Next up is Lightyear Frontier (available in Game Preview), My Time at Sandrock, Rolling Hills and Robin Hood – Sherwood Builders, all playable on January 8th for Game Pass Standard subscribers. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can experience EA Sports UFC 5 on January 14th for Xbox Series X/S and the cloud.

The original Diablo is also playable on PC for Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers on the same. It’s an eclectic range of titles across various genres and platforms.

Of course, as is the case every month, several titles will leave Game Pass on January 15th. Members can purchase them at up to 20 percent off for permanent ownership. Check out all the games leaving next week:

• Common’Hood (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Escape Academy (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Exoprimal (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Figment (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Insurgency Sandstorm (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Those Who Remain (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Nine Sols

You may be asking: if Nine Sols sold well, hit all consoles after a successful PC launch, and garnered two nominations at the upcoming Indie Game Awards, is it genuinely underrated? Well, aside from a convoluted story told via overabundance of dialogue, Nine Sols is the Hollow Knight sequel we’ve been waiting for. Its evocative world with cyberpunk-adjacent tech provides the perfect playground for exploration and discovery, but – most importantly – its robust combat demanding a clever mix of parrying, combos, and powerups should be elevating Nine Sols above what its already achieved. If you’re waiting for Silksong, play Nine Sols.

FINAL FANTASY 7 REBIRTH

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth went full open world, and boy did it do so in the most thorough manner possible. Across this epic odyssey, you travel to a vast number of locations throughout the Planet, which means there are several large open world maps to explore, each completely different from the other in their biomes, design, and more. A barrage of optional activities and side quests, unique traversal mechanics to each area, and more allow each area to feel yet more distinct, with all of it coming together in what’s easily one of the most massive (and impressive) games of 2024.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: HEART OF CHORNOBYL

In the lead-up to S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2’s launch, GSC Game World promised one of the biggest open worlds ever made, and boy does the game deliver. At over 60 square kilometers, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl’s Exclusion Zone is a gargantuan play space, and brimming with things to see. There are over 20 distinct areas comprising the map, featuring a healthy mix of new locations and locations that will be familiar to fans of past instalments (many of which have been expanded or overhauled). “Huge” doesn’t begin to do it justice.

DRAGON AGE: THE VEILGUARD

BioWare failed to nail the open world formula with Dragon Age: Inquisition and Mass Effect: Andromeda, as a result of which the developer reverted to a semi-linear mission-based structure with Dragon Age: The Veilguard this year- but that doesn’t mean this game is small in scale by any means. Though story missions are decidedly linear, between such missions, the game lets you explore a number of semi-open world maps that are not only sufficiently large, but also hide no shortage of optional content and hidden secrets. Even though The Veilguard isn’t open world, this is still the largest Thedas has ever felt in a game.

ONCE HUMAN

Post-apocalyptic survival game Once Human’s open world design is different from some of the games we’ve spoken of so far, primarily thanks to the fact that this is a multiplayer-centric game. Regardless, in terms of size, it’s definitely one of the largest games of the year. Once Human’s map is 16 kilometers by 16 kilometers, all of which is split into four separate zones, each of which brings its own unique biome. Whether it’s size you’re looking for or variety, Once Human’s world doesn’t disappoint.

ELDEN RING: SHADOW OF THE ERDTREE

Elden Ring delivered a mind-bogglingly huge world when it launched in 2022, and though the new map in its Shadow of the Erdtree expansion wasn’t quite as large, it was still a much bigger map than most had expected from an expansion. Exploring the Land of Shadow fully and seeing everything it has to offer is not something you’re going to be able to do if you don’t have plenty of time on your hands. More importantly, the incredible level design exhibited throughout the map ensures you’ll never have a dull moment as you explore every nook and cranny.

LIKE A DRAGON: INFINITE WEALTH

Like a Dragon games never fail to deliver dozens upon dozens of hours of content, but they generally tend to do that through density rather than size. The same is true for Infinite Wealth. The eighth mainline entry in the series takes players to Hawaii, and though the map is definitely a large one (certainly much larger than anything else we’ve seen from the series in the past), it’s not nearly on the same level as some of the other open worlds we’ve discussed here thus far. Still, the game does a great job of encouraging you to explore every inch, not only because of the immaculate vibes, but also the abundant content on offer (most of which is a heck of a lot of fun).

