So far as gaming events go the pandemic is over-ish! For the first time in a while, gamescom is back and will be running from August 23rd to the 30th. This year there are over 1,100 exhibitors from 53 countries and will feature as usual a jam-packed programme of news and announcements.

Kick-off gamescom 2022 with Geoff Keighley’s 2-hour live showcase that’s going to premiere of never before seen games and gameplay footage. Watch the show live on YouTube, Twitch or Twitter. But before the event officially kicks off, here’s everything that we’re excited to see live at gamescom 2022.

 

Hogwarts Legacy

Platforms: PlayStation 5|4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC

Hogwarts Legacy is the highly anticipated role playing game that takes place in the Harry Potter universe. You’ll be playing your own adventure seperate to that of the famous book and TV series characters. Instead Hogwarts Legacy will take place before all that in the late 19th century.

You’ll play as a student attending Hogwarts in the late 1890, attending classes and learning magic alongside other students. Where you’ll meet the mysterious Professor Fig to figure out answers to your special abilities. And there’s also the matter of a some kind of rebellion led by a goblin named Ranrock. So get your wands at the ready to defend yourself against goblins, dark witches and wizards, and magical beasts too.

Release Date: 10th February 2023

 

High On Life

Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox Game Pass, PC – Steam, Epic

High on Life is an off-the-wall Rick and Morty-esque FPS shooter. In the distant future the Earth is invaded by aliens who “get high off humanity”. Very Jupiter Ascending vibes but more hilarious. In the game it’s up to you and your charismatic talking guns partners to take down an alien drug cartel who use humans as guns.

If you’ve ever watched frenzied sci-fi TV ‘toon comedy Rick & Morty, you might know what to expect from its co-creator (and main voice) Justin Roiland. And if you’ve played the previous title from Squanch Games, Trover Saves the Universe, you’ll certainly be ready for the craziness that is lurking within High on Life.

Release Date: 13th December 2022

 

Lies Of P

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC – Steam

While most are familiar with Pinocchio through Disney’s kid-friendly 1940 film. However the novel that the movie it’s based on – Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio is a lot darker.

The game takes place in the city of Krat where humanity has disappeared, and more ghoulish creatures are left behind. Just like the friendly Pinocchio itieration you’ll be looking for Mr. Geppetto in this “dark Belle Epoque world”. Expect this to be a much grimmer but replayable take on the original Pinocchio story. We also haven’t seen Pinocchio’s face yet, so that’s bound to be surprising.

Gameplaywise Lies of P appears to be a pretty traditional Soulslike title. That means you’ll be methodically attacking, dodging, and countering attacks from enemies that can take you out rather quickly. Think Bloodborne with Pinocchio.

Release Date: TBA

 

The Callisto Protocol

Platforms: PlayStation 4|5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC – Steam

The Callisto Protocol is a narrative-driven, third-person survival horror game set 300 years in the future. Play as Jacob Lee – a victim of fate thrown into Black Iron Prison, a maximum-security penitentiary located on Jupiter’s moon, Callisto.

When inmates begin to transform into monstrous creatures, the prison is thrown into chaos. To survive, Jacob must battle his way to safety to escape Black Iron Prison, while uncovering the dark and disturbing secrets buried beneath the surface of Callisto. Using a unique blend of shooting and close-quarters combat, Jacob will need to adapt his tactics to combat the rapidly evolving creatures while scavenging to unlock new weapons, gear, and abilities to outrun the growing threat and escape the horrors of Jupiter’s Dead Moon.

Release Date: 2nd December 2022

 

Return To Monkey Island

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC – Steam

Monkey Island is a game that needs no introduction. Well a game that needs no introduction for people that were before the year 2000 anyway. One of the OG point and click games that have amongst the intense open world RPGs of the world has still a solid fanbase. The original Monkey Island series has laid dormant for almost a decade but now it’s time to welcome back Guybrush Threepwood and his puzzle solving antics.

Return to Monkey Island is a classic point and click adventure with intrepid pirates, puzzles and island exploration. It is the exciting conclusion to the Monkey Island series and we’ve definitely excited for it!

Release Date: 2022

 

Gotham Knights

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Coming from WB Games Montreal, the studio behind the widely-acclaimed Batman: Arkham Origins, Gotham Knights sets Batman aside and allows you to play as four other heroes in the DC universe – Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), Robin (Tim Drake), Nightwing (Dick Grayson) and Red Hood (Jason Todd). 

With a completely original story, Gotham Knights is set in an open-world Gotham City, following the deaths of Batman and Police Commissioner Jim Gordon. As a result, crime is on the rise with infamous DC villains like Mr Freeze and Penguin aiming to take advantage of the bat’s absence. The Gotham Knights take up the mantle to continue Batman’s legacy of protecting the city – while uncovering who it was that killed the Caped Crusader in the first place and how the mysterious criminal society, the Court of Owls, is connected to the ongoing chaos.

Release Date: 25th October 2022

 

The Expanse: A Telltale Series

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC

Telltale Games lives and while we’re waiting for The Wolf Among Us 2 there’s another game coming out from this iconic studio. Together with Deck Nine, the developers of the heart wrenching Life Is Strange series are releasing a new game, The Expanse.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series is based on the upcoming televison series that and follows Camina Drummer and her crew oboard the Artemis. “In the near future on the outskirts of the Asteroid Belt, a bloody mutiny breaks loose on the Artemis. You take the role of XO Camina Drummer, where your choices determine the fate of the ship. What will you do with the truth, Bosmang?”

Release Date: 2022

 

The Outlast Trials

Platform: PC – Steam

The Outlast Trials is the continuation of The Outlast series, a survival horror game. Where you’ll have to survive the twisted, sadistic and bizarre experiments of the Murkoff Corporation, alone or in a group up to 4 players.

Set in the era of the Cold War, human guinea pigs are involuntarily recruited by the good folks at the Murkoff Corporation to test advanced methods of brainwashing and mind control. In a world of distrust, fear, and violence, your morals will be challenged, your endurance tested, and your sanity crushed. All in the name of progress, science, and profit.

Release Date: TBA

 

Sonic Frontiers

Platforms: PlayStation 4|5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC – Steam

Sonic Frontiers follows Sonic the Hedgehog as he explores the mysterious Starfall Islands in order to recover the Chaos Emeralds after being separated from Tails and Amy when falling through a wormhole.

Sonic Frontiers is the Sonic series’ first open world-inspired gaming experience that integrates platforming and traditional Sonic game elements into an “Open Zone” environment. The player solves puzzles to collect items and fights enemies with an expanded combat system while exploring lush and expansive landscapes using Sonic’s signature speed and abilities.

Release Date: 2022

 

Honkai Star Rail

Platforms: PC, iOS, Android

From the developers of the wildly successful Genshin Impact, miHoyo has a new game in the works – Honkai: Star Rail. This game follows the developers other famous franchise the Honkai series.

In Star Rail, there are the [Aeons], incarnations of universal principles that are able to freely travel between infinite worlds using some kind of primitive force. “Roaming the universe uphold their own beliefs, among whom there is the [Destruction], who regards the universe as a fallacy and civilization as cancer, casting seeds of ruin called [Stellarons] across the galaxy.

All aboard the Astral Express and travel across unique worlds, each filled with different adventures and surprises in this turn-based JRPG, Honkai: Star Rail.

Release Date: March 2023