Vyrus’s Top 10 Most Anticipated Games of 2022

Another year, another plethora of games to get excited about. 2021 was full of some excellent releases. We were blessed with Halo: Infinite, Back 4 Blood, The Forgotten City, and many other games that have been very well received. Unfortunately, we were also given Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl…

Will this be the year Elder Scrolls 6 comes out? No. Am I salty about it? Yes. Would this entire article be about Elder Scrolls 6 if it was coming out this year? Also, yes.

10. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction

Extraction is going to be a co-op mission-based game where you and two other gamers will set out to shoot the hell out of an alien-infestation. It’s a bit of a different take on R6 games, but I’m genuinely exciting to see how it plays out. Ubisoft has stated, “Every mission is set to be a tense and challenging experience in which you’ll lead the elite operators of Rainbow Six in a fight against a lethal and evolving alien threat.”

I’m a big fan of running around with my friends shooting aliens. Destiny 2 has lasted quite some time, and if they go along a similar strategy, I could see this game being a big success.

Extraction is set to release in January 2022.

9. Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the first story-based Kirby game in quite some time. The bubbly, pink, bad-ass star of Smash Bros is set to get their very own game that looks and feels like a 3D Mario game. Nintendo has been wildly consistent with games like this and I’m sure Kirby and the Forgotten Dream Land will live up to the expectations.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is set to release in Spring 2022.

8. Hogwarts Legacy

Back when I was a young lad, I remember playing through the original Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s (or Philosopher’s) Stone game on PC. Chasing down Draco on a broomstick and smashing him into a tree was quite therapeutic.

Hogwarts Legacy is set to be an open-world RPG set before Harry and Thee Who Shalt Not Be Named were ever born. Players will be able to experience life as a student at Hogwarts including making potions, flying broomsticks, and casting deadly spells. Unlike the old Harry Potter game, this one looks absolutely stunning and looks to have tons more action than even the movies.

In 2022 you’ll finally be able to stop taking those stupid “which house are you?” quizzes and be a student at Hogwarts.

7. Starfield

Starfield is going to be Bethesda’s newest creation. You’ll have the opportunity to create a character, which is what people will spend most of their time doing, and, “with unparalleled freedom” embark on a journey into space. It has been described as, “the Han Solo simulator.”

Now, I’m a sucker for Bethesda games and even bigger sucker for space. I absolutely loved Outer Wilds, Outer Worlds, and I’m extremely hype for Starfield. I know Bethesda can make an excellent RPG and I’m interested to see how they do in their journey into space.

Join me in space on November 11, 2022.

6. Splatoon 3

The Splatoon games are goated. They might be the most underrated and most fun games available for the switch. Seriously, if you haven’t tried them out, you need to.

Splatoon 3 will feature new weapons, characters, customization, and a story mode called “Return of the Mammalians.”

The Splatoon games are fun, silly, and just a straight up good time that everyone should experience. However, let’s hope that Splatoon 3 addresses some of the multiplayer issues the previous games had. Gaming is better with friends.

Splatoon 3 is set to release some time in 2022. Your guess is as good as mine.

5. Gotham Knights

Good lord I hope the game is better than their horrid website. Batman games are some of the best action games out there. Even if you weren’t running around as Batman, they would still be fun as hell.

Gotham Knights allows players to play as Red Hood, Robin, Batgirl, and Nightwing to defeat the villains of Gotham City from the Court of Owls. The game is set to be a 2-palyer Co-Op action game which to me seems a bit odd as there are four playable characters. Oh well. Playing a Batman game with a friend? Sign me up.

Gotham Knights was delayed to 2022, so expect a more solid release date soon.

4. The Outer Worlds 2

If this was Seatate’s most anticipated games of 2022, then this would be at the top. I absolutely loved The Outer Worlds. It had one of the most well-written stories of any game with excellent dialog, role-play elements, and world-building. The game was truly fantastic. I cannot wait for this sequel.

If you haven’t played the first one, you need to. I wrote a whole dang blog about it.

The sequel has one of the best Official Announce Trailers in gaming.

We don’t really know much about this game yet, except that it will be set in a new location, but I’m confident Obsidian will release another fantastic game.

3. Horizon Forbidden West

Horizon Zero Dawn was one of those games that just instantly grabbed you. The camera felt a little clunky at first, but it absolutely made up for it. The action was smooth with elements of Assassins Creed and Far Cry, and the story made you never want to put the controller down.

Horizon Forbidden West will be a sequel to Zero Dawn and feature the main character, Aloy.

Guerrilla Studios hopes to add on to the already impressive combat by truly embracing Aloy as a character. Aloy is smart, cunning, and fierce. Utilize her personality and skills to take down opponents with your brain.

This game is going to be great, and I can’t wait. Horizon Forbidden West releases February 18, 2022.

2. Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2

A full sequel to a Zelda game is wild to me, but with how good the first Breath of the Wild is, I totally get it. It’s often referred to as the greatest Zelda game ever, and there’s some stiff competition there.

The new game will feature Link with new powers and a mighty new open world.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much information on this game yet, but we can’t be more excited about a sequel to one of the greatest video games ever released.

Nintendo is confident that BotW 2 will release in 2022.

1. Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Of course, it’s Pokémon. We love Pokémon around here, and Arceus looks sick as hell.

Arceus will feature some interesting twists away from the traditional Pokémon games.  It will be a more open world game with Pokémon running freely all over the world, not just in the tall grass. You’ll have to search in trees, under rocks, in the ocean, and everything in between to full your Pokédex.

Battling will also be vastly different as a Pokémon’s stats determine how many actions they will get and in what order. For example, your level 69 Charizard may get in like 5 actions on a level 6 Zigzagoon before they can even do anything back. Pokémon will also be able to be released in two ways: Strong style for more power, or Agile style for more speed. These variables add a lot to a pretty basic combat system that exists within the normal Pokémon games.

This game should have an interesting reception, and I’m excited to see where it goes.

Arceus releases on January 28, 2022.