Introducing What's Hot, the 12DOVE Summer Preview. This year we are looking beyond the Summer Game Fest schedule and drawing attention to the upcoming video games of 2024 and beyond that we believe should be on your radar. The team here at GR+ is picking out the biggest, best, and most interesting games around and running in-depth features on each of them.
The era of E3 is over. There was a time where the Electronic Entertainment Expo could focus the attention of the entire community of video game players, the world focusing on a single week for the announcements, trailers, gameplay, and release dates which would carry the industry forward into the year. Now, with attention fractured between disparate events and virtual showcases it can be difficult to sift through the noise and connect directly with the entertainment that you are truly passionate about.
But that's where our Summer Preview comes in. These features could include hands-on impressions from our time with one of your most anticipated games of the year, or original interviews where we sit down with the developers creating them to learn more. There will be gameplay analysis and opinion too, because sometimes games are ready to be shown but not played. Hopefully, these articles will bring you closer to the video games that you really care about, and tell you everything you need to know about the experiences you hadn't already connected with.
Be sure to add this page to your reading list and return throughout the month of June, because we'll be updating this coverage hub with new in-depth stories as we explore the biggest games and announcements as part of What's Hot: The 12DOVE Summer Preview for 2024.
50| Fallout 76: Skyline Valley
49| Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero
Coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X on October 11, 2024
It's been 14 years since the last installment to the Budokai Tenkaichi series, but Bandai Namco is here to make up for the wait. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero puts you in command of some of the strongest fighters in the universe, battling it out in vivid 3D battles that capture the thrills of the anime. It's fast, it's frantic, it has an epic roster of characters, and should be the ultimate expression for any Dragon Ball fan.
Read our Dragon Ball: Sparkling Zero hands-on preview
48| Anger Foot
Coming to PC in 2024
From the developer behind Genital Jousting and Terra Nil comes Anger Foot, an absurd first-person shooter where you effectively take on the role of extraterrestrial John Wick – marauding across Shit City to shoot, kick, and immolate a precession of merciless gangsters. Anger Foot is a caffeine-spiked fever dream punctuated by tireless techno, and as we discovered when we played the damn thing, it's an absolute riot if you have the energy to keep up.
Learn more in our Anger Foot hands-on preview
47| 33 Immortals
Coming to PC and Xbox Series X in 2024
Looking for a little more carnage in your life this summer? Then you'll want to cut off a slice of 33 Immortals, a co-op roguelike designed to be played alongside 33 other players. It's a compelling framework from the developers behind Spiritfarer and Sundered. Naturally, as you're facing the wrath of god here, you can expect countless chaotic encounters and the sort of challenging boss battles that have a habit of forcing 33 damned souls to work together in harmony.
Learn more in our 33 Immortals hands-on preview
46| Silent Hill 2 Remake
Coming to PC and PS5 on October 8, 2024
Remaking any video game is always fraught with difficulties, let alone what has long been considered one of the best horror games of all time. Still, Layers of Fear and Observer developer Bloober Team is giving this project its all as it attempts to modernize Silent Hill 2 for new audiences. The studio is trying to merge modern action-game design sensibilities with the suffocating atmosphere of the original experience, and it looks utterly thrilling.
45| Dungeons of Hinterberg
44| Frostpunk 2
Coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X on July 25, 2024
11 Bit Studios created arguably the most depressing city-builder on planet Earth with the original Frostpunk, putting the future of humanity in your hands as it battles to survive an apocalyptic blizzard. Well, the sequel isn't any cheerier, but it is far more approachable. Smart system changes ensure that maintaining a growing metropolis isn't fraught with frustrations, leaving you free to keep the cogs of a giant, resource-hungry machine turning with little consternation.
Learn more in our Frostpunk 2 hands-on preview
43| Wild Bastards
Coming to PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X in 2024
If you've ever wondered what it would be like to take up arms as an interplanetary gunslinger, you'll want to pay attention to Wild Bastards. Tactical first-person shooter combat combines with slick party-building systems which push you to rebuild a gang of 13 outlaws who each carry their own grudges, dreams, and ability trees. All told, Wild Bastards is shaping up to be the spiritual successor to cult-favorite Void Bastards that we never knew we needed.
