Nobody can argue that the year 2021 was a bang for Microsoft and the Xbox platform as we saw the launch of Psychonauts 2, Forza Horizon 5, Age Of Empires 4, and Halo Infinite alongside the inclusion of EA Play in the ever-so-popular Xbox Game Pass.
The year 2021 was also a great year for the previously released games from Xbox Games Studios which includes Sea of Thieves and Elder Scrolls Online, both of which saw increased player participation and even made it to Steam’s top 100 most selling games of 2021.
With such a strong previous year, Microsoft and Xbox both are set to make 2022 even bigger. Starting off the year with the launch of the Minecraft bundle which will include both Java and Bedrock edition into a single launcher. Minecraft is one of the most popular games on the planet and what could be a better start than making it easy to access the game with the launch of a unified launcher and addition to the huge library of games offered in Xbox Game Pass.
Let’s have a look at the Top 5 most Anticipate Xbox Games Coming in 2022.
Starfield (Open-world RPG)
Last year Microsoft also bought ZeniMax Media, the owners of developer and publisher Bethesda Games known for legendary game series such as Fallout, Doom, Elder Scrolls, Rage, Dishonored, etc. The acquisition of Bethesda was a big plus for Xbox in 2021, and in 2022 that deal will start paying off. Starfield, an Outerspace RPG touted by Todd Howard as “Skyrim in Space” will make its way to Xbox Consoles and Windows PCs. Starfield will be the first Bethesda game coming after the acquisition and will be one of the biggest Xbox exclusives of 2022.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl (First-person RPG)
Releasing on 28th April, the first-person shooter S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl will be the first big Xbox Exclusive of the year 2022 and the first Unreal Engine 5 game.
Stalker 2 by GSC Game World is the fourth game in the legendary S.T.A.L.K.E.R series and the first to be released on consoles. The game comes 13 years after the launch of the last Stalker game, Call of Pripyat. The story of Stalker 2 follows the familiar environment of previous Stalker games which depicts the unfortunate events after the Chernobyl explosion, which has led to some strange mutations among animals, and other living organisms making it extremely dangerous for humans to survive.
REDFALL (Single-player/co-op Zombie Survival Shooter)
Another first-party Xbox exclusive game developed by Arkane Studios from Bethesda Games releasing later in the Summer. Arkane Studios is popularly known for the Dishonored series and Prey series of games which are widely praised for their story and environment.
Arkane’s next game Redfall also falls in the same Singleplayer category which they are known for. Redfall is going to be a hero-based zombie shooter experience featuring both single-player and co-op mode. While not much is known about the game currently, the teaser released in E3 2021 revealed that each hero will wield some strange powers that can be used to aid in survival. Players will be able to choose between different heroes and each hero will offer a different playstyle.
Hellblade II: Senua’s Saga (Psychological Action/Adventure)
The squeal to the 2017’s hit Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Hellblade 2 will again take you through Senua’s journey in the lands of Norse mythology with a rare schizophrenic disease. Similar to the first game Hellblade 2 will have the same binaural audio effects that represent Senua’s psychosis alongside improved facial animations and cinematic effects displaying the prowess of the next-gen Xbox Series X console.
Developed by Ninja Theory the sequel was first announced at The Game Awards 2019 and a gameplay teaser was shown at E3 2021. While Ninja Theory didn’t reveal any release date, the developer is confident that the game will be released in 2022.
Avowed (Open World RPG)
Another open-world RPG from another first-party Xbox Studio, Obsidian.
Avowed is a Skyrim-like first-person RPG game set in the fantasy world of Eora. Avowed was first revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase in E3 2021 with an ominous cinematic trailer. Though no gameplay was shown, the trailer ends from that perspective, as the “player” brandishing a sword in one hand and a spell in the other hand that charges their hand with some violet energy ready to fight the upcoming enemy. Not much else was revealed, not even an expected release date.
Although Obsidian hasn’t officially revealed a release date, some insiders claim that the game is on track for release in later half of 2022 with a playable demo or extended gameplay trailer being showcased in E3 this year.
