Autumn is always a huge time for major video game releases, and October 2022 is continuing that trend. After a busy September that included Splatoon 3, The Last of Us Part I, Metal: Hellsinger, and more, this month is shaping up to be a huge one for long-awaited sequels, new entries in beloved franchises, and (of course) horror.
October is known for being the season of Halloween horror, but not everything launching this month is quite so macabre. While there are plenty of ghosts, zombies, and Umbra Witches to entice those who embrace spooky season, there are also some brighter, more colorful games that center on adventures, heroic teams, and much more.
Overwatch 2 Is a Controversial Follow-up to a Popular Shooter
Releasing October 4 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch
After several months of closed betas, Overwatch 2 is finally launching this month. The game is replacing the original with a new free-to-play model that adds more characters, reduces team sizes from six to five, and new modes. Those who played Overwatch will be able to carry over unlocked cosmetics, in-game currency, and player stats by connecting their existing account, and the sequel will support both cross-platform play and cross-progression. Overwatch 2 has been quite controversial so far, with many criticizing the game's battle pass model and other changes. Publisher Activision Blizzard itself has been the subject of numerous controversies and lawsuits recently, so it remains to be seen how Overwatch 2 will fare in light of its uphill battle.
Dragon Ball: The Breakers Is a Fresh Take on a Beloved Series
Releasing October 13 for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch
The asymmetrical multiplayer genre is growing larger with the release of Dragon Ball: The Breakers, which pits groups of seven ordinary individuals against the Raider. Here, the villains are classic antagonists from the franchise, such as Cell, Frieza, and Buu, and Raider players will be granted awesome powers to hunt down the Survivors, gaining strength and evolving as they go. The Breakers is a major departure for Dragon Ball games, which have mainly been fighting games, beat 'em ups, and RPGs, and fans are looking forward to this fresh take on the series.
Scorn Is a Gory & Grotesque Horror Game
Releasing October 14 for PC and Xbox Series X|S
Fans of dark, grotesque experiences will want to check out Scorn, a first-person horror adventure that looks like a painting by H. R. Giger made playable. The game throws players into an unsettling dream world where they'll have to explore interconnected regions and a non-linear story. This incredibly gory, violent, and immersive game certainly isn't for the faint of heart, but it looks like a dynamic and visually-stunning experience for those who can stomach it.
A Plague Tale: Requiem Continues Innocence's Dark Story
Releasing October 18 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch (Cloud)
Fans of 2019's A Plague Tale: Innocence won't want to miss this sequel, which continues the story of Amicia and Hugo de Rune, two siblings seeking a cure for the latter's blood disease while avoiding the French Inquisition and plague-carrying rats. The new game introduces more combat and stealth options, as well as larger areas that look to improve gameplay and give players more ways to progress through Requiem's challenges and grim world.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed Looks Perfect for Fans
Releasing October 18 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S
October is a big month of asymmetrical multiplayer games based on beloved franchises, with Ghostbusters also getting in on the fun. Spirits Unleashed supports up to four players and pits Ghostbusters against ghosts, with the former using first-person shooter gameplay and the latter being controlled from a third-person perspective. As the ghost player terrorizes a town and possesses objects, it's up to the Ghostbusters to capture them while cleaning up the messes they leave behind. Players can even customize their Ghostbusters and ghosts, allowing fans to really immerse themselves in this exciting world.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope Brings Ubisoft and Nintendo's Quirky Crossover to Space
Releasing October 20 for Nintendo Switch
When Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was announced fans were surprised and skeptical. While plenty questioned the inclusion of the Rabbids, the fact the notoriously protective Nintendo was letting Ubisoft use its flagship franchise gave fans reason to be optimistic. Ultimately, the game was a surprising success, with critics and fans enjoying its turn-based strategy gameplay, sometimes despite its ludicrous concept.
Now, the two franchises are colliding once more in Sparks of Hope, a sequel that adds more characters like Rabbid Rosalina and Bowser, new mechanics, and more. This time, players will have to take on Cursa and the Darkness, which is plunging the galaxy into chaos by stealing energy from Sparks (fusions of Lumas and Rabbids). Sparks of Hope changes things up by being less linear than its predecessor and adding some real-time elements, such as Bob-ombs that explode after a certain amount of time.
