, fishing, finding, home decorating and generally being nice to the neighbors. PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One — Feb. 22 BioWare’s Destiny-like multiplayer sci-fi action game has an epic feel, with a focus on characters and dialog, as well as online shooting. Four classes of human-controlled mechs, called Javelins, roam an open world, completing story missions and engaging in public events, in which online players work together to complete an objective. Published by Electronic Arts, Anthem will be one of the year’s most lavishly produced releases. Nintendo Switch and Windows PC — Feb. 7 Ape-Out is an attractively humorous escape game with a distinctively brash art style. It merges with an inventive score to create a mad world of stylized blood and gore. It’s a top-down combat game in which a gorilla thumps and sneaks its way through enemy-infested mazes. Ape-Out, published by Devolver, looks like a hyper-violent, neatly-paced action game with lots of grim humor. PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One — 2019 Back in May, Moscow-based Mundfish released one of the best trailers of the past year, for its first-person shooter-brawler Atomic Heart. Based in a Soviet-era installation, it’s a creepy combat game, packed with Fallout-esque monstrosities and a distinctive visual wit. PlayStation 4 and Windows PC — 2019 Announced at E3 earlier this year, Babylon’s Fall is the next project from Japanese studio PlatinumGames, the company best known for the action-intense Bayonetta series, and Nier Automata. The trailer shows an ominous future timeline of mightily powerful forces clashing in a fight for civilization. There’ll be a lot of magical weapons-wielding for slickly intense slashing and dodging. PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One — 2019 We got our hands on this game at PAX West, and came away impressed with its martial-arts combat. It’s being developed by Experiment 101, founded by Stefan Ljungqvist, best known for his work on the Just Cause series. BioMutant is an open-world action-RPG featuring mutant forest creatures which can be altered and enhanced. Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One — 2019 This Kickstarter-funded project from former Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi is pitched as a spiritual successor to that notable series. Originally set for release in 2017, it’s a side-scrolling action game that makes heavy use of gothic horror imagery. It’s being published by 505 Games. PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One — 2019 Code Vein is an anime-style action roleplaying game from Hiroshi Yoshimura, the director of many of the God Eater games. The vampire-themed combat adventure has drawn comparisons with the Dark Souls series, which publisher Bandai Namco handles outside Japan. Code Vein focuses on exploration in dank locations, one-on-one combat and difficult bosses. Windows PC — mid-2019 Real-time strategy gets the Conan treatment in this production from Petroglyph Games, which is also working on a 4K remaster of early Command & Conquer games. The team includes C&C veterans from Westwood Studios. A trailer released a few weeks ago shows Conan defending a castle under attack from hordes, including giant spiders. But Conan calls upon a massive warrior god to come to his aid. Petroglyph tells us to expect a fast-paced game. PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One — 2019 Remedy Entertainment, best known for Alan Wake and Quantum Break, is back with another high-tech, supernatural third-person action adventure. Control was shown in a trailer at Sony’s 2018 E3 press conference, in which a young woman, armed with a futuristic gun, explores a shape-shifting world. She is also armed with telekinetic abilities. Windows PC and Xbox One — Feb. 15 Originally scheduled for release in 2016, this oft-delayed open-world game is finally confirmed for February, five years after it was first mooted. Crackdown 3 is all about mayhem and destruction in city environments, most especially in multiplayer environments where destruction is more free-flowing than in the campaign. The development story is its own tale of mayhem, with various comings and goings. But, the good news is that it’s cross-playable on both Windows PC and Xbox One. PlayStation 4 — Apr. 26 Sony Bend’s zombie-apocalypse adventure is set in the Pacific Northwest, where a motorcyclist bounty hunter uses stealth, guile, traps and brute force to lure large numbers of the undead into choke points. In Day’s Gone, the zombies are individually stupid, but they work together to challenge the player. They