STAR WARS OUTLAWS

There’s plenty that Star Wars Outlaws gets wrong, but even many of its critics will tell you that as far as its open world is concerned, it’s one of Ubisoft’s best productions in years. Star Wars Outlaws avoids the pitfalls of open world bloat, which we’ve grown more familiar with over the years than we’d like to admit, by ensuring that none of its maps ever feel too large, and that exploration always feels organic. It’s a compelling open world experience, and one that makes great use of its impressive scope.

BLACK MYTH: WUKONG

Here’s another example of a game that manages to achieve a sense of scale in spite of being a non-open world level-based game. No, it’s nowhere near as big as most other games on this list, but with a mix of linear levels and larger, more open-ended areas, it does manage to craft a sizeable world nonetheless. This is a game you can easily spend over 50 hours in (depending on how extensively you’re engaging with the optional content), which tells you that there’s plenty to explore for players.

SONS OF THE FOREST

After spending a year in early access, Endnight Games’ highly anticipated open world survival game Sons of the Forest celebrated its 1.0 launch this February, and it didn’t take long for players to fall in love with it- which didn’t come as a surprise, after the game’s early access period. There’s a lot to love in Sons of the Forest’s horrific world, of course, and its sizeable map is high on that list. Not only is it significantly larger and much more detailed than the map in its predecessor, its also a constant thrill to explore, with the game doing a remarkable job of making exploration feel consistently terrifying and yet rewarding.

SATISFACTORY

After five and a half long years in early access, Satisfactory launched in full this September, and though a a large map isn’t necessarily something you’d expect from a factory management simulation game, not only does Satisfactory deliver it, it also uses it to great effect. Exploring its vast and hostile world always remains one of the experience’s highlights, and contributes significantly to the game’s engaging core loop.

DRAGON’S DOGMA 2

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a wholly unique game, delivering a kind of emergent open world experience that you can’t find anywhere else. A lot of that is down the game’s complete refusal to hold your hand and its systems-driven sandbox nature, but the size of its world is also a big part of the game’s success. Exploring the massive fantasy world of Dragon’s Dogma 2 is always a blast, whether you’re exploring the lush landscapes in Vermund or the harsh desert landscapes of Battahl. Though more environmental diversity would have been appreciated, at least there’s plenty to explore, and consistently enjoyable, dynamic combat shenanigans to get into.

DRAGON QUEST 3 HD-2D REMAKE

Dragon Quest 2 HD-2D Remake is obviously a very different kind of experience from most other games in this feature, given the fact that it is deliberately designed as a throwback experience that harkens back to classic RPGs with its overworld exploration, town-hopping fantasy odyssey, dungeon crawling, and what have you. And though it is ultimately an old game made new, it’s also a sufficiently large experience- large enough, in fact, that there’s plenty to whet the appetite of all intrepid explorers out there. Its world isn’t colossal, but it feels large enough nonetheless, and exploration always remains gratifying.

RISE OF THE RONIN

Yes, we’ve mentioned a few rough-around-the-edges games here, but Rise of the Ronin certainly does deserve its place here. Team Ninja’s first crack at an open world game, though it suffered from formulaic design and cookie cutter open world content, it also wasn’t without its strengths. For starters, the game deserves credit for bringing its 19th century setting to life, at least from a visual perspective (even if the locations can feel a bit too lifeless at times). More prominent, however, are the traversal mechanics, with the mix of horseback riding, gliding, and running around making for a fun loop that keeps exploration enjoyable.

LIGHTYEAR FRONTIER

Since its early access launch in March, Lightyear Frontier has been praised by most who have played it, and its tranquil open world map  in particular is something that many have shined a light on. Calm exploration and zen traversal are the name of the game in Lightyear Frontier, owing to its very nature, which is a perfect fit for the pleasant, beautiful environments that you tend to find yourself in as you explore its world.

MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2024

Recreating literally the entire planet Earth, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 follows in the footsteps of its 2020 predecessor in going above and beyond with its open world map. That is, however, an important part of the experience here, just as it was in 2020, and once again, there’s no shortage of things to see, and even more things to do. The world sports a much greater level of detail and boasts an even greater level of authenticity, which makes Flight Sim 2024 a great experience for all the virtual tourists out there.

It’s also polishing the feel of one’s Farmech, making it heavier without affecting the speed. By utilizing visual and sound effects, the developer wants to “emphasize the mech’s size,” making it feel much more powerful. Then there’s the prospect of building your own farmhouse, decorating its interiors and the outside. It’s under investigation, but initial results look promising.

Frame Break will return with more in January, so stay tuned for further updates. Lightyear Frontier is currently available for PC via Steam Early Access – it had 700,000 players in its launch week. Check out our review when it first entered early access – we gave it a seven out of 10 for its visuals, progression, and relaxing atmosphere.

Lightyear Frontier sees players venturing (read: crash landing) on an alien planet, eventually rendezvousing with PIP-3R and setting to work on cleansing the landscape of a strange corruption. There are also mysterious alien ruins and artifacts to collect. Early access only contains the first Act, that too the beginning, but story updates, additional missions, new upgrade tiers, environments and more are in the works.

Frame Break is currently “working hard” on a roadmap, so stay tuned for updates in the coming months. In the meantime, it continues to support the title with bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements. For more details on Lightyear Frontier and the state of early access, check out our review.

Of course, there’s a bit more to the plot than that. The player character travels the star, eventually crash landing on this unknown landscape, with only the friendly PIP-3R (or Piper) to guide them. As you reassemble your mech and recover each of your essential tools, you learn more about the Lightyear Initiative and how it didn’t take off.

"Thankfully, Lightyear Frontier flawlessly nails its immaculate vibe. Being stranded on a planet slowly succumbing to some alien infestation has never felt so comfy."

Also, while you must cleanse the planet of the mysterious Noxious Slimes and Weeds infesting it, there are the usual mysterious alien artifacts in key locations to discover. What could they be for? How is purifying each region tied to the giant vault door, which conspicuously lights up over time?

It’s a well-worn premise. No spoilers, but the mysterious vault serves as more of a framework for something down the line, closing the current story content on a cliffhanger. Which is fine – this is early access – but don’t expect to get all the answers, especially after so much work.

You also shouldn’t expect the most well-defined characters (or even a massive roster of them). For the most part, Piper comes across as likeable and while I didn’t mind some of her alerts, they sometimes felt unnecessary. Saying “morning sleepyhead” when I didn’t turn in for the night is odd, though I’m unsure if I want a different voice line in its place. On the bright side, a solution to make her less chatty is in the works.

Thankfully, Lightyear Frontier flawlessly nails its immaculate vibe. Being stranded on a planet slowly succumbing to some alien infestation has never felt so comfy. The intriguing lifeforms go about their day, comfortably snoozing when night falls; the colorful art style belies a more positive sci-fi outlook without feeling too corny or cartoonish; and the music is relaxingly lilting. It’s the perfect atmosphere for sitting back and slowly building your homestead. Performance is pretty good in this regard, even in High settings with atmospheric lighting and weather effects.

"The progression system does a pretty good job of going through each region’s resources and prepping you for the next…"

There’s also a feeling of sheer freedom as you can explore almost every area after your rudimentary camp, plots and crops are set up. The gameplay loop consists of venturing to a region and cleaning it by removing weeds with the Vacuum Harvester or washing away red slime with the Irrigation Hose. Once a region is completely purified, you’ll discover new materials to fuel new recipes, crops, resources and upgrades for your mech’s tools.

There is a set order of purification to follow as you come across weeds that are a little too durable for your Harvester or slime that’s too strong for your current Hose. The progression system does a pretty good job of going through each region’s resources and prepping you for the next, as you go from growing crops and crushing them into oils to grinding materials and baking treats for the wildlife.

Feeding local nests boosts your resource gain, but wild animals can drop resources a limited number of times if you feed them separately (provided the right Fodder is on hand). After upgrading your tools and gathering or mining that one resource, that dopamine hit from unlocking new recipes, materials and/or machines is satisfying (as is to be expected from any competent farming game).

