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The 50 games coming in 2016 that you can't miss
The year is nearly over. It's a time for reflection, a time for looking backward and forward. Most importantly, it's time to start talking about which great video games you'll play in 2016.
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This is the year that PlayStation VR launches, that Facebook's Oculus VR finally releases its Rift headset, and that HTC and Valve released the Vive — the year of VR. It'll also be when Nintendo closes the book on Wii U with a few final major games, before moving on to a new console with the — still codenamed — "NX" project.
It's going to be a huge year for games, and we're barely scratching the surface with the 50 below. Here's what to expect in 2016, in order of release date:
"The Witness" has been in development for over six years at this point. Creative director Jonathan Blow has been working on it in solitude for several of those years, and with a team for the last three or so. He's notoriously sunk the profits of his previous indie blockbuster, "Braid," into the new game, a first-person puzzle game set on a mysterious abandoned island. It's one of the first new games in 2016, kicking off the year with a long-awaited follow-up from an acclaimed developer. Starting the year smart!
Release Date: January 26, 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC, Mac
"Firewatch" is the first game from a new studio, Campo Santo, comprised of veteran heavy-hitters — people who worked on Telltale's "The Walking Dead" series, as well as "BioShock Infinite" and more. It's a first-person, story-focused game set in 1989, with a main character quite literally watching the wilds of Wyoming for forest fires in the wake of 1988 Yellowstone fires. It has a gorgeous, unique art style and what looks to be a gripping narrative.
Release Date: February 9, 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC, OS X, Linux
Gorgeous, evocative 2-D platforming games are one of the most delightful revelations of the last few years. Games like "Limbo" and "Braid" set the standard, and new games like "Unravel" are carrying the torch forward. In "Unravel," you play as a young boy made of yarn who's on a journey. Where that journey will take him is the big question mark, but he'll have lots of platforming-based puzzles to solve in the process.
Release Date: February 9, 2016
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
If you've ever played and loved a "Mega Man" game, then "Mighty No. 9" is right up your alley. It's the spiritual successor to "Mega Man," created by the franchise's father — Keiji Inafune — after his rocky departure from his former publisher, Capcom. Since Inafune doesn't have the rights to his "Mega Man" creation, he's crafted a new character who's eerily similar.
Release Date: February 12, 2016
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS
Unlike many of its contemporaries, the "Street Fighter" series has managed to stay fresh and interesting across 30 years of game consoles. The fifth main series entry in the long-running 2-D fighting series aims to bring occasional street fighters back into the fold, and adds a quartet of new characters. It's already caused a small stir of controversy for changing the look of quintessential "Street Fighter" poster boy Ken Masters.
Release Date: February 16, 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC, Linux (SteamOS)
Ever wondered what it's like to sneak up on a woolly mammoth and murder it with a bunch of your friends? "Far Cry: Primal" answers that question with a first-person account, played by you, in a prehistoric riff on the usual first-person sneak-and-stab that the "Far Cry" series is known for.
Release Date: February 23, 2016 (Xbox One/PlayStation 4), March 2016 (PC)
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
The Tom Clancy name is getting new life in a new game series from Ubisoft, known as "The Division." It's a third-person open-world game set in a wintry New York City suffering from a viral outbreak that devastates the US around Black Friday. You're part of — you guessed it — The Division, a group of seemingly normal citizens that become an autonomous operations unit for reestablishing safety in the event of a total governmental collapse.
Release Date: March 8, 2016
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Agent 47 is back once again for the usual carefully planned/messily executed assassinations. You'll follow him from a third-person perspective as he sneaks and knocks out enemies and plots and — eventually — executes mission after mission. It's his job, after all.
Release Date: March 11, 2016
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
"Adrift" isn't far from the film "Gravity," with you as the player stuck, alone, in space, hustling from air container to air container in an effort to stay alive, solve puzzles, and maybe even find out what happened to your ship, which is floating around you in pieces. For the psychologically brave among you, there's a virtual-reality version of "Adrift" that puts you inside the helmet of the game's main character, trying desperately to survive. No, thank you!
Release Date: First quarter 2016 (January 1 to March 31)
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC (Oculus Rift)
"EVE Valkyrie" is a space combat game that enjoys the benefit of being one of the longest in-development games for Sony's and Oculus VR's headsets. PlayStation VR and Oculus Rift will get the dogfighting game at some point in the first half of 2016, and the Rift will actually launch with the game — which is said to be in the first three months of 2016.
