Gaming is an incredibly rewarding and fun hobby to have, but no-one ever said it would be cheap. With so many games coming out it can be hard to keep up, and even harder to decide which titles to get day one and which to wait and see how they turn out. The games pile up in your backlog, the money is wasted, and with E3 only a few months away and sure to announce even MORE games.
It's a good decision to plan out your game purchases to get the most guaranteed bang for your buck. Between now and E3, there are A LOT of games to be played, so here are some of the ones you should look for.
January
The beginning of the year, and the games tend to start out slowly. No blockbusters here, but still quality. The month is already halfway over, so there's not a lot left to look at. Of course, there's always some leftovers from last year, too.
Journey to the Savage Planet looks to be a "so crazy it could work" cross between the exploration of No Man's Sky, and the self-aware humor of The Outer Worlds or Fallout. Warcraft III: Reforged is a full remaster of the classic RTS game. It comes with all the usual Blizzard polish and an amazing story, as well as addictive game-play that leads itself perfectly to multiple play-throughs.
February
The second month of the year starts to wind things up, and we have a couple of choice games that you can fall in love with. The choices for February are an excellent port and a brand new adventure for a beloved series.
Darksiders: Genesis continues the acclaimed series in a new direction. Released on PC in late 2019, the console version finally releases this month. The Fourth Horseman, Strife, is finally playable and brings some big guns to the party. Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening Special Edition is a port for the Nintendo Switch, but don't let that scare you off. DMC3 is hailed as one of the best of the franchise and a great entry point for new players. With the long-requested addition of in-mission style switching, it may be time for veteran players to revisit it as well.
March
There are a good amount of great games coming in March, but there are two stand-outs that really can't be ignored. Even if they may not be your normal go-to game type, they are worth the effort to get into.
Doom Eternal is the follow up to the recent soft reboot of the franchise. The game was a sleeper hit, came out of nowhere and was an absolute thrill to play, and the sequel looks to be dialing up literally everything to 100. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is from a series with an extremely dedicated following, and they have been hyping this game up ridiculously. The series doesn't really have a bad game to its name, and this one looks to smooth out the rough edges and add even more depth.
April
Spring comes, and with it come games that literally cannot be missed. These are easily two of the most highly anticipated titles of the last 5 years.
One of the most talked-about games of the last 2 decades, getting an entire redo, Final Fantasy VII Remake is a no brainer. Another must-buy is the next Resident Evil remake, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Capcom released Resident Evil 2 as a full remake of the original classic and it was a huge success both commercially and critically. RE3 aims to pull off the same feat, with all the new bells and whistles, plus updates to the titular big bad Nemesis.
May
Come May, The Last of Us Part II is finally here, delay after delay, the sequel to one of the most praised games ever made has arrived. This game looks to continue the story of Ellie into the nightmare world that is her home. Developer Naughty Dog delivered a definitive PS3 game with The Last of Us, and there's a lot of pressure for the sequel to be an equally well-received title. Wasteland 3 is also set to be a fun time, the last two entries got a lot of praise and this one seems to be heading down that same path.
There are plenty of other games set to release this year, but no official dates mean they could come at any time. This list will help you stay focused on the best games every month, and if any more gems get rushed out to release in the first half of the year, you'll be ready.