2020 in Gaming Will Be One of the Best Years Ever for Gamers

Picture this: Over the course of three months in 2020, 16 highly anticipated games will be released. Gamers will need to balance their bank accounts and schedules if they have any hope of putting a dent into these hourslong gaming experiences. January, February and March alone will deliver some of the biggest games in recent memory. 

2020 will easily be remembered as one of the best years in gaming alongside 1996, 1997, 1998, 2004 and 2007. Common gaming knowledge points to those years as the very best because they provided gamers with revolutionary releases, game-changing (pun definitely intended) home console launches and sequels that have been referred to as the finest entries in their respective franchises. 2020’s potential for greatness is high, and it looks like it’s slated to move the medium of gaming forward thanks to the efforts of Sony and Microsoft. 

January’s gaming lineup is a treat for anime fanatics, die-hard JRPG enthusiasts, VR devotees and gamers who enjoy freeform space exploration. Japan will host the initial launch for the next entry in the Yakuza franchise (Yakuza: Like a Dragon). Other January releases include Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore, Final Fantasy Chronicles: Remastered Edition, The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners and Journey to the Savage Planet. 

February will arrive like a wrecking ball with three marquee releases that have the potential to be the game of the year. One of the best side-scrolling platformers is getting a sequel in the form of Ori and the Will of the Wisps. PlayStation 4 is going out swinging with one of its last big exclusives with the launch of The Last of Us Part II. Ubisoft is gracing the gaming world with Gods & Monsters, which is reminiscent of 3D Zelda games. And for anyone who’s always dreamed of stepping into the mechanized boots of Tony Stark, Iron Man VR will be the interactive outlet you’ve always wanted.

March will continue the year’s super rewarding game release schedule with five standout titles. Square Enix will finally (FINALLY!) release the first installment of the Final Fantasy VII Remake. Ubisoft’s second major release of the year is a sequel to its open-world hackathon franchise, Watch Dogs: Legion. Nintendo Switch owners will get to live out their digital life on a deserted island with Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The recently delayed Doom Eternal will make its way over to consoles this month alongside the re-release of Doom 64. And finally, PC gamers who are old enough to remember Vampire: The Masquerade–Bloodlines will get the sequel they never thought they’d get.

Besides those three wild months, April and May have a few bangers of their own. CD Projekt’s massive first-person action RPG, Cyberpunk 2077, will make its way into everyone’s living rooms. Square Enix is staying in remake mode with its release of a 3D revival of Trials of Mana. Square Enix will also push out Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal’s Marvel Comics’ AAA Avengers game.

That’s just the first five months of 2020. And you know what’s the craziest part of all? There are still a slew of unannounced games that are probably just as big planned for 2020. And you also need to take into account that two new home consoles are coming our way later at the end of the year: Sony’s PlayStation 5 and Microsoft’s Xbox One sequel codenamed Project Scarlett. And just like every significant console debut, incredible games will launch with them. And that means holiday 2020 will be just as awesome as the first half of the year.

Even with all those planned game releases and new console launches, the year is packed with even more games that don’t yet have solid release dates. A remake of Destroy All Humans, plus Guilty Gear, Dying Light 2, Halo Infinite, Tales of Arise and Psychonauts 2 will be heavy hitters for 2020. It’s one thing to say that each year offers new titles in every genre of gaming. But it’s a whole other thing to realize that 2020 is offering up AAA quality titles in each of those genres.

2020 already has a lot going for it. But then there’s another thought that should enter the minds of gamers with plenty of disposable income: What about the games that have been long in development and look to be ready for a 2020 release? The next Call of Duty is rumored to be moving into the fifth entry of the Black Ops sub-series, Sony’s samurai adventure Ghost of Tsushima could be a PS4/PS5 cross-gen title, the FromSoftware and George R.R. Martin collaboration Elden Ring could be a major fall release and Ubisoft’s pirate-filled adventure Skull & Bones may finally receive a solid release date in 2020.

With 2019 quickly winding down, gamers are already looking forward to the madness coming their way in the year ahead. 2020’s slate of incredible game releases and introduction to the next-generation of gaming means we have plenty of reasons to be excited about the consoles we house in our homes. Game on!