We were treated to a ton of fantastic games in 2016, but if what we’ve seen announced so far is any indication, 2017 is gonna be an even bigger year.
An open world Zelda game will finally make its merry way to Wii U and Nintendo Switch, while long awaited sequels for franchises like Mass Effect and Red Dead will be putting in an appearance.
Let’s take a look at the ten biggest, best games we’ve got to look forward to next year.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 was only announced at the tail-end of October, but it’s clear Rockstar have been sat on this one for a while – the game should be ready for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One by Fall 2017.
Very little is known about the Western sequel at this point, but we do know that there’ll be a big focus on online multiplayer.
Still, Red Dead Revolver and Redemption were so beloved because of the gripping single-player experiences they managed to create – hopefully Rockstar hasn’t forgotten that.
Mass Effect Andromeda
As ridiculous as it might sound, Mass Effect Andromeda will in fact finally be coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in Spring 2017.
The fact that EA have said multiple times that they’re happy for developer BioWare to delay the project as much as they need might sound annoying, but it means everyone involved is fully committed to making this one of the most well polished and thought out sci-fi adventures in years.
Let’s just hope that’s the case anyway, since there’s nothing worse than a game that turns out to be shit after numerous delays. Not naming any massive sci-fi games from 2016.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is exactly the kind of title Zelda fans have been waiting for since The Elder Scrolls showed us what an open world fantasy game can be.
While recent rumours suggest it won’t launch with the Switch (and might actually skip Wii U altogether), it is absolutely coming out in 2017, and should hopefully be just as polished and sublime a product as you expect from Nintendo when they bring their A-game.
If nothing else, I can’t wait to fuck about with the brilliant physics and use my shield to snowboard down mountains.
Cuphead
Xbox-exclusive Cuphead is one of the best looking games I’ve ever seen. Not in a ‘wow look at those particle effects’ kind of way, but in an old-school, oozes charm from every pore kind of way.
Taking its cue from wonderfully stylish 1950’s cartoons, Cuphead takes on a bright and colourful journey that pretty much involves shooting everything in sight in an arcade-esque sidescroller.
My only concern is that the gameplay might be a bit thin – but that could well be why it was delayed to early 2017.
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Horizon: Zero Dawn combines almost everything I could ever want in a videogame. A badass female protagonist, giant robot dinosaurs to hunt and ride, and a breathtakingly gorgeous open world to explore.
Equal parts Xenoblade Chronicles, Zelda, and The Witcher, this PlayStation 4 exclusive looks like exactly the kind of the title Sony needs to keep their console a hot proposition in 2017.
It takes a lot to get me excited over an open world game, in this age of open world games – but Horizon: Zero Dawn is one world I can’t wait to explore.
Resident Evil 7
If I told you Resident Evil 7 was taking the franchise in a bold new direction while simultaneously going back to what made the original games great, you’d probably think I’d gobbled down a vat of military-grade hallucinogenics, for all the nonsense I was talking.
However, that’s exactly what Resident Evil 7 is doing. A shift to first-person immerses us in Capcom’s world like never before, while unstoppable enemies and limited ammo finally puts the survival back into survival horror.
Of course, it can’t be any worse than Resident Evil 6 – that game was absolute kak.
For Honor
A viking, a samurai, and a knight walk into a battlefield. You’d think it was the setup for a dad joke, but it’s actually the premise of Ubisoft’s For Honor.
For the uninitiated, For Honor is essentially a beat ’em up that pits three separate warrior factions against each other for the sheer hell of it it. Expect plenty of blood, brutality, and tactical depth as you plan your battles.
It’s coming Valentine’s Day 2017, so find yourself a loved one who fancies spending the evening chopping knights apart with a viking’s axe.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole
Hands down, this game is definitely winning ‘best game name of 2017’ – I’ve already had the certificates made up, so it’s kind of a done deal.
Ubisoft have been kind enough to spoil us with a sequel to the excellent Stick of Truth RPG, only this time the South Park gang is swapping the fantasy parody for a superhero-oriented approach.
You play as a humble avatar whose farts can stop time (or something), and embark on an adventure of heroic proportions, with more toilet humour than you can shake a poo-covered stick at.
Outlast 2
If you like what you’ve seen of Resident Evil 7, but want a horror experience that delights in fucking with your brain as much as it possibly can, then Outlast 2 is the game for you.
We don’t know exactly when in 2017 Outlast 2 is planning to inflict itself on us, but a demo was released around Halloween that was just ball-tinglingly good – tense, moody, and properly fucking scary.
Running through a corn field in first-person from a crazed cult of baby killers was legitimately the most terrifying gaming moment of 2016 for me, and that was just the damn demo.
Injustice 2
Injustice was a surprise 2013 hit. The developers behind Mortal Kombat took their penchant for brutal fighting games over to the DC universe to give us a superhero showdown that was all about spectacle.
Highlights included a great character roster, amazingly over the top moves that really made you feel like a super powered beast, and a genuinely good story mode that showed us what the world would be like if Superman decided to turn dictator (spoiler: not great).
Great news then, as the sequel looks to expand on the original in every possible way. Bigger moves, more characters (including Super-Girl and Blue Beetle), and the continuation of a story that was so popular it managed to spawn a successful comic book spinoff.
There are plenty more already confirmed for 2017, of course. Honorable mentions include Scalebound, Ghost Recon Wildlands, and Yooka Laylee, and I’m sure there are plenty more surprises to come.
For now, let’s look longingly at the games we do know to be on the way, and pray to the gaming Gods that none of them get delayed.
Ewan Moore is a journalist at UNILAD Gaming who still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase. After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a BA in Journalism & Media Studies (thanks for asking), he went on to do some freelance words for various places, including Kotaku, Den of Geek, and TheSixthAxis, before landing a full time gig at UNILAD in 2016.