With the annual showcase Summer Game Fest just disappearing into the rearview mirror and half of 2024 still to go, it’s the perfect time to get excited for some new games coming down the pike.
In fact, we’re just coming to the end of a slightly slower period for big releases, but the next few months look set to make up for that in style.
Here’s a handy list of some of the biggest releases coming in the remainder of the year, so that you can start getting ready for some fun.
1. Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree
One of the most celebrated games in history is about to get a huge downloadable expansion, and we’re just days away from being able to sink into it.
Shadow Of The Erdtree promises dozens more hours of adventure and tension as players explore all-new locations and open-world areas, as they try to get to the heart of some of Elden Ring’s most mysterious lore details.
This will be an expansion that you’ll need to be quite far through the base game to even access, but its trailers so far make it look like an astounding new chapter in this sublime game. The expansion arrives on June 21.
2. Assassin’s Creed Shadows
The next big Assassin’s Creed game looks sensational and showed off an extended gameplay demo at publisher Ubisoft’s latest event. It’s set in Japan and will feature two protagonists – Yasuke, a real-life African samurai, and Naoe, a shinobi assassin.
You’ll therefore alternate between the more punchy and aggressive style of Yasuke for crunchy combat, and the stealthy, sneaking approach of Naoe for subtlety and assassination.
Best of all, the game looks like it’ll be really beautiful, and we’re expecting a huge amount of content, going by the likes of Valhalla and Odyssey before it. Shadows releases on November 15.
3. Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6
There’s never a year without a Call of Duty game – such an idea would send shivers down the spine at both publisher Activision and its new owner Microsoft (which also operates Xbox). This year is a continuation of the Black Ops sub-franchise and looks like a riot of explosive action.
It’s going to bring a campaign that should be as adrenaline-pumping as ever, alongside the requisite multiplayer fun, as well as a fully-fledged zombies mode with two maps at launch.
In terms of actual innovation, though, it’s also bringing a brand new animation and movement system that should make players look more realistic than ever, as they move around and look in different directions – if this proves a hit it could be quite a big leap forward for Call Of Duty. It’s out on October 25.
4. Star Wars Outlaws
Star Wars Outlaws is another really promising open-world action game from Ubisoft, looking like the scoundrel simulator you never knew you needed (or that you’ve been desperately waiting for).
It’ll let players take control of Kay Vess, a scam artist and thief on the rise in a dangerous galaxy, as she tries to make her name in the galactic underworld of cartels, crime lords and imperial oversight.
You’ll be able to explore multiple large locations and iconic cities, with both space combat using your spaceship and a speeder bike for ground traversal, and when you’re on foot it looks like a fun Uncharted-style brawler-shooter with loads of Star Wars touches thrown in. Outlaws arrives on August 30.
5. Dragon Age: The Veilguard
The massive success of Baldur’s Gate 3 has perfectly demonstrated that you can find mainstream sales with even the most old-school of role-playing games, and EA will certainly be hoping that holds true for its next Dragon Age game.
This is a series that has high-fantasy fun dripping from its stories, but it’s been a long wait since Dragon Age: Inquisition back in 2014.
A decade later, the series is back and we’re finally getting some proper looks at it this summer ahead of a release sometime later in 2024. We know that we’ll be fighting back against a dire threat, with all-new companions to recruit and locations to uncover – but whether it’s an action-RPG, a pure action game or even a truly old-school RPG remains to be seen.