Read our Wild Bastards hands-on preview
42| Dune Awakening
Coming to PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X in 2024
Dune: Awakening is an upcoming survival MMO from Conan Exiles developer Funcom. Gathering materials for base-building to take shelter on the arid desert planet looks tough enough in the trailers, but we'll have to manage our basic necessities if we want to make it to the next day at all. With water being a rarity and spice reigning supreme on Arrakis, Dune: Awakening is shaping up to be one of the most interesting new survival games of the year. Oh, and watch out for sandworms.
41| Alan Wake 2: Night Springs
Coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X on June 8, 2024
Alan Wake 2: Night Springs is delivering something which was sorely lacking from the main campaign: a little levity. Where Remedy pushed its story in a darker direction, chronicling Alan Wake's spiral through the Dark Place and Saga Anderson's attempt to grapple with an unraveling reality, the game's first expansion is a return to the quirkiness of the original experience. Three episodes, each driven by an elseworld's version of a fan-favorite character – it's a lot of frantic, lighthearted fun.
Read our Alan Wake 2: Night Springs interview
40| Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail
39| Concord
Coming to PC and PS5 on August 23, 2024
Buoyed by the success of Helldivers 2, PlayStation's big commitment to the live service space has a little life left in it yet. Especially after the reveal of Concord, a new PvP multiplayer shooter from Firewalk Studios – connecting the team-based antics of Overwatch with the raucous energy of Guardians of the Galaxy. With its vibrant world, eclectic selection of heroes, and $40 price of entry, Concord is aiming to be your next FPS obsession when it launches this summer.
38| The Alters
Coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X in 2024
It's difficult for survival games to stand out at a time where the genre market is so oversaturated with new contenders. Perhaps that's a part of what makes The Alters so damned impressive, with developer 11 Bit Studios leaning on the multiversal chaos propagated by Everything Everywhere All at Once to help set it apart from the pack. Approachable base building and survival mechanics combine with smart cloning systems to make for an unmissable experience.
Learn more in our The Alters hands-on preview
37| Skate Story
Coming to PC in 2024
If you're yearning for the days of Tony Hawk but with a slightly darker twist, solodev project Skate Story is one to watch this year. Skateboarding through the Underworld looks every bit as badass as it sounds in this striking third-person action game, our crystalline hero performing daring feats of four-wheeled mayhem on a quest to rescue fellow lost souls from the bowels of Hell. Destroying demons with a well-timed kick flip? Sign me right up.
36| Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake
Coming to PC and Xbox Series X on September 5, 2024
If there's any classic JRPG deserving of Square Enix's gorgeous HD-2D remake treatment, it's Dragon Quest 3. Fans have been salivating over the possibilities of this remake since it was first tentatively revealed three years ago, but now the wait is coming to an end. We played an hour of Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D remake behind closed doors at a Square Enix event during Summer Game Fest, and this is absolutely the definitive modernization that this legendary 8-bit RPG deserves.
Read our Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake hands-on preview
35| Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
34| Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
Coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X in 2024
It's been almost a decade since Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain set a new standard for the stealth-action genre, and Konami has done precious little with the franchise since. Eyebrows were raised when the publisher announced it was remaking one of the best PS2 games, but everything we have seen of it so far looks pretty incredible, with Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater boasting overhauled visuals, refined mechanics, and more immersive systems. It's looking increasingly essential.
33| Greedfall 2: The Dying World
Coming to PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X in 2024
Action-RPG Greedfall 2 puts a fresh spin on the 2019 original by situating us in the shoes not of the colonizer, but the colonized. Branching narratives and choice-heavy gameplay will feature heavily as the player must decide how to respond to the invaders. Friend or foe? The choice is yours. It's the first sequel from French developer Spiders, and it's one that's well on the way to achieving BioWare-levels of memorable RPG greatness.
Read our Greedfall 2 hands-on preview
32| Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Coming to Nintendo Switch in 2025
There's been radio silence on Metroid Prime 4 for years, but Nintendo finally showed off the official name and the first trailer for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond at the latest Nintendo Direct. While it's not launching until 2025, we do finally have a sense of what we're getting with Samus Aran's next adventure - and it's wonderfully familiar. Tthe iconinc Varia Suit, missile launcher and charge beams, the scanner, and Samus' Morph Ball ability all feature in the trailer alongside some rather familiar enemies, albeit looking much more visually impressive than anything we've seen in the series before.