Release Date: First quarter 2016 (January 1 to March 31)
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC (PlayStation VR and Oculus Rift support)
The next major game from the Finnish studio behind critically acclaimed games like "Alan Wake" and "Max Payne" is called "Quantum Break," and it's not a major departure from the team's past efforts. This one follows two men, Jack Joyce and Paul Serene, from a third-person perspective while they slow — and occasionally outright stop — time, all the while being pursued by a shady corporation known as Monarch.
Release Date: April 5, 2016
Platform: Xbox One
The name of the game when it comes to "Souls" games — whether it's the original "Demon's Souls" or "Dark Souls" or "Bloodborne" —is pain. You will trudge through the same dark, nightmare-inducing dungeons over and over while you learn every nook and cranny from an often-strained third-person perspective. That same level of punishment appears to be headed to the next entry in the series, "Dark Souls 3," in spring 2016.
Release Date: April 12, 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
The "Star Fox" series is making its triumphant return in 2016 on Nintendo's Wii U, the first major entry in years for the series that focuses on anthropomorphized animals flying jets as soldiers. It's adorable and fun, but does it hold up in modern times? We'll find out in a few months.
Release Date: April 22, 2016
Platform: Wii U
"Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" is likely to be the final entry in the long-running "Uncharted" series, which features an Indiana Jones-like character named Nathan Drake who skips around the world looking for adventure — and, even better, treasure. Shoot, jump, and smooth-talk your way through gorgeous, dangerous, varied environments and look good doing it!
Release Date: April 26, 2016
Platform: PlayStation 4
There are hundreds of first-person games. Ninety-nine percent of those games are shooters, where your first-person view is that of a gun, maybe a hand, and a wide array of enemies with which to employ said gun on. It's a formula that's been done to death, and "Mirror's Edge" pushes back on it in the best way possible. Rather than a gun, you're a human being employing fancy acrobatics to escape — and occasionally disarm/stun — enemies, many of which are wielding guns. If you stop to fight, their guns will win. So instead, RUN! FASTER!
Release Date: May 24, 2016
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Ready to explore the infinite depths of outer space? Here's hoping you've got a lot of time on your hands — "No Man's Sky" offers you just such an opportunity, so much so that the entirety of the first-person space exploration game is impossible to play in a single lifetime. Or even many lifetimes! It's got "over 18 quintillion" planets, according to the game's developer, Hello Games, all created procedurally by algorithms that a team of under 20 created in England. Not bad!
Release Date: June 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC
"ReCore" is a third-person action-adventure game starring a young lady and her electronic, anthropomorphized friends. There's only so much known about "ReCore" thus far, but the game's first trailer features gorgeous visuals and a quirky storytelling style. What's most exciting about the game that we do know, however, is that it's being created by some serious talent: the team at Comcept (headed by Keiji Inafune, the man who created "Mega Man") and the team at Armature Studio (the folks who worked on the acclaimed "Metroid Prime" series).
Release Date: Second quarter of 2016 (April 1 to June 30)
Platform: Xbox One
The first "Dishonored" game was a quiet delight on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, where players sought, snuck, and stole in first-person through the steampunk/Dickensian world. The series is back on newer consoles in 2016, and it looks to be just as fun as the previous game.
Release Date: Second quarter of 2016 (April 1 to June 30)
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
There's a big film version of "Ratchet & Clank" just a few short months away from release — it's based on the original PlayStation 2 game. Alongside the film's release, the game's original creator's at Insomniac Games are putting together a stunning, updated re-release of the original game. It's the game based on the film based on the game, if you will. And we will! From what we've seen so far, the new "Ratchet & Clank" game is a beautiful third-person romp through a prettier-than-ever galaxy.
Release Date: Spring 2016
Platform: PlayStation 4
If you've ever watched and enjoyed the madness that is "Brain Wall" — the Japanese game show where human beings try to fit themselves, Tetris-style, through a physical space in a wall that's rapidly moving toward them — then you'll love "Super Hyper Cube." It's exactly that — 3-D, depth-wise, Tetris — but from inside of a virtual-reality headset.
