The 9 biggest games coming in 2020, from 'The Last of Us: Part II' to 'Final Fantasy VII Remake'

The Watch Dogs series is an underrated gem from Ubisoft, the French game company behind Assassin’s Creed and Splinter Cell (among many others).

The new entry in the series, Watch Dogs Legion, looks to be the most interesting yet: You play as a hacker in London, except you’re not just playing as one individual. Instead, you’re a legion of different people.

Better still: You’ll recruit more people as the game progresses, each with their own unique skills. It’s a unique twist on a game series that’s already full of unique delights.

Platform(s): Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC

Release date: March 6, 2020

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The best game of 2016 is getting a huge sequel in 2020: DOOM Eternal is the direct sequel to the excellent reboot of the classic DOOM first-person shooter franchise.

In short, DOOM Eternal is a massive expansion on the already thrilling gameplay of the previous game. All of the additions made in Eternal - attachments for weapons that allow you to zip around the environment, and a new finishing move that nets you a burst of armour - build on the existing mechanics of the last entry. DOOM Eternal is likely to be one of the best games of this console generation, and it’s almost here.

Platform(s): Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia

Release date: March 20, 2020

After years of waiting and one just-okay smartphone adaptation, Animal Crossing is making a big return on the Nintendo Switch.

The new game, subtitled New Horizons, puts you on a deserted island — a totally blank slate compared to previous games in the series. You’ll start with a lowly camp site, but as you landscape the world around you, more folks will arrive on the deserted island.

If you loved previous Animal Crossing games, this one should be right up your alley.

Platform(s): Nintendo Switch

Release date: March 20, 2020

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Last January, Resident Evil fans got a huge treat in the form of a massive Resident Evil 2 remake. This year, in April, Capcom is once again treating fans to a major overhaul of a classic game: Resident Evil 3.

The third game in the long-running zombie-fighting series follows Jill Valentine in the wake of the events of the previous game, as Raccoon City is overrun and — worse — she’s being relentlessly chased by an unkillable monster named “Nemesis.”

Like last year’s remake, Resident Evil 3 was a major visual overhaul to the original game. But more importantly, it’s also a massive remake of the original’s gameplay systems. In short, although this is a remake, it’s more of a newly-developed game than you might guess.

Platform(s): Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC

Release date: April 3, 2020

The remake of Final Fantasy VII — one of the most beloved games ever made and released in 1997 — is a really big deal.

It’s akin to Nintendo remaking Super Mario World, or Microsoft remaking Halo. When this remake was announced in June 2015, people lost their minds.

But this isn’t a direct remake — it’s a bit of a re-imagining. Final Fantasy VII Remake doesn’t have the turn-based fighting you may be expecting if you played the original. Instead, it’s much more of an action game with RPG elements woven in.

Platform(s): PlayStation 4

Release date: April 10, 2020

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Is there anyone who doesn’t want to play the game about the dystopian, cyberpunk future that co-stars Keanu Reeves?

That’s Cyberpunk 2077. It’s an open-world, third-person action game set in a complex, futuristic city where no one can be trusted. It looks a lot like the video game version of The Fifth Element, set in the city from Akira.

Cyberpunk 2077 has been a vehicle for hype for several years at this point, and there’s good reason for that: it looks outrageous and fascinating.

Platform(s): Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC

Release date: April 16, 2020

The folks behind the Indiana Jones-esque action series, Uncharted, are true veterans of video-game creation. The studio, Naughty Dog, goes all the way back to the first PlayStation console, having created the beloved Crash Bandicoot series.

Beyond those two (massive) game franchises, Naughty Dog is also responsible for the incredible, genre-pushing PlayStation game The Last of Us. Naughty Dog’s next game is a highly anticipated follow-up, the aptly titled The Last of Us: Part II.

In Part II, the duo of protagonists Joel and Ellie are making a return, but this new game looks to focus more on Ellie and her story following the events of the first game. As you can see from the trailer below, she’s looking older, tougher, and madder.

Platform(s): PlayStation 4

Release date: May 29, 2020

Sucker Punch, the studio that created the PlayStation blockbuster inFamous, is working on something completely new: a samurai game set in Feudal Japan, called Ghost of Tsushima.

All we know about the game is that it’s a tale of revenge. Here’s the full description from Sucker Punch:

“The year is 1274. Samurai warriors are the legendary defenders of Japan — until the fearsome Mongol Empire invades the island of Tsushima, wreaking havoc and conquering the local population. As one of the last surviving samurai, you rise from the ashes to fight back. But, honourable tactics won’t lead you to victory. You must move beyond your samurai traditions to forge a new way of fighting — the way of the Ghost — as you wage an unconventional war for the freedom of Japan.”

From what the trailer shows, Ghost of Tsushima is a third-person, character-driven action game with a focus on swordplay. This is a samurai game, after all.

Beyond the story, and the pedigree, Ghost of Tsushima simply looks incredibly unique. It’s gorgeous, and set in a time period rarely explored in blockbuster video games. Perhaps more than any other trailer Sony showed, Ghost of Tsushima looks the most interesting and fresh.

Platform(s): PlayStation 4

Release date: Summer 2020

For years, Marvel movies have dominated the box office. Despite that wild success in theaters, Marvel has barely touched the world of video games.

That’s changing with Marvel’s Avengers, a newly detailed blockbuster video game starring the world-famous superhero squad. You’ll play as Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, The Hulk, or Captain America against the various supervillains attempting nefarious acts.

Marvel’s Avengers is being made by the folks behind the most recent Tomb Raider games, but it looks to be a departure from the studio’s usual third-person action games — it’s got a focus on cooperative online multiplayer, and ambitions to become an ongoing service-style game.

Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Google Stadia

Release date: September 4, 2020