5 Best Upcoming Epic Games Store Exclusives

The Epic Games Store is doing its best to dethrone Steam as the top platform for players to buy and download games on PC. Alongside free titles each month, the storefront features a handful of exclusive deals and game launches players won’t find anywhere else.

Already, we’ve seen amazing games like Hades and Metro Exodus launch on the service, with plenty more still to come later this year. Below we’ve listed the five best upcoming Epic Games Store Exclusives that you’ll want to keep an eye out for in 2019.

Control

In Control, players will lead Jesse Faden through a futuristic, clandestine United States government agency known as the U.S. Federal Bureau of Control (FBC). To beat them, she’ll need to master her supernatural abilities, including telekinesis, levitation, and the power to take over enemies bodies.

While developer Remedy Entertainment has only revealed a little bit of gameplay so far, what we have seen shows that Faden’s abilities will create some stunning sequences and visuals. This isn’t entirely surprising, as Control takes advantage of the same engine that the company debuted in Quantum Break, known as the Northlight Engine.

Alongside the unique setting and engine, Remedy has stated that Control’s structure and story will differ a lot from its previous games. Instead of a linear tale, the upcoming action-adventure title will feature side quest and follow a more Metroidvania-like format.

Afterparty

Who hasn’t ever wanted to party in Hell? In Night School Studio’s upcoming indie adventure, you can do just that, as main characters Milo and Lola will be tasked with out-drinking Satan in order to get back to the world of the living.

The concept of drinking Satan under the table alone is an interesting one, reminiscent of the song “The Devil Went Down to Georgia. As such, you can be sure that the title’s story will be eccentric and lively.

Just like the developer’s previous game, Oxenfree, Afterparty uses an “an intelligent conversation system that changes the story and your relationships based on every decision.” As such, you’ll be able to play through the game in multiple ways, unlocking various conversations that are only accessible when choosing a specific path.

Afterparty is going to be a must-play title, blending the visual style and system of Oxenfree with the humor of partying with Demons to create one hell of a party.

Phoenix Point

Phoenix Point is set during 2047, as Earth attempts to stave off an alien invasion. Players are tasked expanding from one base with limited resources to a whole army of rebels in order to survive in this turn-based strategy game.

While this certainly isn’t a new concept, the game’s Lovecraft-inspired horrors and continually adapting gameplay help set it apart from other games in the genre. Enemies in the game will evolve to player tactics and technology, forcing you to upgrade and change your style of play to win every new battle.

XCOM fans should know that the game is in great hands too, as Phoenix Point is created by Snapshot Games and studio head Julian Gollop. If that name sounds familiar, it is because Gollop is known as the “man who gave birth to the XCOM franchise.”

Gollop states that this title is meant to be a spiritual successor to the series he created. Get ready for a new adventure, Commander.

Borderlands 3

As if the Borderlands series isn’t chaotic enough, Borderlands 3 is set to crank up the crazy to 11. This time around, players will have access to over a billion guns, ranging from pistols to rockets to even ones with legs.

Just like in previous installments, you’ll be able to play Gearbox’s looter shooter alone or with friends, allowing up to four players at once. Regardless of how you play, the game features four brand new characters: Amara, Moze, Zane, and the robot Beastmaster FL4K.

These characters are tasked with preventing two cult leaders, the Calypso twins, from uniting the bandits in order to find a weapon capable of destroying the universe.

Alongside all of these new faces, plenty of fan favorites are set to return as well, including Loader Bot, Claptrap, Rhys, Brick, Tiny Tina, and so many more.

The Outer Worlds

In November 2018, Bethesda released Fallout 76 and was met with a sea of criticism, with the majority agreeing that the title didn’t feel like previous installments in the franchise. One month later, the developers responsible for the beloved Fallout: New Vegas, Obsidian, revealed their brand new IP, known as The Outer Worlds.

In The Outer Worlds, you play a character woken from hypersleep, immediately thrust into a future where mega corporations have begun colonizing and terraforming alien planets. It is their job to figure out just what is going on, likely uncovering these corporations’ true, malicious intentions.

While The Outer Worlds is set to follow a similar story and exploration structure to New Vegas, featuring branching dialogue and story choices, it is also going to introduce a lot of fresh ideas. Alongside being set in space, Obsidian’s new RPG is going to be simultaneously morbid, comical, and dramatic, a rare blend for Fallout fans.

Just based on what is out so far, The Outer Worlds looks like a combination between Fallout and Borderlands. If that isn’t enough to sell you, simply know that there is a Shrink Ray weapon that you can use to shrink down enemies.