July’s titles will replace Star Wars: Squadrons and Operation Tango, which will continue to be available to users until July 6th. June’s other free title, Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown, will continue to be free until August 2nd, along with July’s other PlayStation Plus titles.

It’s an impressive lineup for PlayStation fans, offering one of the most popular shooters around in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, an excellent fighting game, a surprisingly good arcade-style wrestling brawler, and one of the best narrative titles of 2019, which will see a higher framerate, better resolution, and faster loading times on PS5.

All told, there’s plenty to be excited about if you’re a PlayStation Plus subscriber in July. Just make sure you grab Star Wars: Squadrons and Operation Tango before they’re gone, if you haven’t already.

It’s immediately apparent that Battlegrounds isn’t your typical WWE game, not only in its lack of any major bugs, but also in its cartoonish art style and over-the-top animations. Like in Saber’s other recent games, it actively shuns any realism it may have implied. Character models are hilariously disproportionate, with oversized heads and massive hands dominating their surface area. Almost every attack, throw, intro, or special ability animation is exaggerated to reinforce visual satisfaction and fun over anything else. You can throw opponents dozens of feet in the air or feed them to a crocodile, and even real life signature moves from superstars like The Undertaker or Triple H have a unique punch that other games in the series have lacked and make it addicting to watch, even if you see the same moves over and over again.

"WWE 2K Battlegrounds is effectively Saber Interactive’s NBA Playgrounds in a WWE skin, but it’s the type of fluid, fun gameplay that makes stepping into the ring as enjoyable as any WWE 2K game in recent memory."

When it comes to pure gameplay, Battlegrounds does share a lot of characteristics with its main series. Of course, it’s still a wrestling game, so you’re entering the ring with the objective of putting your opponent through as much pain as possible until you can pin them or force them to tap out. Your normal punches or kicks can turn into combos that, when landed in the correct sequence, knock your opponent down and give you a chance to end it. But like in real wrestling, throwing punches isn’t always the most fun or efficient way to win. The right stick lets you pick up an opponent and throw them either across the ring or into the aforementioned stratosphere, and holding the triggers allows you to perform a special, more powerful punch or kick that uses stamina. Once you’ve gotten to a certain point in the match, you can also perform a signature finisher move, which are the most powerful and by far the most fun to watch.

Adding complexity to gameplay are your character’s three power-ups that build up throughout the match. Lowest-level power-ups give you small boosts like dealing more or taking less damage for a period of time, but higher-level boosts can go all the way up to giving you unblockable attacks. These boosts are prominent enough to make gameplay a little more complex, but I appreciate that they don’t become a crutch. Even with a top-level power-up, you can still be knocked down and pinned, and while it’s definitely a noticeable boost, seeing your opponent use a power-up doesn’t mean you’re about to get pummeled.

Though the goal is to pin your opponent, your progress marker is their health bar, which has to be knocked down three times before they can be pinned for the required three-count. In classic one-on-one brawls, it can be unthinkably easy to beat down your opponent, especially when you can start to juggle and trap them. But when you find a worthy opponent, these one-on-one matches are some of the best because they’re the rawest, most stripped-back fights, focusing on the grandiose moves and big hits without having anything else in the way.

"When you find a worthy opponent, these one-on-one matches are some of the best because they’re the rawest, most stripped-back fights, focusing on the grandiose moves and big hits without having anything else in the way."

When fighting any number of enemies, you’ll come across the frustrating counter mechanic, though, which lets you press a button to slip out of an attack and sometimes reverse it. If you master this method, you can win virtually any fight without taking much damage, but it’s all too easy to press the wrong button because the timing is so sudden and short, especially when you’re mashing to get up from the ground. It’s a minor flaw in an altogether good combat system, but it can easily snowball into your getting juggled repeatedly as you struggle to guess which button is about to pop up.

Other modes are undoubtedly fun and put unique and interesting twists on the game that keep it from becoming stale, but when they become more complicated, the game’s cracks start to show, specifically its unintuitive controls and wonky AI. Two-on-two tag teams often boil down to a one-on-one showdown because it’s easier to manage having a single opponent, and the AI rarely switches out members if you don’t do so first. Any match with more than one enemy is where the game gets particularly shaky. The lock-on mechanic is most frustrating, so gauntlet matches, where you fight a series of enemies who appear when another is knocked out of the ring, quickly become difficult to keep track of, and because they can take so long, the ability to get knocked out of the ring without notice can be a heartbreaker, especially after a long build-up. Royal Rumbles, too, become hard to manage, and the enemy AI seems to prioritize hitting over winning, rarely ever trying to pin anyone and all but asking you to take the victory.

