2019 is shaping up to be an incredible year for gaming. Already, the gaming community has some impressive titles with finite release dates on the way, with even the early part of the year full of games such as Kingdom Hearts 3 and Anthem.
However, video gaming is nothing without surprises, and there are a number of in-development projects that have yet to receive an official launch date. Indeed, some games such as 2019’s Call of Duty have not even had any details revealed about them, even though they are due to arrive this year. All in all, this means that gamers will have to keep their eyes peeled for those surprise releases that will crop up over the course of 2019.
Related: Screen Rant's 25 Most Anticipated Video Games of 2019
With that in mind, here are Screen Rant’s picks for the most exciting games of 2019 that are yet to be announced, and that are yet to receive a full release date. Read on to find out those projects that could make a big bang if they arrive this year – and be sure to let us know what games you are excited for in the comments.
15. Beyond Good & Evil 2
Very few games come back from the brink of vaporware, but Beyond Good & Evil 2 is a title that somehow is taking form. A prequel to the original game, Beyond Good & Evil 2 looks like it is making some major changes to the original game’s linear narrative. Instead of closed levels, Beyond Good & Evil 2 will be much more open, and ideally this will mean that players will be given even more of a chance to lose themselves in the cult classic’s game world.
That said, there’s a touch of hesitancy about Beyond Good & Evil 2. Games that have spent this long in development hell rarely come out of the other side unscathed, and some are therefore wondering if Beyond Good & Evil 2 will be everything that fans want it to be. It still doesn’t have a release date, but with development forging ahead and a beta planned for this year, there’s every chance a 2019 launch is in the works.
14. Babylon’s Fall
PlatinumGames is bringing a brand new intellectual property to the gaming world through Babylon’s Fall. Published by Square Enix, this title was first revealed at E3 2018, and was announced for a 2019 launch – although no official release date was given. Coming to PC and PS4, this title should be chock full of the kind of combat that worked so well in the last PlatinumGames and Square Enix collaboration, Nier: Automata.
What is the subject matter of Babylon’s Fall, though? The game will be epic in the traditional sense, with a lore that stretches thousands of years and includes such grand concepts as ancient gods and a mysterious power source called the Oversoul. If PlatinumGames is able to combine this with its consistently excellent gameplay, then everyone is going to be happy.
13. Code Vein
Bandai Namco’s Code Vein was originally slated to be released in 2018, but has since been delayed. A 2019 release looks the most likely outcome, at least according to the developer, with the extra time being spent getting its combat-centric gameplay better refined.
That focus on the gameplay is definitely needed, too. Code Vein is reportedly similar in mechanics to Dark Souls, and so players feeling as though they have an appropriate level of agency over their attacks – and the ability to respond correctly to enemy blows – will make or break the title as a whole. With its blend of a post-apocalyptic landscapes and themes of vampirism, it’ll certainly catch the eye upon release.
12. Gran Turismo 7
While Forza has managed to successfully deliver a regular stream of high-quality games to Xbox One players, the PS4’s big racing exclusive Gran Turismo has had less luck maintaining its release schedule. Gran Turismo 7 is the prime example of this, as a game that petrolheads have been calling for since well before the middling stop-gap Gran Turismo Sport in 2017. However, developer Polyphony Digital has been taking its sweet time over another release.
PS4 owners will have their fingers crossed that 2019 is the year that Gran Turismo 7 finally makes it onto the tarmac. The series is still seen by many as the be-all and end-all of console racing sims, and if Polyphony Digital is able to create the comprehensive racing experience that gamers so desperately are hoping for, then the wait will have been more than worth it.
11. Ghost of Tsushima
Developer Sucker Punch Productions is back, this time not returning to the Infamous series but instead with an entirely new game. Ghost of Tsushima is set during the first Mongol invasion of Japan in the 1274, and casts the player as the last samurai left on Tsushima Island. At the moment, there is not a confirmed release window, but that gameplay demo at E3 2018 suggests that it is at least some ways along in its development.
