If all goes well, 2019 will be a banner year for video games.
The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One have been on sale for five years. The Nintendo Switch has been out for two years. And the best games of any console come out at the end of a system's life cycle after the developers have had time to learn the hardware and understand its potential and limits.
No doubt there will be surprises; a small studio will shock audiences with a great concept, or a larger studio will create something better than anyone had anticipated. But right now, there are 13 upcoming video games that stand out among the others. Their trailers and gameplay clips look incredible, and the fan buzz and expectations are sky-high.
We only hope that the developers stick to their release dates; a lot of these games have been announced as 2019 releases, with no specific month or date. And three of these games are rumored for 2019 but are not definitively confirmed.
Here are the 13 most anticipated video games of 2019.
'Resident Evil 2'
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Developer: Capcom
System(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Release Date: January 25, 2019
Resident Evil 7 was a first-person perspective, soft reboot of the franchise. The developers knew they had to get away from the high-paced action of Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6 and return to survival horror basics: one person, trapped in a house, outnumbered by creepy enemies.
The Resident Evil 2 remake is further evidence of the franchise's return to form. Like in the original 1998 title, you'll take on the role of Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield as you fight your way through Raccoon City. With lots of "wet gore" to give your shotgun blasts extra splatter, this game is shaping up to be bloody good fun.
'Kingdom Hearts III'
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Developer: Square Enix
System(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Release Date: January 29, 2019
Since 2005—the year Square Enix released Kingdom Hearts II—roleplay fans and Disney fans have waited for its true sequel to arrive. Instead, we've gotten a series of (admittedly good) handheld mid-quels that flesh out the existing story.
But now, close to 15 years later, we're finally getting Kingdom Hearts III. And it appears that Square Enix has made Sora's new quest worth the wait. In the years since Kingdom Hearts III, Disney has undergone a resurgence, releasing modern animated classics like Frozen and Tangled. Elsa and Rapunzel (who uses her hair as a weapon) are both confirmed for the game, as are a host of Pixar favorites like Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Mike, and Sully. There are even appearances from classic Disneyland attractions, like the floats of the Main Street Electrical Parade.
'Devil May Cry 5'
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Developer: Capcom
System(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Release Date: March 8, 2019
The Devil May Cry franchise has sold millions of copies on the following premise: If you're going to be killing hundreds of enemies, you might as well be doing it in the bloodiest, smoothest, coolest manner possible.
You'll play as Dante, Nero, and new character "V" on a brand new, demon-slaying adventure. And whereas prior entries in the series had a comic-esque visual style, this latest game goes all in on photorealism, with the sort of depth and shadow that 4K resolution was made for.
'The Walking Dead: The Final Season'
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Developer: Skybound Games
System(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows
Release Date: March 26, 2019
When Telltale Games folded this past November, players were shook. For a good two to three years, the company was a driving force in the game industry. It was famous for its choose-your-own-adventure-style games, and it earned the most critical acclaim for its Walking Dead series, starring Clementine.
Over the course of four seasons, we watched this character grow from an eight-year-old girl into a young woman. And when Telltale folded, it seemed like we might never get an end to her story; it had just released the second episode of the final season when it was forced to close shop.
Luckily, Skybound Games made the hero play. It acquired the rights to the property, hired key members of the original Telltale staff, and is committed to finishing the game properly. The third episode, "Broken Toys," came out on January 15, and the fourth episode (and series finale) will be released on March 26.
'Mortal Kombat 11'
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Developer: NetherRealm Studios
System(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows
Release Date: April 23, 2019
For years, the rep on Mortal Kombat games was that they were long on style but short on substance. Games like Street Fighter, Soul Calibur, and Tekken got the critical glory, But the combat in Mortal Kombat X introduced a new level of complexity. Now, suddenly, there was a growing professional gaming scene.
Mortal Kombat 11 continues the dark aesthetic—and, hopefully, the complexity—of its predecessor. And the blood, Fatalities, and slow-motion X-ray Moves seem more explicit than ever.
'Days Gone'
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Developer: SIE Bend Studio
System: PlayStation 4
Release Date: April 26, 2019
Days Gone is yet another zombie survival game at first glance. But watch the gameplay trailers, and you'll see that it's something special.
