The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak

If you talk to every NPC and exhaust all the dialogue available, there’s no escaping a 100-hour playthrough in Trails Through Daybreak. In Trails games, NPCs each have an ongoing story of their own that updates as you progress key story milestones. The main narrative of Trails Through Daybreak has tons of text on its own, not even counting the NPCs. Trails Through Daybreak’s English word count is well over 1 million, making it the second-largest script in the series to date. By contrast, the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy contains 455,125 English words while The Bible contains about 1 million. The ‘high speed’ fast forward toggle mitigates the time this can take by a bit, but unless you’re a super speed reader, sifting through the reams of text available here will be time-consuming. Interestingly enough, Trails Through Daybreak doesn’t feature the series-staple fishing minigame, so players can focus more on the intricate storyline and characters.

Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth

The latest entry in the Yakuza series also happens to be the largest. Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth features a turn-based RPG combat system, a distinct shift from Yakuza’s familiar beat-em-up formula. The 100-plus hour playtime is partly due to the turn-based combat, but mostly because Infinite Wealth is so chock-full of minigames. Infinite Wealth features well over a dozen minigames, some of them being full-blown games with progression and a grind all their own. For example, the Dondoko Island minigame has its own control scheme, which is fitting considering what it involves. Within Dondoko Island, you build an island resort destination by scrounging up resources and then placing objects around the archipelago. Other minigames are more basic, though no less intriguing, such as the returning karaoke songs, as well as fun parody games inspired by Pokemon and Crazy Taxi. But Infinite Wealth has much more than just minigames to occupy your time. The main campaign consists of 14 meaty chapters that take anywhere from 50 to 60 hours depending on playstyle, which makes it one of the longest campaigns in the Yakuza franchise to date.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a massive game unto itself despite it covering ‘just’ the middle section of Final Fantasy VII. Rebirth retreads some of the most beloved parts of the original Final Fantasy VII and recontextualizes them: the Gold Saucer, Barret’s Corel story, and Cloud’s famous flashback sequence all take place in this middle chapter, not to mention all the twists and deviations toward the end. Much like the previous game on this list, Rebirth goes all in on minigames. You have Chocobo Racing to enjoy, as well as the array of Gold Saucer attractions. Even without the minigames, Rebirth boasts a seamless open world rivaling the size of Final Fantasy XV’s map. There’s a checklist of stuff to do in the open world, but the Protorelic quest is particularly noteworthy since it features some core story content and culminates with a showdown against a familiar character making Rebirth one of the longest games of 2024.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes

This turn-based JRPG features a wide number of allies you can recruit. There’s a total of 120 recruitable allies in this game, though less than half of them don’t join you in combat, instead helping you out by giving you intel and whatnot. The process of recruiting these characters can range from merely speaking with them to doing fetch quests, so it’s not quite as time-consuming as it could’ve been. The range of other side activities helps make Hundred Heroes a 100-hour RPG.

Dragon’s Dogma 2

Dragon’s Dogma 2 doesn’t have the longest story campaign on this list, but the open world littered with side quests and activities will take you some time to explore for sure. Some of the side quests are substantial affairs, taking you around the world map and requiring multiple steps to complete. With over 40 side quests, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is not wanting in content. That said, the real heart of Dragon’s Dogma 2 lies in its procedural gameplay. Enemies react and behave in unpredictable ways, further compounded by the interactable environments. This leads to many hours had just messing with different builds and finding different ways to defeat monsters. It’s one of those games where you spend hours just messing around experimenting with stuff.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink

Granblue Fantasy: Relink’s campaign is swift and punchy, with about 24 hours or so of gameplay time. While it’s generally a well-received story with memorable characters, the real substance of this game revolves around its endgame content and co-op component. Think of Monster Hunter and you have the right idea. Raids feature difficult bosses and dungeons that you can tackle solo or with others. Leveling up characters and gear is a fixture of Granblue Fantasy: Relink’s endgame gameplay loop, and can take 100s of hours until you feel a sense of completion. All in all, this is a nice hybrid package that includes your traditional RPG story alongside a grindy endgame raid loop to dig into.

