Other notable releases include Giant Squid’s Sword of the Sea, launching on the same day worldwide for PS5 and PC. Subscribers can also check out Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End and the Secret Key, Coral Island, Earth Defense Force 6, Harold Halibut, Indika and Unicorn Overlord. It’s a solid line-up, especially for role-playing game fans.

However, that’s not all for Premium/Deluxe subscribers, as they can also play Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, two legendary PS One classics, on PS4 and PS5. Both titles support quick save, custom filters, rewind and up-rendering for a smoother experience.

Taking to Twitter, Sandlot and D3 Publisher have announced that Earth Defense Force 6 has sold over 600,000 units worldwide across all platforms. That’s up from 550,000 units in September, which means the bombastic alien-slaughtering shooter has sold an additional 50,000 units since then.

In our review of Earth Defense Force 6, we awarded it a score of 7/10, praising it for its combat, environmental destruction, and campy tone while reserving criticism for its lack of polish and repetitive missions. Read the full review through here.

Earth Defense Force 6 is available on PS5, PS4, and PC.

＼\✨感謝御礼✨/／
『地球防衛軍6』全世界販売本数60万本を突破‼️
沢山のご入隊ありがとうございます！
引き続きEDFをよろしくお願いいたします。

▼各ゲームストアにてEDFシリーズセール実施中🎮
Steam：https://t.co/InH9ougi68
PS5/PS4：https://t.co/ZAtMEIMvrz
Switch：https://t.co/ABDP3TO14L pic.twitter.com/PH8dkXzPvL

— 地球防衛軍(EDF)公式🌏 (@EDF_OFFICIAL) February 21, 2025

Slitterhead

A bizarre mix of action and body horror from Keiichiro Toyama, the creator of Silent Hill, Siren, and Gravity Rush, Slitterhead practically screams, “Not for everyone.” As Hyoki, an amnesiac spirit who must slay the Slitterheads, you can take over the bodies of different NPCs and leverage their powers. Combat can be enjoyable, but technical issues, jank, and repetition blemish the experience. It’s an acquired taste, though, and some may enjoy the body-hopping-focused gameplay while basking in the sheer weirdness of it all.

Despite retaining many of the ingredients that make EDF what it’s been, Earth Defense Force 6 achieves a couple of series benchmarks and firsts. EDF 6 marks the first time the series has entered into the current console generation, being available on PS5, PS4, and PC. The game can be played in 4K for the first time and there’s a general framerate improvement when run on performance settings. And you’ll be thankful for the increased fidelity and performance considering EDF 6 has the longest campaign in the series, with over 130 missions and thousands of weapons. Earth Defense Force 6 is also the first direct sequel in the series, following the rather abrupt and devastating cliffhanger Earth Defense Force 5 left players with. As expected, EDF 6 retains much from the previous game, with identical menus, combat, and even some repeated missions. But before diving deeper into EDF 6’s gameplay, let’s talk about the story and presentation.

"The mission structure is remarkably simple and can be enjoyed as an old-school couch co-op experience."

Since EDF 6 is a direct sequel to EDF 5, you can’t really avoid spoilers for the previous game. That said, the EDF series never took their stories too seriously, which is something that’ll hit you in the face as soon as you start up EDF 6’s opening mission. You find yourself in a battered bunker when a hilariously cheesy drill sergeant starts hurling insults at all the ‘worthless maggot’ recruits.

Despite the world’s population being reduced by 10% after the catastrophic events of the previous game, there’s still plenty of hilarious banter between soldiers, most of it unintended. My favorite of these campy moments was rather innocuous. The sergeant gets swung around like a ragdoll by giant fire ants as he politely, and rather demurely, asks them to “please, let him go,” highlights the sheer absurdity of the writing and its wonderfully campy tone throughout.

"Bringing up the chat box during cinematic moments can result in some funny moments"

A lot of the humor is intentional, but there’s a ton of unintentional hilarity here as well. Flat voice lines and occasional mistranslations permeate the game’s script, but it all comes off as self-aware B-movie cheese in the end due to the inherent tone the game succeeds at. You can even say your own cheesy lines through the chat box, which consists of affirmations, celebrations, and orders you can give to co-op partners. Roughly half of these chat box lines are voice-acted, with different actors for each of the four classes.

