The video game industry continues to thrive during the pandemic, as more people have time to explore immersive worlds.

2022 is packed with big games, and fans won’t have to wait until the Christmas season to download the biggest titles. There are plenty of big games spread throughout the calendar, including Dying Light 2 Staying Human, Horizon Forbidden West, and Elden Ring in the first two months of 2022. Here are some of the most anticipated games of this year:

Tiny Tina’s Wonderland

With a new Borderlands movie hitting theaters this year, gamers get a brand-new offering in the bestselling franchise’s universe with this role-playing adventure featuring one of the most popular characters. 2K listened to fan feedback from its popular Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep Borderlands DLC and has crafted an entire game around this RPG concept. Players will assume the role of the Fatemaker, pick a class, and go on a virtual Dungeons & Dragons-inspired adventure complete with an endless bounty of loot and guns to customize.

Trending

I, ROBOT

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

The sixth installment in this tongue-in-cheek cooperative gameplay experience tells the entire journey of the Skywalkers across six Star Wars films. This being LEGO Star Wars, there’s plenty of family-friendly humor along the way, as well as lots of cool ships, weapons and gadgets to build. The largest game in the franchise features 20 unlockable planets and over 300 characters from the films. With everything from lightsaber battles to dogfighting in X-Wings, this game is a must-have for Star Wars fans.

Saints Row

Hollywood loves the reboot, and this year the game industry has multiple reboots on the way, including Dead Space and Saints Row. Developer Volition is toning things back a bit with this game, which eliminates the roman numerals and global objectives. The action promises to still be as over-the-top as previous installments, but the focus is on taking over the American Southwest city of Santo Ileso. All that’s standing in your way is rival gangs like Los Panteros and the Idols, as well as Marshall Defense Industries. Fortunately, you have an arsenal of weapons, vehicles (including choppers) and gadgets to help in your endeavors. Design your own boss and recruit a gang, while building an empire of businesses district by district — taking out anyone who gets in your way. There are nine districts to conquer alone or with a friend — and co-op missions count towards your personal progression.

Redfall

Developer Arkane Austin wowed critics and gamers alike with the frenetic original action shooter Deathloop last year on PlayStation 5. Now it’s got another completely different wild ride in Redfall, which comes to PC and Xbox this fall. In this open-world shooter, up to four players convene in a Left 4 Dead-style co-op action-adventure to slay vampires and their evil minions in the quaint town of Redfall, Massachusetts. All that stands in the way of eternal darkness is an elite team of vampire slayers:  cryptozoologist Devinder, telekinetic Layla, combat engineer Remi and sharpshooter Jacob. It’s worth noting these aren’t your typical vampires, as scientific experimentations have given rise to an assortment of bigger and more deadly creatures to take out.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

After a 13-year wait, fans of James Cameron’s Avatar franchise finally have a new movie this December, as well as a huge new role-playing game from Ubisoft’s Massive studio. The new game, which tells a stand-alone story set on Pandora, allows players to fully immerse themselves in the Na’Vi culture. Players will battle against the evil human RDA (Resource Development Administration) in the Western Frontier of Pandora. This journey to new lands opens up an assortment of new creatures to ride on the ground and in the air, as you take on the machines created to destroy Pandora. Disney was so impressed with this Avatar game that they awarded Massive a new Star Wars RPG, so that’s saying a lot.

Gotham Knights

The Batman Arkham game franchise stands out as one of the best-ever interactive adventures featuring the Dark Knight. Now that Batman is dead in this universe, WB Games Montreal is picking up the pieces with a new co-op game featuring the remnants of the Batman family. There’s combat and weapons specialist Red Hood, stealth guru Robin, hacking expert Batgirl and the acrobatic Nightwing. A new expansive, criminal underworld has swept the streets of Gotham City, and it’s up to you and a friend to clean up the streets. The game features the same type of varying missions that incorporate solving mysteries using your brains to taking out super villains and their minions with sheer brawn, along with the latest vehicles and weapons available. Looks like another dark and rich adventure through Gotham City.