10 most anticipated video games for the rest of 2022

In 2022, we’ve already witnessed some video game releases making waves and we’re not even at the half year mark yet. Much anticipated FromSoftware game, Elden Ring made a big splash, while Horizon Forbidden West showed how sequels are supposed to be done.

April was a slightly dry month, although LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga was a gift for Star Wars fans. And finally in May we got the likes of Sifu and Trek to Yomi with a few more interesting ones to come.

Going forward, the year has more to offer it seems, as there are quite a few intriguing games still to come (as long as they are not delayed, fingers crossed). Here are 10 most anticipated video games that will arrive later this year.

Note: This article reflects the writer's opinion.

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10 video games to look forward to as 2022 progresses

1) God of War Ragnarok

The ninth installment in the God of War video game series, God of War Ragnarök continues the story from the previous game. The protagonist Kratos returns with his son Atreus, to the wild world of the ancient Norse Midgard, battling monsters and gods with the sort of aplomb and spectacle only seen in a God of War video game.

This time around, the story inches closer to the mythological event of Ragnarök which prophesizes the end times for all the major gods in the Norse pantheon. After the events of the last game, it will be intriguing to see if Kratos and Atreus number among that group.

God of War (2018) revitalized the series with an in depth combat system along with a plot even more intricate, telling the story of a world weary Kratos dealing with the hardships of being a single father.

The game was quite fun to play. With many elements returning to the sequel, it is one of the most anticipated video games of this year. Set to release in late 2022, fans can’t wait to get their hands on this game, if for no reason other than to beat the Almighty Thor.

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2) Saints Row

After the failure of Saints Row 4, developer Volition took the back-to-the-basics approach for the next video game. So came the reboot simply titled as Saints Row. Set to release on August 23rd, 2022, Saints Row is a third-person action-adventure video game, with a customizable player character, known as ‘The Boss.'

The story for this game dials it back to a grounded one, set in the fictional city of Santo Ileso. As was the norm for the older, more popular video games of the series, the city is under the control of various factions, all of which the player's character will ultimately conquer, one way or another.

The previous games were much loved by players due to their fun take on an open-world crime family oriented story, a breath of fresh air from most GTA games, while never feeling inconsequential.

The trailer for the reboot seems to harken back to that style again, with the developers confirming that player customization will also return, with more options than ever before.

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3) Gotham Knights

Fans of Rocksteady’s Batman video games have been waiting a long time to fill the void left by Batman Arkham Knight. And while Gotham Knights is not a Rocksteady production, it is developed by WB Games Montréal. This is the same studio that created Batman: Arkham Origins, a spin-off origin story for the Arkham-verse.

Gotham Knights features solo as well as two player coop multiplayer, with players being able to take control of the four heroes revealed so far. These include Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood and Robin, four of Batman’s closest allies.

While Bruce Wayne himself seems to have died somehow before the events of the game, it is yet to be seen if the story will bring him back somehow. It is a comic book video game after all.

While the premise might sound familiar, Gotham Knights has nothing to do with the Arkham video games, taking inspiration only from its gameplay and the story’s ending. This game will tell an original story of a living and breathing Gotham city, as the heroes try to take back control from the supervillains who’ve risen up.

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4) Forspoken

From the developers of Final Fantasy XV, comes the much-anticipated video game known as Forspoken. This game raised many eyebroww when it released a teaser trailer during a PS5 showcase event. Fluid game mechanics and traversal modes had players salivating for more.

Forspoken will tell the story of Frey Holland, a modern day New Yorker who is transported into a land of fantasy, known as Athia. There Frey meets a sentient bracelet and gains magical power, battling the evil forces of the Tantas. Her goal initially however, is simple: she just wants to get back home.

The video game astounded audiences even more as it released a full trailer during the Game Awards 2021, showing full gameplay and the in-game combat mechanics. Since then, it has attained a release date for October 11, 2022.

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5) A Plague Tale: Requiem

A Plague Tale: Innocence tells the story of siblings Amica de Rune and her younger brother Hugo, who has an inherent sickness of some sort, as they journey across the plague ridden world of a fictional France in search of a cure.

Full of heart wrenching twists and willful self sacrifice, the game shows a personal struggle of these two siblings and the people around them.