Each region also has you hunting for Artifacts. These can be interesting since some require venturing outside of your mech and a bit of platforming. Nothing too crazy, but it’s a nice change of pace. Otherwise, the regions can feel a bit too similar at times with their side quests and objectives.

"In terms of scale, Lightyear Frontier isn’t trying to present a massive world. It’s reasonably sized, without a doubt, but everything you need is within reasonable walking distance of your base."

Some require constructing a Radio Tower to gather requests from other individuals or creating a Landing Pad to purchase goods from the Merchant. However, the requests boil down to little more than collecting and delivering materials for money. The farm also doesn’t have many hazard events outside of vacuuming Noxious Weeds out of the air or hosing down Noxious Bubbles lest they ruin your crops.

While the Merchant offers several things to buy, much of it consists of decoration blueprints, already discovered seeds and new parts for your mech. The new parts don’t appear to have any discernible impact on your performance, but the customization is appreciated. Now, if only the upgrade terminal’s interface let me easily slot in different parts instead of spawning an arm, removing an existing arm and socketing the new one, rinse and repeat for each component.

In terms of scale, Lightyear Frontier isn’t trying to present a massive world. It’s reasonably sized, without a doubt, but everything you need is within reasonable walking distance of your base. Get used to a lot of walking though, especially in the absence of fast travel. Even the option to return to base at any given time would have been nice.

At least upgrading your mech’s traversal speed and jump height helps to mitigate that. It’s sometimes prone to stumbling on environmental objects, and while I haven’t had the misfortune of being tripped by a pebble, it can feel annoying. Fortunately, getting out and resetting is relatively painless, and it offers a good amount of responsiveness while still having enough heft to feel like an actual mech.

"I’m intrigued by the overall premise, and despite needing some refinements – alongside more options to customize one’s experience – it’s a solid foundation to build on with a unique identity."

Perhaps because it’s not this massive landscape, the days seem to end too quickly. You can still keep exploring, but it’s pointless to tend to the farm – setting oils and materials for refinement can take several minutes, while some crops require days to flourish, so it’s better to turn in for the day. Cue awkwardly waiting around for crops and oils initially since you need certain upgrades to continue progressing.

At the very least, crafting pulls from your storage, and some materials like copper wires, aluminium electronics and fodder can be crafted instantly without waiting. The UI also feels relatively easy to navigate, though I’d appreciate being able to drop items with a single button. As far as the fundamentals go, there’s certainly some satisfaction in planting multiple crops at a single time and watering them simultaneously with a single charged shot. Customizing your homestead with different decorations and expanding it further also feels nice.

Lightyear Frontier’s early access version isn’t an inherently long experience. A massive new region in the northwest is coming later alongside more hazards, mech upgrades, plants, resources and animals inbound. It’s also worth noting that this is only the beginning of Act 1, so the story clearly has more to offer.

I’m intrigued by the overall premise, and despite needing some refinements – alongside more options to customize one’s experience – it’s a solid foundation to build on with a unique identity. The relatively peaceful vibes and gorgeous presentation make it easy to pass the time while forgetting your worries. Now, it just needs to be fleshed out in every other important area.

This game was reviewed on PC.

On March 20th, Supermassive Games’ The Quarry joins the service for the cloud and consoles, followed by Evil West on March 21st. March 26th sees Terra Invicta, the massive strategy title from the creators of XCOM’s Long War mod, releasing on Game Preview for PC players. Diablo 4 is perhaps the biggest release, coming to consoles and PC on March 28th.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged and Open Roads are coming on the same day and playable on cloud, consoles and PC. Finally, April 1st kicks off with the addition of Ark: Survival Ascended for cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/S. On April 2nd, F1 23 is playable via EA Play on the cloud while Superhot: Mind Control Delete arrives for subscribers on the cloud, consoles and PC.

The titles leaving on March 31st include Hot Wheels Unleashed and MLB The Show 23 (which makes sense considering the addition of their sequels). Infinite Guitars is also going away, though Game Pass subscribers can avail of 20 percent discounts to purchase the titles.

