The Future of PS4
Throughout its six-year run as Sony's core platform, the PlayStation 4 continually proved to be a stellar console. Possessing some truly game-changing upgrades for online and social gaming when it launched in 2013, the PS4 ended up amassing a killer library of first-party games like Uncharted 4, Marvel's Spiderman, and God of War. The PS4 was an all-around success for Sony, which has gotten us and the larger PlayStation audience excited for what's coming next. With 2020 seeing the launch of the hotly anticipated PlayStation 5, next year will mark the end of the current console's time at the forefront. Though considerable attention is on the PlayStation 4's successor, the current console still has plenty of games lined up for next year and beyond. In addition to Final Fantasy VII Remake, Cyberpunk 2077, and The Last of Us Part II, the PS4 will have no shortage of games as it enters its twilight years. With this in mind, we wanted to single out some of the biggest games coming to PS4 in 2020 and the years ahead. In this roundup, we've pulled together games that are confirmed to release on the PS4. In addition to first-party games like Ghost of Tsushima, we also included major third-party releases. The gallery starts off with the games that have release dates, then highlights games that have a confirmed launch window, and then lists games that are still some time out. So with that, here are the biggest and most exciting games to look forward to on PS4 in 2020 and beyond. Which upcoming PlayStation 4 games are you looking forward to next year? Give us a shout in the comments section below and let us know what you want to play the most in 2020. More Games Of 2020 & Beyond To Look Forward To: It's also that time of year for when GameSpot rolls out the Game of the Year awards. 2019 had a number of stellar games, and we're excited about sharing our thoughts on what games really impressed us this year, including the game that stood out among the rest. If you are at all curious about what our process is like in deciding what the best content of this year is, check out our explainer video detailing our verdict process.
Final Fantasy VII: Remake
It's hard to imagine that the once-fabled Final Fantasy VII Remake is almost upon us. Ever since the PS3 tech demo showing off a potential remake, many fans have hoped for a return to the world of FFVII, and they finally got their wish at E3 2015 with the reveal of the reimagining of the classic PS1 JRPG. What's especially interesting about the Final Fantasy VII Remake is that it's not a one-to-one remake of the original, but rather, a reimagining. As the first part of a series of installments, the launch of Final Fantasy VII: Remake will begin the long road of revitalizing the entire story of the original game. While many of the essential story beats, locations, and iconic battles in the opening location of Midgar seem to be intact, everything has a more modern flair to it. In addition to real-time combat, you'll be able to actively level up different attributes of your party's weapons and Materia loadouts, opening up new avenues for customization. Also, the remake will feature new characters and events not seen in the original, introducing new subplots to the established story. Despite its more modern approach to FFVII, the game will also feature several options to emulate the feel of the original, which includes the choice to switch to traditional turn-based combat. We got a chance to play FFVII Remake at E3 2019, and we were very impressed with how it managed to rebuild the original game from the ground up, and we're excited to see much more of it once we get our hands on the game in 2020. Release Date: March 3, 2020
Nioh 2
Team Ninja is taking another shot at the Soulsborne formula with Nioh 2. The original proved to be a fantastic debut into the genre for the tenured action game developer. And with the sequel, Team Ninja is expanding the formula further. Nioh 2 takes place 50+ years before the first game, which means you're no longer playing as foreign samurai William Adams. Instead, you'll create your own custom character to embark on a journey across Japan in the middle of the Sengoku era. But what makes your protagonist more intriguing than the last is the fact that they're the offspring of a human and a yokai, which gives you access to an array of supernatural attacks and abilities. Other notable features include the ability to traverse the yokai realm, two extra weapon classes, and up to three-player cooperative play across new multiplayer modes. What Nioh 2 aims to add doesn't sound like it'll reinvent the wheel, but we're hoping the new focus on yokai powers will at least improve the shortcomings of the first game while elevating what made it so special. Release Date: March 13, 2020
Doom Eternal
Just when you thought Doom couldn’t get any more wild and vicious, id Software shows up with Doom Eternal. The 2016 reboot caught many of us by surprise with its fast-paced and fluid combat scenarios and unapologetic attitude. So what could a new Doom do differently while maintaining its core conceit? It’s the little things that matter. Having played preview demos of Doom Eternal, its new traversal mechanics almost immediately set it apart from the previous game. You’ll be navigating Hell and derelict space stations with new climbing abilities and hooks to latch onto and swing to distant platforms, which provides you more options in your combat approach than before. Enemies now have damage models for parts of their body, which adds another layer to firefights. This is all on top of the flow of chainsaw and glory kills to keep your ammo and health replenished in the midst of the chaos. Doom Eternal is also trying to do something new for multiplayer with its asymmetrical modes--Battle mode pits players as demons to face off against one doom slayer and incorporates MOBA elements, while Invasion lets players invade others' single-player campaign in certain instances. The developers at id Software appear to be doing their darndest to separate Doom Eternal from 2016 while delivering what fans love most: ripping and tearing demons. Release Date: March 20, 2020