also come in various models, demanding shifting strategies to defeat them. PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One — Mar. 8 Capcom’s outlandish and uninhibited combat series is back, with Dante and Nero (as well as a new character called V) taking on gruesome enemies. Weapons include giant swords, powerful firearms, and just about anything else the fighters can get their hands on, including motorbike-chainsaws. Special moves and transformations are also available. PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One — Mar. 15 The Division 2 takes us from the wintry New York environs of the original game, to sweltering Washington, D.C, seven months later. It’s set in a post-terror attack America, ruled by a dictator and riven by civil war (but don’t call it political). It’s a third-person online combat open world, in which players can go it alone, or work together to defeat enemies. Post-launch downloadable missions will be released for free, featuring eight-player raids. PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One — 2019 Bethesda and id Software’s sequel to the well-received 2016 shooter franchise reboot is aiming for even more speed and combat fluidity. Weapons shown so far include a shotgun attached to a tether, with extra “glory kills” added to take on a greater variety of demons. But the real innovations are likely to be online, where players can take on the role of monsters, and go after Doom Slayers, individually or in teams, in Doom Eternal’s campaign. PlayStation 4 — 2019 LittleBigPlanet series creator Media Molecule’s ambitious project is another level-building game tool with built-in puzzles, but on a whole new scale. Featuring an imp who can manipulate the world, Dreams offers players a vast suite of level-creation tools in three-dimensions. The game’s campaign is entirely built with the same tools that will be available to players, who can make their own game worlds. PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One — Feb. 15 Ubisoft’s follow up to Far Cry 5 takes place 17 years later, in a post-nuclear war American heartland. A trailer released in December takes the point of view of a young woman celebrating the “new world,” which includes utopian encampments populated by gently mutated deer and hippies. But there’s a Mad Maxish element in town, complete with roaring vehicles and weapons. First-person exploration, adventuring and combat ensues. Nintendo Switch — spring, 2019 Tactical role-playing series Fire Emblem’s Nintendo Switch debut retains its grid-based origins, but features 3D battle arenas and larger forces than in previous games. Outside combat, the story game world opens up into a fully rendered environment, rather than just a series of cut-scenes. This is the first Fire Emblem full console release since Radiant Dawn on Wii, back in 2007. Xbox One and Windows PC — 2019 The second Gears of War game from The Coalition places Kait Diaz as lead, as she seeks the truth about the Locust invaders. Prior heroes Marcus Fenix and HD join her as aids, with their own secret missions. Judging from Microsoft’s 2018 E3 reveal, the third-person shooter will offer a wide variety of locations and vehicles, as it moves from the series’ cover-shooter origins toward a fuller action-adventure model. Linux, Mac and Windows PC — 2019 Set in Egypt in the 1920s, players take on the role of explorer and filmmaker Zora and her partner as they investigate ancient tombs, while making a film. A trailer reveal in 2017 showed a crisply beautiful setting, as might be expected from developer Campo Santo, best known for the superb narrative adventure Firewatch. Although only confirmed for PC, the developers say console versions are likely. PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One — 2019 Journey to the Savage Planet got a cinematic-only trailer in December that showcased a whimsical, comedic tone. It’s a first-person game, in which the the player explores a colorful alien planet. Developer Typhoon Studios is headed up by Alex Hutchinson, previously creative director for Far Cry 4 and Assassin’s Creed 3. PlayStation 4 and Xbox One — Feb. 15 Bandai Namco’s 3-on-3 tag team fighting game features popular Shonen Jump series characters, like Monkey D. Luffy of One Piece, Goku from Dragon Ball and Naruto. Players can also create custom characters, including mash-ups that mix and match powers and abilities from a variety of Shonen Jump manga. PlayStation 4 and Xbox One — Jan. 29 Kingdom Hearts 3 has been a long time coming but now it’s finally here. Disney and Square Enix’s colorful adventure is a combative roleplaying game, but the real