10 games we can't wait to play in 2018

2017 was a banner year in gaming, but we’re already looking forward to what we’ll be playing next year. With big games in the Far Cry and Metro franchises, a rebooted God of War and Spider-Man, and a new title from Rockstar Games (maybe you’ve heard of it?), 2018 is already looking packed with reasons to keep your controllers charged. Here are the 10 games we can’t wait to get our hands on in 2018. (Sorry Anthem and Kingdom Hearts III, we doubt you’ll release this year. And Death Stranding, we’ll see you in 2020.)

It’s been 14 years since the last truly great Spidey game, 2004’s Spider-Man 2, but Insomniac Games, the developer of the woefully underrated Sunset Overdrive, is looking to put the amazing back in the Amazing Spider-Man. The PS4 exclusive features an original story that sees you controlling Peter Parker both in and out of costume as he takes on Mr. Negative (and presumably other villains) in a sprawling open-world recreation of New York City. Consider our Spidey senses officially tingling. Pre-order it here.

It made our list of 2017’s most anticipated games, and the delay to next year has only increased our excitement for Rockstar Games’ next magnum opus. You control outlaw Arthur Morgan in what looks to be a prequel to 2010’s massively successful Red Dead Redemption. When the creators of Grand Theft Auto take on the Wild West, you should expect nothing short of a totally wild ride. Pre-order it here.

Since Kratos has already murdered practically every Greek god over four main God of War games in his eternal quest for vengeance, he’s setting his sights on Norse mythology. Now older (and bearded), Kratos journeys with his young son Atreus in this cinematic adventure that should take father-son bonding to a whole new level. Pre-order it here.

Rare, the developer of classics such as Goldeneye and Banjo-Kazooie, is almost ready to release its most ambitious — and most promising — title in years. The long-in-development open-world game lets you team up with other players for high-seas adventures and general pirate shenanigans. Pass the rum! Pre-order it here.

This open-world series has always featured charismatic villains in exotic locales that you must take down, but Far Cry 5 is about to hit a lot closer to home: it’s set in rural Montana. Radical preacher Joseph Seed and his doomsday cult have taken over the fictional town of Hope, Mont., and it’s up to you to liberate the town and make America great again. Pre-order it here.

Josef Fares, the creator of 2012’s acclaimed Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, may not care for the Oscars, but his enthusiasm for his new game is beyond infectious. A Way Out was designed for two players and can only be played cooperatively, in person or online. But it lets you invite a friend online regardless of whether they’ve purchased the game, and they can play the entire thing. Talk about a buddy system. Pre-order it here.

The sequel to 2015’s exquisitely beautiful/punishing Ori and the Blind Forest is somehow even more breathtaking. First revealed at Microsoft’s E3 press conference in June, Ori will embark on a quest to uncover the mysteries beyond the Blind Forest in what is sure to be a challenging action-platformer that will likely make you curse at your screen — and love every minute of it.

Return to post-apocalyptic Russia in the third in the sleeper hit series. You’ll leave the (relatively) safe haven of the Metro to venture outside Moscow and explore the Russian wilderness and beyond while fighting off mutants and the constant threat of radiation in this atmospheric single-player shooter. Pre-order it here.

Mario’s dinosaur pal already has a knitty makeover in 2015’s charming Yoshi’s Wooly World, but now he’s taking his Etsy obsession to the next level in a world inspired by cardboard cutout dioramas that plays with foreground and background perspective shifts to surprising and delightful effect. Pre-order it here.

“The open-world orb-collecting action game was supposed to be released in 2016 but hasn’t been seen, so fingers crossed it makes 2017,” I wrote last year. So… let’s hope it makes 2018! Pre-order it here.