Persona 5 Royal
The reason why we should be anticipating Persona 5 Royal is that it’s a whole lot more than a reissue of Persona 5. Like the series’ past, a revamped version of the base game follows a few years after its release (Persona 3 FES and Persona 4 Golden), but by all accounts, developer Atlus is going the extra mile in terms of reimagining the original RPG. New characters bolster the game’s already-eclectic cast, particularly the new party member Kasumi Yoshizawa. She’s going to be a central piece to the overall story in P5R, changing the dynamics of the original narrative. Along with Kasumi comes a new palace, which are the dungeons that make up the bulk of Persona 5’s RPG combat and exploration. Existing palaces will also have new areas to discover and items to collect, and combat will be streamlined with an improved baton pass system and gun functions. Several mechanics and features are layered on top of its new story elements. You’ll have additional areas to hang out in, like Kichijoji which is home to extra shops and hangout spots, along with new social scenes and an extra semester in the school year--meaning more time to hangout with friends and new story threads to uncover. Overhauling the main story might be the biggest draw, and with all the additional elements surrounding P5R, it seems to be reason enough for you to either revisit the journey of the Phantom Thieves or experience the wonderful RPG for the first time. Release Date: March 31, 2020 (out now in Japan)
Cyberpunk 2077
CD Projekt Red's follow up to The Witcher 3 seems prepared to be just as huge and involved as the developer's beloved fantasy series, but potentially a lot grittier. We've slowly gotten more and more information about what to expect from Cyberpunk 2077, and what we've seen lately suggests a game that will be as similar to games such as Deus Ex, Thief, or Dishonored as it will be to CD Projekt's past RPGs. The most recent look at the game at E3 2019 puts emphasis on the ability to find a variety of ways through different situations depending on the character you develop, the choices you make along the way, and your particular play style. It's the story elements that are most intriguing at this point, though. E3 also saw the announcement that Keanu Reeves will play Johnny Silverhand, an essential character in the story who mostly exists in the player character's head as a "digital ghost." Your relationship with Johnny apparently will pervade the game, and while he'll be in your head most of the time, he won't necessarily always be on your side. It sounds like a thematic encapsulation of what we can expect from Cyberpunk 2077--an ambiguous relationship you'll guide through your choices, with a lot of gray morality mixed in. Release Date: April 16, 2020
Trials of Mana
If you loved Square-made SNES RPGs during the mid-90s, you likely know the pain of having never gotten the third Mana game, Trials of Mana. Fortunately, Square Enix released an officially translated version via the Collection of Mana in June 2019. While this proved an exciting opportunity to play the long-forgotten classic, it was confirmed a full-on remake was also in the works. The upcoming Trials of Mana remake reconstructs the original as a third-person action-RPG. Early footage of the game in action looks to capture the series' exciting real-time battles with a more streamlined combat system. The SNES original's beautiful pixel art has also been converted into gorgeous 3D visuals. Despite the addition of new dialogue scenes, it seems Trials of Mana's story will mostly remain faithful to the original, once again allowing you to alter how events play out based on the main character you choose and those you allow to join your party. Release Date: April 24, 2020
Marvel's Avengers
After a bit of a rocky announcement at E3 2019, during which it wasn't exactly clear what kind of game Marvel's Avengers is, we've now got a much better handle on what Eidos and Crystal Dynamics are making. Avengers is an action brawler similar to something like God of War, and through the course of its story campaign, you'll play as all the core members of the Avengers. But it's also a live game, with a multiplayer offering similar to something like Destiny. You'll customize your specific Avengers with a variety of different skills and cosmetics, and then take them out into missions with other players, creating your own superhero team. We spent some hands-on time with Marvel's Avengers at Gamescom 2019, where we got a better sense of how it plays. Wielding Mjolnir or firing away with repulsor blasts is a pretty satisfying experience, even if the portion we played was more on-rails than the rest of the game purports to be. While we're still waiting to see what the story campaign will be like or how the cooperative portions will play, the moment-to-moment gameplay in early demos invokes the best of action games, with the ability to make combos using various superpowers, and to wail on enemies with a bunch of distinct abilities, bringing a lot of fun to the experience. Release Date: May 15, 2020
