Here Are 2024’s Most-Hyped Releases You Should Keep An Eye On

One of the year’s hottest upcoming releases is the sequel to the 2017-released Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. This Xbox exclusive by Ninja Theory continues the complex story of Senua, having the whole premise set up in Norse mythology. Apart from the employment of other themes and gameplay elements in the title, Hellblade 2 is set to explore the protagonist to a deeper extent, focusing on her mental illness and the challenges on her path that have to be overcome. 

eXputer first broke the release date of the game prior to the official announcement, and it’s a delight when I say that Hellblade 2 is coming out on May 21, finally, after such a lengthy period of wait. As per the developer, Ninja Theory has upscaled the production for the sequel, increasing the number of staff, and utilizing next-gen tools to craft something that’s going to make the predecessor “look like an indie.”  

Ubisoft, along with talented developer Massive Entertainment, is spearheading a new Star Wars game, one that emphasizes the life of Kay Vess — an outlaw — in an open-world setting. I don’t know about you, but by the looks of the title, it seems that Star Wars Outlaws could be Ubisoft’s chance at redemption for finally creating a game for this genre that doesn’t feel formulaic or repetitive (we’re looking at you Far Cry). 

While no concrete release date has been provided yet, it was reported earlier that the developers are plotting a “late 2024” release date for the open-world RPG. I presume we’ll have to stick around and keep pace with Ubisoft to learn when exactly is Outlaws coming out. Until then, I’ll keep drooling at the rumor that this game could have traversal as smooth and seamless as Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. 

Talk about mindless, chaotic shooting fun with your best mates. Helldivers 2 is one of those games that you know you’ll be getting a kick out of, especially when you’ve got a squad of people to play with. The title at hand is a third-person shooter, revolving around elite human enforcers facing off against threats of all sorts on foreign planets. It’s nothing but mayhem in there. Check out Helldivers 2’s launch trailer for a better idea.

Despite suffering a delay for the gazillionth time now, Ubisoft Singapore’s Skull and Bones is currently looking forward to its February 16 release, which is next month. The game, centered around piracy and naval warfare, has had several changes in scope and direction over the course of its development, which, according to reports, first kicked off in 2013—about 11 years from now. 

That is why it’s going to be big if Ubisoft doesn’t issue another delay notice tomorrow and Skull and Bones really does come out this time on the slated date. It employs the Indian Ocean as its primary playground and is set to feature multiplayer elements too, namely PvP, PvE, and even PvPvE. The title also uses a live service model, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to play single-player in-game. 

Mix magic, swords, guns, and a wild world together, and you get Avowed. Okay, that wasn’t really accurately descriptive of Obsidian’s upcoming action RPG, but the game seems to be hiding a lot of surprises before its actual launch, which is currently not yet known when. The recent Xbox Developer_Direct event expanded on Avowed and affirmed players to expect the title this fall.

The big daddy of the fighting games genre makes a cutting-edge return in 2024. The iconic Tekken franchise is finally back 8 years after the launch of its predecessor, showing off truly next-gen visuals, and a proper story mode that is about to go into a lot of depth this time around. The starting roster for Tekken 8 looks solid, with many returning characters showing up on the big screen, including Lee, Zafina, Kuma, and others. 

And it’s one of the games on this list that are coming out way too soon. Tekken 8, for instance, makes landfall on January 26 across all the major current-gen platforms and PC. It’s going to hog about 100 GB of storage though, at least gradually if not on launch, so keep that in mind as you look forward to playing on release day. 

Being the second remake in a three-part trilogy that Square Enix is plotting for the PlayStation 5, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth serves as the sequel of Final Fantasy 7 Remake and highlights the next chapter from the original Final Fantasy 7 from 1997. All a bit too confusing, I know, but the developer says you won’t have to play the predecessor to know what’s going on in Rebirth, so that’s a plus.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth remains extremely anticipated as a PlayStation 5 exclusive, being under development with all the latest tech to bring forth a boundary-expanding experience for players.  

Now, this is one RPG that I’m expecting to be thoroughly high-level. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is the next installment in the Dragon’s Dogma series, with the first title released more than a decade ago. However, according to the project’s director, Hideaki Itsuno wanted to make the sequel right after the launch of the first game. A lack of resources, among other reasons, led to this 10-year+ wait.

Rocksteady’s continuation of the Batman: Arkham franchise has ended up in the name of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League for now. This is a project that’s in a completely different direction if you compare it to its predecessors, but despite all the criticisms and backlash this game is receiving, it’s still a big 2024 title that you can’t help but keep an eye on, being a major DC game and all.

Being termed as Rocksteady’s “biggest game” in terms of the story, Suicide Squad will feature the Elseworlds concept, and hence, is fetching Joker — its season 1 bonus character — straight out of that principle as well. Make sure you avoid rampant spoilers for the title and read up on this insider report instead that clears up the story behind the misleading Suicide Squad leaks. 

Behold a visual spectale in the name of Rise of the Ronin, a brand-new samurai game by the talented folks over at Team Ninja. While this is no Ghost of Tsushima 2 to sate our hunger, it’s another PlayStation 5 exclusive that looks outright fantastic from all that we’ve seen up until now. Multiple modes of traversal, fast-paced combat, and an open-world setting—this one should genuinely be worth the wait. 

When I tell you that Black Myth: Wukong is packing some real hype, I mean serious business. Ever since its very first reveal 3 years ago, the title has garnered a fan base of its own, and rightfully so. The action RPG seems to incorporate FromSoft’s Soulslike formula as well, not to mention the uncanny appearance of in-game NPCs, antagonists, and other beings that we’ll have to put down. 

Back at The Game Awards last month, Chinese developer Game Science finally unveiled the release date of Black Myth: Wukong in a new trailer, and thankfully, the title’s not too far out. It’s one of the top-most titles that you should be looking forward to, whether you’re an action-adventure fan or not. 

Although Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl has been wound up in troubles right from the get-go, both developmental and those outside of the control of the Ukrainian developers, i.e. Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, this is still a first-person shooter, albeit an Xbox exclusive, that millions are looking forward to, including myself. As per the dev, the title means to represent Ukraine’s “unbreakable spirit” to the world.