I find some of the storytelling to be clumsily done, though not due to the obvious B-movie cheese. There’s a general lack of flow and internal glue between sequences, something that is shockingly apparent after the climactic 13^th mission. Without spoiling too much, a break in the status quo occurs at the end of this mission, resulting in a complete shift in time and space. Even if you’ve played EDF 5 to completion and know the story inside/out, it’s difficult to understand what just took place. There’s a lack of explanation and set-up, not just for that penultimate moment, but the entire game. Missions often feel disjointed and disconnected from one another since there’s no overarching narration or connecting thread, even when you have the same squad around you. On a brighter note, much of the English cast from EDF 5 returns during these ‘totally-not-a-flashback’ sequences, with Sarge being a highlight throughout. Oh, and while we’re on the subject of sound, the music is absolutely banging in this game. The laughably barebones intro is strengthened by the engaging orchestral score and the menu themes simply rule. Your EDF squad will randomly chant anthems as you march forward to battle, further highlighting the strong musical core in EDF 6.

"Most of your time will be spent wildly shooting hordes of oversized insects and aliens."

And you’ll need inspired anthems since you’ll be engaging in a LOT of shooting in this game. Overall, the controls are rather straightforward. You have an over-the-shoulder camera perspective and can sprint and dodge while playing as the Ranger class. Certain weapons allow you to zoom in with a scope for precise aiming, but a majority of combat is spent wildly spamming enemies in the face with bullets. While the shooting is more precise here than other EDF games, it’s certainly not on the level of Gears or more polished third-person games, but it does its job well enough. Sprinting, however, controls horrendously due to the camera. Every time you sprint, the camera zooms in so your character fills the entire screen. There’s no way to change the sprint camera in the settings either, so get used to not seeing anything while desperately sprinting away from hordes of bugs. I always grit my teeth whenever I have to sprint due to how disorienting and obfuscating it is with all the action going on. Likewise, the chat box is brought up anytime you use the D-pad, which can get really annoying when bringing up the pause menu and trying to change settings. This is a slight UI issue at the end of the day, but the cluttered menu overlays still stick out as a sloppy oversight.

Thankfully, the missions themselves are straightforward and just plain fun. You constantly feel engaged in combat and there’s hardly any annoying irritating missions of the escort/protect variety. You can get your entire squad ‘killed’ and still overcome the mission if you yourself manage to survive. Earth Defense Force 6 is basically a shooter version of the Dynasty Warriors musou games, with giant swarms of bugs and aliens filling the streets instead of Chinese armies. There’s a satisfaction of being caught in the middle of 50 giant ants and just holding down the trigger blasting through them to victory that can’t be overstated. However, this simple fun can get repetitive pretty fast, especially during long gaming sessions.  While it’s a good thing that there’s not too many annoying mission types, there’s also just not enough mission variety in general. Sure, each mission has a slightly different environment with occasional new enemies and layouts, but the objective and strategy usually end up being the same.

I would enjoy this simple mission structure more if there were mid-mission checkpoints, but alas, every death results in you redoing the mission from the start. And EDF 6 doesn’t play around; it can get difficult in its later stages, so you may end up repeating the same mission multiple times even on Normal difficulty. While the missions aren’t particularly long, lasting anywhere between 10 to 20 minutes, the lack of checkpoints adds repetitive padding and artificial difficulty. Despite all this, Earth Defense Force 6 makes for an ideal popcorn game. It’s easy to turn your brain off for 15 minutes as you mow down giant bugs and blow buildings up. Speaking of blowing up buildings, the environmental destruction is an absolute delight in EDF 6. Every single building is destructible, which is good because enemies just love climbing and attacking on top of said buildings.

"The Air Raider class gives you drones and the ability to call in helicopter airstrikes. Each class has a unique set of weaponry."

