2019 Preview: The Last Six Months

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2019 is shaping up to be a momentous year, and as we profiled just the other day in the first half of this two-part special, the first six months are looking like they're going to be rather fun. For reasons obvious to one and all, we know less about the second half of 2019 and the games we'll get to play towards the end of the year, but nevertheless, we've amassed a fairly optimistic look at what will and what might land from July and onwards.

Shenmue 3 (PC, PS4) - August 27

The long-awaited return of Ryo Hazuki has been delayed a few times, and we wouldn't be surprised if it slips once more from its August 27 release date. As far as fans are concerned though, it's all about delivering a quality continuation to the adventures that started nearly two decades ago on Dreamcast.

FIFA 20 (PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One) - Likely September 2019

It would shake the foundations of reality were we not to get a new FIFA in 2019, and while nothing is official we expect the team at EA Canada to unveil the game during the spring. We expect a further implementation of the Champions League license, and we're curious to see where the Journey goes next. Things have been going well on the pitch, but there's always room for improvement.

Call of Duty 2019 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - Likely October 2019

This year we're getting an Infinity Ward developed Call of Duty. Speculation points to either Modern Warfare 4 or Ghosts 2, boots on the ground or boots all around. Perhaps the most interesting thing will be whether it features a campaign or not and whether there will be some kind of battle royale mode á la Blackout. So far we have no solid details, but we expect Activision to rev up the hype machine sometime this spring.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - Holiday 2019

We know very little about Respawn's upcoming Star Wars title beyond the name we'll see on the box and its release window. What we do know is that it is set after Episode III, a very bad time to be a Jedi in A Galaxy Far, Far Away and the hope is this will be something of a successor to the popular Jedi Knight titles.

Now head over to the next page for more of 2019's games, in alphabetical order.

A Plague Tale: Innocence (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - 2019

This haunting game about a pair of siblings trying to survive amidst the chaos of the black plague and the Hundred Years' War is shaping up to be an interesting proposition. Rather than using direct confrontation you'll need to sneak and make use of hundreds of in-game rats to accomplish your objectives.

Age of Wonders: Planetfall (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - 2019

Triumph Studios returns with a new entry in the Age of Wonders series, this time set in the future, where the signature combination of turn-based tactical gameplay and strategy will carry over. It's the first title from the studio since being acquired by Paradox so hopefully the financial stability of having a large owner will result in a better player experience.

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - 2019

Assassin's Creed creator Patrice Desilets has been caught up in politics and drama that saw his next big project after AC ultimately get cancelled (namely, 1666: Amsterdam), but his human history anthology Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is set to release this year (the first episode of it at any rate), and based on what we've seen so far it's looking rather interesting.

Animal Crossing (Switch) - 2019

What can we say about Animal Crossing other than the fact that we want it on our Switches? Very little exists in terms of concrete details, but we suspect Nintendo will want to play up the social features even more than before.

Babylon's Fall (PC, PS4) - 2019

Platinum Games' next big project, Babylon's Fall, is set to be published by Square-Enix in 2019. Little is known about the title, but it looks like it will offer some of Platinum's staple brand of action with some precise combat. Judging by the brief trailer from E3, the tower is going to be the centrepiece of the game.

Battletoads (PC, Xbox One) - 2019

A franchise we honestly thought was long since dead and buried, the Battletoads are back with a vengeance in 2019. Developed by Dlala Studios under supervision from Rare, we're quite interested in seeing what it was about their pitch that made Microsoft and Rare dust off the toads and let Dlala do their thing.

Code Vein (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - 2019

The vampire-themed Souls-like Code Vein from Bandai Namco was meant to see release last year, but slipped into 2019 and the publisher has refrained from giving it a more firm release date. In spite of the delay and the silence, we're fairly upbeat about what we've seen and played of the game thus far even if it may not live up to the likes of Dark Souls.

Control (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - 2019

After essentially having served as a second-party developer for Microsoft, Finnish outfit Remedy is now ready to release their first multiplatform game in quite a while. Perhaps the initial trailer at E3 didn't sell the game well enough, but having seen a full presentation of Control, which offers not just an intriguing setting and plot, but also what looks like rather unique combat, we're eager to get our hands on the game and play it for ourselves.