In Days Gone, you play as a bounty hunter and former motorcycle club member in the Pacific Northwest, and you're fighting, in all but name, the running swarm zombies from World War Z. They spill and flow over each other like a viscous liquid through the streets and the countryside. And, like a liquid, they're hard to contain. Throw barriers in front of them, and they'll find ways to get around, under, and over. The gameplay footage released so far has made us feel claustrophobic.
'Cyberpunk 2077'
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Developer: CD Projekt
System(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Release Date: TBA
The developers behind The Witcher 3 will be back with a new title this year. But instead of depicting another medieval fantasy realm, they're going in the opposite direction.
Night City is a futuristic, Blade Runner dystopia, where humans are augmented with machines and citizens are addicted to virtual reality. It's a neon-lit first-person shooter that, if it delivers on its ambitious scope, will set a new, high bar for granular detail.
'Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order'
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Developer: Respawn Entertainment
System(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Release Date: TBA
The minds behind the Titanfall franchise are back with a Star Wars game. Jedi: Fallen Order will cover a fascinating, violent part of Star Wars history: the period immediately following Revenge of the Sith, when Emperor Palpatine commanded the Clone Army to execute Order 66. You play as a Jedi Padawan who escaped the initial massacre.
We don't have a lot of information yet, so anticipate a late-year release. Could it possibly line up with the release of Episode IX in December? It would be a very coordinated, very Disney move to do so.
'Luigi's Mansion 3'
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Developer: Nintendo
System: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: TBA
The Luigi's Mansion franchise first appeared on the GameCube console as a launch title. It then showed up again, as Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, on the 3DS. So it is perhaps appropriate that Luigi's Mansion 3, the third part of this loose trilogy, will release on the Switch, allowing players to experience it on console or handheld.
There's not a lot of details. But, once again, Luigi is armed with a glorified vacuum cleaner, and, again, he's exploring a secret-laden, creepy house, filled with not-so-scary poltergeists.
'Yoshi's Crafted World'
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Developer: Good-Feel
System: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: TBA
A cute-looking, spiritual successor to Kirby's Epic Yarn (also developed by Good-Feel), Yoshi's Crafted World has a handmade look to it. It's a 2D side-scroller with a great gimmick: You'll be able to rotate the camera 180 degrees (so the background is in the foreground) and see the "other side" of the action.
It's easier to show than it is to describe. Just watch the trailer; it's really cool.
'Metroid Prime 4'
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Developer: Bandai Namco
System: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: TBA
It's difficult to imagine today, but there was a time back in the early '00s when Nintendo fans were opposed to the Metroid Prime franchise. "First-person shooting in a Metroid game?! Travesty!"
Today, the Prime games are considered high benchmarks, exceeded only by Super Metroid (SNES) in reputation and prestige. With any luck—we still have very little to go on—Metroid Prime 4 will continue that trend.
'Death Stranding'
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Developer: Kojima Productions
System: PlayStation 4
Release Date: TBA
Hideo Kojima, the genius behind the Metal Gear franchise, is directing Death Stranding. It is his first game since the release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, made during his acrimonious breakup with longtime producer Konami.
Everything Kojima does is scrutinized and overanalyzed. He's one of those visionaries who creates art within the context of video games. And this new game, which appears to be a sci-fi, abstract meditation on life and death (starring Norman Reedus!), looks no different.
'The Last of Us Part II'
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Developer: Naughty Dog
System: PlayStation 4
Release Date: TBA
The Last of Us is one of the greatest games ever made; it depicts a realistic father/daughter relationship against a grim horror backdrop, in which humanity is nearly wiped out by a fungal infection.
The Last of Us Part II picks up years after the first game, and this time, your main protagonist is Ellie, the young girl whom Joel had to protect in the first game. And now she's taking the lead in her own survival—hiding under cars, stealthing around her adversaries, and slicing people to death when the occasion calls for it.
Perfection comes with time and detail; we'll wait as long as we have to for this game to be finished and polished. But hopefully we'll get it in 2019 and it will function as the emotional dagger to the heart that its predecessor was.