The four different classes provide a lot of variety in kit and playstyle to make up for the repetitive mission structure. If you’re playing online co-op you can even form a team comprised of all four classes, making for one heck of a balanced offensive. Ranger is your common infantry rifleman who can equip rifles, shotguns, rocket launchers, missile launchers, and a variety of grenades. Earth Defense Force 6 has drivable vehicles and Rangers are the only class besides Air Raiders who can commandeer them. The vehicles themselves have sloppy driving controls but work well enough for the amount of time you use them in EDF 6. Wing Divers are your jetpack class with enhanced mobility, though they’re more prone to damage. Air Raiders provide support, calling in a variety of air strikes and vehicle drops. Finally, Fencers are slow heavies with the most powerful arsenal of weaponry in the game, fulfilling the tank role perfectly. There’s a boatload of different weapons, grenades, shields, etc., that you obtain through enemy drops. When enemies drop duplicate equipment, it levels them up, further enhancing all the various parameters automatically. I like how automatic the process of leveling up and upgrading equipment is in this game considering the sheer number of equipment and class options available.

All in all, Earth Defense Force 6 provides a fun time and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a perfect popcorn game to relax to if you just want to shoot and blow stuff up mindlessly. This entry is very similar to its prequel, EDF 5, but includes more bang for your buck due to the huge campaign and enhanced performance and graphics. If you want simple, silly fun packaged in a lengthy co-op campaign, you can’t go wrong with Earth Defense Force 6.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

With humanity more or less extinct, the plot sees the EDF going back in time to try and change history. It’s easier said than done, though, and players can look forward to roughly 150 missions – the most in the series to date. There’s also support for up to four players in co-op.

After its launch, Earth Defense Force 6 has garnered a “Mostly Negative” rating on Steam, with only 23 percent of its 657 user reviews positive. The backlash from the title mandating an Epic Games Store account to play online. Whether it was mistakenly added remains to be seen, so stay tuned for updates.

Earth Defense Force 6, which released for Japanese audiences back in 2022, has finally been given a specific release date in Western markets. Previously confirmed to be releasing in the West this spring before being pushed back into summer, D3 Publisher has now announced with a new trailer that the game will release in the west on July 25. The trailer, which is presented as an appropriately humorous live news report, can be viewed below.

Upon its release, Earth Defense Force 6 will be available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC.

According to the announcement, the decision to delay the western release was made in order to allow to add polish to the game and finalise preparations for the game’s release outside of Japan. The Summer 2024 release window includes a western release for Earth Defense Force 6 on PC, PS4 and PS5.

Since its Japanese release back in 2022, the game saw a bit of success, having sold more than 300,000 copies in its first week of release. Since then, however the developer and publisher have been quiet about the game aside from the original announcement of its western release.

Earth Defense Force 6 takes place a few years after the events of Earth Defense Force 5, and involves the eponymous Earth Defense Force saving humanity from a new alien threat.

For now, we’re sticking to games confirmed to launch and what makes them so exciting. Check out our 30 most anticipated games of 2024.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

RGG Studio didn’t have to do much with Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. It could have offered another turn-based Yakuza experience and delivered dual protagonists with Kazama Kiryu and Ichiban Kasuga. No harm, no foul. Instead, it sees the gang reunited (and newcomers introduced) in a fresh location, Honolulu City, over three times the size of Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s world.

It offers new activities like surfing, the Animal Crossing-style Dondoko Island, new Karaoke songs, and arcade games like SEGA Bass Fishing and Virtua Fighter 3tb. There’s even dedicated side content for Kiryu, new Jobs, improvements to the combat and much more, all wrapped in supposedly the longest game in the series. In a year with so many other big titles, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is making a statement right out the gate on January 26th, and we can’t wait to dive in. It launches for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC.

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered

Leaving aside the “remastered” tag – which Sony might want to consider changing since it drums up more controversy than is worth – The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered is the long-awaited PS5 version of the acclaimed action-adventure. It adds developer commentary, with actors Troy Baker, Laura Bailey and Ashley Johnson joining director Neil Druckmann and writer Halley Gross, three Lost Levels that didn’t make it into the final game, and numerous improvements to the visuals, including two graphical modes.