So when a game like Lightyear Frontier comes along every once in a while; a game that’s able to challenge the status quo with its unique approach to survival – it instantly catches the eye of tons of fans. This feature series is dedicated to putting a spotlight on such games and understanding what makes them tick, so to that end we finally ask the question – what the hell is exactly Lightyear Frontier?

Currently in development at FRAME BREAK and Amplifier Studios, Lightyear Frontier is an open-world survival game where players are thrust into an alien world that’s brimming with life and imagination. As a space explorer, you find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere on this planet and you must use everything in your power – accrued precious resources, wits, and strategies – to make a living in this foreign land that plays by its set of rules and conditions.

This description might sound as formulaic as it can be for a survival game, but Lightyear Frontier is certainly a bit different from its contemporaries in more than a few ways. You see, survival games have this obsession with being absolutely brutal and realistic in terms of the actual mechanics itself – but Lightyear Frontier wraps those mechanics around in a package that feels pretty inviting for players of all age groups and skill levels.

There are no stats like hunger or thirst, so you don’t have to constantly keep tabs on these levels. Furthermore, the trailers haven’t really showcased any signs of combat as well. Instead, the focus is on just relaxing and continuing to work towards larger goals without having to overtly stress about your survival and overwhelming enemy forces. The moment-to-moment gameplay still revolves around collecting resources and using them to build structures and craft equipment that will make your life a lot easier in this alien world, and you also have a large mech to help you with all this busy work.

This companion mech is a multi-purpose tool fitted with all kinds of modules to help you carve out resources. For instance, you can use the saw module to efficiently chop down trees while the sprinkler module can be used for spraying down water on plants. There are a bunch of these modules scattered throughout the alien planet, and you can swap between these modules at any time to alter the functionality of your mech according to your own needs.

Furthermore, your companion mech can also be upgraded in a variety of different ways, which can further extend its utility in a bunch of interesting ways. The trailer showcases the mech’s leg unit being replaced by what seems to be a roller of sorts – and that can be used to efficiently harvest crops at a rapid pace. We don’t really know the extent of this customization and personalization in this aspect, but we are definitely hoping it to be one of the star elements of the game nevertheless.

Additionally, Lightyear Frontier also makes a point to tell a larger story about the history of the alien world that you will be inhabiting. Much like how Subnautica’s plot is revealed through vignettes that you find across its world, Lightyear Frontier will also tell a story that must be pieced together by exploring its huge world and collecting the many clues that lie in its deepest corners.

And what an expansive world it is. The developers have done an amazing job with Lightyear Frontier’s visual elements. More specifically, the art direction on display is spectacular – and it manages to strike the perfect sense of wonder and excitement as you explore its many diverse biomes. There are arid deserts, lush forests, and dark caves peppered throughout its world – and they all seem to flow into one another perfectly which should make for a cohesive exploration experience. Add to that the planet-specific flora and fauna on display, and Lightyear Frontier’s world becomes an absolute joy to explore.

Progression is a really important part of any survival game, and Lightyear Frontier is no different in that regard. And this is the part where perhaps this game represents its contemporaries the most. You will start out by chopping trees and collecting a few resources which will then allow you to get yourself a small shack and maybe a small farm, but as you explore the world and collect better resources – you will be able to expand your house and farming empire by a significant margin.

There isn’t any end goal to all this, and because the motivation to grow in terms of the game itself is largely intrinsic – it’s great that Lightyear Frontier isn’t all that brutal in terms of the mechanics itself. It’s a chill game that should serve you well in the long run, and you could easily spend hundreds upon hundreds of hours just exploring the world and expressing yourself through your creations. It’s also great that the game also features support for co-op, so you can hop into a game with 3 of your friends and engage in some friendly cooperation while working towards shared goals.

Coming to the topic of release dates, Lightyear Frontier is set to launch in early access on March 19, 2024. The game is currently set to release on PC only, but there’s a high chance that fans on consoles will be able to experience what the game has to offer if it manages to garner enough success with its initial offerings. And the developers seems to have great plans for Lightyear Frontier in the long run as well. As can be seen from the Steam description, they already have a roadmap for planned feature additions and tweaks that are set to be released in the coming months through updates – so the team looks to be really passionate about what they are building here.