Steel cage matches are ones whose best matches are great but whose worst are nearly unplayable. Your goal is to collect bags of money along the sides of the cage, avoiding electric shocks at certain intervals, and, when you’ve reached a certain financial threshold, escape the cage before your opponent can do the same. In the best matches, these are some of the most fun because they offer the most tangible rewards for knocking down your foe, but more than once I came across matches that almost broke me, including one where the enemy was down for so little time, even at her lowest health, that I had almost no opportunity to escape whatsoever until her AI forced her into the electric shock. It feels like the AI is made less smart to make up for a lack of balance in some areas, and, while it usually works, its breakdowns are ever more noticeable.

"Other modes are undoubtedly fun and put unique and interesting twists on the game that keep it from becoming stale, but when they become more complicated, the game’s cracks start to show, specifically its unintuitive controls and wonky AI."

You’ll likely be spending most of your time in Battlegrounds in the campaign, which is both the most substantial and best mode offered. It runs through the story of seven different wrestling wannabes, each of whom is recruited by Stone Cold Steve Austin to participate in the “Battlegrounds” WWE events in their hometowns until they can prove their superstardom and be invited to WWE Smackdown. Told through comic book-style panels and illustrations, it has no spoken dialogue and places little emphasis on the characters themselves, choosing instead to emphasize the gameplay and let you get to the heart of the game quickly.

From the start, you can see the entire story progression, which has a linear critical path that took me around 7 hours to complete, giving you both a good introduction to the gameplay and a wide-ranging look at every type of fighter, game mode, and environment the game has to offer. You have the Brawler Billy Huggins who fights in the swamps of Florida to the tag team Technicians Cassie and Polly Velle who fight in their Boot Camp, and everything in between. Branching from the main path are numerous optional fights that lead you to other rewards, such as additional skills, which can only be unlocked in the campaign, and money. There are a few major difficulty spikes, especially later in the game, but the overall campaign is easily the most cohesive and well-rounded part of Battlegrounds. It’s substantial enough to keep you engaged without being overwhelming, and the branching paths give you a little bit more if you want to keep upgrading your characters.

The Battleground Challenge is the other major single-player mode, but this acts effectively as the endgame for your personal character. You can create your own character, which, like in previous games, allows you to create almost anything you can set your mind to, though with a few more limitations. After this, you have another massive tree of branching paths that all lead to particular rewards, mostly money. It’s not the place to start playing Battlegrounds, but if you’re looking for something to keep you coming back and letting you progress, this is where you’ll find yourself. Aside from this, the Tournament and King of the Battleground modes are standard online modes that don’t spice things up too much but give the game a little more staying power if you want to fight in online multiplayer.

"It’s difficult to get out of talking about Battlegrounds without mentioning the microtransactions, which are notably intrusive in some areas."

It’s difficult to get out of talking about Battlegrounds without mentioning the microtransactions, which are notably intrusive in some areas. You can upgrade your character’s power-ups, but only with the money you gain throughout the game or buy through microtransactions. And while you are given a handful of real-life WWE superstars, you have to buy the rest of them to use them. It also holds back a significant number of its cosmetics and battleground creation elements behind its currency. You can earn the money necessary to unlock anything through gameplay, but the amount of time needed to do so is astronomical, which, combined with the game’s willingness to bring you to the store to buy some Bucks, makes it clear what it wants you to do.

WWE 2K Battlegrounds is a massive step up for the franchise compared to the main franchise’s most recent entries. Though it’s offering a different experience in its more cartoonish, over-the-top style, it’s as much fun as I’ve had in a WWE game in a long time. Despite issues with the AI and some gameplay difficulties with more crowded game modes, I kept wanting to play Battlegrounds. Even with its intrusive microtransactions, this is the closest I’ve seen to a game fully capturing the essence of what makes the WWE special in a few years. It’s fluid, exaggerated, bug-free, and, most importantly, unbridled fun. It might not be the most impressive new game on the block, but it’s a great way to step into the ring once more.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

Several big releases had come and gone throughout September but it took Super Mario 3D All-Stars to finally unseat Marvel’s Avengers from its top spot in Gfk’s UK physical sales charts. According to GamesIndustry.biz, the collection of ports is now the third biggest UK launch of the year with The Last of Us Part 2 and Animal Crossing: New Horizons ahead of it. It’s also the fifth fastest selling Switch title ever in the region and the 15th biggest Nintendo game launch in history.

