The 15 Most Anticipated Video Games of Summer 2015

Hey look, another dinosaur game! What are the odds? Better still, it has nothing to do with LEGO, so viva la difference, then head over to Steam Early Access, where the game’s now available in beta. What’s it about? You, naked and starving on an island, hunting for resources, fending off primeval critters and either cooperating with or warring against hundreds of fellow players.

PC

June 2

Blizzard’s newest idea is a team-brawler mashup, where you skirmish online against other players as one of several heavy-hitters plucked from the publisher’s iconic Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo franchises.

PC

June 2

Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls series was always arrowing toward a massively online multiplayer installment, and ZeniMax Online Studios’ freshman effort wasn’t half-bad when it launched on PCs in April 2014. But the delayed console versions stand to benefit from substantial extra time in the oven, as well as the company’s shift from a monthly subscription fee to free-to-play.

PlayStation 4, Xbox One

June 9

In February 1959, nine hikers in the Russian Ural mountains died; to this day, the cause of their death remains unknown. Kholat, an open-world, first-person “horror experience,” imagines what might have happened, dropping players years later into the spot where the mysterious event unfolded. Top that off with actor Sean Bean handling the story narration.

PC

June 10

Why haven’t we had more dinosaur games? No idea, but we can thank whoever green-lit director Colin Trevorrow’s upcoming Jurassic World popcorn-chomper for tugging at Warner Bros. purse-strings, thus giving Traveller’s Tales another chance to uncork its goofball LEGO shtick, this time taking on Isla “four films later and no one’s learned a thing” Nublar.

PC, PlayStation 3 & 4, Xbox 360 & One, Wii U, 3DS, PS Vita

June 12

The eponymous villain in developer Rocksteady’s third (and final) engagement of DC’s Batman mythos should hopefully breathe a little life into a series long overshadowed by the Joker. The biggest change, aside from the biggest sandbox version of Gotham we’ve seen and shift to new consoles, is the inclusion of the Batmobile—like a grim vamp on Insomniac’s dualistic Ratchet & Clank, as you shift between the Dark Knight and his tricked out ride to solve puzzles or assist you in battle.

PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows

June 23

It’s the first expansion to the hands-down best MMO on consoles (and in the top two or three on PC) today. The usual things apply: new areas to explore, a new playable race and the level cap’s been upped to 60. But you’ll also be able to build airships and fly to floating stratospheric continents, plus Square Enix is adding support for OS X (Apple) computers.

PlayStation 3 & 4, Windows

June 23

It’s God of War III (originally for PlayStation 3) jacked up to full 1080p at 60 frames per second, and sporting a new feature that lets you take, edit and share in-game photos.

PlayStation 4

July 14

Feist, a beautiful, otherworldly sidescroller that’s been in development forever, is about a tiny fuzz-covered creature (think Fizzgig from The Dark Crystal) exploring spooky chiaroscuro forests, mountains, caves and swamps.

PC

July 23

A group of twenty-somethings, a secluded mountain hangout, and one horror-filled night. You’ve seen it a million times, but Supermassive Games is pushing the idea that each time you play through Until Dawn–and you’ll have to complete it repeatedly to figure out what’s really going on, apparently–you’re following one of thousands of possible paths.

PlayStation 4

August 25

This year’s Madden once more overhauls the controls, tweaking QB maneuvers (body-relative throws, touch and roll out passes) and adding what EA’s calling a “risk/reward catch and pass-defend system.” The emphasis, along with de facto visual, online and backend refinements, appears to be on helping you create splashy, photographical moments.

PlayStation 3 & 4, Xbox 360 & One

August 25

Mad Max, an open-world vehicle combat game, could be another bland movie-game tie-in…or, like the film itself, it could surprise us all. Current odds are on the latter: its developer, Avalanche Studios, has yet to drop the ball, and it’s already hit a few out of the park (see their acclaimed Just Cause series).

PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

September 1

“The Phantom Pain” makes Metal Gear Solid V sound a little silly, like a Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys book, but publisher Konami’s stealth-gaming sandbox spree Metal Gear Solid V promises to deliver smarter enemies and a game world “200 times” that of last year’s prologue, Ground Zeroes.

PC, PlayStation 3 & 4, Xbox 360 & One

September 1

A Mega Man rethink by another name, Mighty No. 9 takes that 2D platforming classic’s ideas—a robotic protagonist, clever weaponry and crazy end-level boss battles—and adds unique transformational abilities gathered from defeated enemies.

PC, PlayStation 3 & 4, Xbox 360 & One, Wii U, 3DS, PS Vita

September 15

With the FIFA scandal ongoing, the cleanest way to get your football fix (that’s “soccer” for Americans) may be FIFA 16. But the biggest news this year is EA’s inclusion, long overdue, of female footballers (the first FIFA Women’s World Cup was held back in 1991), including 12 women’s national teams.

PC, PlayStation 3 & 4, Xbox 360 & One

September 22