Rise of the Ronin

As an open-world samurai game, Rise of the Ronin features a lot of checklists and content to explore. There’s a total of 750 collectibles with 100 fugitives to save in Rise of the Ronin, some of which are very well hidden. The map in Rise of the Ronin measures 10.4 square miles. By comparison, Ghost of Tsushima’s map rounds up to 11 square miles. Though the main campaign comprises only three chapters, there’s still lots of side quests and stuff to collect in the open environment, making Rise of Ronin one of the longest games of 2024 so far.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Classic

In the video game world, you can’t really get any bigger than World of Warcraft. The Cataclysm expansion had the most lengthy story at its time of release, which is saying a lot considering WoW’s legacy. For reference, 25 players are polled on HowLongToBeat stating that Cataclysm takes around 385 hours to complete the main story and additional content. Cataclysm is the latest expansion to receive the Classic treatment, which helps smooth some things over with conveniences, but also adds additional wrinkles into the mix. Some additional features include the ability to use mounts, transmogs, and pets across all accounts, a streamlined auction house, and overhauled difficulty.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Just about everyone was surprised to hear that Elden Ring’s expansion featured another huge open-world zone separate from Elden Ring’s Lands Between. When we actually booted the game up and played ourselves, that feeling of discovering an ever-expanding map hit us all over again just like the base game. The Shadow Realm is far larger than the game’s director, Hidetaka Miyazaki, said it would be in previews. The new zone is roughly the size of Limgrave, Caelid, and half of Liurnia of the Lakes combined. Add to this the additional verticality of the unpredictable terrain and you have another solid 60 or so hours of content on your hands, even if some of it is just empty space with one of those silly cookbooks waiting at a dead end.

Helldivers 2

As a live service co-op shooter, Helldivers 2 doesn’t have a definitive endpoint due to a lack of a traditional campaign or story. Still, despite having a mission-based structure, players clock in an average of 50 hours in Helldivers 2 according to HowLongToBeat. The mission structure revolves around 40-minute timers with a list of objectives to complete. There’s something to be said about completing stuff in 40-minute chunks. The compact time limit lets players know what they’re getting into while giving a sense of accomplishment, encouraging further commitment to the game’s loop. Getting to max level is one of the clear milestones you can achieve in this game, and that feat is typically accomplished around or just above that 50-hour timeframe.

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.

Since a lot of players, yours truly included, quite enjoyed the more relaxed pace of playing that World of Warcraft originally had, rather than the modern systems-heavy beast where just about every single second of your gaming time is often accounted for with things to do, Blizzard released World of Warcraft Classic in 2019, in an effort to make everyone happy. While the success of Classic can be argued, it did well enough for the studio to continue the Classic train with the release of the Burning Crusade, followed by the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. Typically, the game’s second expansion is the point most players would pick as the turning point for when World of Warcraft became less “classic” and started turning into the game we see today.

The release of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Classic is an interesting one. One of the key features of the Cataclysm expansion back when originally launched in 2010 was the fact that it brought a complete overhaul to the base game’s leveling zones, streamlining the whole process of getting to the level 85 cap. There were also several redesigns made to the game’s various leveling dungeons, as well as the first of what would become many overhauls to the talent tree.

Taking all of these (and many other) aspects into account, starting a new character in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Classic is a strange experience. The game is much faster-paced than it was during the previous Classic runs, and there are plenty of new quality of life features, like in-game maps for dungeons and even a way to check out loot tables for bosses. However, it’s these very changes that make Cataclysm Classic feel very un-Classic.

"The game is much faster-paced than it was during the previous Classic runs, and there are plenty of new quality of life features"

While the feature first arrived during Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm doubled down on the use of the Dungeon Finder, which allowed players to match up with random other players to run dungeons. Cataclysm would eventually push it even further by introducing the Raid Finder, using which players can do entire endgame raids with a random assortment of other players. While incredibly convenient, these tools had a major hand in reducing the level of community that World of Warcraft players would feel. Sure, waiting for two hours hanging around the game’s public chat rooms as you looked for a healer wasn’t fun, but reducing the entire experience to a simple button press and queue time was decidedly even less enjoyable.

All of that aside, however, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Classic’s greatest success is in reminding players just how drastic of a change the leveling experience saw. Where you would previously find yourself running from settlement to settlement in the Barrens as you looked for quests, now, quest lines flowed more naturally, sending you to the next settlement once you’ve finished up the small story in your current village. This would even extend to entire zones, where the game would now naturally tell you to go check out the disturbances at Stonetalon Mountains once you were done questing in the Northern Barrens.

