Hamburg – The gaming year 2021 was a special one. Not everything was good, some games were a bitter disappointment, but we all go into the new year with our personal highlights. However, 2022 should also have highlights to offer, and not in short supply. So instead of looking back at the best games of the year, let’s turn our eyes to the future today. After all, there are already quite a few blockbusters waiting in the wings for the new year. We have collected the most anticipated games of 2022 for you, so that you don’t miss a big release.

Top 10: Most anticipated games for 2022 – Pokémon Legends Arceus

What we marveled when the first trailer for Pokémon Legends Arceus appeared. A new Pokémon game in a large open world and with a feudal setting, finally The Pokémon Company dares to do something again. After the last few games in the Pokémon series, it was clear that a breath of fresh air was needed. With Pokémon Legends Arceus, The Pokémon Company seems to have taken a leaf out of Breath of the Wild’s book, but well copied….you know the saying.

• Name: Pokémon Legends Arceus
• Release: January 28, 2022
• Platform: Nintendo Switch

The one thing about Pokémon Legends Arceus that has caused some disagreement among fans is the game’s graphics. You have to acknowledge, technically it all looks a bit flat. But who cares when you can ride a giant fish while catching Pokémon? Fresh gameplay and a fresh era give some hope for this release.

Top 10: Most anticipated games for 2022 – Horizon Forbidden West

It’s hard to believe that Horizon Zero Dawn will soon be five years old. All the better that the sequel is finally waiting in the wings! Aloy rides back onto our screens in 2022 and takes us to the west coast of the post-apocalyptic USA. In Horizon Forbidden West, she has everything in her luggage that we could want from a sequel: New weapons, new enemies and a bunch of new skills. For example, she can now swim. SWIM! We’ve also grown a bit fond of Aloy, Erend and Sylens, so we’re looking forward to seeing them again.

• Name: Horizon Forbidden West
• Release: February 18, 2022
• Platforms: PS4, PS5, PC

Admittedly, Horizon Forbidden West was actually supposed to be released in 2021 before it was moved to 2022. That’s a stretch for patience, but at least it gives Guerilla Games enough time to polish Forbidden West to a shine. If there’s one thing we’ve learned in 2021, it’s that Shigeru Miyamoto’s wisdom is unfortunately often correct. A delayed game will eventually be good, a rushed game will always be bad. For Horizon Forbidden West, we believe in the former.

Top 10: Most anticipated games for 2022 – Elden Ring

A simple murmur of “oooooohhhh” was enough to make many gamer:ins wide-eyed this year. Back in 2019, From Software showed the first trailer for Elden Ring and at the mere mention of George R.R. Martin and Open World, the Soulsborne fanbase collectively went nuts. Then, after more than a year and a half of silence surrounding the new work from Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki, 2021 was the big year of relief for fans. Elden Ring exists – and it’s already coming in 2022.

• Name: Elden ring
• Release: February 25, 2022
• Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC

From Software was very confident in its promotion for Elden Ring in 2021. Since the middle of 2021, the studio has been feeding fans with new gameplay for the role-playing game again and again, and most recently some were already allowed to try their hand at it themselves in the closed network test. Then there was also a huge leak about Elden Ring, in which all sorts of details about the story, weapons and characters were revealed (spoiler warning). But even without the leak, we have little reason not to look forward to Elden Ring, especially after fans of the Soulsborne games raved about the Network Test.

Top 10: Most anticipated games for 2022 – Gran Turismo 7

For one of the most prestigious racing sims of all time, Gran Turismo is surprisingly rarely heard from. At the PS5’s first showcase, Polyphony Digital showed a first trailer for Gran Turismo 7 and flexed its technical muscles with some really impressive images. At that time, the racing game was supposed to be released exclusively for PS5, but Sony has since announced a version for the older PS4. However, the publisher did not want to reveal the release date for quite some time.

• Name: Gran Turismo 7
• Release: 04 March 2022
• Platforms: PS4, PS5

Gran Turismo 7 is also one of many games that were supposed to be released in 2021. Instead, fans of hearty lead foot will only get their money’s worth in the spring of 2022. In return, Polyphony Digital is holding out the prospect of an entire PS playground. Over 420 cars and more than 90 tracks will be included in GT7 at release. We’re already dusting off the racing setup.

Top 10: Most anticipated games for 2022 – S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2

Soon it will resound loudly again through the exclusion zone around Chernobyl: “А ну, чики-брики и в дамки!” S.T.A.L.K.E.R enjoys a status of an absolute cult classic among PC shooters. Since 2007, along with its two standalone expansions, it has continued to draw new fans into its nuclear post-apocalypse spell. More than 14 years after the first part, GSC Game World is about to finally let us loose on the zone of S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 – Heart of Chernobyl. The Ukrainian studio has definitely not spent the last 14 years just twiddling its thumbs.

