This year has already been a pretty astonishing time for video games and as we reach the final approach to Christmas, it’s only going to get better.
October and November are always the busiest months for PC, Xbox One and PS4 owners and this year has proven to be a particularly bumper window with blockbuster games such as Red Dead Redemption 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and the new Assassin’s Creed all going on sale.
Seven years in the making, Red Dead Redemption 2 is already looking to be one of the biggest entertainment releases of the year while Black Ops 4 is already wowing players with its own huge take on Fortnite’s Battle Royale mode.
Here’s our pick of the biggest and best games for autumn:
Red Dead Redemption 2 – 26 October
‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ is the next game from GTA V-developers Rockstar Games. It is seven years in the making and the scale of this open-world western looks to be truly breathtaking. You’ll play as Arthur Morgan, a criminal with morals who’s a member of the notorious Van der Linde gang during the end of the 19th Century. With a cast of over 700 and some half a million lines of dialogue the size of RDR2 beggars belief. If there’s a game worth getting this year, it’s this one.
Available here: PS4 I Xbox One
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 – 12 October
Call of Duty is back with one notable addition: Battle Royale. Learning from the success of Fortnite, CoD’s own version is a vast island that’s a greatest hits of famous locations throughout the billion dollar series’ history. It’s fantastically fun to play and adds some much needed levity to a game that has too often taken itself too seriously. There’s also a huge new dedicated zombies campaign and of course CoD’s trademark multiplayer mode to boot.
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey – 5 October
‘Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey’ takes players to Ancient Greece where, as either Kassandra or Alexios, you’ll fight and explore as you uncover a conspiracy that has been deciding the fates of entire nations. We’ve been playing this game since launch and it’s already our favourite in the Assassin’s Creed series. The world is enormous, beautiful and filled to the brim with things to do. The new multiple choice conversation system also adds real emotional weight to the decisions you make. If you love open-world games this is a must.
Forza Horizon 4 – 2 October
As we mentioned in our review, ‘Forza Horizon 4’ is a racing game for people who don’t like racing games. It’s an adrenaline-filled joy ride of a game that makes you feel like you’re in a motoring version of Glastonbury festival. If that wasn’t enough this year the game is set in the UK so expect to see a wish list of locations from the lochs of Scotland to the stunning countryside of the Cotswolds. If you’re tired of guns, explosions and violence then Forza Horizon 4 will feel like a breath of fresh air.
Available here:Xbox One
Battlefield V – 20 November
‘Battlefield V’ moves the historical series to World War 2 bringing with it the game’s trademark gritty realism and epic set pieces. Where Battlefield 1 showed us many of the untold stories of the Great War, Battlefield V sets out to do the same. Players will have the chance to learn about the Norwegian resistance, the daring raids by British spies and the incredible bravery shown by the Senegalese Tirailleurs who fought for France.
Fallout 76 – 14 November
For the first time ever, Fallout is going online. ‘Fallout 76’ places you back in the wasteland but this time you’ll be joined by other real human beings. You’ll be able to team up or turn on each other. You can build your own bases, destroy each others as you explore a vast open world that’s four times larger than Fallout 4.
Pokemon Let’s Go, Pikachu! & Pokemon Let’s Go, Evee! – 16 November
If, like me, you grew up with Pokemon Red/Blue and Yellow on Game Boy, the idea of heading back to those nostalgic days will fill you with joy. ‘Let’s Go, Pikachu’ and ‘Let’s Go, Evee’ are essentially ‘Pokemon Yellow’ remastered. It’s a fully 3D, remade version of the original game you first played back in the 90s. All the original Pokemon are back and depending on the version you choose you’ll have your own Pokemon companion to follow you around. From what we played it’s enormous fun and the perfect game to get stuck in to for a few hours.
Available on: Nintendo Switch