For $49.99 ($10 if you own the PS4 version), it’s not a terrible deal. However, you also get No Return, a roguelike survival mode with ten playable characters and multiple levels to explore. Launching on January 19th, The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered should be a worthy return for fans and a perfect introduction for new players to the masterpiece.

Dragon’s Dogma 2

Director Hideaki Itsuno returns with a follow-up to one of Capcom’s more underrated titles. Dragon’s Dogma 2 takes players to a new world, one of Elves, Beastren and humans, as the Arisen once again ventures forth to battle the mighty dragon. Your Pawns are again here to help, and there are new Vocations, like the Trickster, which offer all kinds of new combat choices.

However, Dragon’s Dogma 2 expands and builds on the original, with day/night cycles, a much larger map, seamless load times, and much more, including massive bosses like the Talos. There’s a lot we still don’t know, but it should provide some epic fantasy fun with stellar combat, like the original. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is out on March 22nd for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Rise of the Ronin

In case you prefer a more grounded, historical action RPG experience, that too from the masocore experts at Team Ninja, Rise of the Ronin also launches on March 22nd, exclusively for PS5. Set in the Bakumatsu in 19th century Japan, players control a ronin amid multiple warring sides and can choose one for branching paths and unique story moments.

As the developer’s most ambitious project, it offers a seamless open world with gliding and mounts while combining firearms, katanas and a grappling hook for some stylishly brutal combat. Whether it rises above the rest of 2024 and sells five million copies, as Koei Tecmo hopes, or not, Rise of the Ronin is still worth keeping an eye on.

Tekken 8

Almost nine years after Tekken 7 launched, the series is finally moving forward on January 26th with Tekken 8. The story of Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima continues, with the latter seeking total global domination. However, there’s also Arcade Quest, with players on a journey to become the best. Represent your crew, face different opponents in arcades, and learn the power of friendship (or the game, whichever works better).

An extensive roster of characters is available to master, including new fighters like Reina, Victor and Azucena, and multiple new mechanics courtesy of the Heat System. Tekken 8 will be available for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC, and could be the most feature-packed entry yet.

Pacific Drive

One of my most anticipated games of the year is Pacific Drive, which mixes a rogue-lite structure with driving and survival. Set in the Olympic Exclusion Zone, where many mysterious experiments have resulted in dangerous anomalies, the player must find a way to escape. You’ll need to venture forth, scavenge resources, upgrade your ride and unravel what’s happening in the Pacific Northwest. With the mood, music and sheer surrealism of events, Pacific Drive is an unorthodox but unique mix of genres. It launches on February 22nd for PS5 and PC, so we won’t have to wait long to dive in.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

Many games succeed in generating negative hype, and while Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League isn’t quite there, we’ve been skeptical of its live service machinations. Nevertheless, the combat mechanics look intriguing, with each character having a unique-ish playstyle. Metropolis is also massive and offers impressive fidelity, and there’s potential fun in slaying the Justice League. We hope. It launches on February 2nd, 2024, for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

The Wolf Among Us 2

Announced in 2017, re-announced in 2019 with development restarted and now set to release in 2024 for Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, The Wolf Among Us 2 has had a long journey. Bigby Wolf returns in a new story set six months after the original in New York. The overall plot is still up in the air, but we know that characters from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz appear. Based on the scenes shown thus far, there’s hope that the rest of the game will channel the urban fantasy of the comics.

Sons of the Forest

After its early access launch in February 2023, Sons of the Forest is getting a full release on February 22nd, 2024, for PC. There’s plenty to be excited about, especially with the story’s cliffhanger, and actor Shawn Ashmore (who starred in Quantum Break) will have a major role in the story. New features and content are confirmed, and given all the additions in the recent patch 15 – from a new cannibal type to additional commands for Kelvin – we’re excited to see what v1.0 has to offer.