Look out for our Metroid Prime 4: Beyond thoughts later this week
31| Yars Rising
Coming to PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X on September 10, 2024
One of the weirdest and most wonderful old-school Atari games is getting a follow-up in Yars Rising, an upcoming Metroidvania from the home of arcade gaming that riffs off 1982's Yars' Revenge. If going up against an enemy called Missile Commander doesn't sell you on this one, I don't know what will, because this 3D side-scrolling adventure is pure nostalgia gift-wrapped in all the stylistic flair of a slick modern Metroidvania.
Read our Yars Rising hands-on preview
30| Path of Exile 2
29| Battle Aces
Coming to PC in the future
If there's anyone you can trust with making a new RTS then it's a Blizzard veteran who spent 10 years making StarCraft. Thus, let us introduce Battle Aces, a new, fast-paced title that's aiming to be the RTS for everyone. With each player only allowed to bring eight units into battle, the aim is to become an action-packed, army vs. army game that lets you experiment with different strategies. From what we've played so far, it's certainly ticking a lot of boxes for us.
Read our Battle Aces hands-on preview
28| Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
Coming to PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X in 2025
Inspired by legendary tabletop games and executed with precision, Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is shaping up to be an essential RPG for 2025. To survive the perils of the Starward Belt, a set of habitats strewn across an asteroid belt, you'll need a ship, a crew, and the contacts to survive it all. Your future is defined as much by the dice you roll as the decisions you make with each of the characters under your command.
Read our Citizen Sleeper 2 hands-on preview
27| Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure
Coming to PS5, Nintendo Switch and PC on July 25, 2024
A few indie games are on this list, but none quite like Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure. Its entire world is placed on a looping grid, like a board game where you can continually slide around entire rows and columns. Our hero Jemma, plus any other characters or items, will flip around to the other side of the map when you reach the end. Figuring out how best to move both Jemma and key items like weapons is core to solving the game's excellent puzzles. It puts an all-new spin on slip 'n' slide.
Read our Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure hands-on preview later this week
26| Slitterhead
Coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X on November 8, 2024
Slitterhead is exceptionally strange. You know, in a way that's deeply unsettling. Not that we'd expect anything less from Keiichiro Toyama, one of the key creatives behind the Silent Hill franchise. He is leading production of this bloody body horror adventure, the debut from Bokeh Game Studio, which is set to land later this year. If there's one thing we need you to understand about Slitterhead, it's that its gameplay reveal trailer is only the beginning.
Learn more in our Slitterhead hands-on preview coming later this week!
25| Lego Horizon Adventures
24| Flintlock: Siege of Dawn
Coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X on July 18, 2024
If you're in the market for an action game that straddles the fine line between the robustness of God of War and challenge of Elden Ring, then the next release from Ashen developer A44 Games is likely what you're looking for. It isn't a soulslike in the traditional sense, but rather an approachable, hyper-mobile action game that delivers big thrills and all-encompassing boss battles against some truly gorgeous backdrops. You'll want to watch this one closely.
Read our Flintlock: Siege of Dawn hands-on preview
23| Avowed
Coming to Xbox Series X and PC on November 8, 2024
Obsidian is bringing us back to the Living Lands of Eora, its Pillars of Eternity universe, in Avowed. The upcoming first person RPG will see us unravelling the origins of a mysterious illness that plagues the Living Lands, forging alliances with new companions along the way. Expect a branching narrative, magic-melee combat systems, and a beautiful semi-open world to explore. Avowed has been nicknamed Obsidian's answer to Skyrim – and that's not a bad thing at all.
Our Avowed interview is coming soon!
22| Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
Coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X on July 19, 2024
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is an upcoming action strategy game that centres on Yoshiro, a priestess capable of cleansing the Tori gates and sealing away the evil that's spilling out of each one. You are her protector, an acrobatic sword-wielding type who's battles most often resemble deadly dances than your average combat. With a roguelike-esque structure, you'll spend your days preparing but your nights are dedicated to fighting the deliciously-named Seethe hordes. This Capcom developed title is a stunning one, and out very soon indeed.