Release Date: First half of 2016 (January 1 to June 30)
Platform: PlayStation 4 (PlayStation VR)
It's been years since the last major "Doom" game — 11, actually, since "Doom 3." But "Doom" is finally coming back, and it looks better than ever before. If you're looking to send demons back to hell in first-person, 2016's "Doom" is right up your alley.
Release Date: First half of 2016 (January 1 to June 3o)
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
The "Deus Ex" franchise is beloved by many, even though it's changed hands from the original developers to a newer squad at Eidos Montreal. In "Mankind Divided," you're once again controlling Adam Jensen from a first-person perspective as he shoots and hacks his way through hundreds of bad guys. Will you mow everyone down, or sneakily ghost past the hordes of enemies in your way? The choice is yours.
Release Date: August 23, 2016
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
The "Crackdown" franchise was a surprising delight on the Xbox 360. It was one of the first superhero games to literally enable you to leap over a building, and it encouraged exploration with a meta-game of orbs you could optionally collect throughout the world — the more you collect, the more powerful your character becomes, so you were probably grabbing all of them. Few games have felt more fun to simply move through than the "Crackdown" games, and "Crackdown 3" looks to be a continuation of that tradition.
Release Date: Second or third quarter of 2016 (April 1 to September 30)
Platform: Xbox One
Big "Halo" fan but never heard of "Halo Wars"? You're forgiven — it's a real-time strategy spin-off of the original "Halo" franchise, which means commanding troops and vehicles from an overhead view. It's a tactics game, basically, with "Halo"-themed characters, units, and story strewn throughout. And this next one is being made by the tactics geniuses at Creative Assembly, so we've got high hopes.
Release Date: Fall 2016
Platforms: Xbox One and PC
"The Last Guardian" is a much-anticipated, long-in-development game often described with hyphenated adjectives. It's a third-person game where you play a boy who hangs out with a massive bird-like creature, solving puzzles and trying not to fall to your death.
Release Date: 2016
Platform: PlayStation 4
From the creators of the "Killzone" series comes "Horizon Zero Dawn," an action/role-playing game played from the third-person perspective. You're on what looks to be a distant future Earth, where hulking metal dinosaurs seemingly rule the land and humanity has reverted — or evolved? — to some form of neo-tribalism with pseudo-technological underpinnings. If nothing else, ya know, giant metal dinosaurs. Why do so few games have dinosaurs?!
Release Date: 2016
Platform: PlayStation 4
We'll be honest: There's no announced "Destiny 2" at this point, but it's a pretty solid given that it's coming in 2016. This would be the full-on, honest-to-goodness sequel to the first-person blockbuster "Destiny," from the folks who made the "Halo" games (Bungie Studios). Expect an announcement before E3 2016 in June, the game industry's annual trade show in Los Angeles, with a potential September launch window.
Release Date: 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One
"The Legend of Zelda" series is on an amazing run, with nearly 20 titles under its belt and another headed to Nintendo's Wii U system in 2016. This one looks to be the prettiest yet, to say nothing of the sprawling open-world environment. In case you're unfamiliar, the game follows a fellow named Link as he saves ... something or other. It's often a place named Hyrule, but he's been many other places as well, and he's even been saved himself a few times by the would-be diminutive princess, the eponymous Zelda. This is high on the list of "most anticipated games of 2016."
Release Date: 2016
Platform: Wii U
The best game of 2015 is only going to get better in 2016, with ongoing updates (adding stability and features), official modding tools for PC players (which will then trickle down to the consoles, says the game's developer), and outright downloadable content expansions (paid additions to the base game, offered à la carte or in a bundled $30 "Season Pass").
Release Date: 2016
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Sure, games can look awfully pretty with tons of special effects and high-resolution graphics, but they can also look awfully pretty when hand-drawn in early-20th-century style. That's exactly what two Canadian brothers did with "Cuphead," a beautiful 2-D game where you play as the eponymous Cuphead as he fights through boss after boss, while amazing orchestral music rises and falls appropriately in the background.
Release Date: 2016
Platforms: Xbox One, PC
"Gears of War 4" is, as you might expect, the sequel to "Gears of War 3." It follows a crew of human soldiers as they trudge through one war-torn alien hellhole after another, shooting and sawing through everything in their way — all from a third-person perspective. The series has earned some tremendously loyal fans over the years, and this is the first major series entry in the hands of Microsoft's new Vancouver-based studio. To say "Gears of War 4" has a lot to live up to is a Locust-size understatement.
