A few open-world video games have been released so far in 2022, but it has only been five months. Many more releases are set to come over the course of the next few months and even beyond.
Anticipation is high for some of these AAA open-world video games that are due to release this year, or have been recently pushed back to a later date. Indeed, the list of upcoming open-world games is quite long and based on what players like as different kind of gamers have their own preferences.
Taking a look at those games players are most looking forward to, this list includes some of the most anticipated open-world games coming to stores in the months that lie ahead.
Note: This article reflects the writer's opinon.
5 open-world video games that are due to arrive in 2022 or later include Forsaken, Gotham Knights, and more
1) Forspoken
From developer Luminous Productions, Forspoken is an upcoming action RPG set in the fictional world of Athia, where players will take control of protagonist Frey Holland. It currently has a release date of October 11, 2022, and will launch for PC and the PS5.
Frey Holland is a common New Yorker who gets whisked away to the mystical land of Athia. There, she comes into the possession of a sentient bracelet and starts to exhibit various powers and abilities. The antagonists revealed so far are known as the Tantas, who control the lands and are led by Tanta Sila, likely the primary villain of the story.
Teasers and trailers for this video game have shown a lot in terms of gameplay and there is a lot to unpack. From the footage, Frey’s powers seem almost limitless, with her being able to use magic to quite spectacular effects.
These may vary from elemental attacks to defensive shields to world traversal powers and a whole host of other abilities. Forspoken has been receiving a lot of interest from players as the release date draws ever closer.
2) Gotham Knights
After the end of the Arkham series, many fans were looking for another take on the Batman franchise. They won’t have to wait long as WB Games Montreal’s Gotham Knights is set to debut on October 25, 2022. While Batman is notably absent (as of yet) in this video game’s promotional material, players may play as any of four playable characters over the course of the game.
Set in a Gotham City where Batman has mysteriously died, the city is overrun with criminal elements. It then falls to the rest of the bat-family to take up the mantle of protectors to safe-guard the city. These include Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood and Robin. The game features singleplayer, as well as two player co-op.
Each of the characters play differently and have their own moveset, style, and abilities to upgrade. Combat is more freeform as compared to older Arkham video games, although some elements, such as the grapnel gun, are set to return. Traversal through the city is a different experience with each character, and customization lets players deck out the family in the gear of their liking.
Fans of the Arkham series will have a lot to look forward to as the game features a living and breathing Gotham City, complete with civilian life. Players will have access to a batcycle to traverse the streets or use character abilities to roam the rooftops.
3) God of War Ragnarok
After God of War 2018's success, Santa Monica Studios is moving ahead with the sequel to the series: God of War Ragnarök. Scheduled to be released later in 2022, it continues the story from the previous video game, as Kratos and Atreus feel the might of the consequences of killing a Norse god.
From a trailer released during a PlayStation showcase in 2021, much can be gleaned about this upcoming video game. A few key details are that fact that a new traversal method of a sledge pulled by wolves will seemingly play a part in getting around. Freya seems to have taken on an antagonistic role, as was evident in the ending of the previous game.
New enemies can also be spotted in the trailer, as well as new moves from Kratos. More populated areas is a feature that's new as such areas were mostly absent in the previous game. Mimir's talking head is set to return as well.
The most intriguing reveals have been about two new characters: Tyr, the Norse God of War who was thought to be dead, and Angrboda, a young girl who will presumably be Atreus/Loki’s future love interest.
4) Starfield
Starfield, Bethesda’s next big release, will come sometime in 2023. So far, not a lot is known about this video game, other than the little details the developers have let out.
Fan expectations, though, are high as many people know that Bethesda is known for its fantastically immersive open worlds. So, an open-world space exploration game is not out of the sphere of imagination for most players.
The game will seemingly take place in a large area of fictional interstellar space known as ‘Settled System’ as of yet. Spanning a radius of 50 light years, it will constitute two factions taking charge of selected areas: the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective. Players will be visit many settlements located inside the Settled Systems.
Reveals have also stated there will be access to a companion quite early on in the game, a robot called Vasca, much like Fallout 4 and Skyrim. And finally, Bethesda revealed that Starfield is the first video game to be in development in their new engine, known as Creation Engine 2.
5) Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2
Breath of the Wild was one of the best and most advanced Zelda experience for fans in 2017. Much to their joy, Nintendo announced a sequel to the beloved video game in 2019. Details for this sequel are sparse, but at the moment it does have a launch period of spring 2023.
A gameplay trailer released during E3 2021 gives a lot of hints as to what can be expected from this sequel. While many gameplay elements are set to make a return, including outfits, gliding, and basic combat, a couple of new things can also be glimpsed. One such revelation was about the islands in the sky, possibly parts of Hyrule itself, having been lifted up by some power or the other, possibly calamity ganon.
One key element was the presence of two new abilities demonstrated by Link. Seemingly, one of them is some sort of time power while another implies the ability to phase through matter. While these two have no basis in previous games, they might be new inclusions to the series.
As players wait for more news, it is at least evident that Breath of the Wild 2 will meet the standards of the previous video game.
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