Our Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess hands-on preview is coming soon!
21| Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred
Coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X on October 8, 2024
Blizzard Entertainment is riding high off of the success of Diablo 4, and the action-RPGs first expansion is set to introduce sprawling changes to the core loop and loot cycle. We'll follow Neyrelle on her journey into Nahantu, a region of Sanctuary which fans of Diablo 2 will likely recognise, as she grapples with the influence of the Soulstone. Better still you'll be able to do it as a Spiritborn, which is a brand new class for the Diablo franchise.
Our Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred interview is coming soon!
20| Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl
19| Life is Strange: Double Exposure
Coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X on October 29, 2024
There were a lot of big surprises out of the summer reveal season, but perhaps none quite as unexpected as Life is Strange: Double Exposure. Deck Nine Games – the developer behind (arguably) the two best Life is Strange games in Before the Storm and True Colors – is back with a brand new adventure, this one starring an older Max Caulfield who is shifting between realities to try and circumvent the murder of her best friend. You might say that it looks hella good.
Read our Life is Strange: Double Exposure preview
18| The Plucky Squire
Coming to PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X in 2024
The Plucky Squire is a 2D and 3D side-scrolling action-adventure on the way from developer All Possible Futures, and it's one we've been eyeballing for a long time. Stepping out from the pages of a storybook, our hero Jot discovers a whole new world beyond his own after being kicked out of it by the nasty villainous Humgrump, but it turns out to be a much grander adventure than he bargained for.
Our Plucky Squire hands-on preview
17| Fable 4
Coming to PC and Xbox Series X in 2024
With every new Fable trailer, we've grown more excited about how this hotly-antipicated RPG is turning out. With new developer Playground Games at the helm this time (of Forza Horizon fame), it felt like a bit of a risk essentially rebooting the Fable series for a new generation. However, from what we've seen so far, Playground has retained the quintessential British humor, the smattering of celebrity voice actors, and combat that's a heady mix of swordplay and sorcery that felt so core to the series' identity. And Albion is looking better than ever, of course. It might not be arriving until 2025, but so far it looks worth the wait.
Read our Fable 4 preview
16| Tales of the Shire
Coming to Nintendo Switch, PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X in 2024
The existence of a hobbit is (mostly) a peaceful one, and that's what cozy life sim Tales of the Shire is all about. In a welcome departure from the action-heavy likes of the best Lord of the Rings games, Tales of the Shire sees us creating our own hobbit, decorating our burrow, and exploring Hobbiton in all its charming glory. Expect cooking simulations to play a large role here – there's always room for second breakfast, after all.
Read our Tales of the Shire hands-on preview
15| Black Myth Wukong
14| Phantom Blade Zero
Coming to PC and PS5
Phantom Blade Zero isn't another soulslike – it's an irresponsibly fast action game that feels like a melting pot of ideas, harkening back to everything from Sekrio: Shadows Die Twice to Ninja Gaiden Black and Metal Gear Rising Revengeance. With its world built around Chinese martial arts and steampunk, punishingly quick combat, and surprisingly deep combo-focused assaults, Phantom Blade 0 is on track to carve its own space out of a crowded genre. The game doesn't have a release window just yet, but we're hoping it lands soon.
Read our Phantom Blade Zero hands-on preview
13| Neva
Coming to PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC in 2024
Now with such stunning games on the horizon, it's a bold statement to call one the 'most beautiful game at Summer Game Fest'. But, that's exactly what we did with Neva, the latest game from developer Nomada Studios, who also delivered us Gris back in 2018. You play as Alba, who finds herself looking after Neva, a wolf cub that will need your guidance as you progress through the game and watch her grow. Against a backdrop of stunning soft color palettes and encroaching decay, this is going to be one to watch.
Read our Neva hands-on preview
12| Starfield: Shattered Space
Coming to Xbox Series X and PC in 2024
Bethesda's already sprawling intergalactic RPG Starfield is expanding further in the Shattered Space DLC, slated to launch later in 2024. The spooky-sounding new chapter takes us deeper into the recesses of outer space, this time to a dark corner where ghostlike entities will fight back as you explore the secrets they are protecting. Its striking cosmic horror vibes set an intriguing scene for a story-driven adventure, and Shattered Space is just the first in a line of planned DLC releases for the coming years.