Keeping up with the better paced storylines throughout Cataclysm Classic’s leveling experience is the more active pace of gameplay. Compared to even Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm pushes the actions-per-minute of several of the game’s specializations up quite high, making end-game combat an intensive affair where you would be juggling your most powerful cooldown abilities alongside your regular damage rotation, and even situational defensive abilities.

"World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Classic’s greatest success is in reminding players just how drastic of a change the leveling experience saw."

Generally speaking, however, Cataclysm feels like a strange middle ground between World of Warcraft Classic and World of Warcraft: Dragonflight. The Classic stage of the game at this point might have moved too far along the timeline to really be considered “Classic”. Don’t get me wrong; World of Warcraft would go on to get several changes down the line as well, be it a rework to how talents worked in Mists of Pandaria, to the several stat squishes in different expansions, to even a level squish that came about with Shadowlands. Cataclysm, however, definitely feels like the first major step Blizzard took towards streamlining the game.

One of the major examples of streamlining is the removal of weapon skills. Before Cataclysm, player characters in World of Warcraft, and by extension Classic, would have weapon skill stats that would level up automatically as you used a weapon. These stats were essentially a vestigial mechanic leftover from the original World of Warcraft, and the release of The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King made it obsolete. Cataclysm did away with the stat entirely, while also de-emphasizing other stats like elemental resistances. The expansion even removes arrows as a consumable item so that hunters don’t have to worry about running out of ammo, for instance.

Despite all of this, however, one of Cataclysm’s greatest strengths—one that shines through especially well in Cataclysm Classic—is how it told small-scaled stories through minor quest chains. These small-scale stories would ultimately go on to have major consequences that would take the World of Warcraft story in unexpected directions. A great example is how Cataclysm lays the groundwork for the slow descent into villainy that the Horde Warchief of the time, Garrosh Hellscream, would ultimately experience, culminating in him becoming the final antagonist of the next expansion.

"These small scale stories would ultimately go on to have major consequences"

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Classic players also have quite a bit to look forward to when it comes to endgame content, since the Firelands raid is still considered to be an excellent group experience, and rewards players with gear that still manages to look great today.

How one goes about defining World of Warcraft Classic for themselves will play a big part in how much they enjoy revisiting the Cataclysm expansion. For some, it was World of Warcraft introducing some of its worst tendencies, while others find that the more streamlined leveling process and faster-paced gameplay way more interesting and entertaining. When it comes to re-releasing it as part of World of Warcraft Classic, however, Cataclysm might just stretch what the word really means.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Classic leaves behind the slower paced leveling of days gone by, and even the core gameplay of all the classes is much faster. Along the way, it also leaves behind a lot of the charm that World of Warcraft used to have when it first launched. Getting into dungeons for some new gear was as simple as clicking on “Join Queue” and waiting for 15 minutes. Despite all of this, however, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Classic is still a surprisingly enjoyable game. While it doesn’t have as much in the way of nostalgia to offer players as World of Warcraft Classic previously did, Cataclysm Classic still feels different enough to modern-day World of Warcraft to make it worth revisiting every now and then.

This game was reviewed on PC.

As one of the more controversial expansions at the time, it’s centered on the return of Deathwing, the Worldbreaker and Aspect of Death, whose fracturing of the World Pillar completely changes Azeroth. In a way, it also marked a shift in almost every aspect of the game, with various systems and mechanics changed in many ways that would resonate with fans (for better or worse) for years.

What should new players (who don’t know there’s a completely different World of Warcraft experience) expect? What are some of the new features and macro-transactions that veterans can look forward to? Here’s what you should know before picking up World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Classic when it launches on May 20th.

Changes to Existing Continents

Deathwing’s arrival meant a complete reshaping of the world players knew and loved (to the chagrin of some players, who saw favored locations wiped out or completely changed). Several existing quests from the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor are gone; both continents now sport new areas and quests along with new storylines, and they now allow for flying with mounts, which previously wasn’t possible. It was somewhat unheard of to see major continents changed in such a fashion, but it’s become one of the defining features of Cataclysm.

New Zones

With such massive environmental changes come new zones, and Cataclysm offers several for players at level 80 to grind through to the new level cap (or from level 1 – more on that shortly). The new zones in question are Mount Hyjal and Uldum in Kalimdor; Vashj’ir and the Twilight Highlands in the Eastern Kingdoms; Tol Barad in Lordaeron; and Deepholm in the Elemental Planes. Some zones consist of smaller sub-zones, like Tol Barad and Vashj’ir, with the former being instanced and sporting some PvP.

