November 2014 marked the one-year release anniversary of both the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. Now that the systems have fully emerged from their fledgling states, developers are utilizing the platforms’ next-gen powers and constructing grander, more extensive games than ever before. 2015 looks like another year filled with innovation and advanced takes on previously loved genres and franchises. Here, in no particular order, are twenty upcoming titles we can’t wait to get our hands on.
1. Tom Clancy’s The Division
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Developer: Massive Entertainment
Publisher: Ubisoft
Genre: MMO Shooter, Action RPG
Release date: TBA 2015
Play as an elite group of soldiers tasked with combating an outbreak of a disease so powerful, it brought down most of the United States in just five days. Built on Massive’s new next-gen engine Snowdrop, the game is saturated with epic amounts of detail, groundbreaking visual effects, dynamic global illumination, and jaw-dropping procedural destruction.
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2. Dying Light
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Developer: Techland
Publisher: Warner Bros.
Genre: Survival Horror, Action-Adventure
Release date: January 27, 2015
A zombie-apocalypse game set in the Balkans and the Middle East, Dying Light incorporates parkour-style gameplay dynamics into a massive, open world. It’s the first title to use Techland’s next-gen Chrome Engine 6, promising a real-time day/night cycle, dynamic weather conditions, and next-level visuals optimized for advanced DirectX11 graphics.
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3. Battlefield Hardline
Platforms: PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC
Developer: Visceral Games
Publisher: EA
Genre: FPS
Release Date: March 17, 2015
The ever-popular Battlefield franchise takes a break from its militarized roots to focus on police
and the war on crime. Inspired by popular TV crime dramas, single-player mode guides players through a gritty, episodic story, brought to life by audio designers Paul Gorman and Andrew Boyd. Multiplayer mode allows gamers to duke it out as either cops or perps in tense hostage situations, life-or-death car chases, and high-level heists.
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4. Dragon Ball Xenoverse
Platforms: PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC
Developer: Dimps
Publisher: Bandai Namco Games
Genre: Fighting, Action
Release date: February 5, 2015
Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball universe makes its next-gen debut in Xenoverse, filled with fast-paced, powerful battles and real-time character transformations. Goku and friends return with an all-new storyline and features never seen before in the series, such as create-a-character and underwater fights.
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5. Mighty No. 9
Platforms: PS4, PS3, PS Vita, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS
Developer: Comcept
Publisher: Comcept
Genre: Action, Platformer
Release date: April 2015
Mega Man fans, rejoice: this 2D side-scroller is a downloadable game created by Keiji Inafune, known for co-creating the original blue bomber. Built on Unreal Engine 3, the game was made possible by a successful 2013 Kickstarter campaign. We can’t wait to explore the vibrant, interactive environments developed by art director Shinsuke Komaki.
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6. Evolve
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Developer: Turtle Rock Studios
Publisher: 2K Games
Genre: FPS, Action
Release date: February 10, 2015
This asymmetrical co-op shooter from the creators of Left 4 Dead allows gamers to play simultaneously but in drastically different ways, a la Rayman Legends or New Super Mario Bros. Developed on the fourth-gen CryEngine, this upcoming title pits a team of Hunters against one menacing player-controlled Monster in a brutal 4v1 multiplayer showdown.
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7. Citizens of Earth
Platforms: PS4, PS Vita, PC, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS
Developer: Eden Industries
Publisher: Atlus
Genre: RPG
Release Date: January 20, 2015
This quirky title puts players in the role of the Vice President of the World, who recruits others to fight for him in a world resembling Earthbound’s Onnet. Indie developer Eden Industries fuses the nostalgic charm of classic 2D RPGs with high-def animation features like dynamic lighting, bloom effects, particle effects, and heat distortion.
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8. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Developer: CD Projekt RED
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Genre: Action, RPG
Release date: May 19, 2015
Delivering a living open world larger than any other title in modern RPG history, this sequel picks up where The Witcher 2 left off and looks to blend elements of Skyrim and Assassin’s Creed. Developer CD Projekt RED created an epic story with over 100 hours of gameplay, brought to life with the REDEngine3’s groundbreaking next-gen graphics and deeply integrated 5.1 audio.
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9. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
Platforms: Wii U
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Touch Platformer
Release date: February 2015
Help Kirby, who can now transform into vehicles like submarines and tanks, through another platforming adventure. This new title builds on the unique clay-modeled aesthetic of Kirby: Canvas Curse for Nintendo DS, adding intuitive drawing mechanics powered by the Wii U GamePad controller’s touchpad.
