2021, a year that we will unfairly entrust with so much hope. Most of us will probably have a better chance of acquiring next gen consoles by then, so it’s already looking better than 2020!

As the new year comes, new games will also come and with it, a hope that they will be good as far as trailers and advertisements go (looks at Cyberpunk 2077). There’s a lot to look forward to, but here are ten games that will hopefully make 2021 a better year for everyone.

Bravely Default II

Release Date: February 26, 2021
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Almost a full year after the release of its content-rich demo back in April 2020, sort of like an appetizer for Final Fantasy VII: Remake, Bravely Default II makes its debut on the Nintendo Switch to give about 100-or-so hours of distraction while the rest of us plebs wait for our next-gen console, be it a Playstation 5 or the Xbox Series X|S. I’m not expecting much from its story, but from what I can tell from the demo, I wanna pull off some game breaking combos and beat some super bosses.

Deathloop

Release Date: May 21, 2021
Platform: PS5, PC
Realistically, if you’re aiming to get a Playstation 5, I would peg my expectations to get one before Deathloop launches on PS5. It will probably be the last Bethesda game to drop for Sony and from what the game trailers are showing, it’ll be some sweet grindhouse style storytelling and some fast-paced first person action akin to Dishonored. Take advantage of taking the pre-order price because that’s the closest you could get to last gen’s Day One price point for a while.

Disco Elysium: Final Cut

Release Date: March 2021
Platform: PS5, PS4, Stadia, Apple Store
While the last announcement we’ve heard from ZA/UM developers was back in April where it’ll for sure come out on Nintendo Switch (probably the best console option for this game in my opinion), we haven’t heard much right after until the Game Awards 2020 where it came out of nowhere. It will launch on the Xbox and the Nintendo Switch on Summer 2021. If you do have a pretty good gaming PC or if you have some space in your Macbook Pro, you can grab this one at Steam.

Cris Tales

Release Date: TBA 2021
Platform: PS4, PC, Xbox One X|S, Nintendo Switch
While in passing the release of this title will drop around Q2, let’s just wait until a definite release by next year. For those not in the know, Cris Tales is a turn-based RPG built around the classic JRPG format. This game has an ingenious way of using time magic as a main selling point and if you’ve played the demo, it’s probably one of the better designed turn-based games for a while next to Yakuza: Like A Dragon, Darkest Dungeon, and Child of Light.

Darkest Dungeon 2

Release Date: TBA
Platform: Steam Early Access
For fans of the first game, get ready for another ride into madness. This Lovecraftian roguelike nightmare returns and with Hades bringing roguelike into the mainstream, I can’t wait what surprises Red Hook has for us in this game. Being scheduled for Early Access in 2021, like Hades it’ll probably see a Nintendo Switch release in two to three years. For those with a souped up PC willing to be our canaries in this quest towards madness… I salute you.

Far Cry 6

Release Date: TBA 2021
Platform: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One X|S, PC
If there’s any indication of how Ubisoft has performed in 4th quarter 2020, I would have to say that they’re on their way to good form with some cool iterations of Watch Dogs: Legion and Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. I liked both games but moreso Valhalla, which revitalized Assassin’s Creed ‘s creed.

With Giancarlo Esposito being the go-to villain these days (a far cry from his role back in Do The Right Thing), this game is pulling all the stops for Ubisoft to have a Ubi-ssance.

Final Fantasy XVI

Release Date: TBA 2021
Platform: PS5
While many are betting that it will be delayed, I’m guessing they will make do with their promise and come out with this game some time in late 2021, at the latest Spring 2022. If it’s based on XIV’s interface the same way XII was from XI, it’s probably on its way to be completed and I’m excited for it. While it looks like a really polished Greedfall with Chocobos, we can be sure that Audi won’t be releasing any product placements in this one. As long as they pepper the world with beautiful imagery and some epic music, I’ll probably sit through the convoluted story that doesn’t resolve like in Final Fantasy XV or leave us hanging with Final Fantasy VII: Remake. I’ll most likely enjoy it, let’s not kid ourselves.

God of War: Ragnarok

Release Date: TBA 2021
Platform: PS5
The adventures of Dad and Boy continues on the next-gen. If you didn’t like God of War (2018), you probably haven’t played it, because if you sat through the somewhat brooding first act, you’re rewarded with a tour de force of a redemptive tale moving forward. Ragnarok is indeed coming, but unlike Final Fantasy XVI, consider me unconvinced that it is coming in 2021.

Horizon: Forbidden West

Release Date: TBA Second Half 2021
Platform: PS5, PS4
I did mention that aim to get your PS5 realistically on Deathloop‘s release date, but if you need to wait a bit longer, this game comes out much later than expected. While it is launching on the PS4, I would rather not go through the same loading times and graphical glitches that Miles Morales went through when I played it on said system. I’d rather restrain myself and continue Aloy’s journey on the next gen as we ought to see it happen.

Resident Evil: Village

Release Date: TBA
Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4 & Xbox One X | S (Maybe?!)
If leaks are to be believed, Resident Evil: Village will drop on April, but I don’t trust rumors… only patterns. Resident Evil 3 remake dropped on April, while Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil 2 dropped on January. With that pattern in mind, I’d say April is a good bet to expect this title. I may wait until next gen to play it, because while Resident Evil 7 scared the bejesus out of me, I’d rather be scared without the load times for maximum effect.

That’s it, ten games I’m looking forward to for 2021. This is not a definitive list by any stretch, as there are a ton of other titles coming out next year like Returnal and The Medium. While these ten titles are of no absolute guarantee of its quality, their demos and previous iterations have built a pedigree to form some semblance of trust. I’m hopeful that these titles will be good because as much as 2020 has been shitty to a lot of us, 2021 can only get better!