Marvel’s Avengers only dropped to second place though with sales seeing a decline of 46 percent week-on-week. Animal Crossing: New Horizons continues to hold on in third place while Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2 went from second to fourth place. The latter saw a decrease in sales by 54 percent week-on-week.

New titles this week included WWE 2K Battlegrounds in sixth place and eFootball PES 2021 Season Update in ninth place. Overall, not a bad week for new releases. Check out the top ten best-selling games in the UK for the week ending September 19th below.

1. Super Mario 3D All-Stars
2. Marvel’s Avengers
3. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
4. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2
5. Mario Kart 8: Deluxe
6. WWE 2K Battlegrounds
7. Minecraft (Switch)
8. Minecraft Dungeons
9. eFootball PES 2021 Season Update
10. Grand Theft Auto 5

Marvel’s Avengers

Where do we even start? Despite the iffy reveal and games-as-a-service trappings, Marvel’s Avengers looked somewhat more appealing in those War Table streams. Unfortunately, we were soured on the recent beta with its numerous bugs, repetitive mission design, lackluster enemies, boring loot and unstable multiplayer. Forget about Spider-Man being exclusive to PS4 and PS5 versions – right now, we’re worried about online play even being stable enough for launch.

Replaces WWE 2K21

The announcement of WWE 2K Battlegrounds came in the wake of WWE 2K21 being canceled. The series will be taking this year off due to the poor reception of last year’s title with 2K Sports committing to a 2021 sequel “with a renewed focus on quality and fun.” While no details have been provided about WWE 2K22, the publishing label did confirm that the former head of Amazon Game Studios in Orange County – who’s working on the MMO New World – will be in charge. In the meantime, WWE 2K Battlegrounds will have to tide fans over until next year.

Developed by Saber Interactive

With Visual Concepts occupied developing next year’s flagship WWE 2K title, it’s Saber Interactive in charge of developing WWE 2K Battlegrounds. The developer has made a name for itself over recent years, developing Switch port for Vampyr, and much more. It’s even developed NBA 2K Playgrounds for 2K Sports so it has experience with sports titles, if nothing else.

Arcade-Style Action

Unlike any WWE 2K title released till now, WWE 2K Battlegrounds is more of an arcade-style fighting game with power-ups and over-the-top moves. Wrestlers are also more cartoonish in appearance and environmental attacks go above and beyond in terms of absurdity. You can throw an opponent to hungry crocodiles, drop a car on them in an auto shop and so on. The action is somewhere between WWE All Stars and a regular WWE 2K title but viewed through the lens of madness, if that sounds appealing.

Campaign

The Campaign uses a pretty familiar formula. You’re an up and coming wrestler who must prove themselves and rise through the ranks. What’s different is how it’s being presented. Utilizing a comic book format for certain scenes, the Campaign sees Paul Heyman consulting with CEO Vince McMahon to create a new brand called Battlegrounds. Together with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, the duo is on the lookout for the next big WWE Superstar. You can choose from seven specific wrestlers to compete in this mode, though the differences are more likely due to play-styles than anything else.

Commentary

What is a wrestling game without commentary from some familiar voices? To that end, Mauro Ranallo and Jerry “The King” Lawler will commentate on the action. On the one hand, we’re excited. On the other hand, we have too many painful memories of Lawler constantly saying “He’s putting those educated feet to good use!” So we’ll have to wait and see how it pans out.

8 Arenas

In terms of arenas, there’s quite the varied selection. You have the usual RAW and Smackdown arenas along with WrestleMania. However, there’s the aforementioned Auto Shop, a Military Bootcamp out in the wilderness, The Dock with its crocodiles and much more. It should be interesting to see if any other bizarre environmental hazards manifest (like, say, helicopters). Players will also be able to create their own arenas though there’s no confirmation on whether they can be shared online.

