Rocket Chainsaw’s Top 10 Most Anticipated Games

January 26, 2021

As we reach the end of January, it’s time to look ahead, with so much gaming to come in the near and distant future. With the beginning of a new generation with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, as well as one in its middle with the Nintendo Switch, there’s plenty of gaming to look forward to. With that in mind, we sat down as a staff to vote on our top 10 most anticipated games.

There aren’t too many games with confirmed release dates in the coming months (although we do have games like New Pokémon Snap!, The Medium, Returnal and Resident Evil Village arriving), so we made the decision to expand this list out to any game that has been officially announced. That means that while some games may not release for years to come, they have (at the very least) been announced. Without further ado, here are Rocket Chainsaw’s Top 10 Most Anticipated Games:

10. Everwild

The first of our top 10 most anticipated games comes from a studio unafraid of creating new IPs, Rare. We’ve seen a couple of glimpses of Everwild now, and both have gotten us extremely excited for the game. The beautiful living world, with a gorgeous art style, and focus on life have drawn us in. We still don’t know exactly what we’ll do in the game, but that hasn’t stopped us from eagerly awaiting more news.

9. Stray

Annapurna Interactive has quickly become one of our favourite publishers, with their continual releases of high quality indie titles absolutely hitting the spot. Stray looks like it will be the next hit from them, with the BlueTwelve Studio developed game announced during last year’s PlayStation Future of Gaming event. We can’t wait to get our hands on the feline detective adventure game when it releases.

8. The Elder Scrolls VI

We’re no strangers to Elder Scrolls between the frequent re-releases of Skyrim, the more classic titles like Daggerfall and Morrowind, and the continued expansion of Elder Scrolls Online. We know full well that Elder Scrolls VI is quite a ways away, with Starfield to release first, but the series has become such a staple in our gaming lives that we can’t help but anticipate it. Where will it take place? How will the world evolve compared to past games? These are just a couple of the questions we’re hoping are answered sooner rather than later.

7. Halo Infinite

Halo has been one of the biggest IPs in gaming since Combat Evolved released way back in 2001 alongside the original Xbox. While the game had a less than favourable gameplay reveal last year as part of Xbox’s big Xbox Series X games showcase, we take confidence in the fact that Xbox was willing to delay the game to get it right. With the seeming shift back to a more classic Halo gameplay style are Halo 5: Guardians and the promise of Halo Infinite being a generation spanning platform, we’re eager to get our hands on the game.

6. Ghostwire: Tokyo

We’re fans of all things horror over here at Rocket Chainsaw, so it potentially isn’t a surprise that the next game from Tango Gameworks is on our list of our top 10 most anticipated games. With a striking visual style, what looks to be a more action-focused gameplay system and the promise of next-generation tech behind it, Ghostwire: Tokyo is a fitting addition to this list.

5. God of War 2

Given God of War was our game of the year just over two years ago, it probably isn’t too surprising to find its sequel on this list. Its predecessor reinvigorated the God of War franchise in a way we didn’t think possible, creating a narrative and character-driven experience that completely changed our perception of Kratos. With the game expected to include an impending Ragnarok, there’s plenty of drama to come and we can’t wait to see how Kratos and Atreus’s journey continues.

4. Resident Evil Village

Once again, our horror roots are showing, with our massive anticipation for Resident Evil Village. This is one of the most unique inclusions in this list, given the game’s existing demo that can be experienced on PlayStation 5. The Resident Evil series has gone from strength to strength in recent years, with Resident Evil VII and Resident Evil 2 in particular being utterly fantastic games. With a shift to the more supernatural and potentially a lesser focus on the infected/zombies we’ve become used to, Resident Evil Village is bringing something different that we can’t wait to see.

3. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart

Like our love for horror games, we’re massive fans of Ratchet and Clank here at Rocket Chainsaw. While 2016’s reimagining of the original Ratchet and Clank was a great game, it’s been years since we’ve seen Insomniac truly spread their wings with the franchise. That’s part of the reason we’re so excited to play Rift Apart. The other reason is how the game looks to be taking advantage of the PlayStation 5’s new technology. Near-instant shifts between worlds, weapons taking advantage of the DualSense’s haptics and the sheer amount of particles all look to be coming together to create most exciting Ratchet and Clank game in years.

2. Horizon Forbidden West

2016’s Horizon Zero Dawn was a revelation from Guerilla Games. We never would have predicted that the previously fps-focused studio would create a fantastic RPG with an innovative and wholly interesting world. Much of our anticipation for Forbidden West comes from how much we enjoyed Aloy’s initial journey, but some of it also comes from the utterly fantastic announcement trailer that came out last year. With the promise of continuing Aloy’s story and new environments and creatures to discover, we cannot wait for Forbidden West.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2

The number one game on this list probably doesn’t surprise many people. Our game of the year in 2017 and our fourth best game of the decade, Breath of the Wild was a transformative experience for the franchise and one that truly set the scene for the Nintendo Switch. With its focus on both mechanical and narrative freedom, Breath of the Wild was quite unlike anything before it. We haven’t seen much of the game yet, but the small glimpse we’ve had has already excited us immensely and we’re hoping to play the game as soon as possible, with the game being a clear winner for our list.

 

There you have it, Rocket Chainsaw’s Top 10 Most Anticipated Games. There’s plenty of other exciting games coming in the future that didn’t quite make the list, but it looks like we’ve got some exciting times ahead of us in the world of gaming.