The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Coming May 19 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One
The Witcher 2 planted the seed. It depicted one of the most beautiful and brutal places you can explore within the whole of games, and planted within it an intriguing political story and a vicious combat system that made shedding blood feel physically and emotionally exhausting. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s exponentially larger world and new characters would seem to bear the fruits of that initial seed. A stunning and vast landscape, filled with difficult decisions and colossal creatures, awaits us, and it’s difficult not to tremble when you imagine the possibilities. -- Kevin VanOrd
Batman: Arkham Knight.
Coming June 2 for PS4, Xbox One, PC
Developer Rocksteady is back to finish off what they started with the extremely well received Arkham series. The bits and pieces of what we've seen so far of the game have been stunning, due in no small part to the increased horsepower of the PS4 and Xbox One. And the inclusion of the Batmobile seems to be more than just a neat gimmick--the Batmobile looks like it's been integrated into a lot more than just getting Batman from point A to point b in style, and seems to be useful in solving puzzles and even as a partner during Arkham Knight's brutal fistfights. I can't wait to see how the whole things blends together next year. -- Randolph Ramsay
Rise of the Tomb Raider.
Coming 2015 for Xbox One
Lara Croft's rebirth in early 2013 was met with high praise. This new Lara appealed to us because she was younger, softer--still learning the skills and hurtling through the experiences that would hone her into the powerful and confident Lara we've known since 1996. Trailers for Rise of the Tomb Raider show a Lara both broken and strengthened by the experiences of the first game, and we're excited to see her character grow and the exotic locales she'll conquer in the next game. -- Alexa Ray Corriea
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Coming 2015 for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC
Though some may have only spent two hours playing through Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes' story mission, I put 10 times the hours into exploring the full range of the game's open-world stealth mechanics. I came away convinced that this is one of the most solid foundations ever for a stealth-action game. Seeing how this plays into the far more massive scale of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, along with the game's fascinating new buddy system and adversarial multiplayer base-infiltrations, is something I cannot wait to do. -- Daniel Hindes
Tom Clancy's The Division.
Coming 2015 for PS4, Xbox One, PC
Ubisoft has garnered criticism this year for utilizing a very specific open-world formula across multiple genres. Thus far, Tom-Clancy-branded games have avoided many of that formula’s tropes, and The Division looks to hew more closely to the philosophies that separate Ghost Recon andSplinter Cell from the pack. There’s still much we don’t know, but if previous showings are an indication, The Division could smartly replicate the sense of joining a small band of cohorts and journeying into a devastated New York City, hoping to survive and even thrive. Destiny has popularized the dynamic-world multiplayer shooter. We’re excited to see how Tom Clancy’s The Division refines and riffs upon a soon-to-burgeon genre. -- Kevin VanOrd
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.
Coming 2015 for PS4
Uncharted is the series that redefined developer Naughty Dog. Previously known primarily as the creators of Crash Bandicoot, they're now the studio behind some of the most cinematic and well-paced action games on any console. It's almost a given that Uncharted 4 will continue the company's legacy of creating graphical showcases. And there's no doubt that it'll be another exciting, Indiana Jones-like adventure full of big set pieces and snappy dialogue. But if it also successfully integrates the combat refinements and nuanced, character-driven storytelling from The Last of Us, Uncharted could possibly be the developer's magnum opus. -- Justin Haywald
