This year was a pretty great one for new game releases. But being a site about the future, we can't help but look ahead — and it seems like 2015 might be even better. Next year will see new entries in some of the biggest franchises around, from The Legend of Zeldato Halo, while brand new names like No Man's Sky look to shake things up with fresh ideas. Of course, there's plenty that will come out next year that we don't even know about — mobile games like Threes often launch with little build-up, for example — but even still there's plenty to look forward to. Here are the 10 games that have us most excited to boot up our consoles.
Star Wars: Battlefront
Star Wars mania is in full swing thanks to the new slate of movies. And while games based on the Star Wars universe have been hit or miss, it's hard not to get excited about the potential for the upcoming reboot of Battlefront. We don't know much about the game, but it will have Hoth, speederbikes, and AT-ST walkers. Really, what else do you need to know?
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4; Release date: Holiday 2015
Star Wars mania is in full swing thanks to the new slate of movies. And while games based on the Star Wars universe have been hit or miss, it's hard not to get excited about the potential for the upcoming reboot of Battlefront. We don't know much about the game, but it will have Hoth, speederbikes, and AT-ST walkers. Really, what else do you need to know?
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4; Release date: Holiday 2015
No Man's Sky
Every new trailer for No Man's Sky only makes the game seem more improbable. Somehow, a tiny studio in the UK is crafting an infinite, procedurally generated universe that looks like it was ripped from a 1970s sci-fi paperback novel. It might just be the most ambitious game ever made. It'll be hard to live up to the hype, but we can't wait to see how it stacks up.
Platform: PC, PS4; Release date: 2015
Every new trailer for No Man's Sky only makes the game seem more improbable. Somehow, a tiny studio in the UK is crafting an infinite, procedurally generated universe that looks like it was ripped from a 1970s sci-fi paperback novel. It might just be the most ambitious game ever made. It'll be hard to live up to the hype, but we can't wait to see how it stacks up.
Platform: PC, PS4; Release date: 2015
Final Fantasy XV
It's been a long time since Final Fantasy XV fans had something to be excited about, so it's important to be cautious about the next entry in the series — but that doesn't make it look any less amazing. It doesn't actually have a release date yet, but given the rate at which Square Enix is releasing new trailers, it wouldn't be surprising to see the game launch by this time next year.
Platform: PS4, Xbox One; Release date: TBD
It's been a long time since Final Fantasy XV fans had something to be excited about, so it's important to be cautious about the next entry in the series — but that doesn't make it look any less amazing. It doesn't actually have a release date yet, but given the rate at which Square Enix is releasing new trailers, it wouldn't be surprising to see the game launch by this time next year.
Platform: PS4, Xbox One; Release date: TBD
Batman Arkham Knight
The Arkham series of Batman games have always been great and are perhaps the best example of licensed games done right. So how do you improve on that formula? Make Batman even more of a sociopath and give him an insane Batmobile to wreak havoc with. That'll do nicely.
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC; Release date: June 2nd, 2015
The Arkham series of Batman games have always been great and are perhaps the best example of licensed games done right. So how do you improve on that formula? Make Batman even more of a sociopath and give him an insane Batmobile to wreak havoc with. That'll do nicely.
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC; Release date: June 2nd, 2015
Below
What do you get when you cross an old-school Legend of Zelda game with the dark and dangerous world of something like Dark Souls? The answer looks to be Below, the next release from Capy Games, the studio behind Super Time Force and co-developer of iconic iOS game Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP.
Platform: Xbox One, PC; Release date: TBD
What do you get when you cross an old-school Legend of Zelda game with the dark and dangerous world of something like Dark Souls? The answer looks to be Below, the next release from Capy Games, the studio behind Super Time Force and co-developer of iconic iOS game Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP.
Platform: Xbox One, PC; Release date: TBD
The Legend of Zelda
Nintendo has been on a roll lately, releasing some amazing new games for its struggling Wii U console. But the best may be yet to come. The next edition of The Legend of Zeldalooks to be the biggest yet, a huge open-world version of Hyrule that borrows key elements from games like Skyrim. If you're still on the fence about a Wii U, this might be the game to finally make you pick a side.
Platform: Wii U; Release date: 2015
Nintendo has been on a roll lately, releasing some amazing new games for its struggling Wii U console. But the best may be yet to come. The next edition of The Legend of Zeldalooks to be the biggest yet, a huge open-world version of Hyrule that borrows key elements from games like Skyrim. If you're still on the fence about a Wii U, this might be the game to finally make you pick a side.
Platform: Wii U; Release date: 2015
Halo 5: Guardians
A new Halo game is always something to get excited about, but Guardians is particularly enticing. While we've only really seen the multiplayer portion of the game so far, that's been more than enough: the gameplay reminds us why we loved the series in the first place.
Platform: Xbox One; Release date: 2015
A new Halo game is always something to get excited about, but Guardians is particularly enticing. While we've only really seen the multiplayer portion of the game so far, that's been more than enough: the gameplay reminds us why we loved the series in the first place.
Platform: Xbox One; Release date: 2015
Bloodborne
It takes a very particular kind of person to enjoy the painfully difficult Dark Souls games. And it's the same kind of person who would get excited seeing creepy gothic architecture, insanely huge axes, and terrifying demon dogs. Which is exactly why Bloodborne, a spiritual successor to the violent RPG series, is so enticing. Get ready to die a lot — and love it.
Platform: PS4; Release date: March 24th, 2015
It takes a very particular kind of person to enjoy the painfully difficult Dark Souls games. And it's the same kind of person who would get excited seeing creepy gothic architecture, insanely huge axes, and terrifying demon dogs. Which is exactly why Bloodborne, a spiritual successor to the violent RPG series, is so enticing. Get ready to die a lot — and love it.
Platform: PS4; Release date: March 24th, 2015
Titan Souls
Few games have matched the atmosphere of the PS2 classic Shadow of the Colossus, but Titan Souls looks like it might come close — only in 2D. The pixel art adventure features gigantic bosses, a hauntingly beautiful broken world to explore, and what sounds like an incredible soundtrack to set the mood. The twist? You only have one arrow to take down these giants.
Platform: PS4, Vita, PC, Mac, Linux.; Release date: Q1 2015
Few games have matched the atmosphere of the PS2 classic Shadow of the Colossus, but Titan Souls looks like it might come close — only in 2D. The pixel art adventure features gigantic bosses, a hauntingly beautiful broken world to explore, and what sounds like an incredible soundtrack to set the mood. The twist? You only have one arrow to take down these giants.
Platform: PS4, Vita, PC, Mac, Linux.; Release date: Q1 2015
Persona 5
Japanese role-playing games aren't what they used to be. Once upon a time games like Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger were the biggest console games around, but the genre has since largely faded away into cult status. Luckily for fans, the brilliant Persona series continues to make the case for JRPGs, and while we don't know much about the next entry, the name is enough to get us excited.
Platform: PS3, PS4; Release date: 2015
Japanese role-playing games aren't what they used to be. Once upon a time games like Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger were the biggest console games around, but the genre has since largely faded away into cult status. Luckily for fans, the brilliant Persona series continues to make the case for JRPGs, and while we don't know much about the next entry, the name is enough to get us excited.
Platform: PS3, PS4; Release date: 2015
