With Final Fantasy VII Remake, Animal Crossing, Marvel’s Avengers, Cyberpunk 2077, Doom Eternal, and many other big AAA titles set to release in 2020, it seems like there’s no space any more for just ‘okay‘ games. Since this upcoming year is going to be jam-packed, there will definitely be some sleeper hits that people will overlook, especially in the Spring.
Here are nine games that could be the potential sleeper hits of 2020.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Yakuza: Like a Dragon –otherwise known as Yakuza 7– is the next big entry in Ryu Ga Gotoku’s zany Japanese action series and it’s considered to be a sort of soft reboot for the franchise.
Like a Dragon is not only giving fans a brand-new protagonist, but instead of having real-time combat sequences with the Yakuza, the game is going to be turn-based, something that’s never been done before in the series.
Some fans were disappointed to hear this news but others were happy to see the studio take the next game in a new direction, giving people something fresh and new, which is a change that will most likely help bring in newbies to the niche franchise.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is set to release sometime in 2020 over here in the west and it has the potential to be one of those really good games that few people play.
Nioh 2
When the original Nioh released back in 2017, we adored the combat and found the setting of feudal Japan to be quite immersive, but the only big thing that was lacking was the narrative.
Pushing the not-so-great story to the side though, Team Ninja did an excellent job of bringing back the action and world-building that a game like Ninja Gaiden did so well. It’s not a “spiritual successor” but it does hearken back to the series with several callbacks.
Nioh 2 seems to be hitting all of the same notes as its predecessor by giving fans a hardcore action game with very difficult, Dark Souls-esque combat. There also won’t be an easy mode in Nioh 2, but since it’s a prequel, newcomers will be able to jump in without prior knowledge of the series.
Nioh fans are counting down the days until Mar. 13 and even though the game looks incredible, I doubt that it’ll get much attention, considering that some pretty big titles are coming out around the same time, like Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom Eternal.
Wasteland 3
Developed by inXile Entertainment, Wasteland 3 is an upcoming post-apocalyptic squad-based RPG that happens to take place in Colorado –yes, there’s lots and lots of snow.
What made Wasteland 2 so great was the branching narrative paths, replayability, and engaging combat and Wasteland 3 is prepared to deliver on all of those aspects once again.
Considering the original Wasteland served as an inspiration to what would eventually be Fallout, there’s a lot riding on this anticipated sequel.
Wasteland 3 is due for release on May 19, 2020, for PS4, PC, and Xbox One.
Journey to the Savage Planet
Coming from Typhoon Games and 505, Journey to the Savage Planet looks to be a hilarious and exciting first-person exploration game/shooter that oozes with charm with its bright visuals and colorful world.
The entire game can be played with a second player by your side in co-op while you both shoot down strange yet colorful aliens and find out if the planet is safe for humans to live on.
It sort of reminds of me of a more colorful and upbeat mix of No Man’s Sky and the Outer Worlds, so it’s definitely something to be excited about.
Journey to the Savage Planet launches on Jan. 28, 2020, for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Make sure not to sleep on this one! January isn’t a crazy month for games in 2020, so hopefully people will be able to check this one out.
Roller Champions
Roller Champions from Ubisoft was announced just this year at E3 2019 and we were able to get our hands on it. Our Deputy Guides Editor, Tom Hopkins, had a fantastic time with the 3v3 team-based multiplayer sports game.
Like Rocket League and other arcade-like sports titles, Roller Champions seems to be an enjoyable competitive game that anybody can jump into and play without feeling overwhelmed.
The gameplay seems fluid and if you want to get into the mechanics a bit more, there’s certainly some depth to be found.
Look out for Roller Champions once it launches in early 2020 for PC.
Digimon Survive
From simply looking at the artwork above, you can already tell that Digimon Survive is going to be an absolutely gorgeous game with cutscenes and visuals taken straight out of a modern anime.
Instead of focusing on traditional turn-based combat like recent Digimon games, Survive will be a top-down grid-based strategy game with different endings and branching narrative paths.
The story is centered on a group of teenagers led by Takuma Momozuka when they get lost on a camping trip and end up finding themselves in a new strange world filled with monsters.
They’ll have to fight their way through deadly battles, thinking about every move that they make.
It’s a cool concept for a Digimon game and while the game has yet to receive a firm release date, it’s still slated to release sometime in 2020.
Digimon has never come close to being as big of a franchise as Pokemon, so we’ll have to see if this one becomes a must-play sleeper hit or not.
Dying Light 2
Dying Light 2 is coming in early 2020 from developer Techland and it aims to improve upon every mechanic that made the first parkour zombie game so special.
The map is said to be four times larger than the original, the combat is more tactical and violent, the verticality in the open areas is much more varied this time around, and there will be more emphasis on narrative with multiple endings to see.
We previewed Dying Light 2 at E3 and were left feeling very confident and impressed in what the game has to offer.
No More Heroes 3
The No More Heroes franchise hasn’t seen a new numbered entry in a very long time and I’m so excited for No More Heroes 3 to bring back the wacky yet enjoyable hack and slash gameplay.
The titular anti-hero, Travis Touchdown, is an otaku who’s obsessed with anything Japanese. In the earlier games, Travis worked his way to become the best assassin of all time by killing a bunch of iconic adversaries.
The series is full of insanely good music, ridiculous boss fights, and a story that can only be done by someone like Suda51.
This new entry brings our protagonist back to his hometown of Santa Destroy to save the world from a deadly alien threat. There’s no release date just yet but it should hopefully be coming to the Switch in 2020 if everything goes according to plan.
Tales of Arise
The Tales series has always been pretty niche, with the fans being a small portion of the gaming community. Tales of Symphonia on the GameCube brought the series into popularity but recently, the Tales of games haven’t really broken the mold.
Tales of Arise is a brand-new entry and from looking at the recent trailers, you can tell that the visuals have evolved immensely, especially the combat.
Tales of Arise is due for launch in 2020 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. If you’re a big JRPG fan, this is a potential sleeper hit that you don’t want to skip.
And that’s our list of some of the potential sleeper hits of 2020. Are there any games on this list that you guys are excited to play? Any titles that aren’t listed that you think might be a sleeper hit next year? Let us know in the comments section below!
Published: Dec 5, 2019 02:09 pm