I’m going to be honest straight out, my list of games I’m looking forward to in 2022 isn’t going to look like most people’s lists. There aren’t a whole lot of games I’m actually looking forward to and about half of the ones that grabbed my attention when researching this article are already out on Early Access, so I didn’t count them. In the end that gave me 6 games and even then, some of them are kind of cheating. In no particular order here are the 7 games I can’t wait to play in 2022.
Terra Nil
Terra Nil is what is being called a reverse city builder where you’ll start with a brown barren wasteland and it is up to you to rebuild the environment and turn it into an amazing paradise for a variety of plants and animals. It is being published by Devolver Digital and developed by Free Lives, the studio behind Broforce. There is no release date for it just yet, but it is tentatively scheduled for release in 2022. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for this one.
Stray
Ever since it was announced at the PlayStation Future of Gaming event in 2020 I have been eagerly awaiting the release of Stray, an adventure story where you are a cat in a city populated by humans. Everything about this game ticked the right boxes for me. Cats? Check. Robots? Check. Possible Dystopic Future? Check. Puzzle gameplay? Check. Honestly, the only thing it doesn’t have is farming, and that’s ok. Stray is being developed by BlueTwelve Studio and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game is scheduled for release on PC, PS4, and PS5 in early 2022 though it has already had one delay so we will just have to wait and see.
Hexoplanet
Put Hexoplanet down as the second city builder on this list. In Hexoplanet you’re in control of a newly self-conscious robot civilization who is preparing a planet for the arrival of their masters, the humans. One of the things that makes Hexoplanet so amazing, aside from the fantastic art style, is that it is being developed by just one man. From just one trailer and a handful of screenshots, Hexoplanet has already managed to charm my socks off. You can’t find Hexoplanet on Steam just yet but I’ll be adding it to my wishlist as soon as it is.
Conan Chop Chop
So yeah, Conan Chop Chop isn’t my usual sort of game. But it looks like a ton of fun! This hack ‘n’ slash game has the ridiculous art style Cyanide and Happiness is known for while also being a serious game. Unfortunately, the game has already had a few delays and it looks like it isn’t really Mighty Kingdom’s main focus. The most recent roadmap for the studio had Conan Chop Chop releasing in Q3 2021, which it obviously did not. Might this game which was once just an April Fools Day joke from Funcom, be stuck in development hell? Hopefully not, but only time will tell.
Haunted Chocolatier
Ok, so this game is cheating a little bit. There is absolutely nothing to indicate that Haunted Chocolatier, the lastest game from one man developer ConcernedApe is coming out in 2022. In fact, everything kind of points to the exact opposite.
But I have so much hype for this game that it has to go on this list anyway.
I am going to be hanging on to every word Eric Barone (ConcernedApe) has to say about the game. Every screenshot, every video, every little piece of music is going to fill me with glee.
Five years on I am still playing ConcernedApe’s first game, Stardew Valley and honestly, I think I’ll still be playing it 5 years from now.
Haunted Chocolatier is one game that I will not hesitate to preorder as soon as it is available. I’d buy it now if he’d let me! Seriously ConcernedApe, take my money!
Guild Wars 2 End of Dragons
I have been playing Guild Wars 2 off and on since launch and one thing that I am always coming back for is the release of a new expansion. But End of Dragons is especially important, not just for the siege turtles, though…yes, but also because it is taking us to the one place in the world of Tyria that has been hyped up the most, Cantha. I didn’t play the original Guild Wars so I’m not sure what all the hype is about, but the hype is real. Like everything else on this list, Guild Wars 2 End of Dragons doesn’t have a release date yet, or at least as of the time of writing this it didn’t. But that doesn’t matter much to me. I’ve already preordered the expansion and spent all of the gems I got from the preorder.
And that’s the list! As you can see I tend to lean more towards the little indie games these days instead of the bigger AAA games. But I am always open to seeing what games grab my attention. In addition to those listed above I’m hoping we see DLC/expansions for Orcs Must Die 3, Surviving Mars, and something new and awesome for Among Us. A lot can happen in a year, so I will have my fingers crossed for the announcement of more fantastic games.