Exhibition Matches

Exhibition Mode is where you’ll go for competing in quick matches, whether it’s against the AI or another player. Match types include 1v1, Triple Threat, Fatal Four Way, Steel Cage and Royal Rumble. No word yet on whether you can have custom match types and it seems that certain matches, like TLC or Ladder matches, are missing. Then again, all the insane stuff possible in a normal match may be the reason for the omission.

Multiplayer

Local multiplayer is supported but players can also battle online. There’s also the King of the Battleground mode which starts with four players in the ring. Once they’re eliminated, four more players will hop into the fray with the last wrestler standing declared the winner. It’s a mix of battle royal and Royal Rumble rules, which should make for some chaotic fun. Online tournaments, on the other hand, are time-limited affairs that include different ways to win and promise “big bucks”. Further details are yet to be provided but it seems there will be different kinds of tournaments available at all times.

Battleground Challenge

Then there’s Battleground Challenge Mode, which sees players creating their own wrestler – customizing their look with sliders and cosmetic items – and fighting through 100 different challenges. Completing challenges will unlock in-game currency, more vanity items and even additional playable characters. Again, more details are required but this sounds like a nice tower mode of sorts to grind through.

Over 70 Wrestlers at Launch

The launch roster is fairly packed with both current Superstars and retired Legends. You have the likes of AJ Styles, Bobby Lashley, Kevin Owens, John Cena, Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Daniel Bryan, Triple H and Roman Reigns along with Yokozuna, The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker and Sgt. Slaughter. Interestingly, the roster includes wrestlers no longer with the WWE like Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows along with Jake “The Snake” Roberts who’s signed with AEW. Better to have them than not, we suppose.

Post-Launch Wrestlers

It wouldn’t be a WWE 2K game without lots – and we mean, lots – of post-launch wrestlers. The list once again includes current Superstars like Dana Brooke, Billie Kay, Rhea Ripley, Sami Zayn, Sonya Deville, the Usos and Andrade along with legends like Mark Henry, Ultimate Warrior, Vader, Trish Stratus, Eddie Guerrero, Goldberg, British Bulldog and Bret “The Hitman” Hart. Even Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon will be playable. Some of these will be free post-launch though Saber Interactive has yet to detail which ones.

Microtransactions

Of course, it wouldn’t be a 2K Sports title without microtransactions. While WWE 2K Battlegrounds costs $40, it will also include in-game purchases. We know about Golden Bucks which, according to the Microsoft Store listing for the Digital Deluxe Edition, will let you “unlock additional WWE Superstars and legends.” But this could be an in-game currency with a premium currency that can be purchased with real money to be revealed later.

Digital Deluxe Edition and Pre-order Bonuses

Those who purchase the Digital Deluxe Edition will get “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, the Attitude Era version of The Rock and Ronda Rousey, each with three different versions, playable from the outset. How can Attitude Era Rock have three different versions? This may allude to different outfits but it’s possible if you factor in the Nation of Domination, the People’s Champion and Corporate versions of the Superstar into the equation. The Digital Deluxe Edition will also provide 1100 Golden Bucks which can be used to unlock more Superstars and Legends. All pre-orders for both the Standard and Digital Deluxe Edition will also receive immediate access to Edge (who un-retired earlier this year).

WRC 9

Can’t or won’t wait for DiRT 5? Maybe Nacon’s WRC 9 can fill that rally racing void. Developed by Kylotonn, it’s the official title of the 2020 FIA Rally World Championship season. It includes all of the calender’s rallies along with three new rallies set in Kenya, Japan and New Zealand. All of the WRC 2, WRC 2 and WRC J drivers and cars are here, and players even get two modes. These are the League system for challenging friends and Co-Driver mode for co-op play (which could make for some fun chaos and ruined friendships). WRC 9 is out on September 3^rd for Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC with Xbox Series X and PS5 versions coming later.

Marvel’s Avengers

Announced more than three years ago, Marvel’s Avengers is releasing on September 4^th for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Google Stadia (though Deluxe Edition owners get early access on September 1^st). The story begins with the Avengers being disbanded before fast-forwarding to several years later with AIM hatching some nefarious schemes. With Kamala Khan aka Miss Marvel, players will reunite our heroes and attempt to stop AIM’s plans. Featuring six playable heroes at launch, each with their own unique abilities in addition to beat ’em up style combat, Marvel’s Avengers promises a hefty amount of War Zones, Drop Zones, Story missions and much more at launch. Things won’t end there though as new regions, heroes and story content will arrive post-launch.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2

