Best upcoming PS4 games: a month-by-month guide

There’s loads of promising-looking titles coming to the PS4 this year, so I thought I’d compile a month-by-month list of what should be the games you’ll be enjoying throughout the year. At the top you’ll find the most recent big releases with links to our full review. Then I’ve listed all our top picks by month, if they have confirmed release dates; below is a roundup of titles that are still just listed as ‘2016’ or ‘2017’ by their publishers, so I’ll update these into full entries as we get confirmed release dates. I’ve tried to be fairly genre neutral here and include games from all across the gaming spectrum. Starting from this month, there’s plenty to get your teeth into from the off.

OUT NOW

DOOM

Tired of hiding in cover all the time and occasionally popping up to off a bad guy? Me too. DOOM takes a more traditional approach to shooting, with in-your face action and constantly movement. Circle-strafing is back, alongside brutal melee attacks and weapons that simply blow your enemies into bloody gibbets. There’s a meaty single-player campaign, with devious and ingenious levels that will kill you over and over again, plus multi-player as well. It looks devilishly good too.

Uncharted 4

There’s not a lot I can say about Uncharted 4. If you have a PlayStation 4 it’s the game most people have been waiting for, the biggest exclusive series that Sony has to offer. From previews it looks to be the game we know and love, but they’ve finally managed to blend the platforming and combat sequences, so you can scale up behind people and pull them off cliffs or swing down from above and take them out in a single blow. There are driveable vehicles too and huge levels to drive them through. This is the biggest game of 2016 or I’ll eat my hat – an indy-style fedora of course. For more information read our Uncharted 4 article.

Hitman

The assassination series is back with this simply-titled game. Huge and realistic environments are the first draw, each packed with characters and information that you can use to your advantage. Each hit will provide a myriad of options about how you kill your target from the direct and brutal to the subtle and silent. Crowded areas are common here and there’s numerous ways to turn them to your advantage, using them to cover your activities. The environments are interactive too, you can sabotage items such as gas cookers, or set off a fire alarm to clear an area. It’s all looking rather smart, the thinking man’s alternative to the usual shoot first, shoot later and shoot some more approach to gaming. Oddly, it’s an episodic game, being released in a series of chunks across the year. Click the link above for our full review of the first three episodes.

June

(9th) Mirror’s Edge Catalyst

It’s been eight years since Faith last parkoured on to our screens, but DICE’s unique free-running action game is now back and better than ever. While the first game divided players and critics alike, Catalyst looks to have recitified many of its predecessor’s mistakes. Combat’s improved, the world inside the City of Glass has grown exponentially, and its first-person running controls have been streamlined and simplified, making it much easier to get to grips with.

August

(12th) No Man’s Sky

Having now slipped to August, No Man’s Sky looks set to be a welcome salve in the typically barren summer months on the gaming calendar. The game itself procedurally generates millions of star systems and worlds, from their geography to their flora and fauna. The art style is taken straight from a Roger Dean http://www.rogerdean.com/ 70s concept album cover. The only questions remains the gameplay, which is notably undefined, just what will we be doing in this huge world and how will we interact with each other? For all the latest details, read our No Man’s Sky article.

(23rd) Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

The follow-up to the excellent Deus Ex: Human Revolution, the latest game follows closely in that one’s footsteps, blending stealth, combat and the ability to hack and control tech in your local environment. This time around the developer has promised to improve the combat, to try and make it as fun as the usual stealthy approach. It certainly looks upgraded with hectic firefights punctuating the preview footage. There’s a shadowy international conspiracy of course, and lots of cybernetic implants to upgrade your character and make things miserable for his opponents. For more information read our Deus Ex: Mankind Divided article.

September

(30th September) Final Fantasy XV

It’s been in development for ten years, but Final Fantasy XV is, at long last, coming to consoles this September. It’s the biggest Final Fantasy game Square Enix has ever made, and its huge, open world environments will be a first for the entire series. Expect the usual mix of magic, crystals and gigantic summon monsters, but this Final Fantasy takes place in an alternate modern day universe not too dissimilar from our own, so you’ll also see cars (that transform into airships, naturally), gas stations and NPCs dressed (for once) in normal, every day clothes. To get a taste of the action, you should download the free Final Fantasy XV Platinum demo, but for now, everything you need to know is in our Final Fantasy XV hub article.

October

(21st) Battlefield 1

Thought the next Battlefield was going to be called Battlefield 5? Think again! This time, we’re going back to World War I – hence the 1 in the title – so expect classic weaponry and even more iconic vehicles to get stuck in with come the end of October. We’ve been hands on with the E3 demo, and it really is fantastic. Dynamic weather will change the state of play on the fly, and the huge, destructible environments can permanently alter the battlefield as you charge through it with tanks, planes, armoured cars, and even hugue, Zeppelin-style airships. Trust us, after you’ve seen a Zeppelin fall out of the sky and erupt in a huge ball of flames right before your eyes, you’ll be instantly hooked. For all the latest details, including our own hands-on review, see our Battlefield 1 article.

(28th) Titanfall 2

Not enough guns in Battlefield 1 for you? Well, a week later you could be churning through Titanfall 2 – a futuristic shooter that splits half your play time between traditional ground-based combat and the other half stomping around in giant, hulking mech robots. The first one was an Xbox One and PC exclusive, but Titanfall 2 will be released on PS4 as well. There will also be a brand-new single player campaign to get stuck in with – something the first game was entirely lacking. For more info, including our hands on impressions, read our Titanfall 2 article.

November

(11th) Dishonored 2

The first Dishonored was something of a cult hit back in 2012, so the news of a sequel is music to our rat-bitten ears. Corvo is back to unleash his mix of stealth and action techniques, but you’ll also get a chance to play as Empress Emily Kaldwin this time round – the young princess you saved in the first game. Likewise, you’ll be leaving the streets of Dunwall behind for a new Middle Eastern-inspired city called Karnaca. For all the latest, see our Dishonored 2 hub article.

(15th) Watch Dogs 2

The sequel to Ubisoft’s take on Grand Theft Auto is finally official. After months of speculation, Watch Dogs 2 will launch this November, putting you in the shoes of a new protagonist – Marcus Holloway – in a new city. The game’s core mechanics haven’t changed much, but in addition to hacking into San Francisco’s general infrastructure, you’ll also be able to hack AI characters and various pieces of environmental furniture, such as cranes and flying drones, to access new areas. The multiplayer has also been expanded this time, so expect a more seamless integration of its singleplayer and online gameplay aspects. For all the latest, see our Watch Dogs 2 article.

No date confirmed

Also coming this year are these beauties, but we can’t write them into our diaries quite yet as the publishers are being tight on giving out exact dates. Expect at least some of these to slip into 2017.

Destiny 2

Horizon: Zero Dawn

The Last Guardian

Mass Effect Andromeda