Will Cricket 22 Bowl You Over on PS5, PS4?

The market for sports games is absolutely gigantic – just look at how well FIFA and NBA 2K sell – so it’s no surprise that publishers like Nacon are eager to carve out a niche with the likes of rugby and tennis. Cricket 22: The Official Game of the Ashes is its latest effort, due out on PlayStation 5 and PS4 this 25th November, with a free PS4 to PS5 upgrade available.

Australian studio Big Ant is at the helm, and is once again focusing its attention on the Ashes, but the “scope of the licenses featured in the game has expanded massively”. The press release explains: “Cricket fans will be able to enjoy Australia’s Big Bash T20 competition, The Hundred, the hugely innovative new competition in England and Wales, the tropical party of the CPL in the Caribbean, and take to the international field of battle with fully-licensed teams from Australia, England, The West Indies, New Zealand and Ireland.” The title will feature both men’s and women’s cricket to boot.

Improvements over Cricket 19 include revised bowling and fielding systems, a “narrative driven” career mode where you have to attend press conferences, and an all-new commentary team featuring Michael Atherton, Ian Healy, Mel Jones, Alison Mitchell, and David Gower.

Fascinatingly, if you pre-order on PlayStation, then you’ll get early access to a minigame-esque experience called The Nets Challenge in mid-October, which will essentially allow you to test out the new bowling and batting gameplay mechanics. There’s a trailer introducing that embedded above. Are you bowled over? Hit for six in the comments section below.