magic is in its galaxy of animated stars, including appearances from Toy Story, Frozen, Pirates of the Caribbean, Winnie the Pooh and Tangled, plus (of course) Donald Duck and Goofy. The game stars series protagonist Sora as he crosses worlds to discover the seven sources of light. PlayStation 4 and Windows PC — Mar. 5 Square Enix’s action shooter is spin-off from the tactical Front Mission franchise. It’s being developed by veteran mech specialists including Toshifumi Nabeshima, director of FromSoftware’s Chromehounds and the Armored Core series; Yoji Shinkawa, the character designer of the Metal Gear series; and Takayuki Yanase, the mech designer who’s contributed to Mobile Suit Gundam 00 and Xenoblade Chronicles X. Nintendo Switch — 2019 Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is a combat game developed by Team Ninja, best known for the Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden series.<doc-sep>Xbox Game Pass subscribers will get a fresh batch of new and not-so-new Xbox One games this month, including Absolver, Ark: Survival Evolved, and the first chapter of Life is Strange 2. Microsoft and Square Enix added Life is Strange’s first five-chapter season and the game’s three-chapter prequel, Life is Strange: Before the Storm, to Xbox Game Pass in December 2018. Now, Life is Strange 2 is on its way to Game Pass, starting Jan. 3, with the first episode. Microsoft says episodes 2-5 will hit Xbox Game Pass “soon” — episode 2 is slated for release on Jan. 24. Joining Life is Strange 2 on Jan. 3 are Ark: Survival Evolved, the futuristic action-adventure survival game, and Farming Simulator 17, the farming simulator released in 2016. Rounding out January are martial arts action-RPG Absolver, coming Jan. 7; explosive open-world action sandbox Just Cause 3, coming Jan. 10; and the 3v3 asymmetrical competitive action game Aftercharge, which debuts on Xbox Game Pass on Jan. 10. Microsoft promises more than 100 games as part of Xbox Game Pass, which costs $9.99 per month. The full list of games available on Game Pass is on the Xbox website.<doc-sep>
Xbox Gold: Free games for January 2019 REVEALED GAMES WITH GOLD FEBRUARY 2019 - UPDATE ONE: Major Nelson has revealed the latest free Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles with Games with Gold. Xbox One fans will get Super Bomberman R and Bloodstained Curse of the Moon with Games with Gold February 2019. The latest Games with Gold line-up will also include Xbox 360 title Assassin’s Creed Rogue and Star Wars Jedi Knight Jedi Academy on Xbox. Both these titles are playable on Xbox One thanks to backwards compatibility. ORIGINAL: Games with Gold February 2019 line-up is set to be revealed any moment now with Xbox One and Xbox 360 fans finding out the latest free games. Once again Microsoft have left it late to announcing their latest Games with Gold line-up. Unlike Sony, Microsoft doesn’t have a typical time each month that they reveal their latest Games with Gold line-up. So the Xbox One and Xbox 360 free games reveal could happen at any time. Games with Gold February 2019 - Free Xbox One games reveal today? Latest news and rumours However, it will have to happen before the end of this month - and Microsoft typically doesn’t announce new line-ups on the last day of the month. So that leaves the Games with Gold line-up for February 2019 being announced either today or tomorrow. Games with Gold line-ups are typically announced at 4pm UK time so stay tuned for Xbox One and Xbox 360 free games news around then. So far there have been no leaks suggesting what will be included, or what new Backwards Compatible titles will be announced. Here is the February 2019 Games with Gold line-up There’s a chance that something will be revealed before the big announcement, but online leaks are always hard to source. Fans have been making their own predictions, with some suggesting that The Division will be made available ahead of the launch of the sequel - although this seems unlikely. In the meantime Games with Gold subscribers can also download and play Celeste and WRC 6 - the current Xbox One Games with Gold titles for January. Games with Gold February 2019 - New Xbox One free games could be revealed today Games with Gold subscribers can also get the Xbox 360 title Far Cry 2. In other Xbox One news, this weekend Gears of War 4 will be free to play for Xbox Live Gold members. Announcing the news in a post online, the Xbox team said: “This weekend, Xbox Live Gold members can enjoy Gears of War 4 for free with Xbox Live Gold’s Free Play Days. Xbox One fans will find out the Games with Gold February 2019 line-up any moment now