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10. The Order: 1886
Platforms: PS4
Developer: Ready at Dawn
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Genre: Action-Adventure
Release date: February 20, 2015
In this alternate history adventure game set in a nightmarish pseudo-London, players join a new-age version of King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table. This order has one overarching goal: to keep humanity safe from deadly half-breed monsters. Developer Ready at Dawn is aiming for a cinematic look with full performance capture and stunningly realistic graphics powered by the RAD Engine 4.
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11. Tekken 7
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One
Developer: Bandai Namco
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Genre: Fighting
Release date: February 2015
The newest installment of the Tekken franchise concludes the Mishima clan saga and introduces Rage Art, a new game mechanic that allows players to execute unblockable moves with devastating results. This new title from director and chief producer Katsuhiro Harada is powered by Unreal Engine 4.
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12. Final Fantasy Type-0 HD
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One
Developer: Square Enix, HexaDrive
Publisher: Square Enix
Genre: Action RPG
Release date: March 17, 2015
Originally released on the handheld PSP in 2011, developer Square Enix decided to remaster and revive this real-time action role player on next-gen consoles rather than the handheld Vita to give gamers a more immersive experience. The game has been fully re-rendered with DirectX 11 graphics for the PS4 and Xbox One.
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13. Kingdom Hearts 3
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Genre: Action RPG
Release date: TBA 2015
Players will once again step into the shoes of Sora in the third installment of this Disney/Final Fantasy mashup. Players will set out on a quest to stop Master Xehanort’s plan to balance light and darkness. Powered by the Unreal Engine 4, developer Square Enix is focusing on vivid new graphics and key blade transformations.
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14. Legend of Zelda Wii U
Platforms: Wii U
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Action-Adventure
Release date: TBA 2015
Built exclusively for the Wii U, this upcoming action-adventure title is the first original Zelda title to be developed with HD graphics. The game features a vast open world setting where players can choose how to approach new areas within a connected Hyrule overworld. Link’s horse, Epona, will now avoid obstacles and allow players to focus on aiming at enemies. As producer Eiji Aonuma explained during a new gameplay demo, “Real horses don’t run into trees very often.”
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15. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Platforms: PS4
Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Genre: Action-Adventure, TPS
Release date: TBA 2015
Join fortune hunter Nathan Drake in this PS4 exclusive as he comes out of retirement to once again embark on an Indiana Jones–like journey across the globe. Players will seek a fabled pirate treasure as historical conspiracies unravel before their eyes. Developer Naughty Dog is pairing new lighting and shading techniques with higher-fidelity 3D models to make this the most photorealistic Uncharted title yet.
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16. Mario Maker
Platforms: Wii U
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Platformer, Level Builder
Release date: TBA 2015
In this fresh take on the Mario franchise, players create fully functional 2D platform levels and play/share them with others, much like Sony’s LittleBigPlanet. A spiritual sequel to Mario Paint, longtime Nintendo fans can once again self-curate Mario style. Players can even switch between the classic 8-bit Super Mario Bros. style and the HD look of New Super Mario Bros. U.
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17. Hellblade
Platforms: PS4
Developer: Ninja Theory
Publisher: Ninja Theory
Genre: Action, Hack and Slash
Release Date: TBA 2014
Developer Ninja Theory, who brought us 2007’s Heavenly Sword, once again puts players into the role of a powerful female warrior, Senua, as she embarks on a quest through the Helheim, the hall of the dead. Chief of design Tameem Antoniades brought the game’s rich, detailed vision of the Norse underworld to life on the Unreal Engine 4.
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18. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Platforms: PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC
Developer: Kojima Productions
Publisher: Konami
Genre: Action-Adventure, Stealth
Release date: TBA 2015
Developed on the Fox engine, this new title takes place after the events of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. The game follows the legendary one-eyed mercenary, Snake, as he travels to Afghanistan during the Cold War to avenge his forces, which were brutally destroyed in the previous installment.
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19. Halo 5: Guardians
Platforms: Xbox One
Developer: 343 Industries=
Publisher: Microsoft
Genre: FPS
Release date: TBA 2015
The vaunted Master Chief is missing after a devastating, unexpected attack. The fate of the galaxy is in the hands of a new Spartan, who must track down the missing hero while unraveling a dangerous mystery. Running at sixty frames per second, this sequel to 2012’s Halo 4 will be powered by an entirely new engine. A television series produced by Steven Spielberg is also set to coincide with the game’s Fall 2015 release.
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20. Batman: Arkham Knight
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Publisher: Warner Bros.
Genre: Action-Adventure
Release date: June 2, 2015
The fourth title in the Arkham series features an entirely open-world Gotham City powered by a rebuilt version of the Unreal Engine 3. The caped crusader will harness the power of his revamped Batmobile as he faces off against a slew of iconic supervillains, including his mysterious, mechanical doppelganger, the Arkham Knight.
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