Dead Space
It’s not that much of an exaggeration to say that 2008’s Dead Space is to video games what Alien was to movies: ambitious, gory, frightening sci-fi horror that raised the bar for a whole genre. This remake involves some of the same talent, and will bring a skin-crawling classic to a new generation of players.
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, PC, 27 January
Kerbal Space Program 2
2015’s Kerbal Space Program had you helping an alien civilisation figure out how to get to the moon, with lots of explosions and physics-based mishaps along the way. The sequel has the wee green spacefarers going further, heading for the stars and establishing colonies. Expect an endearing and deceptively demanding space travel simulator.
PC, PlayStation, Xbox, 24 February
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Flight club … The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom screenshot. Photograph: Nintendo
The sequel to Breath of the Wild, widely considered one of the greatest games ever made, was always going to generate anticipation. Here, sword-wielding hero Link explores not just the continent of Hyrule, with all its cartoonish monsters, puzzle-filled dungeons, tantalising treasures and hidden secrets, but also the skies above.
Nintendo Switch, 12 May
Starfield
A science-fiction role-playing game from the champions of emergent, player-led stories at Bethesda. Travel light years beyond our solar system in your own, custom-created spacefarer and find your own purpose among the stars. Those yearning for the glory days of Mass Effect will find much to look forward to here.
Xbox Series X/S, PC, spring
Redfall
Vampires run amok, and not the sexy kind. A cooperative shooter where you must team up to vanquish creatures of the night on a Massachusetts island – and happily, you have your own supernatural abilities to take into combat. Will you be a magic-enhanced sniper, a gadget-loving cryptozoologist, or a telekinetic student?
Xbox Series X/S, PC, spring
Lightyear Frontier
Funny farm … Lightyear Frontier. Photograph: Amplifier Game Invest
A farming game with a difference: instead of laboriously hoeing and seeding by hand, you have access to a really cool robot. Suit up in your mech and you can water, harvest, build and landscape with ease – and the planet you’re cultivating has an intriguing history waiting to be uncovered.
Xbox, PC, spring
Diablo IV
Fans of Blizzard’s demon-slaying, treasure-clicking, loot-accumulating hellish hack-and-slash series will be approaching Diablo IV with some trepidation, as it promises to steal many, many hours of your life. This is old-school D&D style dungeon-crawling …….