This October has got to be one of the most brutal months of game releases in recent memory. In Q4 of 2016, we’re getting a major AAA game release or two pretty much every week, so you can expect your backlog to grow exponentially over the next few months.
In an effort to help you pace yourself, here’s a breakdown of the biggest game releases you’ll need to be keeping an eye on:
The Lamborghini Centenario, so light it can achieve 200mph in sand and not leave any tracks.
September
- 13th
- BioShock: The Collection (PC, PS4, Xbox One) $60
- Dead Rising Triple Pack (PC, PS4, Xbox One) $60 ($50 pre-order price)
- ReCore (PC, Xbox One) $40
- 27th
- Forza Horizon 3 (PC, Xbox One) $60
- XCOM 2 (PS4, Xbox One) $60
- FIFA 17 (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One) $60
So the middle of the month starts out with two huge re-releases: BioShock and Dead Rising. Both are coming with three full games from last generation, higher specs, with DLC, so hopefully you weren’t planning on playing both collections in a timely manner. On that same day, ReCore, the new project from Keiji Inafune and the makers of Metroid Prime, launches on Microsoft platforms.
If you’re really determined to blast through those seven games, you could potentially do it in two weeks, in time for some other big releases. For sports fans, FIFA 17 and Forza Horizon 3 both launch on Xbox One and PC. Also, XCOM 2 is finally coming out on console, so if you don’t have a gaming PC, you’ll finally be able to try it out. Thankfully with Final Fantasy XV being delayed until November, Semptember becomes a light calm before the storm of games in Oct0ber.
It’s a bird, it’s a dog, it’s… cute… let’s go with cute.
October
- 7th
- Mafia 3 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) $60
- 11th
- Gears of War 4 (Xbox One) $60
- Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration (PS4) $60
- 13th
- PlayStation VR $400
- 21st
- Battlefield 1 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) $60
- Civilization 6 (PC) $60
- 25th
- The Last Guardian (PS4) $60
- Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) $60
- 27th
- Titanfall 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) $60
- 28th
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition (PC, PS4, Xbox One) $60
Mafia 3 comes out the first Friday in October, and although it’s not as significant of a release as some of the other games it has to compete with that month, it wisely launches early before things start to get really ugly.
Gears 4 comes out for everyone the next Tuesday, although pre-ordering the game via Xbox Live gets you access 4 days early, so this’ll be a Friday release for some. Also on that same Tuesday, Rise of the Tomb Raider comes to PS4, along with some bonus content for Tomb Raider’s 20th anniversary. Two days later, PlayStation VR comes out, along with a few launch titles. As remarkable as home console VR is, a new paradigm like that might not get a chance to stand out among the sea of other games.
The following Friday, two huge PC titles release: Battlefield 1 and Civ 6. Battlefield will likely blow up on consoles as well, potentially emerging the highest-grossing game of this hellish month. The next Tuesday, The Last Guardian finally gets to see the light of day, and Dragon Ball fans will get to play Xenoverse 2.
October finally ends with Titanfall 2 releasing on the last Thursday of the month, followed by the Skyrim remaster a day after. Both of these games are in an unfortunate spot, with EA’s Titanfall 2 having to contend with its own Battlefield 1, and the highly demanded Skyrim remaster coming out in the middle of this barrage of new games. Hopefully no game gets left behind.
In space, no one can hear you scream, but they can hear bullets. Because vidya game.
November and December
- November 4th
- Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare/Call of Duty 4 Remaster (PC, PS4, Xbox One) $60/$80
- November 11th
- Dishonored 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) $60
- November 15
- Watch Dogs 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) $60
- November 18
- Pokemon Sun and Moon (3DS) $40
- November 29
- Final Fantasy XV (PS4, Xbox One) $60
- December 6
- South Park: The Fractured But Whole (PC, PS4, Xbox One) $60
- Dead Rising 4 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) $60
A week after Titanfall 2, the new Call of Duty launches along with the Call of Duty 4 remaster in an $80 bundle. So just to recap, 3 of the biggest FPS releases of this year and a remake of one of the greatest multiplayer shooters of all time are all releasing within two weeks of each other.
The next Friday, Bethesda releases Dishonored 2, followed by Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs 2 on Tuesday. For Nintendo fans, Pokémon Sun and Moon come out three days later on 3DS, which are easily the publisher’s biggest games of the fall.
Final Fantasy XV releases at the end of November. After being in development for over a decade, the final product will hopefully be a nice cap to this insane season.
Spreading the holiday cheer one candy cane at a time.
Finally, the two games with sure-fire release dates in December are Dead Rising 4 and South Park: The Fractured But Whole, both coming out on the 6th. These likely won’t be the only big games of that month, as there are still a number of major titles with indefinite Winter release windows.
Hopefully you have a ton of extra cash, or are able to exercise some restraint this fall. Either way, this is going to be an exciting time for the video game industry.
(Special thanks to VG24/7 for reference in compiling this list).