Top upcoming games in 2018 that will amaze you

Top upcoming games in 2018 that will amaze you

1. Far cry 5

Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release date: February 27, 2018

Far Cry 5 won't take place in some exotic far-off region like Far Cry 4's Kyrat, or an ancient history setting as in Far Cry Primal - it'll be bringing its first-person mayhem to the US of A. The fictional region of Hope County, Montana is thrown into disarray by a cult known as the Project at Eden's Gate, led by the charismatic Father Joseph who advocates religious fanaticism and militia-style stockpiles of high-powered firearms. As Hope County's newest deputy sheriff, you'll have to band with the unturned townsfolk to take down Eden's Gate in the most chaotic ways possible - including aerial dogfights and bombing runs in a pilotable plane, or vicious takedowns using pitchforks, sledgehammers, or trusty animal companions, to name a few options.

2. Vampyr

Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release date: Spring 2018

The last great vampire-centric game was Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines, and that cult classic debuted way back in 2004 - but soon enough, Vampyr should sate our bloodlust and fill that vampiric void. Made the eclectic studio Dontnod, developers of Remember Me and Life is Strange, Vampyr casts you as the recently fanged Jonathan Reid in the Victorian-style streets of 1918 London. You have the option of roleplaying Reid as London's savior, using the doctor's powers of healing to find a cure for a deadly flu epidemic, or a sinner, hunting human prey under cover of night and serving only your eternal thirst. Hopefully, Vampyr will play like a Dishonored game starring Dracula.

3. A way out

Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release date: Early 2018

Now you can experience your very own Shawshank Redemption courtesy of A Way Out, a co-op only jailbreak story written and directed by the mind behind the affecting puzzle adventure Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. Whether you're playing with a partner on the couch or online, A Way Out is always played in splitscreen co-op, as inmates Leo and Vincent begrudgingly work together to bust out of prison and reclaim their freedom. The persistent splitscreen presentation creates some intriguing opportunities for teamwork; for instance, one player might be locked in a cutscene, while the other can freely move about, planning the duo's next move or viewing critical story scenes from a different perspective.

4. Crackdown 3

Platform(s): Xbox One, PC
Release date: Early 2018

In Crackdown 3 you’re a super-cop in an open-world city, using your powers to fight crime and smash the whole place up in the process. While there’s still a story campaign to tackle, the online co-op for up to four players is where it's at, letting you and your Agency buddies tear up this futuristic metropolis in chaotic style. You'll be leaping between buildings using your jumpjets in one moment, then raining down high-tech bazooka missiles onto any poor criminals the next. The addition of Terry Crews as a playable character is the perfect cherry atop this city-obliterating sundae.

5. Days gone

Platform(s): PS4
Release date: Early 2018

If you think zombies have been done to death, well... you're right, but that isn't stopping the PS4-exclusive Days Gone. The enemies in this open-world post-apocalypse aren't technically undead - the so-called 'Freakers' are actually infected humans who have gone feral and seem eager to devour our hero Deacon (voiced by and modeled after Sam Witwer, who you might recognize as Starkiller from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed). What really sets the Freaker horde apart is just how many can be chasing you at once; there are times when they're practically flooding out of the environment, and all you can do to survive is simply run.

6. Assassin's creed origins

Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
Release date: October 27, 2017

Returning from a two year hiatus - one aimed at both giving Ubisoft's various teams a breather, and letting us actually want another Assassin's Creed for a change - Origins is thus far, doing a lot right.

Genuinely stunning graphics, a level of historical accuracy that should give us all a history lesson as we're gutting targets and riding camels, some upended combat mechanics and a more Witcher 3-looking feel - it's all looking mighty promising.

At this stage there'll be millions of us investing in 'more Assassin's Creed' just out of morbid curiosity, but with Ubi realising they need to get it right to secure the franchise's future, all eyes are on Origins to stick the landing.

7. State of decay 2

Platform(s): Xbox One, PC
Release date: Spring 2018

If The Walking Dead has taught us anything, it's that forging bonds between survivors and building up a community is essential to surviving the zombie apocalypse. State of Decay 2 takes those values to heart with co-op for up to four players, provided you all agree to work together instead of backstabbing one another for precious supplies. To build up your customizable encampment, you'll need to scavenge on foot or four wheels, splattering the skulls of countless undead along the way. And if someone's unfortunate enough to get bitten, their allies will have the tough choice between curing them with a limited supply of medicine, or ending their impending suffering with a bullet to the brain.

8. Darksiders 3

Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox
Release date: 2018

Slyly announced as THQ Nordic slowly make their transition back into being the second incarnation of THQ, Darksiders III is continuing the idea of each games' protagonist being one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, here swapping out the remaining 'characters' Famine and Conquest, as we're getting the flame-haired Fury instead.

