I get that GTA 6 is hype, but there’s no way the game will live up to the ridiculous expectations that have been building up around it for the past 13 years. Also, many upcoming games hold as much, if not more promise, and are definitely way less trouble.
Here they are, in no particular order.
The Duskbloods
FromSoft does not miss, and this is the only big game we know they’re working on right now. Yes, they’re not currently working on a Bloodborne remake, and neither is anyone else.
FromSoft has shown very little about Duskbloods so far, which is actually FromSoft speak for “We’re very confident about it, and you should be too.” Though it’ll seemingly play like a more refined version of what we love, many have complained that it’s straying from From’s usual path of single-player action campaign first. Let’s not forget that FromSoft once changed how we saw online interactions in games with the very first Souls game, so let’s not knock them for experimenting more with multiplayer.
Another game that caught a lot of flak for the same issue was Elden Ring Nightreign, and that one turned out surprisingly great. Duskbloods is not Nightreign, a cool but still smaller project that rides on the many assets from one of the most popular games of all time. Duskbloods is something new, and it’s always when they’re at their most fearless and free that we see FromSoft at their best. Strange that few are echoing this sentiment.
The Witcher 4
Cyberpunk 2077’s release failed, possibly because it came out of a CD Projekt Red that felt like it could do no wrong.
The Witcher 4 is coming from a CD Projekt Red that powered through Cyberpunk 2077’s disastrous launch, and that likely will do anything to avoid a similar release. Also, the studio has since fixed most of the issues plaguing Cyberpunk, and I believe CD Projekt is now ready for a proper release. Also, it’s been over a decade since The Witcher 3, and I’m certainly ready for more.
Divinity
After Baldur’s Gate 3 came out, the discourse was all about how great a game it was, and also about how irresponsible, even, it would be to make a game as large and as complex as this one. When Larian Studios announced Divinity, the reboot or new chapter in their original RPG series, they said it would be their biggest game yet. That, alone, should be more than enough to entice anyone who loves the freedom of movement and action in the GTA series, but this is also Larian dealing not with someone else’s property, but something truly theirs.
There’s no way this won’t be an even bigger deal than Baldur’s Gate 3, and you know how big a statement that is.
Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic
The original Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic came out so long ago that it really does feel like I played it in the times of an Old Republic of our own, but the memories are so good that I can very easily revisit them. I can also remember the sadness I felt throughout the years for never getting a third installment in such a fine series.
Many still believe KOTOR remains the best BioWare and Star Wars game of all time, and that’s saying a lot. It’s also once again being helmed by Casey Hudson, who made the first game, went on to make Mass Effect, and has recently said that AI is soulless. Now that’s a pristine track record. I really need to see the skills this guy and his stellar team have picked up at work in this 100-million-dollar sequel.
Whatever Sandfall is cooking
Sandfall Interactive made Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and now they’re making something else. The studio has shown us nothing yet, and they don’t need to. Remember what the promotional campaign for Expedition 33 was like? They just showed a cool gameplay video when they already had most of the game figured out, said something like “ok, this will be out in a few months, and we trust it’s gonna be good.” Expedition 33 came out just a few months later, and all the hype was generated by people marveling at what they were playing, not because of a renowned studio.
That’s very different from the industry’s current strategy, which is to launch a non-gameplay CGI cinematic made even before the studio knows what the game will play like, then have fans wait for years.
I trust Sandfall, not because of the brand, but because of the people working on the game. They don’t even need to show gameplay for their next project or announce a release date. Getting a good surprise will always beat the burden of hype and the fear of disappointment.
The wildcard that will blow everyone’s minds when it comes out
It’s anyone’s guess where this might come from, or what form it will take, but it’s coming.
Every now and then, we get something like Disco Elysium, Expedition 33, or Demon’s Souls. A game that goes through an entire development cycle without raising any hype, only to upend the industry, making you wonder how gaming ever existed without it.
One of the rare cool things about the current state of the industry is the number of indie teams trying out cool new stuff, and that gives me high hopes that one or many of these games are being made as we speak, and none of them is GTA 6.