Elemental Planes

Another big change wrought by Deathwing’s arrival is the appearance of elemental rifts leading to the Elemental Planes, specifically the Abyssal Maw, the Firelands, Deepholm and Skywall. They host various new dungeons and sub-zones (including four within the Firelands alone) while also being connected to new Elemental threats that players will have to battle.

Increased Level Cap

A new expansion means a new level cap, and World of Warcraft: Cataclysm allows players to go from level 80 to 85, with the new zones in the same range. It also meant five new Talent Points to improve or unlock new abilities. Unfortunately, this also marked one of the more controversial changes to Talents. Specialization was introduced, and Talent Trees became smaller. The total number of Talent Points also dropped to 41, essentially ruining hybrid builds for longtime players. If that’s you, then, well, prepare in advance.

Smoother Leveling Experience

Of course, this is Cataclysm Classic and not quite the same leveling experience as when the expansion first launched. Players can expect a “smoother” and accelerated experience, to get them to the end game faster, or at least make it easier to level up existing alts. This will be even more essential for new characters, especially when choosing the new races.

Two New Races

Cataclysm adds two new races to the mix – the Worgen and Goblins – the former for the Alliance and the latter for the Horde. They each get unique starting zones – Gilneas for the Worgen and the Isle of Kezan and the Lost Isles for the Goblins. The Worgen can shift between their human and worgen forms, gaining increased movement speed in their “true form” for a period and even running at the same speed as a mount during travel.

Goblins get a rocket belt for jumping forward, firing a barrage of rockets, and accessing amazing discounts regardless of their relationship with a faction. The number of available classes for races would also get expanded, though, unfortunately, Cataclysm wouldn’t introduce a new class for players to mess around with.

Revamped Questing Experience

Cataclysm added a lot of new quests to the game, with even more arriving in subsequent patches and offering even more routes for leveling. However, these marked a shift in quest design towards a more linear cinematic experience with excessive phasing (which changed surroundings depending on your progress, resulting in some players not seeing each other out in the open).

It meant less freedom in how you progress through a zone, though it did offer some good story-telling. Unfortunately (again), there’s also a good chunk of optional quests that try a little too hard with the humor and references, so be prepared.

Multiple New Dungeons

There are seven new dungeons to experience, starting with Blackrock Caverns and Throne of the Tides for level 80 to 81 players. The Vortex Pinnacle and The Stonecore are for level 82-84 players, while the Lost City of the Tol’vir, the Halls of Origination and Grim Batol are for level 85. Finally, there’s the level 85 heroic dungeon, Caverns of Time, consisting of trips to the past, present and potential future. Each was fairly challenging for its time, especially with all of the changes, but there seems to be a…

New Dungeon Difficulty System

On its official website for Cataclysm Classic, Blizzard notes that players can earn “powerful rewards” in a “new dungeon difficulty system that will be added after launch.” What this means is unknown, but it remains to be seen if it will retain the same infamous difficulty for its dungeons at launch.

Transmog

One confirmed feature is transmogrification or Transmog, which is essential for those wanting to optimise their fashion game. It allows your armor and weapons to maintain their stats while taking on the appearance of other equipment. You must visit a Transmogrifier and spend Gold, though none is required when reverting to your gear’s true appearance. Along with Mounts and Pets, Transmogs are account-wide, making them available for any alts you choose to cultivate.

New Raids

Three raids are available in Cataclysm – Blackwing Descent, Bastion of Twilight and Throne of the Four Winds. There’s also the raid dungeon Baradin Hold, which becomes available after a PvP battle. All are playable for 10-player and 25-player groups and offer heroic options once cleared for more challenging encounters.

“Streamlined” Auction House

You can’t have World of Warcraft without the Auction House, and while it’s not all that great in WoW Classic, the release of Cataclysm provides an “updated version.” It will provide a “streamlined experience” for those who want to “buy and sell the latest and greatest supplies and gear,” per Blizzard’s official spiel. What does any of this mean? Your guess is as good as ours – it hasn’t provided any details or even any updates in the Cataclysm Classic beta. As always, time will tell.

Character Boosts and Transfer Packs

Don’t want to level a character from scratch like the good ol’ days? You’re in luck because Blizzard provides an option to boost your character to level 80 – for $60. It’s included in the Blazing Epic Upgrade for Cataclysm Classic, which costs $80 and offers 30 days of game time with other in-game goodies. There will also be packs for Character Transfer, and changes to your race, name and Faction, much like with Wrath of the Lich King Classic and the base WoW Classic.