Hades 2

Hollow Knight: Silksong is probably never arriving in our lifetimes (or maybe at least for another year). Nevertheless, there is Hades 2 to look forward to, which enters early access in Q2 2024 for PC. While it may not have all the “dozens” of fully voiced characters as the full game, Supergiant Games will continually add to it with updates while refining mechanics based on feedback. With how incredible the original game was, the prospect of playing as Underworld princess Melinoe as she battles Kronos with ancient magic and various boons from Olympus, exploring new locations and playing with new systems is exciting enough.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Along with Splinter Cell and Rayman, Prince of Persia is one of those Ubisoft franchises long overdue for a return. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown embraces the series’ long-lost side-scrolling roots, mixing Metroid-style exploration with fast-paced combat and time-based powers when it launches in January. As Sargon, you’re on a quest to save the crown prince, encountering twists and turns, eventually pitting them against the hero’s former allies, The Immortals.

While boasting solid production values, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown succeeds or fails based on its game feel. Thankfully, a demo launches on January 11th before the game’s launch on January 18th for PS4, PS5, PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, so we can go hands-on early enough.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

The second part in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake saga has a lot to live up to, and it looks like Square Enix is going above and beyond to deliver. Exploring the wide world outside of Midgar, Cloud and friends will venture to new towns, meet new characters – including new additions to the party like Cait Sith – and partake in tons of new activities and mini-games, from a rhythm game with the piano and the Queen’s Blood card game to the Chocobo Ranch.

Estimated to have over 100 hours of content, it occupies two Blu-ray discs and requires a whopping 150 GB of installation space. Maybe that’s too much? Regardless, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth should be an unforgettable experience when it launches on February 29th, 2024, on PS5.

Black Myth: Wukong

In terms of action RPGs, Game Science is a relatively unknown entity. Nevertheless, Black Myth: Wukong, based on the legendary Chinese novel Journey to the West, looks impressive enough to warrant attention. As Sun Wukong, players battle various enemies and bosses, mixing magic, skills and weapons (including his signature staff) while traversing a gorgeous world. It launches on August 20th for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Little Nightmares 3

Bandai Namco’s horror platformer returns with Supermassive Games as the developer. Releasing for PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC, Little Nightmares 3 follows new characters, Low and Alone, as they explore the Spiral and attempt to escape Nowhere. We’ve seen gameplay of the Necropolis, an early area where players must solve puzzles and deal with flying creatures while avoiding the ire of Monster Baby.

Including online co-op for the first time and a Friend Pass, which means only one person needs to own a copy to play friends, Little Nightmares 3 is still perfectly playable solo. Time will tell if it can channel the creepy atmosphere the series is known for without Tarsier, but it looks pretty good.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake

Perhaps one of the least expected remakes, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake is based on a 2013 Josef Fares-directed adventure. Developed by Avantgarden SRL, it offers overhauled visuals, an orchestral soundtrack and updated gameplay as players control the two brothers on a quest to find the Water of Life and save their father.

Single-player still allows for controlling each brother individually, but it also supports local co-op for two players, which 505 Games introduced in the original game’s Switch version. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake launches on February 28th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2

Announced in 2019, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 from Ninja Theory is a long time coming. It’s launching sometime next year for Xbox Series X/S and PC, after a few other first-party titles, with protagonist Senua venturing to Viking Iceland to save, as the developer calls it, “those who have fallen victim to the horrors of tyranny.”

There’s a heavy implication about taking revenge on the Northmen from the first game, but Senua must also deal with her psychosis while fighting to survive. Based on the gameplay and performance from actor Melina Juergens, it looks like a brutal but gorgeous experience.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown

The first new title in the series since Test Drive Unlimited 2 in 2011, Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown ventures to Hong Kong Island, recreated in a 1:1 scale with over 600 kilometers of roads, perfect for bouts of racing and luxury. After joining one of two factions, the Streets or the Sharps, players can indulge in leisurely drives or competitive bouts across 14 districts.

Each faction has a unique style, clothing and cars, and you’ll be able to instantly challenge other players on the road or complete different challenges to get ahead. Launching in early 2024, Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown will be available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC.

