The first few months of 2022 have been an endless onslaught of big, AAA games for fans to dive into. February, March, and April have been filled to the brim withgames likeHorizon: Forbidden West, Elden Ring, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, and far more. However, the next few months are apparently pumping the brakes on this pretty hard, as it stands anyway.
Outside of Nintendo, which has a pretty filled summer release schedule, there are not really any major AAA games from brands like PlayStation or Xbox or third-party titles scheduled quite yet. That’s not to say there won’t be any announcements that help fill out the summer some more, asRedfallis set to release this summer, but that could be as late as September. Even if there are a couple, the next few months are looking pretty dry compared to the past few months.
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This isn’t necessarily uncommon, either. Even ignoring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the fall/holiday season is usually the best time for video games, and there are plenty of games likeForspoken, Gotham Knights, Starfield, and perhaps evenHogwarts Legacyto look forward to this fall/holiday season. Yet, this poses an important question: what to do in the meantime?
Of course, there are plenty of new, non-AAA games coming out still, whileNintendo has many heavy hitters, likeMario Strikers: Battle Leaguecoming out. But for those thinking about how they might fill the time once the dust fromElden Ring, LEGO Star Wars, and other games settles, here are a few ideas.
Check Out The Best Indies
While “big” or “AAA” games may be lacking this summer, there are always new games to check out. It’s a good time to look at indies, new or otherwise, that may have flown under the radar thanks to the busy early 2022 period. Some notable examples, although there are plenty out there, areRogue Legacy 2, Trek to Yomi, Salt and Sacrifice, and more.
Xbox Game Pass and PS Plus Premium
Xbox Game Pass users also have a massive library of games they can check out, indie or otherwise.Citizen SleepandLoot River, for example, are two that may catch some eyes.
Clear Out That Backlog
Many gamers are guilty of having a huge backlog of games to check out, not that Game Pass has helped that so far or PS Plus Premium will help that upon release. It’s definitely a good problem to have. Still, there are many games some may have that they’ve passed on for other titles. There’s not a better time to try to clear some of it out than now, especially since they’ll likely be shelved again once video games start releasing this fall.
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Tune In to Video Game News
While the next few months may be lacking releases, there will likely be a lot of announcements and reveals to keep an eye out for. E3 2022 may be canceled, but fans can expect publisher showcases, major reveals, and more to fill this time nonetheless. There’s no doubt Bethesda will show off more ofStarfield, while other Bethesda and Microsoft-owned titles will get a showcase somewhere. A State of Play event seems a given, especially sinceGod of War: Ragnarokis still set to release this year.A Final Fantasy 16revealis slated for this spring.
At some point, Game Freak has to tell fans moreofficial information aboutPokemon Scarlet and Violet, and all of this is just the tip of the iceberg. There’s a lot to expect, at least in building hype for this fall and perhaps 2023 games, and that may help ease the wait.
How to Deal With Post-Elden Ring Depression
For manyElden Ringplayers, this drought of AAA games may be particularly painful. Sometimes, there’s a feeling of loss or not knowing what to play after finishing an amazing game. Many may feel this “post-Elden Ringdepression” as they try to find something new to play. There’s always the possibility ofNew Game+ inElden Ring, of course, but many are already hundreds of hours in. Eventually, that does come to an end, and nothing may scratch the particular itch FromSoft has created…except maybe FromSoft
However, for FromSoft newcomers or even veterans, it would be a good time to check out past games from the developer.Dark Souls Remastered, Dark Souls 2, Dark Souls 3, the Demon’s Soul Remake,Bloodborne, andSekiro: Shadows Die Twicehave many of the charm qualitiesElden Ringhas. Now, they are older andElden Ringhas many, many improvements over these, but fans can no doubt lose themselves for hundreds of hours in these games.
Not to mention, it’s a bit of a running meme that many may have put offHorizon Forbidden WestforElden Ring. There won’t be a better time to correct this than now, asHorizon Forbidden Westis no doubt a major force on its own.
Video Game DLCs
If all else fails, there’s nothing quite like returning to a title that has no content. Video Game DLC helps extend the life of a game, and using free time to check out new additions to favorite games is always nice. It could be something fans slept on, likeAssassin’s Creed Valhalla’s Dawn of RagnarokExpansion(as it released among many heavy hitters), or it could be something brand new.Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, Outriders: Worldslayer, andThe Elder Scrolls Online: High Islemay help fill the void.