Doom Eternal (PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One) - 2019

It took id Software a while to get the reboot of Doom right, but what they delivered was worth the wait. No surprise then that they're going back for more as Doom Eternal is set for release sometime this year we can't wait to get stuck back in.

Gears 5 (PC, Xbox One) - 2019

We're still on the fence about the move to get rid of the "of War" part of the title for the fifth main entry in the Gears franchise. Having seen Marcus' son J.D. take the lead in Gears of War 4 it is now time for Kait Diaz to step up as the main character. This is The Coalition's sophomore effort, and while the fourth game was enjoyable, we're hoping that they can push the series further this time without losing that moment to moment intensity that we all know and love.

Greedfall (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - 2019

Spiders Studio has quietly grown a reputation for building interesting RPGs, and while they may not reach the heights of say The Witcher 3 or Bioware's titles, they still manage to bring enough novel concepts to make them stand out. Greedfall certainly seems different enough with a unique setting in a baroque-inspired fantasy-infused version of our world and its heavy reliance on faction mechanics. We're intrigued.

Imperator: Rome (PC) - 2019

For years Paradox has been teasing a sequel to Europa Universalis: Rome, and this year it will arrive, albeit with a different title. A new historical grand strategy game from the masters of grand strategy is reason to celebrate as it's actually the first new full title from the prolific studio since 2016.

Judgment (PS4)

Compared to the Dreamcast era, the games developed by Sega's Japanese division have been few and far between, and with the exception of the Yakuza series, there have not been many successful titles. Now the Yakuza team is trying something different with Judgment, a game set in the same universe, but where you play as private detective Takayuki Yagami who looks to solve the case of a serial killer.

Luigi's Mansion 3 (Switch) - 2019

As is Nintendo's ways recently we know next to nothing about the next game in Luigi's ghost hunting series. The first game was a somewhat underwhelming Gamecube launch title, but it has somehow gotten more appreciated with time. We're keen to see how the company can evolve the franchise for a new generation of Switch-owning gamers.

The Dark Pictures - Man of Medan (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - 2019

Supermassive Games is best known for Until Dawn, and in many ways, the Dark Pictures anthology is a spiritual continuation of the concept from Until Dawn. In Man of Medan, the first of four standalone horror experiences, we're all aboard the horror trope of being on a ghost ship. The group of divers that find themselves trapped aboard the huge, yet claustrophobic ship need to find a way to escape. Whether they all make it is going to be down to your decisions.

Minecraft: Dungeons (PC) - 2019

It's been a while since Mojang proposed a new game, and Minecraft: Dungeons is just that. A brand new game. Described as a "passion project" for the team, this is their take on the dungeon crawler action-RPG set in the world of Minecraft. Will the magic transfer over? We'll see later this year.

Pokémon RPG (Switch) - 2019

Nintendo's pocket monsters have never been more popular than today, well, maybe a little more popular during the peak of Pokémon Go, but still they're in a very healthy place as we've just gotten the Let's Go titles and await the live-action Detective Pikachu movie. This year Nintendo also plans on releasing the next fully-fledged Pokémon RPG and we're excited to see the main series appear on what is a more powerful platform than what is usually the case. This may very well be Nintendo's big focus title at this year's E3 showcase.

Psychonauts 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - 2019

Psychonauts was the first title Double Fine ever developed, originally meant as an Xbox exclusive, the lengthy development of the game and Microsoft's decision to pull the plug early on the original Xbox saw it release under a different label and on other platforms. It wasn't a big commercial success but managed to secure a loyal following. The game was first announced in 2015, and as is the case with most every game Double Fine develops, it has taken its sweet time to get out. A promising trailer was released at The Game Awards and 2019 is the year in which Raz returns and hopefully, it does our heads in...

Skull & Bones (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - 2019

Having seen the likes of Sea of Thieves and Atlas take off in 2018, Ubisoft wants their piece of the pirate pie in 2019 as the multiplayer-focused Skull & Bones is set for release. Offering a somewhat unexplored region of the pirate world away from the Caribbean, we're keen to see how the delicious action from Black Flag translates in a larger scale.

