What To Expect From Sony For PlayStation 4 and PS5 In 2022

The longest year ever, 2021, is finally over. But for all the trials and tribulations it put us through, there’s no denying there were some great games that helped us get through it all. Like Microsoft and Nintendo, Sony had a solid year with strong exclusives like Deathloop, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Returnal. Honestly, the year ahead is looking great for PS4 and PS5, too. So let’s look at what Sony plans to serve us in 2022.

Abandoned

Despite the myriad hiccups this mysterious game experienced toward the end of 2021, Abandoned from developer Blue Box Game Studios caught everyone’s attention due to folks thinking it was secretly a Silent Hill game being made with the involvement of Hideo Kojima. Some sort of cinematic first-person horror survival shooter, all anyone’s seen so far is the enigmatic announcement trailer and a brief teaser shown via a PS5 app. The app is supposed to be a launchpad for Abandoned, housing a longer trailer and a hands-off demo to give people an idea of what gameplay looks like, but none of that has come to fruition yet. Folks were so pissed about this that Blue Box asked everyone to stop sending them death threats. As of now, we still know next to nothing about Abandoned, and yet people are still hyped about it.

Release Date: TBD 2022

Babylon’s Fall

Developed by action game masterminds Platinum Games, Babylon’s Fall is a hack-and-slash action-RPG with zippy combat and a host of weapons to choose from. It kinda has Nier: Automata vibes, which is cool since that was an excellent combat experience, so here’s hoping Babylon’s Fall can satiate us until Bayonetta 3 comes out (on Switch, that is).

Release date: March 3

Forspoken

Revealed in December 2020 as a PS5 console exclusive for “at least 24 months,” Square Enix’s Project Athia made a big splash when it was reintroduced with the new Forspoken name in March 2021 and a flashy gameplay trailer during Sony’s September 2021 PlayStation showcase. An action-RPG by Final Fantasy XV developer Luminous Productions, Forspoken looks pretty damn enticing with its fluid combat, emphasis on traversal, and high-fantasy setting. We weren’t totally sold on the Black protagonist, especially since it seems there were no Black consultants or developers on the project, but at least the game is shaping up to look slick.

Release date: May 24

Ghostwire: Tokyo

Coming from The Evil Within developers Tango Gameworks, Ghostwire: Tokyo hasn’t made a peep since it was delayed to early 2022. Literally, we know almost nothing about it. It’s a first-person action game. There’s some story about the population suddenly disappearing and you, as the player character, must use psychic and paranormal abilities to reverse the catastrophe. That’s about it.. At least Ghostwire: Tokyo helped usher in a new internet sensation: creative director Ikumi Nakamura, who left Tango in 2019 to start her own indie outfit.

Release date: Early 2022

God of War Ragnarok

Perhaps one of Sony’s three biggest games launching this year, Santa Monica Studio’s God of War Ragnarok has everyone champing at the bit. A sequel to 2018’s critically acclaimed God of War reboot, Ragnarok sees our father-son duo, Kratos and Atreus, contending with new enemies as Atreus, older and curious about who he his, finds a potential love interest in Angrboda. It appears to feature much of the same brutal and crunchy combat from 2018, but with more abilities and weapons at Kratos’ disposal. Sadly, this reboot series won’t become a trilogy because those just take too long.

Release date: TBD 2022

Gran Turismo 7

We know what this is. It’s Polyphony Digital. It’s Gran Turismo. It’s simulation racing. What more is there to talk about? Except there is more to talk about because Gran Turismo 7 houses an extensive single-player campaign mode that unfortunately requires an internet connection, much like 2017’s GT Sport. More than that, though, is the fact that the upcoming racer will take advantage of the DualSense’s haptic feedback to mimic a real car’s anti-lock braking system. Kinda like feeling the resistance when shooting in Deathloop, expect there to be a little friction when drifting on the speedway.

Release date: March 4

Horizon Forbidden West

The second of what I’m dubbing Sony’s Big Three, Guerrilla Games’ hotly anticipated Horizon Forbidden West seems like a big-ass expansion on the first entry from 2017. Featuring an expanded arsenal of gear and moves for Aloy, an attitude adjustment for every NPC in the game, and suitably epic dinosaurs, Horizon Forbidden West embodies the sequel ethos of “more, more, more.” Maybe this is a bad thing for some, but those just dying for more Aloy can rest easy knowing Guerrilla Games is…