10 New Games Releasing in October 2021

After the sheer magnitude of releases in September, October is looking a little more relaxed. Which isn’t to say there aren’t some big games to look forward to, especially as the Fall/Winter release season enters full swing. Let’s take a look at 10 of the biggest games releasing in October 2021.

FIFA 22

You know the story – another year, another slew of loot boxes/gaming/premium RNG pulls with FIFA 22. EA Sports is promising more than 90 stadiums, over 700 teams and upwards of 30 leagues this time around. Career Mode also returns and sees you starting from the lower divisions before entering the professional leagues. Volta Football and the usual FIFA Ultimate Team mode also return and some big revamps with the gameplay are promised, yet again.

These include HyperMotion which creates organic player movement based on real 11v11 matches; new personality types for goalkeepers; a new Perks system for players; and so on and so forth. Unfortunately, HyperMotion won’t be available for previous-gen owners, PC players won’t get graphical options akin to the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S version, and Switch owners just get the Legacy Edition with updated rosters and bare minimum improvements. Long story short, it’s a new FIFA and it’s out on October 1^st.

Jett: The Far Shore

A more melancholic and existential approach to space exploration, Jett: The Far Shore sees space scout Mei venturing to an ocean-based planet to investigate the mysterious “hymnwave.” Utilizing a spacecraft called “jett”, players will analyze various flora and fauna while traversing the surface. There’s no combat so you’ll have to use the environment to escape from any threats. In between bouts of exploration, Mei will interact with other scouts in first person, providing more context on the universe as a whole. Mysterious but quietly endearing, Jett: The Far Shore releases on October 5^th for PS4, PS5 and PC.

Far Cry 6

Civil unrest, rebellion and outright chaos – Ubisoft’s Far Cry 6 offers this and much more when it releases on October 7^th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, PC and Google Stadia. Taking place in Yara, the story sees Dani Rojas battling “El Presidente” Anton Castillo (played by Giancarlo Esposito). Along with rallying the guerrillas, Dani will utilize animal companions that can cause some serious hurt – along with homemade weaponry and Resolver Backpacks to dismantle Castillo’s forces. Campaign co-op, weapon customization and activities like hunting and liberating camps should still be expected though.

Metroid Dread

Developed by MercurySteam of Metroid: Samus Returns fame, Metroid Dread sees our bounty hunter venturing to Planet ZDR to investigate a strange signal. What she discovers are multiple malfunctioning E.M.M.I. robots that are hunting her and a mysterious foe resembling the Chozo.

Along with carefully sneaking by E.M.M.I., Samus can use optical camouflage to try and avoid them. This is in addition to new abilities like the Storm Missile for locking on with Free Aim and unleashing a missile barrage and Flash Step for quickly dashing. Launching on October 8^th for the Nintendo Switch, Metroid Dread is looking to be a classic.

Back 4 Blood

Horde shooters aren’t exactly in short supply these days and Back 4 Blood isn’t trying to re-invent the wheel. It’s from Turtle Rock Studios and acts as a spiritual successor to their popular Left 4 Dead series. The setting focuses on the world being overrun by the Ridden while a group of humans called the Cleaners are determined to fight back. Each Cleaner has a unique perk that can help their team and in turn, the Ridden have special variants like the Ogre, Snitch and so on that can cause problems.

Cards are meant to be the real game-changer as players can choose various beneficiary effects – like faster reload speed, more headshot damage etc – while the AI director chooses Corruption cards to further up the challenge. Each campaign run promises to be different as a result but there’s also PvP with a team of Cleaners attempting to fortify and survive against waves of Ridden (which include player-controlled Infected). Back 4 Blood releases on October 12^th for Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC with cross-platform support.

Alan Wake Remastered

Even if it’s just a remaster of his first adventure, Alan Wake is back, traveling to Bright Falls to unravel and understand the darkness within. The remaster of the classic thriller offers 4K resolution support, though it’s actually an internal resolution of 1440p outputted to 2160p on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S (PC seemingly gets native 4K though). Ray tracing and HDR support are understandably not included, but there are plenty of significant improvements to the character models, lighting, environmental detail and texture quality. The remaster also includes both expansions – The Signal and The Writer – along with free upgrades for previous to current-gen console owners. It’s out on October 5^th for PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy

Any Marvel property even remotely associated with Square Enix will raise a few eyebrows after Marvel’s Avengers. Nevertheless, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy – developed solely by Eidos Montreal – is a single-player action adventure whose narrative promises choices that can influence the outcome. Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, Groot and Drax the Destroyer are once again involved in a galactic-scale misadventure, one that involves the Nova Corps, Lady Hellbender and other threats, and it’s up to them to save the day. Combat is in third person with only Star-Lord being playable and the other Guardians controlled via the AI, though occasionally, our hero can initiate a “Team Huddle” to rouse everyone and provide benefits.

Releasing on October 26^th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy could help redeem the publisher’s super-hero efforts.

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water

Koei Tecmo’s 2014 horror title Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is getting a new lease on life when it releases on October 28^th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch. The story once again sees players battling against ghosts using the Camera Obscura, taking pictures to inflict massive damage. So it seems appropriate that Photo Mode has been added to the remaster with the ability to customize lens types, backgrounds and characters for each photo. Xbox One and PS4 players can also avail of upgrades to the Xbox Series X/S and PS5 versions for free.

Riders Republic

Though it may seem like another extreme sports title in the vein of Steep, Riders Republic offers chaotic races with more than 50 players (on current gen platforms, that is). Incorporating activities like mountain biking, snowboarding, skiing, wingsuit flying and rocket wingsuits, each with their own unique progression in Career Mode, Riders Republic also provides a massive world composed of numerous national parks, from Bryce Canyon to Grand Teton. It’s aiming for a pseudo-MMO experience while also providing a 6v6 tricks-based competitive mode and extensive cosmetic customization. Beta impressions have been positive thus far so we’ll see if it has any longevity after releasing for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC and Google Stadia on October 28^th.

Solar Ash

From Heart Machine, the developer behind Hyper Light Drifter, comes a new fully 3D adventure. Solar Ash is about Rei, who traverses through the black hole-esque Ultravoid to prevent the destruction of her planet. The Ultravoid is a strange place though, full of the remnants of various civilizations with alternate gravity and surreal platforming. There’s a heavier emphasis on movement and exploration as Rei grapples, grinds and battles enormous boss-like foes in her quest. While a bit more unorthodox than the studio’s previous work, Solar Ash still looks good en route to its release on October 26th for PS4, PS5 and PC.