Gotham Knights Tells a New Story With the Bat-Family
Releasing October 21 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S
WB Games Montréal's long-awaited game Gotham Knights is finally launching this month after several delays and a lot of hype. In a world where Batman is apparently dead, Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl, and Robin have risen up to fill the hero's massive shoes. Though not actually connected to the beloved Batman: Arkham series, Gotham Knights definitely looks to appeal to fans of the Bat-Family with fast-paced combat and a wide-open, dynamic Gotham to explore and fight crime in. As players take on foes in single-player or co-op fights, they'll grow stronger and get closer to taking down the villainous Court of Owls.
Persona 5 Royal's Long-awaited Port Brings the JRPG to All Platforms
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Releasing October 21 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch
A port fans have been requesting for years now is finally coming, bringing one of the best JRPGs ever made to all modern platforms. Persona 5 Royal expands on the 2017 game with new characters, story content, and other changes, giving fans a definitive version of the Phantom Thieves' story. The game follows a group of high school students who change the hearts of corrupt adults by traveling to another world and battling using Personas, manifestations of their true selves that represent their rebellious spirits. In addition to the port itself, this release of Royal comes with the paid DLC, which consists of additional costumes, Personas, and battles, including ones with the protagonists of Persona 3 and 4.
Victoria 3 Brings Historical Grandy Strategy to a New Age
Releasing October 25 for PC, Mac, and Linux
A sequel over a decade in the making, Victoria 3 excited fans when it was announced during 2021's PDXCon. This grand strategy game lets players take control of one of over 100 countries that existed between 1836 and 1936, managing pops and making decisions that shape the course of history. Unlike similar games, Victoria 3 encourages diplomacy with the Diplomatic Plays system, which gives players ways to resolve disputes without going to war. Between that and some other changes that address and attempt to rectify problematic aspects of previous games, it looks like Victoria 3 could be a must-play for fans of historical strategy games.
Bayonetta 3 Will Finally Bewitch Fans With Even More Bayonetta
Releasing October 28 for Nintendo Switch
After a long, long wait, Bayonetta is finally back for another adventure. Bayonetta 3 follows the Umbra Witch as she tries to save the world from bioweapons called Homunculi and an evil entity known as the Singularity, fighting alongside some people with whom she has complicated histories like Jeanne, Luka, and newcomer Viola. Also interesting are the alternate versions of Bayonetta herself, which tease a multiverse that could change everything. Saving the world is a departure for a character who once fought primarily for herself, so fans should look forward to another frenetic and stylish hack-and-slash adventure.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II Continues the 2019 Game's Story
Releasing October 28 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S
The next entry in Activision's flagship first-person shooter franchise releases this month. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II serves as a direct sequel to the 2019 game and adds new gameplay changes like advanced AI, swimming mechanics, new gameplay modes, and an overhaul to the vehicle system. The campaign is set three years after its predecessor as Task Force 141 takes on a terrorist organization and a drug cartel.
Call of Duty has been in the news a lot lately between the controversies surrounding Activision Blizzard, questions surrounding the series' future on PlayStation, and issues with its anti-cheat measures, but Modern Warfare II will, hopefully, remind fans why they love the series so much.
Resident Evil RE:Verse Lets Players Control Iconic Characters
Releasing October 28 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One
While it was originally meant to launch alongside Resident Evil Village, the six-player online multiplayer game Resident Evil RE:Verse is finally coming this month. This online-only title (which is available for free to anyone who owns Resident Evil Village) lets four to six players battle it out in survival-horror deathmatches as iconic Resident Evil characters like Leon Kennedy, Chris Redfield, and Jill Valentine. Those who die return as zombies, and the player who earns the most points in five minutes wins. While many were disappointed by the game's delay, that extra wait looks to be worth it.
Resident Evil Village Gold Edition & the Winters Expansion Conclude the Current Arc
Releasing October 28 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S
RE:Verse isn't the only game in store for Resident Evil fans this October; there's also a new version of Village launching just in time for Halloween. Gold Edition adds a third-person gameplay mode, new content to the existing multiplayer mode "The Mercenaries" (including playable Lady Dimitrescu), and additional story content in the form of the Shadows of Rose story expansion.
The new story content, set 16 years after the events of Village, follows Ethan Winters' daughter, who has grown up and must contend with her immense and terrifying powers. Rose's journey will conclude the Winters storyline, possibly setting up the future of the Resident Evil series. Those who already own Resident Evil Village can purchase the new content as an add-on to the existing game called the Winters' Expansion.