Helldivers 2

The Helldivers return, intent on bringing democracy and freedom to “hostile” alien planets once more. Helldivers 2 launches on February 8th, 2024, for PS5 and PC, and all the classic mechanics are here, from stratagems to friendly fire and support for up to four players in co-op. You’ll once again complete missions, battling gigantic bugs and sentient murderbots with various weapons. The twist is that it’s now in third-person with vastly improved fidelity over the original, making for an immersive but even more over-the-top experience.

Frostpunk 2

In Frostpunk, the world was annihilated by the Great Frost, with the player heading up a small settlement to try and survive. It’s 30 years later in Frostpunk 2, and while society is thriving, it’s also back to its old ways. Different factions vie for power, and it’s up to you, the Steward, to ensure the City grows. A larger scale with multiple districts, new laws, conflicts in the Council, and much more await in the city-builder, which is out in 2024 for PC. We’re yet to see extensive gameplay, but based on the first game’s moral trials, expect a similar post-apocalyptic societal struggle.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

GSC Game World’s long-awaited sequel in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series embraces everything that made the previous games great. Whether it’s the immersive sim and survival elements, as you venture into the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone and deal with Mutants, Anomalies, and other S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s, or a branching story that takes about 40 hours to complete, Heart of Chornobyl could be a dark horse amid all the big-budget releases next year. It launches in Q1 2024 for Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Star Wars Outlaws

Massive Entertainment has been on a roll lately, with Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora being better than expected. While it has plenty of other projects, Star Wars Outlaws is perhaps the most appealing by catering to the space scoundrel fantasy. As outlaw Kay Vess, players venture to locations like Tatooine, Toshara and more, dealing with different factions and garnering reputation (or throwing caution to the wind and gaining a Wanted status).

Space-to-planet travel is seamless, and each world is large without the game being too big to complete. Star Wars Outlaws is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC, and despite a release date, its branching dialogue, multiple paths and adherence to the series’ tone look incredibly enticing.

Still Wakes the Deep

The Chinese Room is no stranger to psychological horror, and Still Wakes the Deep looks to be its most terrifying adventure yet. It features an oil rig in the North Sea embroiled in a storm while some strange monster hunts protagonist Caz McLeary. With parts of the facility damaged and no means to defend himself, Caz must move around undetected and stay sane.

Still Wakes the Deep is inspired by horror classics like John Carpenter’s The Thing, Annihilation, Suspiria and more, with a tense, oppressive atmosphere and air of mystery. It launches in early 2024 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Lost Records: Bloom and Rage

Another announcement that came out of nowhere is Lost Records: Bloom and Rage. Developed by DON’T NOD, specifically the minds behind Life is Strange, it’s a brand new IP set in the Summer of 1995 with Swann, Nora, Autumn and Kat discovering something strange out in the woods. After not speaking for 27 years, they reunite and finally decide to confront their past. With that same magical realism that defined the studio’s hit adventure series, Lost Records: Bloom and Rage looks to offer another emotional journey when it launches in late 2024 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC.

Destiny 2: The Final Shape

Bungie has seen better days, whether it’s layoffs or reportedly underwhelming pre-orders for Destiny 2’s The Final Shape. Nevertheless, there’s plenty of reason to be hyped for this expansion, from concluding the Light and Darkness Saga to its three new Light sub-classes and newish location inside the Traveler.

Best of all, the campaign is linear, with the Pale Heart of the Traveler opening up once it’s complete, though you’ll need to finish the raid to deal with The Witness once and for all. The Final Shape launches on June 4th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC, and whether it’s make-or-break for Bungie, this is certainly an end of an era that fans won’t want to miss.

Replaced

Amid all the cyberpunk titles that have come and gone over the years, Sad Cat Studios’ Replaced still looks gorgeous. The 2.5D sci-fi platformer focuses on R.E.A.C.H., an A.I. in alternate retro-futuristic Phoenix City where corruption runs rampant. It’s your job to unravel its secrets, engaging in sleek combat and platforming. Replaced launches in 2024 for Xbox Series X/S and PC, and while it’s been some time since we’ve seen new gameplay, development updates have been steady. Perhaps a proper date will be announced early in the new year.