• Name: S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 – Heart of Chernobyl
• Release: April 28, 2022
• Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC

Not only does S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 have what it takes to be one of the most graphically impressive games in recent years. Even the trailers are dripping with atmosphere and excitement. GSC Game World didn’t let itself be left behind to make the new part probably the most ambitious project in the company’s history. Not much is known about the story and gameplay yet, but you can expect dangerous anomalies, ticking Geiger counters and a lot of gun violence. You should also make room on your hard drive, as S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 will need around 180 GB of hard drive space.

Top 10: Most anticipated games for 2022 – Forspoken

Project Athia is now called Forspoken, and after the first glimpses, it really makes you want more. The debut of Luminous Productions has already caused some big eyes under its working title, when the public got to see it for the first time at the unveiling of the PS5. In the meantime, the final name has been revealed and larger trailers have shown what we can expect in Forspoken: the young Frey gets from New York through a mysterious portal into the strange world of Athia, is given a talking bracelet and, contrary to expectations, becomes the heroine of the locals.

• Name: Forspoken
• Release: May 25, 2022
• Platforms: PS5, PC

Forspoken is a representative of the first big projects that are supposed to finally really exhaust the power of the current console generation. Thanks to the enhanced Luminous Engine, on which Final Fantasy XV already ran, the action adventure is supposed to look almost unfairly good, according to first voices. Coupled with a “magical course” for traversing the world and effect-rich, combo-based gameplay, Forspoken could be a real game.

Top 10: Most anticipated games for 2022 – Starfield

À propos real board, we expect something like that from Bethesda’s Starfield. For years now, the name of the sci-fi game has been drifting through the infinite expanses of the Internet, and early on it was known that Bethesda itself thinks highly of its new franchise. Besides Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, Starfield is supposed to be the next big universe under the Bethesda banner, after Fantasy and Post-Apocalypse, but this time in space.

• Name: Starfield
• Release: November 11, 2022
• Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC

Ever since the release of Fallout 4 in 2015, the teams at Bethesda have reportedly been working on the new major project, but it wasn’t until 2021 that we first saw real scenes from Starfield. In the meantime, it is less than a year until the official release of the game, but many questions still arise. Hopefully Todd Howard will answer these questions in the coming year, but until then, we’ll be indulging in wishful thinking about how good a “Skyrim in Space” could look.

Top 10: Most anticipated games for 2022 – God of War Ragnarok

Now we come to the candidates of which we actually don’t have a fixed release date yet, but can at least assume relatively firmly a release in 2022. First and foremost are Kratos and his “BOY.” After the absolute bombshell that was God of War (2018), PlayStation fans are eagerly awaiting a sequel to the new story and around the Greek demigod and his son Atreus. The sequel will finally be released in 2022 in the form of God of War Ragnarok.

• Name: God of War Ragnarok
• Release: TBA 2022
• Platforms: PS4, PS5

While it had been known since 2020 that the sequel would be released, the world wasn’t served a first gameplay trailer for God of War Ragnarok until mid-2021. In it, fans got exactly what they wanted: more father-son banter, more beautiful Nordic landscapes, boat rides, and a whole lot of hacking. Santa Monica Studio doesn’t want to reinvent the wheel for God of War Ragnarok, and that’s fine. The main thing is that the story and staging will be worthy of its predecessor.

Top 10: Most anticipated games for 2022 – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2

This game doesn’t really need much of an introduction. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is perhaps the most influential game released in the last 5 years. Its open world has set new standards and rightly made many developer studios rethink their approach to open world gaming. It’s not uncommon for people to try to copy BotW, but no one does it as well as the big ‘N’ himself. Hopefully, Nintendo will prove this once again with the sequel to Breath of the Wild.

• Name: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 (?)
• Release: TBA 2022
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch

It’s not even certain yet whether the new part of the Zelda saga will even be called Breath of the Wild 2. What is already certain, however, is that the successor should still be released in 2022. And where will Link go next? After Nintendo completely stretched the world of Hyrule in Breath of the Wild, only one axis remains: this time, Link will take to the skies. The world remains the same as in the predecessor, but this time you’ll also explore the skies above Hyrule. Flying islands, shenanigans with gravity, we can’t wait.

Top 10: Most anticipated games for 2022 – Hogwarts Legacy

Lastly, there’s one game where things are still a bit on the back burner. Many Potterheads are eagerly awaiting Hogwarts Legacy, the large-scale role-playing game in the Harry Potter universe, even here in the editorial office the hypetrain has already arrived. The only problem is that both Warner Bros. Games and Avalanche Software have remained mysteriously silent practically since the first announcements. There was no trace of Hogwarts Legacy at E3 2021, and even at the Game Awards 2021 there was hardly any mention of the game.

• Name: Hogwarts Legacy
• Release: TBA 2022
• Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC

On a side note, Hogwarts Legacy in 2021 was also plagued by internal problems at Avalanche Software. Lead designer Troy Leavitt left the studio after an extensive scandal due to his problematic views, and the role-playing game has been quiet ever since. Nevertheless, we have faint hope that we will soon be able to let off steam in the world of Hogwarts. Next year could be the time.