September is either a slow month or a busy month in the video game world but it all depends on what type of gamer you are. If you’re looking for original content only, anticipated, brand-new games with a lot of hype, then it’s the former. But if you’re the type of gamer who buys into establishment game franchises, who bought NBA 2K22 and is already pre-ordered for NBA 2K23, then it’s the latter.
The advantage of franchise games is their reliability; Splatoon 3 likely hews very closely to Splatoon 2. FIFA 23 will be close in quality to FIFA 22. The disadvantage is their potential stagnancy; an annual release might update the rosters but do little else in the way of innovation for the game. A successful franchise game will ride that fine line of keeping everything similar enough to reassure longtime fans, but change things up enough to justify the full retail price it costs to buy a new game.
Here is your monthly video game news roundup for September 2022.
XBox Live Gold Free Games for September 2022
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Xbox One
Gods Will Fall (September 1-September 30): Play as one of eight warriors and take on ancient vengeful gods in underground labyrinths.
Double Kick Heroes (September 16-October 15): Play as a band of rock musicians, who trek across a post-apocalyptic landscape. Defeat enemies by shooting them with your instruments in time with the beat. It’s Mad Max meets Guitar Hero.
Xbox 360 (backward compatible)
Saints Row 2 (September 1-September 15): Saints Row 2 is where the franchise found its niche—as a cruder, brasher version of Grand Theft Auto instead of a soulless clone—and hadn’t yet descended into self-parody.
Portal 2 (September 16-September 31): This classic, 1st person platform has a wry sense of humor to match its clever puzzles.
Playstation Plus Free Games for September 2022
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Playstation 5
Toem (September 6): This is an idiosyncratic puzzle adventure based around photography, and features a hand-drawn, homemade aesthetic.
Playstation 4
Need for Speed Heat (September 6): The 24th entry in the long-running racing series, this game pits you against other street racers and the police who are trying to shut you down.
Granblue Fantasy: Versus (September 6): This is a fighting game based on the Granblue Fantasy franchise. You choose 1 of 12 characters (with DLC, you can choose one of 25 characters, and duke it out across multiple in-universe locations. It was a big hit in Japan, so definitely give it a chance if you haven’t already.
Google Stadia Free Games for September 2022
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Tri6: Infinite (September 1): This is a cyberspace racer that might remind you of F-Zero or Tron. It is endless, which means the goal is to survive the numerous obstacles for as long as possible.
Yars: Recharged (September 1): This is a sci-fi shooter based on the classic Atari 2600 game Yars’ Revenge. Destroy massive bosses while dodging a veritable hailstorm of bullets and bombs.
Other Games (September 1): Spiritfarer, Overcooked!
Amazon Prime Gaming for September 2022
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Assassin’s Creed Origins (September 1): Set in Ancient Egypt during the Ptolemaic period, this was one of the most critically acclaimed entries in the series, and it gave you a nearly endless amount of things to do, from tomb raiding to camel riding to fighting in a gladiator arena.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition (September 1): Talion, a Gondorian Ranger, combines forces with the wraith of the Elven Lord Celebrimbor to take revenge against Sauron, the dark lord of Mordor.
Other Games (September 1): Football Manager 2022, The Dig, Defend the Rook, We. The Revolution, Castle on the Coast, Word of the Law: Death Mask Collector’s Edition
The Last of Us Part 1 (September 2)
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The legendary GOAT game that spawned a sequel, a TV show, and a comic series is back, this time with a visual overhaul and improved shooting mechanics. The little things—the pools of blood, the grimaces and facial expressions—now have the same unnerving detail as The Last of Us Part II. You play as Joel, a mercenary for hire in a post-apocalyptic America, who must protect a young girl that could potentially save humanity.
LEGO Brawls (September 2)
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Create and customize your own minifigure, and then take it onto the battlefield and mix it up with Super Smash-esque casual combat. Once available exclusively on Apple Arcade, the game is now making a shift to multiple platforms, which may explain its increased popularity.
Disney Dreamlight Valley
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Part building sim, part Animal Crossing, part fever dream tribute to all things Disney, Dreamlight Valley begins previews on Sept. 9, with plans to announce a launch at a later date. Interact with heroes and villains alive, and forge the unlikeliest friendships with former foes.
NBA 2K23
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This year, the MyCareer/Story mode for NBA 2K23 is taking a different approach. Rather than starting you in high school or college games, 2K23 allows you to select the NBA team you want. The only problem is that once the shock and excitement wears off, you discover that everyone in your new hometown actively hates you. You’ll spend the rest of your career trying to win them over.
Splatoon 3 (September 9)
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It’s a multiplayer shooter where you shoot paint instead of bullets, which has to be one of the most Nintendo-esque ideas ever. As its name might indicate, this is the third in a trilogy of games. The setting is different; Splatoon 3 trades in the streets of Inkopolis for the desert outskirts of the Splatlands. Plus there’s new weapons and evasive maneuvers to keep things fresh.
Serial Cleaners (September 22)
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When the mob kills someone, it’s bloody. And that’s where you come in. Get rid of the bodies, clean up the mess, and make sure that you stay in the shadows, so that the cops don’t catch you doing it.
FIFA 23 (September 30)
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The PR team behind FIFA 23 markets some eye-popping statistics right up front. 19,000 players. 700+ teams. 100 stadiums. 30+ leagues. Again, this is the advantage of a franchise game series; it’s the sort of thorough exhaustiveness that accumulates over years. In FIFA 23, the developers spent effort to improve the physical movement of the players, and also included women’s clubs and a women’s World Cup for the first time in franchise history.