The Outer Worlds (PC, PS4, Xbox One)

Obsidian Entertainment has a great reputation for putting together great stories and narratives for their role-playing games, but for many years it worked on sequels and licenses. It would seem those days are behind them and The Outer Worlds, a frontier-style sci-fi under the direction of Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky (creators of the original Fallout and colleagues at Troika Games) and there's a flair to the game that has us excited. We recently visited the studio for a look at the game and came away impressed.

Torchlight Frontiers (PC, PS4, Xbox One)

When Runic Games was shut down you might have thought that Torchlight went down with it, but some of the original talent from Runic had already started a new studio intent on creating the game Torchlight was originally meant to be. The dungeon crawler was really just a means to an end, an end that is Torchlight Frontiers, an action-RPG with MMO elements. We came away impressed by the demo we saw at Gamescom back in August, and we're excited to return to the world of Torchlight.

Wasteland 3 (PC, PS4, Xbox One)

InXile is now owned by Microsoft, but we'll still see Wasteland 3 on PlayStation 4 as promised in the Fig campaign (anything else would be borderline fraud given the nature of the investment pitch on Fig, of course). We thoroughly enjoyed Wasteland 2, a game that offers both the sort of gameplay we know from the series, plus a few modern touches, and there's every reason to assume that the third game in the series is going to be just as good.

Warcraft III: Reforged (PC) - 2019

It's not Warcraft IV, but at least Blizzard is returning to its RTS roots in the Warcraft universe in 2019 as the studio is remaking a game perhaps best remembered for laying the foundations for what we now know as the MOBA genre. The new version has been tweaked to better reflect the locations player know from World of Warcraft, but the idea is to maintain the gameplay.

And finally, on this last page we take a look at the games that we hope will make it out next year, even if one or two question marks linger.

Cyberpunk 2077 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - Hopefully 2019

It's a longshot that we'll see Cyberpunk 2077, but as long as CD Projekt Red doesn't outright deny it we're still clinging on to the hope. The lengthy demo we witnessed at E3 blew our minds and it's obvious that this is going to be one seriously ambitious game. Sure the visuals and the scale is mindblowing, just consider the fact that you can walk into any building and find gameplay and narrative on any floor, but what really has us excited is the level of polish, the depth of the characters, and the world on show. Is it a 2019 title? Probably not. Is it a 2020 title? Maybe. But we do know we're excited and we cannot wait to play what promises to be something truly special.

Death Stranding (PS4) - Hopefully 2019

Hideo Kojima enjoys teasing his fans and we're still not sure we know the full scope of his enigmatic title, Death Stranding. It just seems as if we're being shown a piece of a bigger picture and that's why it's so damn hard to figure out what it's all about. Nevertheless, the atmosphere, the mystery, and let's be honest, that baby, has us eager to find out more.

Dying Light 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - Hopefully 2019

Techland converted a lot of people into fans with the first Dying Light, and that community is eagerly awaiting the return of the fledgeling series with the full sequel currently well into development. Will it make its way to PC, PS4, and Xbox One in 2019? It's hard to say for sure, but it's not out of the realms of the possibility and the studio is aiming at that target, even if an early 2020 launch is equally plausible.

Metroid Prime 4 (Switch) - Hopefully 2019

When Metroid Prime 4 was teased with a logo in June 2017, we probably thought we'd know more about the game by now, but that's not the case. We suspect it may be a game that won't make it out in 2019, but hopefully, Nintendo proves us wrong.

Nioh 2 (PS4) - Hopefully 2019

Team Ninja's Souls-like Nioh flew a bit under the radar in 2017 but it ticked all the right boxes of a challenging action game featuring the most Japanese of settings, where the unlikely Irish hero William fights Oni in a fantasy version of the Sengoku era. We're excited to see how the next game will shape up, and hopefully, it will arrive this year, but given how long we had to wait for the first one, perhaps we shouldn't hold our breath.

The Last of Us: Part II (PS4) - Hopefully 2019

Naughty Dog has given us a few glimpses of The Last of Us: Part II, most recently at E3 last summer, and while the notion of a grown-up Ellie has us intrigued, we've got to say they've turned up the shock value and the stakes have been seemingly been raised. The question is, though, will the game make it out at some point in 2019? Is one of the reasons that Sony is stepping back from E3 because 2019 is going to be a quiet year for Naughty Dog fans? Only time will tell.

Have we missed a game that you're eagerly awaiting? Let us know in the comments below.