Wasteland 3
inXile Entertainment's Wasteland series is one of the highlights of Brian Fargo's career, the studio founder who is also chiefly responsible for The Bard's Tale series. In 2014, Wasteland 2 was one of the few high-profile crowdfunding successes, and it looks like Wasteland 3 is shaping up to repeat that success when it releases on May 19, 2020. inXile promises to deliver a more advanced version of tactical turn-based systems at the heart of Wasteland 2. It's also shifting its setting to snowbound Colorado, which will play hand-in-hand with a suite of survival mechanics. One of the most enticing aspects is the story-driven multiplayer campaign, with a new dialogue system courtesy of the writing staff from Torment: Tides of Numenara. The E3 2019 trailer makes Wasteland 3 look slightly more comical than previous outings, so it will be very interesting to see how this meshes with the Torment team's talents for dark fantasy writing. Release Date: May 19, 2020
The Last of Us Part II
Naughty Dog's follow-up to its post-apocalyptic survival title advances the story a few years and takes a different approach to its predecessor. Where the first game was about the bond between player character Joel and his young charge Ellie, The Last of Us Part II puts all its focus on Ellie as she journeys across the country on a quest for vengeance. Now a few years older, Ellie has become a capable survivor and fighter in her own right, and after something vicious happens to her friend and would-be love interest, Dina, she sets out to find and destroy the people responsible. We've played a few hours of The Last of Us Part II, which expands on the original in just about every way. It adds new stealth mechanics, gives Ellie a bunch of new contextual combat tools, and adds new breeds of the frightening, feral infected that inhabit the game's world. But the most interesting part of The Last of Us is its exploration of its characters, and we got a brief sense of how Ellie will deal with the game's unforgiving world and come to terms with what it takes for her to survive. The Last of Us famously ended on an ambiguous note in the relationship between Joel and Ellie, and the portion we previewed ended with a big reveal that suggests Joel will rejoin Ellie partway through the game, giving players a chance to see how their relationship has continued to evolve. Release Date: May 29, 2020
Dying Light 2
The original Dying Light from Techland was a spectacular blend of parkour-based traversal and hack-and-slash gameplay wrapped up within the drama of the zombie apocalypse. It was essentially a more realized version of the developer's previous efforts with Dead Island, and it succeeded with showcasing an ambitious sense of scope and brutality while barreling through the ruined streets of Harran. Dying Light 2 continues with many of the original's key strengths for free-form traversal, melee combat, and overwhelming encounters with the undead. While the sequel aims to go bigger, featuring a map that greatly dwarfs the original's, the most significant change coming is its approach to narrative. In Dying Light 2, your actions can irreparably alter the course of the larger story, and even change the layout of the world itself. Taking more cues from role-playing games, Techland brought famed RPG writer Chris Avellone on board as a narrative designer, whose past works include Fallout: New Vegas, Planescape: Torment, and Divinity: Original Sin 2. By bringing together the free-form traversal and combat with an RPG-style narrative, Dying Light 2 is already shaping up to be a massive step up from the original that will ensure your actions leave a significant impression on the world. Release Date: TBD 2020
Elden Ring
Since the release of Demon's Souls in 2009, developer From Software has significantly redefined itself, moving away from niche status to a real AAA force within the games industry. Their signature high-risk, high-reward gameplay has seen many imitators over the years. Debuting at E3 2019, the cryptic trailer for Elden Ring showed off a world in conflict. While not unfamiliar with the visuals and plot of the Dark Souls trilogy, the scale of Elden Ring is significantly larger and moves more towards the iconography of Norse mythology. Elden Ring brings in many of the familiar elements of a Souls game, but with an increased focus on worldbuilding. As it turns out, A Song of Ice and Fire creator George R.R. Martin--which became the HBO series Game of Thrones--has collaborated with From Software on the overarching narrative of the game. With an open-world setting realized by Martin's writing, designed around From Software's Souls gameplay, Elden Ring could be yet another big step forward for the developer, and potentially for the infamous sub-genre as well. Release Date: TBD 2020
Ghost of Tsushima