The Alters

If the post-apocalyptic survival fantasy of Frostpunk 2 isn’t for you, then maybe 11 bit studios’ sci-fi survival fantasy The Alters will suffice. Launching in 2024 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, it sees a singular man, Jan Dolski, attempting to survive in a far-off world. Just him, himself and all the alters created to help him.

As you mine resources to build and run a mobile base, Jan must forge relationships with his other selves and make choices to survive. With the emotional turmoil of facing himself and a race for survival ongoing, The Alters promises a survival base-building adventure unlike any other.

Ark 2

While Studio Wildcard works on updating Ark: Survival Ascended’s many maps for the current generation, it also has Ark 2 cooking. The sequel launches in late 2024, exclusively for Xbox Series X/S and PC, and features Vin Diesel as Santiago, venturing forth across epochs while attempting to survive among dinosaurs.

Almost everything about the original has been completely revamped, from gear crafting and more Souls-like combat to traversal with mantling, sliding and free-climbing introduced. Set in a new massive world with dynamic events and an enemy PvE faction with their own tamed dinosaurs, Ark 2 looks like a big step forward for the franchise.

Skull and Bones

“Skull and Bones has a new release date” is probably a tale as old as time. Reportedly in development for over ten years, it’s supposedly launching on February 16th, 2024, for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC. As a pirate sailing the Indian Ocean, you can customize your ship in various ways, partaking in PvE with bounties, World Events and story missions or indulging in PvP. Maybe the development team will pull it off and deliver a compelling experience. Maybe it’ll be a disaster. Regardless, we’re eager to see how it plays out (barring another delay).

The First Descendant

Nexon has a litany of new projects, spearheaded by The First Descendant. The Unreal Engine 5 title is a free-to-play action RPG, with players teaming up to fight against invading forces as a Descendant (though in typical sci-fi fashion, the heroes have a secret). Though it’s a third-person shooter, several playable characters offer different moves and traversal abilities, including grappling hooks.

Co-op for up to four players is also supported, with scenario and World Missions available, and there’s plenty of loot to collect. It launches in Summer 2024 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Earth Defense Force 6

Enough about all the other blockbusters – 2024 is the year Earth Defense Force 6 finally launches in the West. Arriving in Spring for PS4, PS5 and PC in the West, the sequel sees humanity in ruins after their war against the Primers. While the remnants rebuild, there are still plenty of alien threats to deal with.

On top of new missions, hundreds of new weapons and online co-op for up to four players, Earth Defense Force 6 offers new abilities and equipment for its returning classes. Even if it’s more of the same horde-slaying action, the improved fidelity looks to be worth the price of admission alone.

Earth Defense Force 6 was originally released in Japan all the way back in August 2022. The game has since been fairly successful for D3 Publisher, having shipped 300,000 copies in its first week—an impressive milestone considering the fact that the game was only available on PS4 and PS5 in Japan at the time.

The sixth game in the Earth Defense Force series, Earth Defense Force 6 takes place three years after humanity won the war against invaders known as “Primers”—the events of Earth Defense Force 5. The game revolves around players having to help humanity continue their efforts rebuild, while at the same time also dealing with leftover alien colonists.

Earth Defense Force 6 will allow players to pick between the Ranger, Air Raider, Wing Diver and Fencer classes, and will support for up to four players in online co-op. Local co-op is also an option for up to two players.

This milestone essentially makes Earth Defense Force 6 the fastest-selling game in the storied Earth Defense Force franchise.

Earth Defense Force 6 was originally announced back in 2020. It was originally planned for a 2021 release, but its release date got pushed back to August 2022.

Set in 2027—three years after the events of Earth Defense Force 5—Earth Defense Force 6 is stated to offer “the greatest sense of despair and excitement in the series yet,” according to its developers.

There is yet to be an announcement for the western release of Earth Defense Force 6, but considering the general popularity of the series in the west, it is quite likely that we’ll see an English release at some point.