With the year winding down, there have been a lot of major releases, with some months offering much more than others. However, the year isn’t over yet, and November promises some heavy-hitters. From narrative horror titles and action-adventure games to a promising remaster and eagerly awaited port, it’s an embarrassment of riches, regardless of which platform you’re on. Except maybe Xbox, but at least there’s still Game Pass.
Here are the 15 biggest games to look forward to in November.
The Chant
“Weekend getaway to a spiritual retreat turned to hellish survival against cosmic monstrosities,” isn’t the worst description for Brass Token’s The Chant. After a rift to The Gloom, a dimension of negative energy, opens and various horrors take over a peaceful island, it’s up to Jess to collect weapons like salt and incense, craft items, and harness spiritual energy to fight back. And also run away, because flight is sometimes just better than fighting.
Along with managing her spirit, players must also care for Jess’s physical and mental health – these will influence her survival and abilities throughout the story. Then there are the other survivors, slowly giving in to the negative energy perpetrating the island. Can they be saved? We’ll find out when The Chant launches on November 3rd for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.
God of War Ragnarok
Over four years since its predecessor debuted, selling millions of copies over a few days, and three years past in-game, the sequel to God of War (2018) is finally upon us. The story sees Odin and Asgard preparing for Ragnarok while Kratos and Atreus avoid the conflict. Of course, it’s not long before they’re involved, battling the likes of Freya, the Valkyrie, the Einherjar, and the mighty Thor himself.
A lot has been said about the experience, with reports extolling its massive size and the development team claiming it’s bigger than they envisioned. Nine realms to explore, new shields and abilities to equip, an expanded combat system, more verticality, larger levels, more enemy variety – the list of improvements goes and goes. On November 9th, the world will finally have a chance to play it on PS4 and PS5.
Sonic Frontiers
If nothing else, you have to admire the guts of Sega releasing Sonic Frontiers just one day before God of War Ragnarok. Nevertheless, those looking for a brand-new 3D platformer to dive into should find promise in Sonic’s latest adventure. After his friends disappear during a hunt for the Chaos Emeralds and he delves into Cyber Space, Sonic finds himself on the Starfall Isles. This archipelago of five different islands is filled with mysterious mechanical beings, and a new enemy named Sage also emerges.
Sonic Frontiers goes for an open-world-esque approach for its exploration, with the different islands presenting various platforming challenges, puzzles, and Guardians to fight. Upon accessing a portal, he can venture into Cyber Space with levels inspired by older titles. Sonic Frontiers launches on November 8th for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch, and is undoubtedly the biggest Sonic title yet.
Football Manager 2023
Another year, another promising new Football Manager title from Sports Interactive. Football Manager 2023 marks the series’ return to PlayStation but also features improvements to its scouting, squad planning, AI managers, and more. The UEFA Europa League, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa Conference League are all fully licensed, and new features like Supporter Confidence and Dynamic Manager Timeline promise to bring you closer to the sport than ever.
Football Manager 2023 is out on November 8th for PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, and Apple Arcade, along with launching day one on Game Pass.
Dying Light 2 Stay Human: Bloody Ties
Techland has been updating Dying Light 2 Stay Human regularly since launch, and on November 10th, its first paid DLC Bloody Ties will release on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC. Aiden enters a tournament to take on various challenging foes in Carnage Hall for fame and rewards. Things aren’t what they seem, though (surprise, surprise), and you’ll soon be investigating the tournament’s true purpose. In addition to a new story, Bloody Ties also provides new gear, a new weapon in the Shield Glove, and arena missions called Spectacles. You can also fight new mutated foes in Arena Challenges to truly test your limits.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Yes, it’s another Pokemon game on the Nintendo Switch for the fourth year in a row. Nevertheless, Pokemon Scarlet and Violent look genuinely interesting. Instead of a regional approach like Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Paldea is a seamless open world. As a student of Naranja or Uva Academy, the player participates in a treasure hunt with the freedom to go just about anywhere. All the tropes of a Pokemon title are here – an enthusiastic rival Nemona; Professors Sada and Turo; and even new Legendary Pokemon like Koraidon and Miraidon that serve as mounts when exploring the region.
In terms of story, players can choose from three different routes – Path of Legends to locate the Herba Mystica while fighting Titan Pokemon; Victory Road to challenge eight Gym Leaders and eventually the Pokemon League Champion; and Starfall Street, where they must battle against Team Star. With several new Pokemon, new moves and items, and Terastallization providing new properties for each Pokemon, Scarlet and Violet could be the best 3D titles in the series yet. They’re out on November 18th for Nintendo Switch.
Evil West
Third-person shooter meets stylish beat ’em up combat in the Weird Wild West with Flying Wild Hog’s Evil West. As Jesse Rentier, players must battle vampires in the American frontier. This is done in several violent ways, from firearms to a gauntlet that can electrocute enemies. Throughout the campaign (which supports co-op), you’ll discover new weapons, unlock new perks and upgrades, and ultimately save the country. Evil West is out on November 22nd for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC.
