Splatoon 3
Nintendo’s brilliantly fun and untouchably cool take on the shooting game involves kids who can transform into squids and octopuses to swim through lakes of paint, splattering the level (and the opposing team) with colour to clinch victory.
• Out 9 September; Nintendo Switch.
Session: Skate Sim
In the works for many years now, Session aims to be the realistic skateboarding game that skate fans have been missing since EA’s Skate series died a death in 2010. Dispensing with the mad tricks and unrealistic airtime of, say, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Session makes even landing a trick into a challenge.
• 22 September; PC, PlayStation, Xbox.
Fifa 23
This will be the final Fifa-licensed game from EA Sports, the developer who has been making the king of football games for nigh on 30 years, and also the first to feature the women’s game at league level, alongside the women’s World Cup. Come for one last kickabout, if you can ignore the moral iffiness of the money-grubbing Ultimate Team mode.
• 30 September; Xbox, Stadia, PlayStation 4/5, PC.
Overwatch 2
The sequel to the most playable, approachable and diverse team shooter around takes on Fortnite with new, likable characters. Their outlandish powers lend each match a frenetic but fun flavour. This game will evolve over time, gaining new modes and maps alongside new heroes, and it’ll be free to play at first.
• 4 October; Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation 4/5, PC.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns
Unlike your typical superhero fare, this is a tactical game from Firaxis, of Civilization and XCOM fame. You, a customisable hero, join characters from across the Marvel universe in battles, picking strategies and abilities for your squad – and also get to know them when you’re hanging out back at base.
• 7 October; PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch.
Gotham Knights
If you’re more of a DC person than Marvel, this action game is the one to watch this autumn. It stars Nightwing, Batgirl, Red Hood and Robin who run around Gotham trying to establish order after Batman’s death. You can run around the city by yourself, or with a friend.
• 25 October; Xbox, PlayStation 5, PC.
High on Life
From Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland and the game studio he founded, Squanch Games, this weird, colourful comedy sci-fi shooter features alien weapons that are alive and very talkative. Expect some gross-out moments and a healthy amount of absurdist nonsense.
• 25 October; Xbox, PC.
God of War: Ragnarok
Continuing the saga of Kratos the angry, murderous Greek god turned emotionally withdrawn widower and his son, Atreus (or “boy”, as Kratos usually calls him), this blockbuster will involve much monster-slaying and jaw-dropping scenes inspired by Scandinavian mythology.
• 9 November; PlayStation 4/5.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
Nintendo’s venerable Pokémon series has been going through a period of change, trying to balance the needs of its young audience with the desires of grownup fans who have been playing for decades. A little innovation would do Pokémon no harm – and with a more modern, open-world approach to collecting and battling, Scarlet and Violet may deliver just that.
• 18 November; Nintendo Switch.
Pentiment
A murder-mystery set in 16th-century Bavaria that looks as if it takes place inside a late-medieval manuscript. The story spans 25 years and takes place during a time of convulsive social change – you will see the community around you transform as you search for a version of the truth that you’re happy with.
• November; Xbox, PC.