Developer Sucker Punch has been surprisingly silent about their next game, Ghost of Tsushima. Over the years, the developer has evolved from making kid-friendly platformers with the Sly Cooper series to the more mature inFamous franchise--which showcased superhero antics and the resulting conflict that comes from it. But with Ghost of Tsushima, Sucker Punch is putting together a period piece set in 13th century Japan, focusing on the conflict between an invading Mongol army and one Samurai's mission to free his land. While we've seen the lengthy E3 2018 gameplay demo of Ghost of Tsushima in action, we're still in the dark about what to expect from the full game. We do know that it's an open-world Samurai action game focusing on tactical combat and stealth gameplay, which lets you come up with tactics and strategies on how you get the jump on your enemies. After seeing the gameplay trailer and demo, we can say that Ghost of Tsushima shows a lot of promise, which has made the extended silence tough to endure. Whether this game will appear on PS4 or if it's been moved on to the PlayStation 5 remains to be seen, but regardless, we can't wait to dive in and see just what Sucker Punch's next big game has to offer. Release Date: TBD 2020
Gods & Monsters
Ubisoft's new open-world game, Gods & Monsters, is of a notably different flavor compared to the developer's other trips into expansive locales with Assasin's Creed Odyssey and Ghost Recon: Breakpoint. It certainly shares ties to Greek mythology along with Odyssey, yet Gods and Monsters is more about exploring a vast world and during your best to survive in it. According to the developers at Ubisoft, it's been influenced by games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, particularly its emphasis on character and resource management, and a free-form approach to world exploration. We got to see a brief look at the game during E3 2019 and came away intrigued by its colorful and bright world full of mythological beasts and vast landscapes. Ubisoft hasn't shared much about the game following its debut, yet we're still excited to see what kind of world you'll explore, and what other sights we'll while surviving against the odds in a more stylized and colorful take on Ancient Greece. Release Date: TBD 2020
Guilty Gear Strive
Arc System Works has been coming out with hit after hit in the 2D-fighting-game space with its two core franchises, Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, even branching off into licensed brands to great effect with the likes of Dragon Ball FighterZ. In 2020, it'll bring back Guilty Gear with drastically overhauled graphics and hyper-stylized action. Guilty Gear Strive was first revealed at Evo 2019 then made playable at the ArcRevo tournament this year along with a few trailers in between. Returning characters like Sol Badguy, Ky Kiske, May, Potemkin, Faust, and more make up the roster, but it's especially great to see them in Strive's smoother flashy art style. Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator (and Rev 2) introduced ArcSys' unique 2D/3D crossover artstyle, and the developer is kicking it up a notch with stage transitions and even smoother animation. We had a chance to play the early build, which you can see in action here. Release Date: Late 2020
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
There have been numerous Lego Star Wars games over the years, but now that The Skywalker Saga will officially come to a close once Rise Of Skywalker opens in theaters this December, it's the perfect time for developer Traveler's Tales to take one more pass at the numerous iconic series. This time, rather than pick and choose a single movie or a specific trilogy, TT is crafting an open-world game that encompasses every mainline film in the Star Wars saga. Ok, so it's not technically the first time the team has tried something like this, but 2007's Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga was made before Disney came along, and obviously a lot has changed for Star Wars since the 2012 acquisition. To further differentiate it from The Complete Saga, TT is designing The Skywalker Saga as an open-world experience, and surprisingly enough, you can tackle storylines in any order you wish. Each movie will have its own hub world and a selection of relevant planets to explore. It sounds like a massive outing for the Lego series, but one that will surely keep the Skywalker spirit alive in 2020. Release Date: TBD 2020
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
In 2004, Troika Games delivered a fascinating if flawed RPG in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. When viewed through rose-tinted lenses, its writing and freedom of choice stuck out as defining qualities and reasons worth preserving its legacy. It's been well over a decade since its release, so it was pretty surprising when Paradox Interactive announced it was bringing the series back for Bloodlines 2, which is now scheduled to ship some time in 2020 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Paradox has put Hardsuit Labs to the task of making a modern Vampire RPG, and while the team only opened its doors in 2015, the team is mostly comprised of ex-Zombie Studios developers with plenty of years and games under their belts. They have set Bloodlines 2 in their hometown, Seattle, during an unfortunate Christmas season where separatist vampires neglect their clans' code--not to attack humans in public--in a massive invasion that throws the natural and supernatural worlds into chaos. As a newly infected, you will have to navigate the complex world of vampire factions while fighting tooth and nail for your survival. As a sequel to a cult classic, there are high expectations that Bloodlines 2 will fulfill the promise that the first game struggled to achieve, and for that, it's definitely one of the more interesting games to look forward to in the year ahead. Release Date: TBD 2020