Our Starfield: Shattered Space impressions are coming soon
11| Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Coming to Xbox Series X and PC in 2024
Indy fans, look no further for the game you've been waiting for. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an upcoming Bethesda game made in tandem with Wolfenstein developer MachineGames, and it's shaping up to be the cinematic action-adventure of the year. Swapping between first-person combat action and third-person traversal, the new Indiana Jones game is set to take us on a whip-cracking, globetrotting journey that sits between Raiders and Lost Crusade on the timeline. Yeah, I can't quite believe it's finally happening either.
Our Indiana Jones and the Great Circle impressions are coming soon
10| Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
09| Monster Hunter Wilds
Coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X in 2025
When Capcom unleashed Monster Hunter World in 2018, it didn't just crack elusive Western markets – it dominated them, with the sterling action-RPG quickly becoming the highest-selling game in the publisher's long history. Well now Monster Hunter Wilds is here to build upon that success; a sprawling adventure that is set to deliver dynamic environments, more vibrant ecosystems, and an evolved set of combat mechanics to take the series to new heights. Wilds is going to be big in 2025.
Read our Monster Hunter Wilds preview
08| Gears of War: E-Day
Coming to PC and Xbox Series X in 2025
Emergence Day is legend in Gears of War history. It's the day the Locust first emerged from beneath the surface of planet Sera and waged a war on humanity. It has long been considered sacrosanct, with neither Epic Games nor The Coalition ever giving much detail on the climatic event. Gears of War: E-Day will change all of that next year in this daring prequel adventure which aims to recapture the spirit which defined the original trilogy.
Our Gears of War: E-Day interview is coming soon!
07| Astro Bot
Coming to PS5 on September 6, 2024
PlayStation has often routed some of its best ideas through Astro, the robot who is quickly becoming one of Sony's most beloved mascots. Astro is returning this year with a supersized space adventure – the PS5 mothership has been wrecked, leaving Astro and the crew scattered across 50 planets. Packed full of nods to PlayStation history, and the sort of innovations which make full use of the PS5 hardware, this will be an unmissable adventure for the entire family.
Read our Astro Bot hands-on preview
06| The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Coming to Nintendo Switch on September 26, 2024
Princess Zelda will finally star in her very own Legend of Zelda game. The 3D action-adventure sees the tables turn on Link and Zelda as she ventures forth to free her knight using everything but a sword – yes, even the kitchen sink, since her powers let her duplicate and spawn everyday items to help solve myriad platforming puzzles. Echoes of Wisdom is a charming addition to the Zelda canon in the vein of the Link's Awakening remake, and it's right up there on our list of new Switch games.
Read our Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom impressions soon
05| Perfect Dark
04| Assassin's Creed Shadows
Coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series on November 12, 2024
In setting its action across Feudal Japan, Assassin's Creed Shadows is delivering on a longstanding dream from the AC community. What I don't think any of us expected was for this upcoming Assassin's Creed game to be so forward-thinking – developer Ubisoft Quebec is pushing its stealth and combat systems, routing big changes to the action-RPG framework through its dual Shinobi and Samurai protagonists. It's destined to be one of 2024's most discussed releases.
Read our Assassin's Creed Shadows preview
03| Doom: The Dark Ages
Coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X in 2025
Doom: The Dark Ages is drawing you into a time where the Slayer was wielded as the ultimate super weapon of gods and kings. It's one hell of a setup, driving some sweeping changes to the framework of id Software's upcoming shooter. The studio is looking to the past to inspire its future, introducing more grounded combat with a wider reliance on navigating projectiles to harken back to the original DOOM, all while introducing a new suite of demon-slaying weapons.
Read our exclusive Doom: The Dark Ages preview
02| Star Wars Outlaws
Coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X on August 30, 2024
Star Wars Outlaws is shaping up to be the scoundrel simulator that we've always dreamed of playing. Massive Entertainment, the developer behind The Division and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, is building out its own corner of a galaxy far, far, away – an open world Star Wars game where you take on the role of a young smuggler trying to pull off a daring Outer Rim heist between the events of Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
Read our Star Wars Outlaws hands-on preview
01| Dragon Age: The Veilguard
