5 most anticipated video games of July 2022

The first half of 2022 has kept video game players busy with a long list of titles that have been released. With a handful of AAA games gracing the shelves and many non-famous names being released, the first few months of this year offered up many options for fans to invest money and time in.

As the halfway mark of the year is here, there will be a somewhat scarcity of releases, as this is not the season for release. Most new video games will next be released around the Halloween holiday period and later around Christmas. That is not to say that the coming month has no upcoming video games to look forward to.

July 2022 has a small number of video game releases planned for the coming few weeks, and many of these are games that players have been looking forward to since their announcements. Here then are five such anticipated video games coming in July 2022.

Note: This article reflects the writer's opinion.

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F1 22 to Digimon Survive: 5 video games arriving in July 2022

1) Stray

Collectively known amongst the video game community as the "Cat Game," Stray is an upcoming release from publisher Annapurna Interactive and will launch on July 19, 2022. Developed by BlueTwelve studios, this is an interesting-looking video game that allows people to play as a cat in an alternate universe populated by robots.

Falling into this new world, this stray cat must venture out into this strange environment to search for a way back to its family. Puzzles are a large part of the gameplay, with environmental interaction and platforming playing a big role in solving them and progressing through the story.

The cat will meet and be accompanied by a drone companion known as B12, which can help the player by translating the language spoken by the robot inhabitants of this world. The game also features some enemies, one of which is known as Zurks, who will attack the cat in large swarms.

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2) Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Developed by Monolith Soft and published by Nintendo, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is an upcoming action role-playing video game, which is due to be released on July 29, 2022, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. Set after the events of the first two Xenoblade Chronicles games, this one depicts the futures of both worlds from the previous games.

Set in the world of Aionios, which is undergoing a civil war between its two nations, Keeves and Angus. While Keeves has a large emphasis on mechanics and man-made constructs, Angus is more inclined towards the ether and its magical life-giving properties. The two protagonists of this game hail from each of these two nations.

This video game will be set in a large, explorable open world and will consist of a 7 member party system to be used in combat. The character class of any party member can be changed, allowing different abilities to be employed, while an interlinked system allows specific party members to combine into a larger, more powerful form.

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3) Digimon Survive

Described as a visual novel video game, Digimon Survive is arriving on July 29, 2022, for people who enjoy playing interactive story games. The video game is being developed by Hyde and published by Bandai Namco and is coming to Nintendo Switch, PS4, Windows, and Xbox One. The game is set to employ survival, strategy, tactical, and role-playing elements.

Featuring a branching narrative, the player's decisions will determine the direction in which the story progresses, as well as the evolution of their Digimon. With multiple possible endings, there is a possibility that characters might be killed if the wrong choice is made. The narrative focuses on a group of school kids who are mysteriously teleported into the digiworld, home of the Digimon.

Gameplay is split up into various segments, depending on the situation. In “Drama Parts,” the game narrates the story in a text-adventure type of gameplay, while in “Search Actions,” the player will be tasked with finding ways to survive in strenuous situations. In “Free Action,” the player has to make decisions, which will affect the story's progression, and in “Free Battle,” players can train their Digimon and collect items.

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4) Loopmancer

Set in a futuristic cyberpunk setting, Loopmancer is a 3D rogue-like video game that is due to be released on July 14, 2022. Developed by eBrain Studio, this game is set in the year 2046, in the dystopian environment of Dragon City. A steam demo is available for this video game for those who would like to know exactly how the game will be played.

Players take control of Detective Xiang Zixu as he sets out on an investigation to find a missing journalist. The game presents itself as a side-scrolling beat ‘em up, with cybernetic enemies and robots standing in the player’s way. Xiang is, however, equipped with weapons and abilities that make him more than capable of taking on these threats.

Combat in this game includes various elements such as melee combat with a variety of weapons, long-range combat using guns, and bionic abilities. Players can also use dodges to evade enemy attacks as well as traps to ensnare opponents to stun them. Graphically, the game looks splendid as well, with semi-procedurally generated levels bringing the neon-tinged streets of Dragon City alive.

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5) F1 22

Set to launch on the very first day of July 2022, F1 22 is a racing game by Codemasters and EA, which has the official license to portray the 2022 Formula 1 and Formula 2 championships. This video game will be released for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Box Series X/S, and Windows. This will mark the first time an F1 game will be available on EA’s Origin store as well as the Epic Games Store.

As with previous games, players will get to race on the circuits featured in the real-world Formula One and Formula Two championships of 2022. This F1 installment features new car models with updated physics to better immerse the player while improving the A.I. so that players can feel competitive across every race.

New to the series is a customizable hub mode known as F1 Life, which will allow players to collect various supercars as well as clothing and accessories for their avatar. Also featured are immersive broadcast options that can emulate real-life televised F1 broadcasts and interactive pit stops. The game supports VR on PCs via the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive.