It's almost fall, which means the end of 2022 is nigh – luckily, there are still some great games coming down the pipe that will have you looking forward to the colder months. Some of these games are no-brainers, like God of War Ragnarok and The Callisto Protocol, while a few of these may have slipped past your radar. Either way, all of these games are worth a peek – especially if you prefer to spend the cold seasons snuggled up on the couch with a good game.
The 16 games on this list are some of the most highly anticipated new games of 2022, and there really is something for everybody here. Whether you like action-adventure RPGs, point-and-click classics, frantic first-person shooters, weird narrative adventures, and so much more. So be sure to check out this list of our most anticipated games for fall 2022, and don't forget to clear some space in your calendar this holiday season to play them all.
1. Disney Dreamlight Valley
Release Date: September 6, 2022
Developers: Gameloft
Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch
It's Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but Disney. Yes, you read that right. Disney Dreamlight Valley is a free adventure sim that will let you mine, garden, fish, cook, and more - all alongside your favorite Disney and Pixar characters. Just like in Animal Crossing, you'll be able to live alongside these characters in your own customizable home as well as the valley surrounding it, as you try to restore the latter to its former glory. You'll wield Dreamlight magic to clear away thorns that have encroached upon this world, and you'll be able to earn more magic abilities by completing objectives around the valley. This sounds like a total delight, right? For more information, check out our early access Disney Dreamlight Valley review.
2. Splatoon 3
Release Date: September 9, 2022
Developers: Nintendo
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Paint-splatter guns. That's it, that's Splatoon 3. Okay, there's obviously a lot more going on with what it undoubtedly one of our most anticipated upcoming Nintendo games for 2022, including new game modes, new paint-based weapons, and a bunch of cool new cosmetics to aid your character customization. Splatoon 3 has already delighted players in its beta and trailers, with everyone falling in love with Big Man, a huge manta ray who is one of three Splatoon 3 hosts. This just looks like a ton of good, clean fun, and we can't say no to that.
3. Return to Monkey Island
Release Date: September 19, 2022
Developers: Ron Gilbert, Terrible Toybox
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch
Return to Monkey Island is a return to the popular point-and-click franchise. Expect the same level of humor as the original – after all, you can get the worst Elder Scrolls DLC as a pre-order bonus. We don't know much about the upcoming game, but we do know that the story will continue directly from what happened in 1991's Monkey Island 2, so expect to see your favorite characters returning once again.
4. Overwatch 2
Release Date: October 4, 2022
Developer: Blizzard
Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch
Come this October, Overwatch 1 will be no more, as it will be replaced by Overwatch 2. The hero shooter is not only changing the team make-up from six players to five, but it's also going free-to-play, and launching separately from the PvE content Blizzard is still working on. The Overwatch 2 beta has proven the sequel will be faster and snappier than the original, with some heroes getting reworks and new heroes lending themselves to a more aggressive playstyle. Overwatch 2 is going to seriously shake up the free-to-play genre, so keep an eye out.
5. A Plague Tale: Requiem
Release Date: October 15, 2022
Developer: Asobo Studio
Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch
Look away if you're not a fan of rats, as A Plague Tale: Requiem is chock full of them. The sequel to the action-adventure stealth game A Plague Tale: Innocence, Requiem is promising to arm you with even more tools to help you navigate Amicia and Hugo past guards and through rat-filled streets. This intense game is gory, gross, and occasionally disturbing, so it's perfect for spooky season. It's twisted but incredibly satisfying to smother a soldier's torch with an extinguishing powder and watch him get mobbed by rats. Sorry, not sorry.
6. Gotham Knights
Release Date: October 21, 2022
Developer: WB Games Montreal
Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Arkham game fans, pay attention. Gotham Knights is coming this year thanks to WB Games Montreal, and it'll give you a chance to play as not one, not two, but four superheroes (none of which are Batman). Gotham Knights takes place after the death of Batman, with the city of Gotham in flux and facing the wrath of the mysterious Court of Owls, who thrive in the shadows. The action-adventure RPG elements will be most obvious in the varying fighting styles of Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, and Red Hood, all of whom have different gear and abilities. Plus, Gotham Knights has drop-in, drop-out two person co-op, so if you weren't interested now, the idea of playing with a friend should entice you.
7. Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
Release Date: October 20, 2022
Developer: Ubisoft
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Get ready for another turn-based strategy game featuring your favorite Italian-American plumber and a bunch of alien rabbits. Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope was announced in 2021, showing how the new game is clearly pulling inspiration from the Super Mario Galaxy games, with a gorgeous galactic art style and multiple planets to explore. Sparks of Hope is also doing away with the grid-based combat system and will instead have Pokemon-style combat encounters, which may feel more fluid for both new and returning players. If you liked the first game, you'll want to nab the sequel this October.
8. Bayonetta 3
Release Date: October 28, 2022
Developer: PlatinumGames
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Everyone's favorite spectacled gunslinger is coming back just in time for Halloween costumes – and for you to spend the early dark hours playing Bayonetta 3 on Nintendo Switch. This is one of the biggest games of 2022, with gamers hungry for a title that was announced over five years ago. It seems like Bayonetta 3 will expand upon the gameplay mechanics of 2014's Bayonetta 2, so expect some wild new tricks and bombastic action. We don't know much about the story just yet, but that's why we'll be picking up Bayonetta 3 on day one.
9. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Release Date: October 28, 2022
Developer: Infinity Ward
Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a sequel to the well-received 2019 reboot, and it's planning on once again shaking up the franchise's formula. We know Modern Warfare 2 will have aquatic warfare like never before, some great throwbacks to iconic Call of Duty missions, and a rumored DMZ mode that seems more and more likely. Expect a rock-solid campaign that you can breeze through in a few days, and hours upon hours of multiplayer fun to be had. And if that weren't enough, there's a pretty good chance that we're going to see Warzone 2 land before the end of the year as well.
10. Harvestella
Release Date: November 4, 2022
Developer: Square Enix
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch
It's a Stardew Valley, but it's also Final Fantasy – it's Harvestella. The RPG/farming sim mash-up will let you collect material, farm crops, tend to your animals, and chat with local villagers in the town of Lethe. You can experience different seasons like spring, summer, fall, winter, and erm, Quietus. Here's where the Final Fantasy elements come in: Quietus is a time of year when crops die and an evil force descends upon your village – an evil force you'll need to fight, of course. This looks like one of the weirder life sims on the release calendar, and we can't wait to see more of it.
11. Sonic Frontiers
Release Date: November 8, 2022
Developer: Sonic Team
Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch
A new Sonic game is always a time for celebration, and Sonic Frontiers is no exception. With open-zone freedom across the Starfall Islands, you'll be blue-blurring your way through forests, deserts, and more gorgeous landscapes. This isn't your dad's Sonic game, and that may be a good thing. Sonic Frontiers had a closed-door hands-on at Gamescom 2022, and while there have been a few leaks, there are still a lot of unknowns about this upcoming title. How will Sonic play in a 3D world? If you're a fan of the fast little dude, this is a game to keep on your radar.
12. God of War Ragnarok
Release Date: November 9, 2022
Developer: Sony Santa Monica
Platforms: PS4, PS5
You can't have a list of upcoming games for the rest of 2022 without God of War Ragnarok – undoubtedly the most anticipated of the upcoming PS5 games. The sequel to the beloved 2018 reboot will reunite us with Kratos and his son Atreus, and continue their story year after the end of the previous game. Father and son must face Ragnarok – the Norse apocalyptic legend – along with a whole host of familiar and new enemies. Freya, Thor, and even Atreus himself will but heads with the gruff Kratos, so plan for some serious drama. You'll also be able to visit all nine realms (there were only six in the previous game), so expect God of War Ragnarok to take a delightful chunk of your time. What a great game to settle down with a piping cup of tea on a chilly night.
13. Pentiment
Release Date: November 15, 2022
Developer: Obsidian
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Pentiment may not be what you'd expect from an Obsidian game. It's a branching narrative, 2D point-and-click adventure game set around medieval times. It doesn't look like any other game Obsidian's put out in quite some time, and it certainly doesn't look like anything else that debuted alongside it at the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase at this year's E3. But that's why we can't stop thinking about Pentiment and its cool art style and weirdo sense of humor – there's something so refreshing about it, like a crisp fall breeze. This is one of the weirdest upcoming Xbox Series X games, so keep this one on your radar if you're looking for something a little different.
14. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Release Date: November 18, 2022
Developer: Game Freak
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Pokemon fans will be eating good this holiday season when Pokemon Scarlet and Violet drops in November. A brand-new open-world adventure awaits, one where the towns will seamlessly blend into the wilderness around it, plus some new Gen 9 Pokemon to obsess over. The new Paldea region will have "vast open spaces dotted with lakes, towering peaks, wastelands, and mountain ranges." And Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will have a non-linear story that is no longer tied to badge orders or Gym Leaders, so expect a familiar but not too familiar experience this late fall.
15. The Callisto Protocol
Release Date: December 2, 2022
Developer: Striking Distance Studios
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
A spiritual successor to Dead Space, The Callisto Protocol is Glen Schofield's next attempt to scare the living crap out of you. The Callisto Protocol is one of the most anticipated upcoming horror games out there and for good reason: set to take place in 2320 on Callisto, there's some seriously creepy stuff going on in the shadows of one of Jupiter's moons. While much of the plot is shrouded in mystery, you can expect some gross dismemberment, a diegetic HUD, and plenty of jump scares. Play this with the lights off if you really wanna get freaked out.
16. High on Life
Release Date: December 13, 2022
Developer: Squanch Games
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S
High on Life has talking guns that curse like sailors and beg you not to shoot alien children – and it can be a bit much at times, especially when its latest trailer hinges on . But there's a reason Squanch Games' FPS was the talk of Gamescom 2022, and that's because it's actually pretty good. Yup, our High on Life hands-on was surprisingly good, with bold and bright visuals, sharp wit, and some surprisingly cool elements that hearken back to Metroid Prime and Sunset Overdrive. Ignore the talking guns, and grab High on Life for some good, (not so) clean fun.
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