Tony Hawk is back, in a way. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2, in essence, is a ground-up remaster of the first two games with support for 4K and 60 FPS. This alone is great since it includes all of the pro skaters (albeit aged to reflect the current times), levels and most of the soundtrack from the original games. However, Vicarious Visions is also adding new skaters, challenges and tracks, expanding on the experience even more. All of this along with Create-A-Park, Create-A-Skater and local and online play – what more could you want? Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2 is out on September 4^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning

Tis the month for remasters and Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is one of the more anticipated, especially given the tumultuous fate of the original game. Players assume the role of the Fateless One in the Faelands with the goal of stopping the Tuatha Deohn and potentially rewriting fate. In the process, they’ll unlock several different classes spread out across three core stats, partake in heaps of side quests, and tear foes apart with some neat hack and slash combat. Out on September 8^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC, Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning features improved graphical fidelity and all of the DLC along with the base game.

eFootball PES 2021 Season Update

Contrary to what EA Sports is doing with the FIFA and Madden franchises, PES Productions will simply be updating the player data and rosters for eFootball PES 2020 while also adding three new ambassadors in this update. Referred to as the eFootball PES 2021 Season Update, it launches on September 15^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC for $29.99. In the meantime, the development team will focus on next year’s sequel which is built specifically for PS5 and Xbox Series X. It may be a long wait but those having fun with PES 2020 and simply needing a roster update are in luck.

WWE 2K Battlegrounds

First, the good news: 2K Games is taking a break from wrestling sims this year to put the time and care needed into WWE 2K22. Instead, however, it will publish an arcade-style wrestling game with power-ups, over-the-top moves and cartoonish characters developed by Saber Interactive. At $40, WWE 2K Battlegrounds is promising quite a bit, whether it’s a full-fledged Career Mode with pre-made characters, over 70 wrestlers to play with (and more coming post-launch) or numerous online modes. We’ll see if it turns out to be even more good news for the franchise when it releases on September 18^th for Xbox One, PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch and Stadia.

Mafia: Definitive Edition

After the debacles of Mafia 2 and 3’s Definitive Editions, you couldn’t be blamed for wanting to ignore Mafia: Definitive Edition. Thankfully, it’s a ground-up remake of the original, one that features a new lighting engine, remade cutscenes, new story sequences and gameplay elements like motorcycles and more guns. Also, judging by gameplay footage thus far, its performance looks good while the revamped visuals are sharp and capture the spirit of the original. Mafia: Definitive Edition is currently slated to release on September 25^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC so we’ll find out just how well it fares in due time.

NBA 2K21

Despite all the controversies surrounding monetization, the NBA 2K series continues to see success. NBA 2K21 arrives on September 4^th for Xbox One, PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch and Google Stadia, with the return of MyTeam Unlimited and Card Evolutions (with some changes here and there). There’s also the opportunity to apparently play for “Championship Rings”, whatever that means. Sure, the next-gen versions will have more content, including a larger soundtrack, but they also costs $10. If you need that basketball fix, then NBA 2K21 might – heavy emphasis on might – be worth looking into.

Spelunky 2

The aggravating yet wholly entertaining and revolutionary Spelunky is finally seeing its sequel release this month. Spelunky 2 doesn’t try to reinvent its predecessor’s gameplay so much as expand it, heading to the Moon and offering more dynamic living stages to engage in. New areas, characters, items and traps coincide with branching paths, animal mounts, base camp building, liquid physics and improved visuals for the ultimate roguelite platformer. It’s out on September 15^th for PS4 first with the PC version coming a few weeks after.

Crysis Remastered

The original PC benchmarking game has returned, sadly without the Warhead expansion. Nevertheless, the delay from July to September has done the first person shooter well. A recent trailer showcases stellar 8K textures, SVOGI for global illumination, depth of field, motion blur and ray-tracing for both normal and water reflections. How much has changed gameplay-wise remains to be seen but graphically, Crytek is looking to make an impact. Crysis Remastered arrives on September 18^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

This year’s WWE entry in the video game world is going to look significantly different than usual. The regular WWE 2K series is on break after a disastrous technical version last year. In its place is the heavily stylized WWE 2K Battlegrounds. While it may look different, there will be a lot familiar for wrestling fans.

