Destiny 2: The Final Shape

Say what you will about the Destiny franchise, but with all the ups and downs, shifting trends, studio problems and controversies, it’s still the top looter shooter. With The Final Shape, Bungie looks to conclude the near-decade-long Light and Darkness saga with new Light-based subclasses, Prismatic (combining many abilities into one subclass), a linear campaign and a hopefully memorable raid. It’s a tall order, and between all of the changes to Exotics, ability changes, new Exotics (including new class items) overhauling bounties in favor of the Pathfinder system and more, The Final Shape could be a memorable end leading to a promising beginning when it launches on June 4th. It will be available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC.

Monster Hunter Stories

Limited to Nintendo 3DS, iOS and Android for years, the first Monster Hunter Stories is finally coming to modern-ish platforms on June 14th. Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC players can dive into a world where humans and monsters coexist, working together as Rider and Monstie to overcome challenges. Combat is turn-based with three attack types, each overcoming the typical triangular fashion. The remaster sports all the title updates, full voice-acting, additional languages, improved character models, textures and lighting in HD, and even a Museum Mode.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin

Once PS4 players are done enjoying the original, there’s Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, launching on the same day. Players take ownership of the mysterious Razewing Ratha, an allegedly ruinous Rathalos. Journeying together and teaming up with other Riders, they seek to rid the world of raging monsters. With a more refined presentation, recognizable armor and weapons from the series, and extensive ways to cultivate and customize Monsties, Wings of Ruin promises a fun turn-based experience. It also benefits from all of the updates released to date, including a co-op quest against Fatalis.

Still Wakes the Deep

Dear Esther and Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs developer The Chinese Room is back with its latest survival horror, set on a drilling platform in 1975. The premise sees Caz McLeary struggling to survive against some unknown monster while navigating the platform’s various mechanical failures. That means navigating ruined walkways, traversing claustrophobic water-filled rooms, and much more. With The Thing, Suspiria and even the Southern Reach Trilogy as inspirations, Still Wakes the Deep promises a deeply personal and nerve-wracking horror experience when it launches on June 18th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Perhaps the biggest release of the month, Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only paid expansion for Elden Ring, launching on June 21st for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5 and PC. It sees players venturing to the Land of Shadow to pursue Miquella, discovering hidden truths (including an untold war) about the place and battling with new threats like Messmer the Impaler. With over ten new boss fights, multiple new weapon types, skills and armor, and a new region that’s larger than Limgrave with a “denser and richer level design”, it’s FromSoftware’s biggest expansion to date. Will it close the story on a high note? We’ll have to wait and find out.

Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD

Before there was the brilliance of Luigi’s Mansion 3, Dark Moon was the series’ peak. Fortunately, it’s coming to Nintendo Switch on June 27th as Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD. Featuring improved visuals in HD, Luigi must collect pieces of the Dark Moon to save Mario once more, utilizing the Poltergust 5000 to solve puzzles in more complex haunted mansions. You can also hop into the ScareScraper with up to three other players to tackle fresh challenges locally or online. Whether you’re reliving the masterpiece or playing for the first time, it should be another worthwhile addition to the Switch’s library.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble

Speaking of returns, Super Monkey Ball gets a new title on June 25th on Nintendo Switch, courtesy of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble features AiAi, MeeMee and the rest of the crew, including newcomer Palette, as they seek the Legendary Banana in Adventure Mode. Multiplayer supports up to 16 players online (or two locally), with modes like Race, Banana Hunt, Goal Rush and more. It even supports bots and offers more than 300 items to customize characters with.

Star Wars: Hunters

First announced in February 2021, Zynga’s Star Wars: Hunters actually soft-launched in late 2021 for mobiles. Multiple delays later, it’s finally getting a release on June 4th, enabling Nintendo Switch players to join the fray. As a free-to-play competitive shooter, players can choose from an array of bounty hunters divided into Tank, Support and Damage roles, with maps on Endor, and four unique modes. Whether it can survive as a hero shooter in this day and age remains to be seen, but it looks decent.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road

After bragging about offering the “equivalent of more than ten single-player games” with The Elder Scrolls Online, ZeniMax Online Studios is preparing for its next big expansion. Gold Road sees players venturing to the West Weald from Oblivion with locations like Skingrad, the Dawnwood and the Colovian Highlands to explore. Players can modify skills with the new Scribing system, which should help when embarking into new dungeons and the latest trial. The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road is out on June 3rd for PC, with the console versions launching on June 18th.

