22 AAA Games to Watch in 2022

S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chernobyl

Delayed into 2022, then delayed further again to December 2022, S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 is inches away from being out of this list of AAA Games to Watch in 2022. 

Even if it somehow does make it, has nearly ten years of on and off development been scuppered at least a little by a sudden (and then abandoned) cash grab for NFTs

What remains to be seen is if GSC can recapture the cult magic of the original games. In a world where difficult weirdness and jank can be found in indie games like Pathologic, and the successors to Stalker like the Metro series exist, can they match up? Beyond even that, can they feel special in that market?

In December 2022 on PC and Xbox Platforms, we’ll find out.

Vampire the Masquerade: Swansong 

VTM: Bloodlines 2 is, well let’s say resting. But that doesn’t mean the franchise has no games coming out! A constant stream of visual novels on PC is flowing, and 2022 promises Swansong. A narrative focussed adventure with three protagonists, Swansong sounds like exactly what I want to see from that universe. 

Channeling classic vampire politicking for a game about investigating the highest echelons of power in Vampire Society, Swansong lacks a lot of baggage that other games in that franchise have.

Will that be enough to get people onboard?

We’ll find out on May 19th 2022 on PC, Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo Switch

Saints Row 

I’ve always felt that Saints Row 1 was too much of a GTA Clone but had the Promise of an anarchic streak missing from GTA4. Saints Row 3/4 was slightly too far the other direction, becoming a chaotic mess of peurile humour and messy gameplay, but with the right amount of heart. 

So showing me a Saints Row 2 like reboot about forming your street gang to take over a town from existing gangs? That’s what I’m on board for. 

With the same level of humour and a lack of super jumping, I’m very much here to see what Volition are capable of. 

Especially with No Johnny Gat worshipping to work around. 

Coming to PC, Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo Switch on August 23rd

Company of Heroes 3 

I’m kind of shocked we’re getting a new Company of Heroes at all. The squad based, position driven strategy game helped cement Relic as a titan of the strategy genre. This was in no small part due to their solid campaign structure and the zoomed in nature of the squad based combat. 

Company of Heroes 3 looks to be doubling down on this. A Mediterranean set campaign now featuring an overworld metagame of resourcing and territory capture brings to mind the best parts of Relic’s other strategy series in Dawn of War, while the gameplay itself looks deeper than ever with destructible terrain and extra features for each unit.

Currently running tests online, Company of Heroes 3 will be releasing in late 2022 on PC. As long as the supply lines stay up.

Homeworld 3 

The second big Strategy Return of 2022, Homeworld is a series I’ve not had any experience with. But Gearbox seem determined to crack on with the franchise regardless following the Remastered Collection and Deserts of Kharak more than six years ago.

From everything we’ve seen to date, the sheer scale of Space Fleet combat has been aptly captured, with beautifully rendered visuals of wrecked flotillas and broken planetoids. The real question will be whether the developers Blackbird Interactive can create a story capable of bringing in new folks like me, whilst simultaneously pleasing old fans?


A tight gap to squeeze through, but one we’ll find out more about when Homeworld 3 releases Q4 2022 on PC

Sonic Frontiers

Sonic Frontiers sees the venerable hedgehog try something new: an open world. 

It feels like it should be a slam dunk, open world games are only as good as their Traversal mechanics. So with Sonic speeding over the map and 3D games like Sonic Adventure setting a formula for base gameplay, there’s a lot in place here that makes sense.

Apparently delayed from a 2021 release to polish up the game, Sonic Frontiers attempts to offer an answer to the everpresent question, “What if a Sonic game was good?” on PC, Nintendo Switch, Playstation Consoles and Xbox Consoles in 2022.