Very little has been seen at this stage, but based purely off the pedigree of those first two games, Darksiders III will be another solid slice of Zelda-influenced action, twinned with item-based progression and a wonderfully unique art style.

The Darksiders series remains fairly overlooked and underrated, though with THQ Nordic putting the time into remastering both 1 and 2 in preparation for this game's 2018 release date, there's plenty time to brush up on the darker side of biblical lore.

9. Cyberpunk 2077

Platform(s): PC
Release date: 2018

With The Witcher III making such a splash back in 2015, it's easy to forget that rather than continue the series ad infinitum, CD Projekt RED are instead pivoting entirely into sci-fi territory. Sadly, we've seen nothing other than a title card and conceptual CG teaser, though with the sheer pedigree of Wild Hunt and its subsequent DLC being absolutely phenomenal, CDPR aren't likely to disappoint.

What we do know though, is the game will feature a multiplayer component (a first for the studio outside of the new Gwent game), and that the world of Night City will be comprised of various different languages that you'll slowly decode and understand over time. It also sounds like we'll be able to jack into other NPCs' bodies, as thanks to society being entirely dependant on augments and synthetic body parts, you'll have access to various citizens' abilities alongside your own.

10. Skull and bones

Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release date: Fall 2018

Sea of Thieves isn't the only open-world pirate game on the horizon - Ubisoft's Skull and Bones is also setting sail for 2018, with a much more realistic take on pirate battles on the high seas. Skull and Bones is basically Assassin’s Creed Black Flag without the Assassins, as it's being developed by much of the same team behind Black Flag, and promises a sweeping solo campaign as you vie for control over the 18th-century waters in the Indian Ocean. But the real focus looks to be player-versus-player ship skirmishes online, where each player controls their very own warship in team-based fleet battles. There will also be supernatural elements amidst all the cannon-fire, like the colossal tentacles of a terrifying kraken lurking in the deep.

11. Need for speed payback

Platform(s): PC, Xbox, PlayStation 4
Release date: November 10, 2017

From the lightspeed races, crumpling car models, a way more OTT tone and especially the side-swiping takedowns themselves, this looks set to be the solid injection of arcade racing we've been sorely missing for nine years (since Burnout Paradise).

Yes, Forza Horizon attempted to wave the flag for hyper-fast twitch-racing, but nothing compares to the balls-out ridiculousness of Burnout at its peak. For NFS Payback we've got a ton of guys from Burnout developers Criterion helping form Ghost Games, the budgetary clout of EA and the sheer breadth of licenses to mash all your favourite supercars into mush.

Lastly, Payback will also come with a twin-protagonist story, the E3 demo showing the pair steal a car from a truck, only to switch control and make the getaway, a fleet of law enforcement in tow.

12. God of war

Platform(s): PS4
Release date: TBC 2018

Having torn the Greek pantheon asunder, Kratos (now sporting a scruffy beard) has set his sights on a new mythology to conquer: Norse. The fourth main entry in the legendarily brutal PlayStation series - God of War - drops the numbering and looks like it'll force Kratos to control his endless rage, as he raises his young son Atreus to become a hardened warrior. Don't worry, you'll still slay plenty of fantastical creatures along the way, using Kratos' new lightning axe main weapon - but expect a lot more character development and quieter moments in between all the carnage.

13. Detroit: Become human

Platform(s): PS4
Release date: TBC 2018

As is the trend nowadays, Detroit: Become Human is a choice-driven adventure revolving around androids achieving sentience. Remember the Kara tech demo Sony showed off years ago? She's back as one of three playable androids in a futuristic Detroit, along with detective 'bot Connor and the aspiring revolutionary Marcus. It’s a game of staggering ambition - it took David Cage two years to write the script, and hundreds of actors have done mo-cap work for it.

14. Spider-man

Platform(s): PS4
Release date: TBC 2018

This open-world superhero game should be an interesting departure for Insomniac Games, the studio most famous for the Ratchet & Clank series. You'll be web-swinging between buildings and beating up thugs as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, dealing with the likes of Kingpin and Mister Negative in your efforts to keep the peace in the Big Apple. This game isn't tied to any specific comic or movie, so the creators aren't bound by an existing storyline; here's to hoping we don't have to see any origin stories play out for the umpteenth time.

15. The Last of us Part 2

Platform(s): PS4
Release date: TBC

The Last of Us Part 2 picks up the story of Joel and Ellie five years after the original game. While survival in a post-outbreak world will still be the key theme of the game, we know very little else... other than the fact that Ellie is seriously pissed off about something in the reveal trailer. Fan theories suggest that Joel is actually dead and Ellie is simply imagining him, but we won’t know for sure until Naughty Dog reveals more. Don't hold your breath for this one to be out in 2018, though - it's reportedly still early in development.