Games that offer a relaxing experience with their mechanics have started to gain a lot of traction lately, and the runaway success of similar games like Stardew Valley is more than enough proof of that notion. Lightyear Frontier is blending those relaxing elements into the fold of a survival game, and that mixture has the potential to be a smash hit for years to come. We are waiting to see what’s in store with bated breath, and hopefully – it will be able to deliver upon those promises and then some more.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

March 13th is when Remedy Entertainment’s Control Ultimate Edition arrives on the service. It features the base game and two expansions, The Foundation and AWE. With the studio recently acquiring the rights to the series from 505 Games, now is a good time for new players to jump in.

Grasshopper Manufacture’s No More Heroes 3 is coming March 14th, followed by the early access launch of Lightyear Frontier for cloud, PC and Xbox Series X/S on March 19th. MLB The Show 24 arrives on the same day for cloud and consoles, rounding out the first wave of titles.

As with every month, select titles will leave Game Pass. You have until March 15th to play the following or avail of a 20 percent discount to own them:

• Hardspace: Shipbreaker (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Shredders (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Hi-Fi Rush (PS5)

Step aside Starfield and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – the true best Xbox exclusive is coming to PS5 on March 19th. Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush already cemented itself as one of the best character-driven, hack-and-slash action-adventure titles ever made when it suddenly dropped last year. The addition of rhythmic elements to the combat with a gorgeous art style and fun humor, made it all the more endearing, but PS5 players can experience the Arcade Challenge! Update! for more challenges and replay value right out the gate.

Outpost: Infinity Siege

If you’re a fan of sci-fi tower defense and base-building, then Team Ranger’s Outpost: Infinity Siege may be worth checking out. Story details are lacking at the moment, but it involves gathering resources, managing units and fighting for survival across multiple sci-fi zones with unique hazards, with a mix of first-person gunplay and overhead commands. You can customize your Protoslag Gun in different ways and team up with friends in co-op, including an endless Horde-mode style mode. Outpost: Infinity Siege is out on March 26th for PC.

Winter Survival

Between Palworld, Sons of the Forest, Enshrouded, Nightingale and Pacific Drive, there are plenty of survival crafting games to jump into. DRAGO Entertainment’s Winter Survival is another potentially worth noting as players fight for survival on a hike gone wrong in Mount Washington State Park. Hunt the wildlife, stave off the cold and hunger, and explore the area to find refuge. Random events can also occur, for better or worse, but the real challenge is managing your sanity, especially when hallucinations start to manifest. Winter Survival launches on March 6th for PC via Steam Early Access, where it will remain for at least six months.

Lightyear Frontier

Of course, those seeking something less stressful can look into Lightyear Frontier. The farming title sees players venturing to a far-off planet for farming purposes. Despite having a mech, it’s more of a multi-purpose tool, allowing you to plough the fields, clear out pollution, plant new trees, and much more (and yes, you can also build a home). With co-op support, it should be interesting to see how Lightyear Frontier fares when it launches into early access on March 19th for Xbox Series X/S and PC.

WWE 2K24

Controversies loom heavily for the WWE following a lawsuit against its former chairman, Vince McMahon. Wrestlemania season rolls on regardless, though, and a new WWE 2K title is out on March 8th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC. Visual Concepts’ WWE 2K24 offers a new 2K Showcase highlighting 40 years of memorable Wrestlemania matches; new match types like Ambulance, Gauntlet, Special Referee and Coffin; and various new features for MyGM, MyFACTION and Universe Mode. Even Backstage Brawl has been revamped to feel more brutal.

Dragon’s Dogma 2

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is out on March 22nd for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Combat is real-time and includes new Vocations like the Mystic Spearhand, Warfarer and Trickster, powerful skills and Pawn actions, the world has limited fast travel and a hefty amount of side content that players may miss. Dragon’s Dogma 2 could be a stand-out RPG in this highly competitive quarter.

Rise of the Ronin

Rise of the Ronin is Team Ninja’s biggest project yet and seven years in the making. It’s an open-world action RPG that takes several combat cues from Nioh, particularly its Styles and weapon types while adding a glider, Grappling Hook and even character switching. As a Veiled Edge in the Bakumatsu era of Japan, players must side with different historical figures and carve their path, with multiple decisions deciding their fate.