Release Date: Holiday 2016
Platform: Xbox One
One of the best — if not the best — game series on the previous generation of consoles was the "Mass Effect" trilogy. It's an incredible first- and third-person story-based action franchise that enables players to build a character, a crew, and relationships across dozens — and, for some people, hundreds — of hours and three games. The next game in the series, "Mass Effect Andromeda" is set long after the events of the original trilogy, and features the continuing story of Capt. Shepherd and his/her crew of heroes/stone-cold killers.
Release Date: Fourth quarter 2016 (October 1 to December 31)
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
"Wild" is a gorgeous third-person game set in a prehistoric world full of wild beasts and magical demigods. It's coming exclusively to the PlayStation 4 in 2016 from creative director Michel Ancel, the French man behind the "Rayman" series and critic's darling "Beyond Good & Evil."
Release Date: 2016
Platform: PlayStation 4
Virtual-reality games are a huge part of 2016, and "Robinson: The Journey" is a perfect example of the new types of games you'll get in VR. It follows a young boy (Robinson) who has crash-landed on a mysterious planet full of dinosaurs and a floating orb that's more than willing to guide you on your path. Feel free to look around liberally on the way.
Release Date: 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC (PlayStation VR/Oculus Rift)
Do you like golf? Do you like 100-foot robots? Who doesn't? OK, fair enough, golf is pretty boring, but how about those giant robots? This — incredibly silly-looking — game comes from No Goblin, a small indie team focused on making the silliest games it can. This one is, yes, an actual golf game, but you can also beat up other robots and, uh, play on the moon and other crazy stuff. It looks delightful.
Release Date: 2016
Platform: PlayStation 4 (PlayStation VR)
Following on the massive indie success of "Gone Home," the development team at Fullbright is focusing on another story-based first-person game in "Tacoma," which follows one person's exploration of a space station named "Tacoma." Expect a fascinating story, great dialog, and tons of storytelling through environmental cues. And if "Gone Home" is any indication, expect to feel some pretty serious feels.
Release Date: 2016
Platforms: Xbox One, PC, OS X, Linux (SteamOS)
"Paragon" takes the game style of "League of Legends" — known as a "MOBA" — and puts it into a third-person shooting game. You'll fight wave after wave of enemy minions, all the while pushing forward strategically toward the competition's "core" — the thing you have to destroy to win the battle. Bonus: It looks gorgeous, especially compared with popular MOBA-style games like "DOTA 2" and "Heroes of the Storm."
Release Date: 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4 and PC
In "Below," players explore a unique world created procedurally by the game itself. That means that each time you play through, "Below" will be completely unique, at least in terms of environments. The main character is known only as a "tiny warrior" battling to survive on a remote island.
Release Date: 2016
Platforms: Xbox One, PC
Get ready to get up and go with ..."Pokémon GO," an augmented reality game for your iPhone or Android phone that tasks you with tracking and trapping everyone's favorite pocket monsters. There's even a sweet little Pokémon device that you'll want to pick up if you're looking to go all-in.
Release Date: 2016
Platforms: iOS, Android
Who doesn't want to fly a dragon? After seeing Khaleesi do it last year on "Game of Thrones," it's pretty much all we talk about at Tech Insider Towers these days. And in "Scalebound," a new third-person action game from the stunningly talented group of game-development veterans at Platinum Games, you can do just that — ride a dragon! And then maybe you and your dragon can fight a bunch of crazy huge monsters? Sounds pretty good!
Release Date: Holiday 2016
Platform: Xbox One
Ever wanted to explore the frigid peaks of Everest, but without all the peril of imminent death? Right, us too. "Edge of Nowhere" helps fulfill that dream, albeit from a third-person perspective — even though you view the world through an Oculus Rift VR headset. You probably didn't expect to find monsters way up there, did you? But there they are in "Edge of Nowhere."
Release Date: 2016 (?)
Platforms: PC (Oculus Rift)
The first "Gravity Rush" is getting re-released for the PlayStation 4 in February 2016 — a beautiful, fascinating game from Sony's Japan Studio that was released exclusively on the not-so-popular PlayStation Vita. Thankfully, rather than cut its losses and move on, Sony's PlayStation arm is doubling down on the third-person action game that features a floating girl, a floating world, a floating cat, and miles of mystery.