Ghost of Tsushima’s biggest strength so far is its interesting setting, and the title will try to include a level of authenticity by giving players the option of switching the audio to Japanese with English subtitles. Should its open world gameplay live up to the visual design choices, then it is bound to get plenty of love.
10. Dying Light 2
Dying Light’s blend of parkour and zombie survival resonated with its player base when it released in 2015, and was a great improvement on Techland’s previous series Dead Island. As such, there was always the potential for a sequel, with Dying Light 2 scheduled for a 2019 release date.
What will Dying Light 2 include? Expect more of the zombie-fighting, free-running fun of the first game, but this time with an even greater emphasis on the different movements of zombies in a day/night cycle. At the moment, Techland hasn’t confirmed when Dying Light 2 is going to launch, but the vague idea is for a 2019 release, so barring any delays it should arrive later this year.
9. Call of Duty 2019
Call of Duty will get its usual annual release in 2019, and exactly what this game will be has fans of the series intrigued. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 moved the franchise into a slightly new direction, with the Blackout battle royale game mode picking up players alongside the more traditional multiplayer and the return of a comprehensive zombies mode. However, Call of Duty 2019 should be one to really push the franchise.
That’s because Call of Duty 2019 is the next title developed by Infinity Ward, the studio behind such standouts as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and for many the developer that made Call of Duty into the monster that it is today. Call of Duty: WW2 solidified Sledgehammer Games’ reputation as a more than worthwhile part of the Call of Duty trifecta, and Treyarch hit home with Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Since Infinite Warfare was a relative failure, is it time for Infinity Ward to finally bring Modern Warfare 4 home? And better yet, is there another, more detailed battle royale mode in the works?
8. Bayonetta 3
That the Bayonetta franchise has become so intrinsically tied to Nintendo is something of a surprise, given the raunchy and violent nature of the PlatinumGames-developed series. Nonetheless, Nintendo Switch owners will be glad to have something a little different with Bayonetta 3, much like how Bayonetta 2 proved to be a suitable breath of fresh air for the Wii U when it released back in 2014.
So far, Bayonetta 3 is shaping up nicely, with more of the same action that the gaming community has fallen in love with over the years. First unveiled at the Game Awards 2017, since then PlatinumGames has showcased only a little, but even so it’s enough to get the game some deserved anticipation. There’s no release date as of yet, but 2019 is a good time to expect Bayonetta 3 to launch.
7. Metroid Prime 4
The Metroid Prime games are the perfect example of a game series that builds upon and modernizes its source material in a way that remains faithful to its subject matter. Fans have been clamouring for a new Metroid Prime title ever since Metroid Prime 3: Corruption released back in 2007, and in 2017 confirmation was finally given that Nintendo was pushing ahead with another Metroid Prime project.
Metroid Prime 4 is set for release on the Nintendo Switch, and fans are hoping that it will arrive in 2019. Whether that does happen is up in the air, but Metroid could certainly do with another well-received major title, after a few hit-and-miss entries and an emphasis on handheld gaming through the likes of Federation Force and Samus Returns. With that in mind, getting Metroid Prime 4 out of the door sooner rather than later could be in Nintendo’s best interests – although at least the expected release of Bayonetta 3 will keep Nintendo fans with an action focus happy.
6. Death Stranding
Hideo Kojima’s first game following his acrimonious departure from Konami and the cancellation of Silent Hills has been building for some time. However, as of last year the gaming community finally had a view of what Death Stranding may be. Although the plot of the game is still enwrapped in mystery and abstract themes, at the very least those snippets of footage showcased what Kojima has in mind.