The latest trailer was unveiled at Gamescom Opening Night Live, and you can see it provided via IGN below. Old school fans will be familiar with the presenter here, as it’s Memphis’ own Jerry “The King” Lawler. King has provided commentary for the company for nearly 30 years and for many fans he and good ol’ Jim Ross were the voice of wrestling through the 1990s and early 2000s. He’ll provide voice over work here, alongside current NXT commentator Mauro Ranallo.

The trailer also focuses on the legends, of which there will be many within the game, such as The Undertaker as they clash alongside the newer wrestlers in the company, such as AJ Styles and Finn Balor. You can check it out below.

WWE 2K Battlegrounds releases for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch and PC September 18th. You can also check out the game modes that will be available, also presented with a familiar face to old school fans, through here.

This year will be a very rare one as it will serve as an off year to the WWE 2K simulation series that has seen an annual release for as long as I can remember. But we won’t go without some smackdown in our lives, as the more arcade-based and stylized WWE 2K Battlegrounds will be out next month. And today, we got to see the full roster of the game, as well as DLC.

As revealed via IGN, both the massive base roster as well as all DLC wrestlers are now known. The base roster features 70 characters alone, some of which we’ve seen such as Steve Austin, The Rock, The Friend Bray Wyatt, etc. But some we haven’t yet such as Hulk Hogan and Brock Lesnar. But that isn’t all, either, as the roster will expand almost as much with post-launch planned characters like Randy Savage, Batista, Goldberg and far too many to name. You can see the full incredible list below.

WWE 2K Battlegrounds is set to release September 18th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC and Stadia. You can also check out some of the various modes with a special guest through here.

It’s hard to believe, but for the first time in many years, 2020 will not see the release of simulation-based WWE title. After a disastrous launch last year with WWE 2K20 and developer Visual Concepts taking more time than usual with the next entry, this year we’ll be getting something a little different with WWE 2K Battlegrounds. The game is slated to come out next month, and is a more arcade-like and stylized affair. Now, a special guest details the various modes you’ll be able to tackle.

Via his official Twitter, longtime WWE staple Paul Heyman introduced the game’s modes. Here he showed the campaign which will follow him pitching a new brand to Vince McMahon and you as a custom rookie wrestler making their way to the top. There will also be a mode where you take your custom wrestler and go through various challenges, online and offline, to unlock other characters, gear and more. On the multiplayer side, there’s also several classics such as 1v1, Tag Team, Triple Threats and Fatal Fourways, all with both online and offline capability.

WWE 2K Battlegrounds will release on September 18th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch and PC.

Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is #PaulHeyman, and I am proud to #Advocate for the magnificence of my own performance in this @WWE @2KBattlegrounds commercial! #adhttps://t.co/yxQlNMxHRa

— Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) August 12, 2020

It’s hard to really tell where Google is on their grand Stadia experiment. The streaming service was unveiled as the next step in the evolution of gaming, but there seems to be little buzz for the service since it launched and with no real numbers to go off of, it’s a little up in the air as to what kind of business it’s been doing. But well, you can’t fault them for lack of games, as earlier today we got a truckload of them to dig into.

Via the recent Stadia Connect, we got several announcements about upcoming titles. Some of those were for exclusives, such as the fun-looking Outcasters from Splash Damage, or the exclusive titles that will come for the service from Supermassive Games and Harmonix. But it wasn’t just exclusives, as also some big names both released and soon to be released third parties. All three Hitman titles for instance are coming, with the third game coming day and date with other versions next year, as well as one of the first next gen games were were introduced to in Outriders. Though Outriders launches for consoles and PC this Holiday, it’ll come to Stadia some time next year. And, of course, one of the best games of last year in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

You can see the full Stadia Connect event as well as the full list of all the third party titles it covers below. Those games will be available starting today and going into 2021.

• One Hand Clapping (available as of today)
• Serious Sam 4 (August 2020)
• PGA Tour 2K21 (August 21st)
• Super Bomberman R Online (Fall 2020)
• NBA 2K21 (September 4th)
• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (Fall 2020)
• Dead by Daylight (September 2020)
• Hitman (September 1st)
• Hitman 2 (September 1st)
• WWE 2K Battlegrounds (September 18th)
• Hello Neighbor (September 20th)
• Outriders (2021)
• Hello Neighbor: Hide & Seek (Holiday 2020)
• Hitman 3 (January 2021)

https://youtu.be/Dl8YpMo72VE