2014 was a down year for games overall. 2015 was amazing. 2016 was hit or miss, depending on your feelings on remakes, sequels, and first-person shooters. If the trajectory follows, that means we’re in for a great 2017. I’ve compiled a list of the 23 games I’m most looking forward to in 2017 and beyond, listed in alphabetical order for your reading pleasure. In previous years, I limited the games only to those that had “definitive” release dates, and that didn’t work out very well. Games get delayed and canceled all the time, so there’s no reason to not include awesome games that probably won’t hit until 2018. The only caveat is that the game has to have been announced. These are the 23 games I’m most looking forward to playing. Enjoy!
Below
Release Date: TBD 2017
Platforms: PC, Xbox One
Below made my list of E3 2016 games, and my excitement has not abated one bit. From the developers of Super Time Force, Below is heavily inspired by the Dark Souls series, but has a somewhat top-down, 2D art style. It’s a very open, dungeon crawling type of game, where there’s very little in the explanation of what you’re supposed to be doing or where you’re supposed to be going. After numerous delays, I’m confident this one will finally hit in 2017.
Cuphead
Release Date: TBD 2017
Platforms: PC, Xbox One
This one is apparently aiming for a mid-2017 release, but it was also on my list of most anticipated 2016 games, so I’ll believe it when I see it. Cuphead is a classic, super hard side-scroller with an amazing hand-drawn art style hearkening back to old Disney or Looney Tunes cartoons. The game was originally going to only include boss fights, but due to player feedback, the two developers have added regular platforming level segments.
Destiny 2
Release Date: 2017
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
While there’s no official name for Destiny 2, Activision and Bungie have said the next installment of Destiny will hit in 2017. My excitement for this one is very complicated. My review of Destiny said that the game had a ton of promise, but it came nowhere near to reaching that promise. The game significantly improved with the release of The Taken King, but I’m still not sure that I’ll ever have a reason to come back. I really hope they change things up in a big way.
Detroit: Become Human
Release Date: TBD
Platforms: PS4
I haven’t been the biggest fan of Quantic Dreams’ games in the past. I always felt like David Cage was a filmmaker that happened to end up making video games, and those two mediums are very different and require very different skill sets. Still, what I’ve seen of Detroit: Become Human has me really excited to learn more about this world that they’re creating, and being able to experience sequences multiple times to get the desired ending is a great concept.
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Release Date: TBD
Platforms: PS4
There’s no way Final Fantasy VII Remake will hit in 2017, unless they do decide to release the game in episodes over the next few years. That said, the little bit of the game that we’ve seen has looked amazing. I’m not sure any of it has actually been gameplay, but still. The game looks absolutely gorgeous, I’m excited for them to switch combat up a bit, and it’ll just be nice to experience that amazing story again with characters that don’t look like squares and circles mashed together.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
Release Date: 2017
Platforms: PS4
I stand firm in my opinion that Final Fantasy XII is the most underrated game in the franchise. I’m not saying it’s the best, but it’s certainly one of my favorites. When I still had my backward compatible PS3, I made a point to play through FF XII once a year. The Zodiac Age doesn’t seem to be offering up a ton of new changes, but better graphics and some combat tweaks are more than enough reasons for me to play through it again.
God of War
Release Date: TBD
Platforms: PS4
I highly doubt the new God of War will come out in 2017, and it might not even make 2018, but I couldn’t not include it on this list. It’s definitely one of my most anticipated games after seeing the gameplay reveal at E3 2016. Even though I loved the first three games, Kratos was never the most interesting character. But humanizing him and giving him a son makes this feel more like The Last of Us than an over the top, gory action game. I really dig the idea that God of War could actually have an engrossing story.
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Release Date: February 28, 2017
Platforms: PS4
Hooray, a game on this list with a firm 2017 release date! For me, Horizon: Zero Dawn will be the first big release of 2017, and I’m really looking forward to it. The world that Guerrilla Games created feels so unique, and I’m really curious to see where the story goes after seeing the most recent story trailer. I definitely suffer from open world fatigue, but as long as things don’t get too repetitive, I’ll be surprised if Horizon: Zero Dawn isn’t in the game of the year conversation for me in 2017.
Kingdom Hearts 3
Release Date: TBD
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One
Another game that seems to continually be pushed back, Kingdom Hearts 3 has me a bit worried, if I’m being honest. The first Kingdom Hearts won my game of the year in 2002 and is in my top 5 games of all time, but the sequel, while good, was underwhelming and the story has completely gone off the rails with the various offshoots on other platforms. I’m still excited for Kingdom Hearts 3, but I hope they simplify things with the story and stick to the fun worlds and flashy combat from the original game.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Release Date: 2017
Platforms: Wii U, Nintendo Switch
Nintendo recently announced that Breath of the Wild would be coming out on Wii U and launching with the new Switch console. That scares me, as there may be some mixed or missing functionality in both versions, but I’m still excited by that colorful world. I’m not as hyped for this one as many others, but Nintendo usually does right by their pillar franchises, and this game could finally take Nintendo into the modern open world video game space.
Continue onto the next page for the rest of the list!