A Twisted Path to Renown

You’ve seen modern combat PvEvP extraction shooters, but Game-Labs’ A Twisted Path to Renown puts a Wild West spin on things. Entering early access on June 6th for PC, it sees players exploring the United States in 1899 with revolvers, double-barrel shotguns and even bows. Battle all kinds of threats, including hostile wildlife, while garnering reputation among vendors, earning better gear, and even engaging in some farming and mining. With realistic weapons and trading available at launch, it may very well be the freshest take on the genre yet.

ASKA

Whether you’re already done with Valheim’s new Ashlands update or just in the mood for a fresh survival crafting title, there’s Thunderful’s ASKA. Launching on June 20th for PC via Steam Early Access, the title allows up to four players to strike out as Vikings, building up their tribe, assigning jobs to villagers, customizing the layout and setting up defenses. They can also venture into the procedurally generated world with its dynamic weather system and discover various landmarks and resources. Launching in 2025, with two major updates forthcoming, ASKA may be worth checking out.

Kingdom Hearts Series (Steam)

Just when it seemed condemned to the Epic Games Store for life, the Kingdom Hearts series is finally coming to Steam on June 13th. Three titles will be available, though at least two are collections of individual games. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX contains the Final Mix versions of Kingdom Hearts 1, 2 and Birth by Sleep, Re:Chain of Memories and all the cutscenes (plus some new ones) from 358/2 Days and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded.

These are in high-definition and offer a substantial amount for first-time PC players. Kingdom HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue contains a remaster of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, a “film” of sorts based on Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover and Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage, a side story.

It all leads to Kingdom Hearts 3, the conclusion to the Dark Seeker saga, and Re Mind, with multiple new challenges and additional story content. Memory of Melody isn’t arriving, which is a bummer, but these three releases still offer the definitive Kingdom Hearts experience.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road will take players to the West Weald—a region on the border of Cyrodiil. The new zone is ruled by the Colovian Count Calantius, and is an independent nation allied with Cyrodiil’s Imperial forces.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road will be coming to PC on June 3, while PlayStation and Xbox players will have to wait until June 18 for the expansion.

Alongside Gold Road, Bethesda has also announced the new Scions of Ithelia dungeon DLC pack. The upcoming DLC, set for release on March 11 for PC players and March 26 for console players, continues where the story of Necrom left off, and will feature two new 4-player dungeons—Oathsworn Pit, and Bedlam Veil.

Among some of the reveals include the first gameplay for Indiana Jones from MachineGames, a behind-the-scenes look at the development of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, a deep dive into Obsidian Entertainment’s Avowed, and gameplay for Oxide Interactive’s Ara: History Untold. Following the Direct, ZeniMax Online Studios will reveal the next chapter, story, and zone for The Elder Scrolls Online at 1 PM PT/4 PM ET.

Unfortunately, there won’t be any updates for Activision Blizzard titles, but Microsoft has teased news from its teams for later in the year. Additionally, while the Direct’s lineup looks solid as it is, there are also rumors of a shadow-dropped title, not unlike Hi-Fi Rush last year. Time will tell, so stay tuned for more details when it airs

While Murder by Numbers is an underrated puzzle game, The Elder Scrolls Online is arguably more appealing. After its overhaul into Tamriel Unlimited, it’s become one of the better MMORPGs out there, fusing the character creation of The Elder Scrolls games with some great quests. It has an optional subscription and microtransactions, with free content updates and paid DLC released over time.

It recently received its seventh paid expansion, Necrom, to positive praise. The next free titles on the storefront are Homeworld Remastered Collection and Severed Steel from July 27th to August 3rd. Stay tuned for more details when they go live, and claim this week’s free titles before they’re gone.

On that front, in fact, the game recently hit another major milestone. During a recent presentation (via Wccftech) where new details were offered on the MMORPG’s upcoming expansion, Necrom, ZeniMax Online Studios confirmed that The Elder Scrolls Online has now surpassed over 22 million players. That’s up from 21 million in July, which means the game has added an additional million players in less than a year.

The Elder Scrolls Online is available on PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4, and PC. Necrom will launch for PC on June 5, and for consoles on June 20.