The sequel to the first video game, Requiem sees the return of the two siblings again, in what promises to be a heartrending story set in a breathtaking but brutal world. As seen in the trailers, this time around the story features the journey to an island, featuring a sequence in a ship, followed by a section on a beach and much more.

The core gameplay mechanics of the first game also make a return, with stealth playing a vital role in combat. Fans of the original game will recognize many returning elements, such as the aforementioned plague, carried by hordes of rats. As far as narrative stories go, Plague Tale has not yet let its players down.

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6) Hogwarts Legacy

This one is for all the Harry Potter geeks out there, Hogwarts Legacy will have players finally experience what it feels like to be a student in the eponymous school of witchcraft and wizardry. This is the first large-scale Harry Potter game since LEGO Harry Potter released all the way back in 2011.

Set in the 1800s, the players get to paprtake in their fifth year in the school, at the end of which students are generally expected to take their OWLs exams and start thinking about a future career. The gameplay footage revealed that the castle of Hogwarts will play as the main setting, with additional areas such as the nearby village of Hogsmeade also being accessible.

Players will be able to learn a litany of spells as well as attend classes and experience what it truly feels like to be a student in the Wizarding World. At the time of writing, the game is set to release in December of 2022.

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7) Stray

Developed by BlueTwelve studios, Stray is certainly a new and intriguing concept. Categorized as a third-person adventure game, Stray lets players seemingly take control of a stray cat with a backpack, as it meanders about a futuristic looking city.

In essence Stray is said to be a puzzle solving game, with various obstacles to move and platforming to undertake. The cat will also be accompanied by a drone companion known as B12, which may assist the cat in various ways.It's not all sunshine and daisies though, as the game does have enemies known as Zurks, which will attack the cat in swarms.

In an age where AAA video games are taking the world by storm, small narrative-driven games do allow for a bit of change of pace, as evidenced by last year's Unpacking. Time will tell if Stray will deliver something similar.

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8) Lord of the Rings: Gollum

Another one for book readers, Lord of the Rings: Gollum is an upcoming game set in Tolkien’s legendarium. This is the first game set in Middle Earth in the last 5 years, after the much despised Middle Earth: Shadow of War.

In this game, players can step into the shoes of Gollum himself, one of the most intense and complex characters in the Lord of the Rings series (thanks in no small part to Andy Serkis’ performance in the movies).

Telling the story of when Gollum found the ring and before the events of the Hobbit, it will be interesting to see if the narrative feels in the same vein as movies at least. There is also a possibilty that the plot will end up creating plot holes and continuity errors, as was the case with Shadow of War.

Developer Daedalic Entertainment, the people behind the Deponia video game series, haven’t set an exact release date this year. Originally LORT: Gollum was set to release in March of 2021, but was since pushed back to 2022. Fingers crossed that it doesn’t happen again.

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9) Bayonetta III

Bayonetta has had a long reprieve from video games, with the last entry in the series being in 2014. However, fans were delighted to hear that the titular heroine will be making a return to the gaming media, during an announcement in the Game Awards 2017 with a teaser trailer.

Since then, the game has been in development for quite some time, but the first official trailer came during a Nintendo direct broadcast, with it showcasing the gameplay and returning elements, most famous of which was Witch Time. At the end of the trailer, the release year of 2022 was announced.

As the trailer suggests, Bayonetta will definitely be a familiar experience for longtime fans, who are no doubt eagerly awaiting the return of the Umbra Witch, whenever the game drops later this year.

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10) The Outlast Trials

Outlast Trials' poster (Image via Red Barrels)

The Outlast series has established itself as a reliable horror experience in video game history. Since its inception in Outlast, through to its sequel, Outlast 2, these games have delivered psychological horror like no other game has managed to.

The Outlast Trials, by returning developers Red Barrels, tells a prequel story set before the event of the first game. The plot centers around test subjects for the Murkoff Corporation during the period of the Cold War.

A teaser trailer was released in 2020, which announced a release date for 2020. However, it has since been delayed to 2022, citing the pandemic as the primary hurdle. While details are sparse as of yet, fans of the series wait with anticipation for this game’s release.