PAC-MAN Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs

We’ve seen the likes of Pac-Man 99 and its take on the battle royale format. Amber Studio’s PAC-MAN Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs – try saying that five times fast – offers another spin, allowing up to 64 players to venture into each other’s mazes to consume them. It’s a dangerous game as mazes continually collapse during matches, but it’s a unique spin on a classic arcade formula.

Throw in some cosmetics and even indulge in Ranked Mode to place on the leaderboards. There are even private lobbies, complete with spectator support. PAC-MAN Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs launches on May 9th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch, and thankfully, supports cross-platform play.

Homeworld 3

It’s been almost 21 years since the release of Homeworld 2, and while Deserts of Kharak received a good reception in 2016, the franchise is finally moving forward with Homeworld 3. Launching on May 13th after multiple delays, the story sees the Hyperspace Gate Network in shambles and humanity embarking on another mission for survival. All the strategic tenets are here, from your fleet carrying over between missions to utilizing the Z-axis to flank and outmaneuver opponents.

New Megaliths mix things up, providing cover, while Fortresses demand clever flanking and trench runs to overcome. In addition to the story and PvP, there’s War Games, a rogue-like mode where players play through challenges and gain Artifacts to improve their fleet. It even supports up to three players.

The Rogue Prince of Persia

The Rogue Prince of Persia embraces an animated art style and sees the Prince fighting to halt an invasion from the Huns. The robust combat system offers several weapon types and opportunities for environmental kills. Launching on May 14th for PC via Steam Early Access, The Rogue Prince of Persia offers the first story Act with six levels and two bosses, with plans to effectively double the content with the 1.0 release.

Die by the Blade

Remember Bushido Blade and its emphasis on realistic, 1v1 fights between sword-wielding warriors? Die by the Blade by Triple Hill Interactive, Toko Midori Games, and Grindstone look to channel that visceral combat feel, albeit in a cyberpunk setting. You can customize the playable characters and blades alike, though opting for heavier weapons like the Nodachi could come at the cost of speed (which the katana is skilled at). Parrying and dodging are all here, with Practice, Tournament and Ranked modes, but remember: a single decisive blow is enough to end it all. Die by the Blade launches on May 16th for PC.

Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut

Finally, Sucker Punch’s acclaimed open-world action-adventure is coming to PC. Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut has garnered acclaim for many reasons. Jin Sakai’s struggle between honor and fighting the Mongol invasion of Tsushima by any means necessary. The combat with its fluid mix of styles and Ghost Tools, from kunai and explosives to bows and powerful Ghost Techniques. The various side quests, whether it’s helping out your would-be companions or investigating the legends of Tsushima.

There’s just so much to get into, and that’s before venturing to Iki Island in the expansion. On PC, the Director’s Cut offers unlocked frame rates, Ultrawide and triple-monitor support, fully customizable mouse and keyboard support and various upscaling solutions from Nvidia DLSS 3 and AMD FSR 3 to Intel XeSS. Whether you loved it on console or have waited for its PC release, Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut can’t be missed when it launches on May 16th.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2

Despite the baffling lack of marketing from Microsoft, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is probably the company’s standout release for the year thus (if not the biggest game in May). It continues the story of Senua as she ventures through a Viking Iceland to seek revenge and save those who “have fallen victim to the horrors of tyranny.” Meanwhile, the Furies continue to ring through Senua’s thoughts, guiding her but still weighing on her mind.

Developed on Unreal Engine 5, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is an absolutely gorgeous title, from its realistic weather effects and photo-realistic lighting and textures to the lifelike facial animations. It’s almost enough to make you forget that this is a digital-only release for $49.99 and lasts about as long as the first game. Despite all that and the 30 FPS lock on consoles, it’s a long time coming and worth checking out when it launches on May 21st for Xbox Series X/S and PC.

MultiVersus

MultiVersus finally makes its long-awaited return after its beta was delisted from storefronts last year. Player First Games has retooled it extensively, from shifting to Unreal Engine 5 and overhauling the netcode to adding new fighters like the Powerpuff Girls, new stages like Dexter’s Laboratory, and adding new moves for all existing fighters.

There are even new mechanics like Dash Attacks and Parrying, with improved readability during combat and a more responsive camera that dynamically zooms in and out. A new PvE mode is also finally on the way and even promises “unique rewards.” MultiVersus will be available on May 28th for Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and PC.

