Assassin's Creed Odyssey

Assassin's Creed Origins breathed some much needed life into Ubisoft's open world series, and Assassin's Creed Odyssey looks to double down on the franchise's newfound love of RPG elements. Dialogue options, branching storylines, more loot, more questing -- it's all here. And although Ubisoft seems to be falling back into its annual Assassin's Creed push, we can't deny that we're looking forward to more of what Origins got so right.

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SoulCalibur VI

Bandai Namco's been on fire with its fighting games over the last year or so, with both Tekken 7 and Dragon Ball FighterZ really hitting home with fans of the genre. SoulCalibur VI aims to reignite the spark of a once great franchise, following on from two or three disappointing instalments. Series veterans will be hoping for the same magic that the great SoulCalibur II captured -- but after so many years, does this soul still burn?

Red Dead Redemption 2

Arguably the biggest game of the year, Red Dead Redemption 2 is finally riding onto PS4 in October. We don't know a whole lot about the rootin' tootin' prequel, but from what little has been shown, it's sure to be big, bloody, and beautiful. As Arthur Morgan, you'll be doing all you can in the open world to keep you and your gang members safe from the long arm of the law. This is Rockstar's first game built entirely for PS4, and considering the monumental success of Grand Theft Auto Online, we're expecting its biggest and most ambitious title to date.

Hitman 2

A sandbox for assassination, Hitman 2 promises to build upon the murderous potential of its episodic predecessor by taking you on a globe-trotting tour of clandestine homicide. The newly independent IO Interactive will be opening up all environments from the offset this time, with a new co-op sniper mode rounding out the robust package. As long as we can kill our targets with an explosive blueberry muffin, then we’ll be happy with this anticipated sequel.

Fallout 76

It's safe to say that Fallout 76 has divided opinion, but we're still willing to give Bethesda the benefit of the doubt when it comes to crafting engaging post-apocalyptic adventures. The game's ultimately going to live and die by how well its online structure actually works, but if the hugely addictive gameplay loop of Fallout 4 is still intact, this spin-off could still turn out to be something quite special.

And that just about does it. What games are you looking forward to playing this year? Are there any titles missing from our list? Sound off in the comments below.