This PS4 exclusive still doesn’t have a finite release date, but a 2019 release could potentially be on the cards, particularly after that recent tease from Kojima. After all, with work beginning on a PS5, it’s unlikely that Death Stranding would like to follow its namesake and be beached on an old system. The only question that remains, then, is if the game forges ahead as a PS4 exclusive, is pushed onto the PS5, or perhaps onto a cross-release between Sony’s systems, old and new.
5. Cyberpunk 2077
Since The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt became a must-have in the early line up of this generation of gaming, developer CD Projekt RED has been taking its time with follow-up Cyberpunk 2077. Based on the tabletop roleplaying game Cyberpunk 2020, Cyberpunk 2077 looks to be even bigger than The Witcher 3, with a change of tone and viewpoint that leaves it as one of the most exciting in-development games around.
Will Cyberpunk 2077 arrive in 2019? CD Projekt RED has been coy about exactly when the game will release, but after a much more detailed view of the title was given over the course of 2018, including a detailed gameplay video, fans of the studio’s work will have their fingers crossed that the game will release this year.
4. Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order
The EA press conference at E3 2018 was a major let down in general, and bizarrely enough one of the most interesting nuggets of information came from an offhand comment about a new Star Wars game. This project, dubbed Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, is being developed by Titanfall developer Respawn Entertainment, and is set to take place in the time between Episode 3 and Episode 4 of Star Wars, with the Jedi were being hunted down.
Pencilled in for a 2019 release, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order gives EA another chance to show that it can handle the Star Wars property, after the backlash to both DICE-developed Star Wars: Battlefront games and the turmoil behind the scenes with Project Yuma, which led to the much-criticized closure of Visceral Games. Star Wars hasn’t had a great video game adaptation in some time – will Jedi Fallen Order be the one to buck the trend?
3. Doom Eternal
Doom 2016 was a remarkable first-person shooter, eschewing the grim, slow, ‘realistic’ bent of modern shooters for something much more adrenaline-pumping. Managing to somehow both feel like a near-perfect attempt to recreate the feeling of the earlier games and bring Doom kicking and screaming into the modern day, the stage was always set for a sequel. That game, Doom Eternal, will attempt to bring Hell to Earth, and bring a little bit of the magic of the original Doom 2 to modern audiences.
So far, it’s looking a treat. Early footage showcases some truly chaotic gameplay as the Doom Slayer once again takes the fight to the hordes. At the moment, there’s yet to be confirmation of a release date for Doom Infinite, but expect it to arrive some time this year.
2. Pokemon RPG (Switch)
Although the Pokemon: Let’s Go! games were extremely successful for Nintendo’s Switch console, these recreations of the original Pokemon games were not the biggest plans that Game Freak had for Pokemon on the Switch. Instead, a more ambitious RPG is on the way, with fans of the franchise perhaps finally having their dreams of a major release for a home console answered.
So far, Nintendo has been keeping quiet about exactly what this game will entail, but there are expectations that it should arrive later this year. Pokemon has been at its best in the handheld realm, so this is a chance to Game Freak to finally deliver something major for those who prefer to game on a larger screen. Ideally, finite information about the project will be revealed sooner rather than later.
1. Halo Infinite
Master Chief will be back once more, again delivering a long-wanted Xbox exclusive. Halo 5: Guardians wasn’t for everybody, and was not the unifying game that developer 433 Industries may have hoped for. Nonetheless, Xbox One owners were understandably excited about the return of the flagship Xbox franchise when Halo Infinite was revealed at E3 2018.
433 Industries has held an approach of only revealing the latest Halo game when it is ready, and since the release of that teaser trailer the developer has been quiet about exactly what Halo Infinite will be. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the title launch this year, so keep an eye out for a potential release in the tail end of 2019. When it does arrive, expect more exciting FPS action from the granddaddy of console shooters.
That brings our list of the most exciting unannounced games of 2019 to a close. These projects are good bets to arrive this year, although there is of course the possibility that further delays could push some back further. Hopefully, there will even be some other fantastic games that release this year that fly under the radar until launch.