The first year of the new decade is looking like it’ll be a huge one for Xbox, with the announcement that their new console will be released by the end of 2020.
While it’s easy to get wrapped up in the excitement surrounding the new system, don’t forget that there are still plenty of fresh gaming experiences to be had on the Xbox One. From the latest installments in beloved franchises to intriguing new IPs to flashy looking remakes, there is set to be some amazing games released on both the Xbox One and the new Xbox Series X in 2020. The most anticipated ones have been put into this list.
10 Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
Luckily there isn’t a long wait for this one, as the latest Dragon Ball Z game is releasing in January. The anime series has had a long history in gaming, with many titles being released under the DBZ banner.
What’s different about this new title is that it’s an open-world RPG. Dragon Ball Z games on the Xbox consoles have usually been fighters or RPGs stuck to a hub world like the Xenoverse games, the truly open-world Dragon Ball titles have mainly been contained to handheld systems. Handheld titles like Legacy of Goku 2 and Attack Of The Saiyans were outstanding, yet if the gameplay footage is anything to go by, then Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot could be even better.
9 Marvel’s Avengers
While it’s announcement trailer brought with it criticisms about the mediocre character models, Marvel’s Avengers still looks to be one of the biggest games coming next year. Part of the hype comes from the incredible MCU making anything with the Avengers name instantly interesting.
It will be strange experiencing a new version of the Marvel characters, having grown so accustomed to the ones from the movies, but comic book fans managed to get used to the MCU versions, so it shouldn’t be an issue. Plus, the game boasts a fantastic voice cast, including Laura Bailey, Nolan North, and Troy Baker, who are all likely to do a great job with their iterations of the popular characters.
8 Psychonauts 2
The first Psychonauts game was an insanely clever platformer that earned a cult following, yet initially struggled commercially. Those poor sales meant that players didn’t have much faith that a sequel would ever come out. Although, a rise in popularity over the years eventually made the prospect of a sequel possible.
After many ups and downs, Psychonauts 2 was eventually announced in 2015. Fans did get a bit of a taste of Psychonauts in recent years due to a VR game. However, in 2020, they’ll finally get their hands on the full-fledged sequel they’ve been waiting years for.
7 Ori And The Will Of The Wisps
Ever since the breath-taking Ori And The Blind Forest came out in 2015 on the Xbox One, fans have been waiting to experience more of Ori’s journey. At E3 2017, a teaser trailer confirmed that Ori was to return for a new adventure in Ori And The Will Of The Wisps.
Since then, the developers (Moon studios) have shown off more gameplay in multiple trailers, and it looks bigger and maybe even more beautiful than its predecessor. What isn’t clear yet is if it’ll be able to match the emotional story of the first game, but we’ll find out in March (if it isn’t delayed again).
6 Watch Dogs: Legion
2016’s Watch Dogs 2 righted most of the wrongs of the original game, which led to an increased interest in the future of the tech-heavy action-adventure series. Ubisoft would capitalize on this by revealing a third game titled Watch Dogs: Legion, that is going to be set in London (albeit a slightly fictionalized version of it).
There are surprisingly few games set in the UK, especially ones with an open-world, so it’ll be an exciting sandbox to play around in. Another cool aspect of the game is the switch from one protagonist to many, as you’ll have a group of people you can switch between. Although there will also be a permadeath feature for them, so be prepared for some tearful goodbyes.
5 Resident Evil 3
After the deserved success of the Resident Evil 2 remake, it wasn’t going to take long for Resident Evil 3 to receive a remaster also. It was then (officially) announced during the PS4’s state of play broadcast (don’t worry Xbox fans, it’s been announced it’ll be on the Xbox One also) and was given an April 3rd release date.
The remake of the second game showed that Capcom could still make a terrifying and atmospheric RE title without having to completely change the franchise as they did with Resident Evil 7. With the original Resident Evil 3 being fundamentally similar to the original RE 2 (albeit a bit more action-orientated), hopes are high that the third game’s remake is just as good.
4 Dying Light 2
Expectations for the first Dying Light game weren’t too high, as despite the game looking good in pre-release footage, it also looked similar to the developer Techland’s previous work Dead Island, which was a big disappointment. However, upon release, Dying Light turned out to be a hit as it brilliantly mixed survival horror with parkour elements.
This made people want a sequel, and Techland will oblige as Dying Light 2 is set to release in 2020. Footage of the upcoming game has shown that the free-running mechanics of the first game seem even more fluid and fun. Plus, there is a big emphasis put on choice in Dying Light 2, and it’ll be awesome to see how your actions impact the world around you.
3 DOOM Eternal
When players got through blasting through every demon in their path during 2016’s DOOM, most said the same thing, “we want more!!” Bethesda and id Software listened as they announced a sequel titled DOOM Eternal at E3 2018.
Its predecessor was so beloved because it was different from every other shooter in recent years due to it’s always on the move fast-paced gunplay, which is more in line with shooters from yesteryear. Gameplay shows that DOOM Eternal seems to be more of the same (in a good way), yet even more old school with the inclusion of the option to have a centered gun, which was the standard for first-person shooters in the 90s.
2 Halo Infinite
The fact that Halo Infinite could be on a list of anticipated games despite little information being revealed about the title as of yet shows the power of the Halo franchise. All 343 Industries needed to do was release two short E3 trailers showing that Master Chief was in the game, and people were already hyped.
Since then, the excitement around the game has been intertwined with the buzz surrounding the next Xbox, as it has been announced that Halo Infinite will be released on the new system. With the extra power of the new console at their disposal, it’ll be interesting to see what 343 do with the new Halo.
1 Cyberpunk 2077
It has been a long time since a new IP has garnered the level of hype Cyberpunk 2077 has. Initially, having CD Projekt Red was what got people interested in the title since they did an outstanding job with The Witcher series. Further anticipation was then added with a couple of stylish looking trailers, one of which featured Keanu Reeves, which raised excitement even more.
Subsequent gameplay footage hasn’t done anything to lower expectations as the game looks to be really fun. Now everybody is eagerly waiting to see if the first person RPG delivers when it hits the shelves in April.
NEXT: 10 Video Games In 2020 That Will Blow You Away
