E3 2021's Most Nerdtastic Video Game Announcements (So Far)

Get ready to fight the evils of space capitalism once again in The Outer Worlds 2, which Xbox unveiled with this delightfully tongue-in-cheek teaser. No release date yet.

The studio behind the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series is launching its first new universe in 25 years with Starfield. This time, Bethesda is taking its roleplaying games into the farthest reaches of space. It comes out November 11, 2022.

“Roll for initiative, suckas!” Borderlands comes to the realm of high fantasy in Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, which boasts a star-studded cast of wayward adventurers and, yes, a butt stallion. It comes out in 2022.

This pixel art side-scrolling adventure feels like Inside in the world of Blade Runner—and that sounds pretty awesome. Replaced comes out in 2022.

Vampires have taken control of a small island, blotting out the sun so they can take their time feasting on everyone and anyone they can get their claws on. In this co-op game, players band together to form a vampire hunting party so they can stop the night and save their town. Redfall comes out in summer 2022.

Running out of Pokémon to snap pics of? Try Alekon, a newly released indie game where players photograph fantasy creatures—solving puzzles to get the perfect shot.

It might seem gauche to be touting a game called A Plague Tale during times like these, but this rat-infested sequel to the surprise hit is worth the ick factor. A Plague Tale: Requiem comes out in 2022.

Dark Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin (yes, that one) have teamed up to create a new fantasy saga, Elden Ring. It looks appropriately epic with magic horses, terrifying monsters, and... a creature with bell balls? Well, that last one is a choice. It comes out on January 21, 2022.

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum, Sea of Thieves is heading to Davy Jones’ locker with a Pirates of the Caribbean-themed expansion. It comes out on June 22.

Annapurna Interactive, the studio behind phenomenal games like Kentucky Route Zero and What Remains of Edith Finch, is back with this story about a man caught in a time loop from which there may be no escape. Twelve Minutes comes out on August 19.

This indie puzzle game is about using light to illuminate quests and goals to help the struggling residents of a strange town. No release date yet.

This long-awaited Psychonauts sequel looks appropriately wacky and wild. Psychonauts 2 comes out August 25.

Who doesn’t love a good remastered game? (I’m currently playing through Mass Effect Legendary myself.) This Diablo game, and its Lords of Destruction expansion, have gotten a next-gen upgrade. Diablo 2: Resurrected comes out on September 23.

I have no idea what this game is about but I’m guessing you’re a rancher that deals with slime? Okay, having watched the trailer I can say that’s... about half-accurate. Slime Rancher 2 comes out in 2022.

This game takes place in an alt-reality version of the Soviet Union, circa 1955, where robots, holograms, and the internet have already been invented. It’s got some Fallout vibes with a bit of Resident Evil horror thrown in. We’re sold. No release date yet.

Who doesn’t love Among Us? In this latest update, up to 15 players can be in a room together, which means more lying and killing—and most likely just as little actual work done. No release date yet.

Play as a non-Chris Pratt Star-Lord in this latest Guardians of the Galaxy video game. Somehow his hair looks even worse than Pratt’s. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy comes out on October 26.

Black Panther makes his debut in this free expansion for Marvel’s Avengers, where he has to defend Wakanda from Klaw’s attempts to steal Vibranium. It comes out in August.

This lovely-looking exploration and crafting game has players taking on the role of a witch who’s combing the woods for ingredients to craft her powerful spells. Wytchwood comes out sometime this year.

The fantastic storytelling game Life Is Strange and the Before the Storm prequel have been bunched together in a new edition. During E3, Square Enix also teased more about the latest Life Is Strange game, Life Is Strange: True Colors, which replaces time travel with the power of empathy. Life Is Strange Remastered Collection comes out on September 30.

Hey y’all, did you know this guy is looking for Chaos? Because he is. He’s looking for Chaos. Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin comes out in 2022.

Move aside Metroid Prime, it’s time to get two-dimensional. Nintendo surprised us with a new Metroid game—the first entirely new 2D game in the series in 19 years since GBA classic Metroid Fusion—that features heart-stopping action from the left side of the screen to the right. Metroid Dread comes out on October 8.

Silly mini-games are my jam—and luckily they’re Wario’s too! Wario has returned with a new collection of hilarious tasks and questionable workplace practices. WarioWare Get It Together! comes out on September 10.

I don’t know much about this series so I asked my co-worker James Whitbrook about it, since he’s a fan. He said, and I quote: “demons, babyyyyyyyy.” Shin Megami Tensei V comes out on November 12.

Hell yeah, more mini-games! Mario Party returns with a blast from the past, bringing back dozens of classic mini-games and boards from past Mario Party games. Players can play local or online, including with strangers. Mario Party Superstars comes out on October 29.

The cute but dangerous tanks return in this remastered collection of Advance Wars 1 & 2, just be careful to avoid friendly fire! Advance Wars 1 & 2: Re-Boot Camp comes out on December 3.

At least, the one we were waiting for. Not much has been revealed yet about Breath of the Wild 2, apart from this short teaser, but it promises new weapons to wield and lands to explore (including the skies above Hyrule!). It’s just enough to make our mouths water—maybe Link can whip us up something in his cooking pot to hold us over until 2022?

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