However, the actual acquisition seemingly took place last year. As pointed out by Timur222 and on Nemesys’s home page, it became a new “co-dev partner” to ZeniMax Online Studios last October. “We have been working on many aspects of their flagship title, The Elder Scrolls Online, as well as unannounced projects.”

The studio’s shift to becoming ZeniMax Online Studios Hungary occurred recently (the Opten page was registered in 2022), with Riot Games’ Jeremy Lecus congratulating it on LinkedIn. While the “unannounced projects” sound interesting, the studio has also likely been helping with content for The Elder Scrolls Online.

The 2014 MMORPG’s next expansion is Necrom, which adds the new Arcanist class, new zones in the Telvanni Peninsula, two new companions and much more. It’s out on June 5th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC.

Announced today.
ZeniMax Online Studios now has an office in Hungary. pic.twitter.com/kfwmE24Hog

— Timur222 (@bogorad222) April 5, 2023

sources:https://t.co/ceRDIArzTKhttps://t.co/XkHbeouo8phttps://t.co/n4VV3YuZIn

— Timur222 (@bogorad222) April 5, 2023

Apparently, the ZeniMax Online Studios Hungarian branch was set up last year. pic.twitter.com/j6w7BxQP72

— Timur222 (@bogorad222) April 5, 2023

The Arcanist class has three skill lines—Herald of the Tome, Curative Runeforms, and Apocryphal Soldier. Each one of the skill lines draws its powers from the realm of Oblivion. Respectively, the skill lines revolve around dealing damage, supporting allies, and absorbing enemy attacks.

The Arcanist also has a new mechanic—the Crux system—which revolves around building up the Crux resource to then spend it to empower other abilities.

Both of the new zones coming to The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom will feature their own quests, NPCs, world bosses, achievements, titles, and item sets.

In terms of story, the Necrom expansion is set to be a chapter of the overarching Shadow Over Morrowind adventure. It revolves around the Prince of Knowledge, Hermaeus Mora, needing a champion to help them defend a secret that has the potential to unravel reality.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom is coming to PC on June 5, and PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on June 20.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom is slated to take place in the Telvanni Peninsula and the realm of Apocrypha. The Telvanni Peninsula is home to massive mushrooms and rocky spires.

More details about the expansion are slated to be revealed after the Xbox and Bethesda Developer_Direct, where the studio is set to go more in-depth in the expansion’s new features, and details about its new zone.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom is slated to release on June 5 for PC, and June 20 on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

All past chapters are also now available for free for a limited time. This means that players can play through over 20 different DLCs that have been released for The Elder Scrolls Online since the game’s release.

The Elder Scrolls Online is available on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S.

Journalist Tom Henderson has claimed in a report published on Insider Gaming that Microsoft and Bethesda are also planning a hands-on event for the media for March. It’s unknown if the event will be public, and it seems like it will only be focused on Redfall and The Elder Scrolls Online.

Henderson corroborates recent reports that Redfall will be out on May 2, while as per him, The Elder Scrolls Online’s next big update is targeting a Summer release.

Starfield doesn’t seem to be part of the plans for this event. Microsoft recently said that a standalone showcase dedicated to the game is currently in the works.

Recently, leaks have also claimed that Tango Gameworks’ next game, Hi-Fi Rush, will be unveiled at the Xbox and Bethesda Developer_Direct showcase later today, but based on Henderson’s report, it doesn’t seem like it will be part of the March media event either.

What can we expect from the showcase? Microsoft confirms that it will be showing off Forza Motorsport, Redfall, Minecraft Legends, and The Elder Scrolls Online.

The Elder Scrolls Online will showcase its major new Chapter update for 2023, while Forza Motorsport will show off “more gameplay and exciting new details”. Minecraft Legends, meanwhile, will showcase “an insider’s look into the PvP multiplayer experience”.

Finally there’s Redfall, Arkane’s upcoming open world FPS. You can expect to see “several minutes” of both single player and co-op gameplay and “learn more about combat, customization, bosses, the open world, and more.” Whether or not the game’s official reveal date, which is allegedly in early May, will be revealed remains to be seen.

Of course, one major name is missing from that lineup – Starfield is arguably one of the biggest releases of the year, but won’t be part of the Direct. That said, Microsoft has said that it’s working on a larger standalone showcase that will be dedicated entirely to the upcoming space-faring RPG.