WRC Generations
Originally slated to launch last month, KT Racing’s WRC Generations was delayed and now launches on November 3rd for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC. Career Mode, multiplayer, Quickplay and other modes return along with Split Screen for local play. Leagues Mode is new and involves players completing different events every week and receiving a ranking.
In addition to new Hybrid Cars, major revamps have been made to the progression and Team Creation while cross-platform play has also been implemented. As the developer’s last game under the license (for now), WRC Generations could see it going out on a high note.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me
A documentary crew is invited to a recreation of serial H.H. Holmes’ infamous “Murder Castle” by a mysterious recluse – what could go wrong? Not every scary situation in The Dark Pictures Anthology is as avoidable as this, but I digress since The Devil in Me is going for something different with its killing rooms. You’ll still have to make decisions that can influence whether the central cast lives or dies.
But this time, there are more movement options like running, climbing, and jumping, an inventory for managing items, puzzles that require tools, and more. This is in addition to online mode and five-player local co-op. As the season finale, The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me should end things with a venerable bang when it launches on November 18th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and PC.
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide (PC)
Warhammer: Vermintide developer Fatshark’s latest title leans more into the sci-fi Warhammer 40K universe, eschewing hack and slash for more first-person shooting (but still having some hacking and slashing). It’s set in the Hive City of Tertium on Atoma Prime, which has seen an influx of Chaos forces. As a “reject,” one must undertake missions across various maps, working their way up to better weapons and gear while opting for tougher difficulties.
Four classes – Psyker, Zealot, Ogryn, and Veteran – are available, each with different subclasses to specialize in different play styles (like the Skullbreaker Ogryn being more melee-focused). It will sound pretty familiar to Vermintide fans, which isn’t the worst considering how much fun co-op was in that series. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is out on November 30th for PC, with the Xbox Series X/S version launching “shortly after.”
The Entropy Centre
Amid all the action-packed titles releasing this month, it’s nice to have something more laid-back and cerebral. Stubby Games’ The Entropy Centre takes place after an extinction event seemingly wipes out mankind and as perhaps the last one alive, you venture to the heart of the Entropy Centre, which orbits the Earth in a space station, for answers.
The first-person puzzle-solving and time manipulation will look familiar, but Stubby Games puts an interesting spin on this by having you find the solution and then rewind time to solve the puzzle in reverse. The Entropy Centre is out on November 3rd for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC.
Gungrave G.O.R.E.
Announced back in December 2017, Gungrave G.O.R.E. has been a long time coming. It’s out on November 22nd for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4, and PC, and launching day one on Game Pass. Set after Gungrave VR, it follows the Gunslinger of Resurrection, who is out for revenge.
Along with third-person shooting, there’s also close-quarters combat and brawling, and various types of enemies like mechs, zombies, and more to take out. Despite the long development cycle, it remains intriguing and worth keeping an eye on.
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PC)
If you’ve already played Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered on PC, then Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a no-brainer. Taking place one year later, it sees Miles Morales as Spider-Man, protecting Harlem from the conflict between Roxxon Energy Corporation and the Tinkerer’s Underground. While many of the same environments and gameplay elements remain, Miles has unique abilities like Venom Blast and Camouflage to even the odds.
There are also new gadgets like the Gravity Well, Holo-Drone, and more to further spice up the gameplay. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is out on November 18th for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, and while it’s not as long as the previous game, there’s still a great story, side content, and suits to collect.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn
Tactics Ogre: Reborn is coming to PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC and serves as a remaster of Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together. Even with the upscaled HD visuals and artwork, re-recorded soundtrack and fully-voiced cutscenes, there is so much here to make it feel like a brand-new game.
Random encounters are gone, replaced with Training Battles; skills have been retuned while Finishers now use MP; Buff Cards throughout different battles provide positive and negative effects; new Charms provide different bonuses; and much more. You can even rewind actions within the last ten turns in case of an unfavorable outcome. With its numerous classes and skills, incredible branching story, and various quality-of-life improvements, it may end up a dark horse among some of the bigger releases this year.
Harvestella
The world, governed by four crystals called Seaslight, periodically suffers the effects of the Quietus, which ruins crops and brings death. As the duration of the Quietus increases, you control Ein and must figure out how to stop it.
Along the way, you’ll visit various towns, each with unique crops, materials, and recipes, and interact with many characters (including Aria, who is seemingly from the future), fish, craft and more. Maintaining a farm to fund your mission is one thing – you also need to venture out and fight monsters to make progress with the investigation. Good thing there are 12 different classes, each with unique weapons and abilities to assist in this.
Releasing on November 4th for Nintendo Switch and PC, Harvestella could fill that Rune Factory-sized hole.