Watch Dogs Legion
Following the light-hearted tone of Watch Dogs 2, which focused on young hackers in the San Francisco Bay Area, Watch Dogs Legion fully embraces the series' wacky side. It skips across the globe to a fictional version of London, which is notorious for its far-reaching surveillance systems and is now overrun with killer robots. Of course, anywhere tech resides is prime hunting grounds for the hackers at the heart of Watch Dogs' stories. Legion leans into this, ditching the concept of a single protagonist in favor of a large, diverse cast of playable characters. And based on the E3 2019 trailer, Ubisoft is going to make the most of London's populace. Numerous people out and about in London are able to be recruited to the DedSec hacker group, and it seems like everyone has something to offer the resistance--who can forget the kindly old woman in the trailer, who's actually a deadly retired assassin? While we haven't seen the full extent of the personalities in the game, it's safe to say that Legion is being designed with a tongue-in-cheek approach meant to inspire fun above all else. Legion doesn't have a firm release date, but we could see it arrive in the latter half of 2020 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and later in the year on PS5 and Microsoft's next-gen Xbox, codenamed Project Scarlett. Release Date: Fiscal year 2021 (April 2020 - March 2021)
Yakuza: Like A Dragon
The Yakuza series from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, especially outside of Japan. But if there's one thing even fans will concede, it's that only a few things outside of the plot change from game to game. That couldn't be further from the truth in the upcoming Yakuza: Like A Dragon, the canonical seventh game in the series. It stars a brand-new protagonist and boasts a turn-based combat system that was initially pitched to fans as an April fool's joke. If you're familiar with Yakuza's beat-'em-up DNA, this surprising shift is either going to scare you or play right into your appreciation for the series' irreverent side. Unsurprisingly, the developers are leaning into their comedic roots, injecting traditional RPG mechanics with the sort of silliness that balances out the extremely melodramatic stories that have traditionally thrust you through Japan's urban playgrounds. It's a new era for the Yakuza series, but it's very exciting to see the studio take a risk with new ideas. Release Date: TBD 2020
Diablo IV
Probably the biggest announcement of Blizzard's annual BlizzCon convention in 2019 was Diablo IV. It's been seven years since the last proper entry into Blizzard's action-RPG franchise, and the developer announced the game with a dark, gory trailer that gave at least some sense of what to expect from the next title. Blizzard is taking a darker, more horror-oriented approach with Diablo IV, pulling a lot of inspiration from fan-favorite Diablo II--which includes bringing back old classes like the Druid. It's also maintaining aspects of Diablo III, including seasonal content and some take on Adventure mode. The biggest change is Blizzard's focus on making Diablo IV feel a bit more like a live-service game. Its overworld will be public, and you can expect to run into other characters as you wander the wilds and engage enemies. There will even be public events and world bosses to defeat with the help of strangers. Dungeons will still be instanced for you and your party, but the inclusion of other players in the short demo we tried at BlizzCon made Sanctuary feel more like a living world beset by evil than in past titles. The only trouble is, we have no idea when Blizzard means to release Diablo IV--and by all accounts, it doesn't sound like it'll be in players' hands anytime soon. Release Date: TBD
The Elder Scrolls 6
Announced at E3 2018, Bethesda revealed The Elder Scrolls VI alongside Bethesda Game Studios' next big game, Starfield. While the space-traveling RPG will be the next game from the storied developer, people are looking further ahead to returning to the world of Elder Scrolls. The only look we had at The Elder Scrolls VI was a sweeping view of one of the lands in Tamriel, with that familiar, triumphant score building up in the background. Aside from that, we don't know much about the game. According to Bethesda Softworks VP Pete Hines, we won't be seeing the game again for sometime, making a sudden 2020 release unlikely. Still, we can't deny that we're anxiously anticipating the return to the world of Elder Scrolls. With the release of new hardware next year, it seems likely that the franchise will make its big return on new consoles, giving the series a more modern look. Release Date: TBD
Starfield
Bethesda Game Studios's first new IP in 25 years is coming... sometime. The developer didn't bring the game to E3 2019 and it still hasn't really given any details about what we can expect from the sci-fi title--or when it'll come out. Starfield will likely make its way to next-generation consoles, including the PlayStation 5 and the as-yet-unnamed Xbox "Scarlett," but other than that, details are few and far between. And although Bethesda's last big game, Fallout 76, had a rough launch, fans of the developer's RPGs are still excited about what directions it might go in as it moves into a new setting and a whole new genre. Unfortunately, we don't know if we might finally find out more about Starfield in 2020. Release Date: TBD
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