Starfield
A truly enormous science-fiction role-playing game, the product of more than a decade’s imaginings at Elder Scrolls developer Bethesda. It promises more than a thousand planets to visit, a space-station city of awe-inspiring proportions – and space fights that feel exciting.
• 6 September, Xbox, PC
Mineko’s Night Market
By day, you explore a run-down, heavily Ghibli-inspired island, befriending the community and crafting quirky trinkets out of the things that you find there. By night, you sell those things to cats at the weekly night market. A whimsical, comforting feline-themed fantasy holiday.
• 26 September, PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch
Cocoon
Inside each world are nestled several more. This puzzle game, from some of the minds behind the superlative Limbo and Inside, challenges you to bend your brain in heretofore unknown ways as you flit between worlds, solving puzzles in one to change the shape of another.
• 29 September, PC, Xbox, PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch
EA Sports FC 24
The masterclass in virtual football formerly known as Fifa, now freed from its very expensive licence, EA Sports FC still has the strips, players and stadiums you’d expect. Unfortunately, it still has the borderline-exploitative Ultimate Team mode too, but no other football simulation can compete.
• 29 September, PC, Xbox, PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch
Monster Hunter Now
It’s unlikely to be as successful as Pokémon Go, which still has millions of players staring at their phones at they wander around their local parks, but developer Niantic’s new augmented-reality game has you tracking down and fighting rather more intimidating and thrilling virtual monsters.
• 14 September, smartphones
Assassin’s Creed Mirage
The historical action series returns to the Middle East, set during the Islamic golden age in ninth-century Baghdad. It’s smaller, more focused and more manageable than the gigantic open-world Assassin’s Creed Odyssey or Valhalla – which, in a year packed full of massive megagames, is no bad thing.
• 12 October, PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
The big PlayStation 5 exclusive of the autumn, this superhero blockbuster is a showcase for developer Insomniac’s considerable action-game talents. It stars Peter Parker and Miles Morales, trying to protect an even bigger slice of New York from the the Venom symbiote.
• 20 October, PlayStation 5
Super Mario Bros Wonder
A new old-school 2D Mario game, Super Mario Bros Wonder lets four people cavort across the usual surreal cartoon levels, accompanied by the comforting tinkle of collected coins. This time, levels remix themselves in hallucinogenic episodes, and Mario (or Luigi, or Daisy) can turn into a hench little elephant.
• 20 October, Nintendo Switch
Thirsty Suitors
Returning to her home town for her sister’s wedding, jaded millennial Jala must confront her exes. As in literally fight them, in colourfully over-the-top turn-based battles. A stylish-looking game about relationships, unrealistic parental expectations, south Asian cooking, and skateboarding around town.
• 2 November, PC. PlayStation 4/5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Total War: Pharaoh
Be on the (battle) ground for the fall of the ancient Egyptian empire – or try to avert it – in this military strategy game. Developer Creative Assembly is always just creative enough with history to make it maximally entertaining, and interesting to look at.
• October, PC