Release Date: 2016 (?)
Platform: PlayStation 4
"Rez" isn't a new game but an old game that was way ahead of its time being reinvented for virtual-reality headsets. The first "Rez" debuted on the Sega Dreamcast and PlayStation 2, where it instantly became a cult hit. It was later re-released with high-def graphics on the Xbox 360 as "Rez HD." And now, in 2016, it's getting resurrected once more for PlayStation 4's VR headset as "Rez Infinite." So, what is it? It's a music-based shooter ... thing. It's honestly pretty hard to explain — have a look for yourself right here.
Release Date: 2016 (?)
Platforms: PlayStation 4 (PlayStation VR)
The British, Sony-owned studio behind the "LittleBigPlanet" series is creating something entirely new in "Dreams" for the PlayStation 4. It's a game-creation engine aimed at players who want to create and play their own games. Unlike the studio's previous series, "Dreams" seems to be more open-ended in terms of game creation. Gameplay is puzzle-focused, and will no doubt feature heavily in the charm department — as Media Molecule games are prone to.
Release Date: 2016 (?)
Platforms: PlayStation 4
"Lucky's Tale" aims to be the "Super Mario" of the Oculus Rift, with a focus on colorful environments and 3-D platforming. Your view from the Oculus Rift is that of God, looking down on a world that Lucky explores. Wondering if there's something secret underneath that platform? Simply arc your head and look underneath — virtual reality is crazy!
Release Date: 2016 (?)
Platform: PC (Oculus Rift)
"Detroit" remains a bit of a question mark. The game's first trailer depicts a near-future Detroit riding high on manufacturing, only this time it's robots instead of cars. You play as Kara, a robot with human-like AI who's grappling with the reality she was "born" into. French developer Quantic Dream, headed by lauded creative director David Cage, is known for a focus on storytelling and play decisions affecting said storytelling — "Detroit" looks to continue that cinematic tradition.
Release Date: 2016 (?)
Platform: PlayStation 4
None of that old-school zombie nonsense here — these are modern zombies, and they have serious demands of your taxi company. And that's the goal of the game: Get zombies from point A to point Z (get it?) as close to requested as possible, which can be pretty hard considering how poorly zombies move — and, by extension, drive.
Release Date: 2016 (?)
Platforms: PlayStation 4 (PlayStation VR)
In "RIGS: Mechanized Combat League," you're the pilot of your own mech. But rather than shooting down enemies, you're playing a futuristic game, thus the subtitle. Like 2015's "Rocket League," "RIGS" aims to entice players with a futuristic take on arcade-style sports, and what we've played of it during various press events was a delight.
Release Date: 2016 (?)
Platforms: PlayStation 4 (PlayStation VR)
Man, it's been awhile since "Red Dead Redemption," eh? Like, nearly six years. That's no joke! Considering the game moved somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 million copies as of August 2015, you'd think Rockstar Games — developers of such little-known games as "Grand Theft Auto 5" and "Max Payne 3" — would want to make another one. We'd like that, too! There's been nothing officially announced thus far, but logic points toward another entry in the "Red Dead" series being cooked up for newer game consoles.
Release Date: 2016 (?)
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
"Forza Horizon 2" is, by far, the best racing game released on modern game consoles. It's gorgeous, exciting, varied, and all of the good things you want from a racing game in 2015. Except it came out in 2014, and this year's "Forza Motorsport" game was aimed at simulation-style racing fans over the more arcade-style joy of the "Horizon" spin-off series. Here's hoping No. 3 is getting prepped for release in 2016!
Release Date: 2016 (?)
Platform: Xbox One
You're probably wondering why this list is missing more games featuring Mario and his pals.
Why?
That's because Nintendo is gearing up to announce its next-generation console, currently codenamed the "NX." Nintendo is likely dumping most of its resources into it, which means the only real Nintendo game to look forward to is the new "Legend of Zelda" we mentioned earlier.
Nintendo will officially unveil the "NX" in the first half of 2016, but it's unclear if the console will go on sale in time for the holidays. In the meantime, Nintendo fans will have to be patient.
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