F1 24

Say what you will about Codemasters’ yearly sequels in the F1 series, but F1 24 is looking quite good. It’s out on May 31st for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4 and PC, and delivers some brand new content. Driver Career lets you actually control one of 20 real-world Formula 1 drivers, earning accolades and earning recognition, while Challenge Career takes an episodic approach with unique events for community members vote on. With new Dynamic Handling, updates to iconic tracks, and much more, F1 24 could be the best new entry in years.

World of Goo 2

The first World of Goo launched in 2008 and received such extensive acclaim from critics that then-EA Sports head Peter Moore was annoyed that it was on a top 50 games list and FIFA 09 wasn’t. Believe it or not, World of Goo 2 is very much the same, as you use the gooey living creatures in various ways. Create bridges and other structures, reshape the world and, most importantly, survive through all kinds of new and potentially maddening puzzles when it launches on May 23rd for Nintendo Switch and PC.

MotoGP 24

Milestone’s MotoGP series hasn’t exactly been setting the world on fire these past few years, but there are fans, and they’ll probably be happy that MotoGP 24 is out on May 2nd for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch. Career Mode is still here, but the game now offers Adaptive Difficulty to tune the challenge to your tastes. MotoGP Stewards helps curb rule-skirting, and LiveGP Championships promises monthly challenges for players to pursue. It may not unseat the usual racing sim kings, but MotoGP 24 could prove a fun alternative.

Undead Inc

Undead Inc. is described as a mix of Fallout Shelter and Two Point Hospital. Your job is to create a subsidiary for the totally-not shady Endswell Medical Corporation, building different officers, hiring staff, conducting research into bioweapons and viruses, and, of course, driving profits, ethics be damned. It’s not all smooth sailing – politicians and officials need to be kept in line, and there are rival corporations to deal with. Probably the best part is that it’s only a matter of time before things go south and descend into chaos. Undead Inc. launches on May 2nd for PC.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Classic

What’s better than Blizzard monetizing your nostalgia for World of Warcraft’s good ol’ days? Monetizing the expansions as well. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Classic is the “latest” and “greatest” new addition to the lineup, seeing players take on Deathwing to prevent the end of the world. Cataclysm offers seven new zones, two new races (Goblins and Worgen), transmog, a new level cap, new dungeons and raids and the Elemental Plane for players to venture into. The re-release also offers a new dungeon difficulty system, smoother leveling and a “streamlined” Auction House. It goes live on May 20th for PC.

Morbid: The Lords of Ire

Launching for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch (with a demo out now on PS5 and PC), it features a new 3D perspective for more immersive combat and there are five lands to explore and five factions awaiting your challenge, not to mention all the terrifying bosses to face. As a hack-and-slash action adventure, Morbid: The Lords of Ire could be a dark horse when it launches on May 23rd.

System Shock (Xbox and PlayStation)

One of the more underrated releases of last year, not to mention a solid remake in its own right, Nightdive Studios’ System Shock is finally coming to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5 and PS4 on May 21st. While it’s enough to bask in the overhauled visuals and interface, a new update went live recently, improving the game even further. It added an option to play as a female hacker, reworks the final battle, and incorporates cloud sync. Furthermore, enemies have new attacks, and there are even waypoints on Easy difficulty for those focused on the story. Overall, these should make for an even better experience on consoles.

Braid: Anniversary Edition

Previously slated for April 30th, Braid: Anniversary Edition was delayed to May 14th on PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch and Netflix. Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One users have to wait until May 15th to get their hands on it, though the reason for the delay is unknown. It should still be worth the wait, whether you’re someone keen on experiencing the original with sumptuous new visuals and delve into the 35 new levels. The developer commentary should also be a treat, providing over 15 hours of worthwhile development details.

The trailer showcases an excellently-animated look at some of the more important parts of the Cataclysm expansion, including its many raids and dungeons, culminating with primary antagonist Deathwing perching atop the gates of Alliance capital Stormwind.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Classic will bring with it a host of expansion features, including a new level cap of 85, the addition of Goblins and Worgen as playable races, revamped zones, the transmogrification system, new dungeons and raids, and a revamped talent tree.

The expansion will also bring with it some more modern features, including a new Dungeon Group Finder, account-wide mounts, pets and transmogs, and a streamlined Auction House.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Classic is slated for launch in 2024.