Forming bonds with characters can alter the course of the story and unlock new endings. However, the developer also promises extensive side content and detailed cities like Edo, Yokohama and Kyoto. It’s out on March 22nd, exclusively for PS5, and with a character creator, four-player co-op and different difficulty options, we can’t wait to see how it pans out.

MLB The Show 24

It wouldn’t be a year of sports follow-ups without a new MLB The Show. Launching on March 19th for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and Nintendo Switch, MLB The Show 24 offers 400 new animations, including new pitcher animations, revamped base sizes, and multiple other gameplay improvements. Modes like Diamond Dynasty, Road to the Show, Franchise, and March to October also return, while this year’s Storylines sees the addition of Derek Jeter’s 1995 to 2000 seasons.

Outcast – A New Beginning

Appeal Studios’ Outcast – A New Beginning is a dream come true for long-time fans of the 1999 adventure classic, especially after the cancellation of Outcast 2: The Lost Paradise. Cutter Slade returns to Adelpha, and he’s once again on a mission to save the Talans. With extensive weapon customization, different abilities, a large open world with secrets to uncover and extensive wildlife, and a jetpack for quick exploration, A New Beginning promises an extensive amount of freedom like the original. It launches on March 15th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC.

Contra: Operation Galuga

The Contra series hasn’t had the best track record lately, especially 2019’s Contra: Rogue Corps. However, Contra: Operation Galuga is a vast improvement, as WayForward embraces the 80s-style run-and-gun action complete with big bosses, several playable characters, three difficulty options and eight stages for players to test their mettle. New weapons, Overlord abilities and stackable upgrades also sound enticing, and there’s even support for up to four players in Arcade Mode. Contra: Operation Galuga arrives on March 12th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch, with a free demo currently available.

Expeditions: A MudRunner Game

If you liked Snowrunner and wanted more of the same, Expeditions: A MudRunner Game…isn’t exactly that. Instead, it’s more of an exploration title where you work with a research team to explore three massive maps. Unearth treasures, transport equipment, help other truckers – the list goes on, with several new tools to help navigate the dreaded landscape and Specialists to lend their knowledge. Expeditions: A MudRunner Game is out on March 5th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition (PC)

After Horizon Zero Dawn, it’s now the turn of Guerrilla Games’ Horizon Forbidden West to launch on PC. The Complete Edition includes the acclaimed base game and expansion, The Burning Shores, while supporting 21:9 and 32:9 displays alongside 48:9 triple monitor set-ups. PC players can also look forward to Nvidia DLSS 3 and DLAA support, in addition to AMD FSR and Intel XeSS being supported. If nothing else, Nixxes Software being in charge should mean a much better port than the original when it arrives on March 21st.

Princess Peach: Showtime!

Princess Peach finally gets her time to shine as the protagonist again when Princess Peach: Showtime! arrives on March 22nd for Nintendo Switch. The action-adventure title sees her utilizing various transformations to defeat Wicked Grape and the Sour Bunch, from the deadly Ninja Peach to the martial arts of Kung Fu Peach. You can even don a detective hat as, well, Detective Peach and duel with Swordfighter Peach. Overall, Princess Peach: Showtime! looks like a massive step up from 2005’s Super Princess Peach in every way.

Planet Zoo: Console Edition

A console re-release of a Frontier Developments’ management title on PC from 2019? Odd as it may be, Planet Zoo: Console Edition is out on March 26th for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. It features the same content that fans of the original love, from creating different habitats in your dream zoo to caring for various animal species (complete with console-centric controls). The Frontier Workshop also gets cross-platform sharing, providing even more content to download, but there’s also a Season Pass for a whopping 14 additional DLC packs for console players.

Open Roads

Previously set to launch in February, Annapurna Interactive’s Open Roads is now out on March 28th for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. The story of Tess and her mother, Opal, still looks endearing as they embark on a road trip and revisit the past (unearthing some secrets along the way). With a uniquely gorgeous art style and an atmosphere that evokes the nostalgia of simpler times, Open Roads should be worth checking out for adventure game fans.