New games of 2021: all the upcoming PC games to watch for

2021 has had a quiet first few months. Some of the most highly anticipated new games of 2021 have been delayed to the fall, which makes a few months in our upcoming PC game calendar look a little bit lean. But it's hardly empty, and you never know when a game like Valheim will come along and become a surprise smash hit.

Spring is looking up, with Resident Evil: Village coming in early May and the long-awaited Biomutant soon after.

Best of the best

Hades artwork. — (Image credit: Supergiant Games)

Best PC games: All-time favorites
Best free PC games: Freebie fest
Best laptop games: Low-specs

The biggest new games of 2021 are also launching on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, which means developers have more power at their disposal while designing them. The PC versions will hopefully benefit as well.

Covid-19 caused some games to be delayed from 2020 to 2021, but it's making an even bigger impact this year. Expect more as the year goes on and developers continue working from home. As we did last year, we'll keep this list of the games of 2021 updated with new release dates and delay announcements. And on the bright side, for every game that gets delayed, something new and exciting pops up too. PC gaming is never boring.

This is your big guide to the games to watch in 2021, which we've organized by month to help you look ahead. At the top we've highlighted the biggest and most anticipated games launching this year. At the bottom are 2021 games with release dates "TBA"—things that should be (or we hope will be) arriving this year—but haven't yet committed to a release date.

2021 Games: The biggest releases

As game studios switched to working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic, a number of big releases originally planned for launch in 2020 got pushed back. Now there are plenty of big games, both delayed and newly announced, to look forward to in 2021. Here are the most anticipated games of this year to watch for.

THAT YOU, VAAS?

Far Cry 6 | 2021
Three years after fictionalizing Montana, Far Cry is back with the fictional Caribbean island Yara. This time around, the big baddie is El Presidente Antón Castillo, played by Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito.

Hitman 3 | Stealth Hijinks | January 20
Agent 47 is back for more comedy assassination hijinks, and progress from Hitman 2 will carry over—in fact, you'll be able to play the maps from both of the last two Hitmans in Hitman 3. We gave this stealth finale a 90% in our Hitman 3 review.

Resident Evil Village | Horrific vacation | May 7
The eighth mainline Resident Evil game picks up where RE7 left off, with Ethan Winters investigating a new threat in an extremely creepy village.

Deathloop | Sandbox FPS | September 14
Arkane returns with another FPS adventure, and this one sounds like a great time. Master assassin Colt is stuck in a time loop on Blackreef Island where he'll have to sneak and plan and maneuver to kill all of his eight targets in 24 hours, or start over.

New World | Amazon-powered MMO | August 31
Amazon's premiere MMO has been in the works for a long time, and has almost released once already. It looks like 2021 will finally be the time for this promising realistic take on traditional MMOs.

Back 4 Blood | Co-op zombie murder | October 12
Turtle Rock Studios are returning to run and gun zombie co-op under a new name but don't be fooled, this is essentially a Left 4 Dead game, which we're all for.

Halo Infinite | Chief's next rodeo | 2021
The Chief is back in the long-awaited next game in 343 Industries' take on Halo. The Banished are back for Master Chief to tangle with, and this time he's got a grappling hook! Taking a page from other FPS series, Infinite's multiplayer will actually be free to play while the campaign will be purchased as usual.

Elden Ring | The big Souls RPG | 2021?
From Software's ambitious RPG (with a world co-developed by Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin) may still be far away, but we can surely hope that it's coming sometime in 2021.

Ruined King | LoL RPG | 2021
Riot continues to broaden its portfolio with Ruined King, a spinoff League of Legends story taking the form of a turn-based RPG. The game stars a handful of League heroes making the jump from MOBA to RPG: Miss Fortune, Illaoi, Braum, Yasuo, Ahri, and Pyke.

Age of Empires 4 | Strategic Return| 2021
We haven't heard a lot about Age of Empires 4 years after its announcement, but as far as we know, Relic is still chugging along on the anticipated follow-up to a classic strategy series.

2021 games: January

January's release schedule this year is the home of at least one game that flung itself into 2021 when Cyberpunk 2077 got its final delay into December 2020. Bloober Team's next horror adventure The Medium didn't want to compete with the biggest developer in Poland, apparently. We're also being treated to a new Hitman this month among other surprise delights.

January new game highlights

Stealth hijinx

Hitman 3 | January 20
Agent 47 is back for more comedy assassination hijinks, and progress from Hitman 2 will carry over—in fact, you'll be able to play the maps from both of the last two Hitmans in Hitman 3. Get more intel in our Hitman 3 review.

The Medium | January 28
Bloober Team is back with another horror game, this time one that takes place in two planes of existence. As the titular medium, you'll use your psychic abilities to solve puzzles that take place between both realities. Get a full reading in our The Medium review.

Yakuza: Remastered Collection | January 28
At long last, almost all of the Yakuza series will be on PC. The collection includes remastered versions Yakuzas 3, 4, and 5, making up the middle chunk of Kiryu Kazuma's punching adventures in Kamurocho.

January 2021 game releases

January 7—Noch - Apocalyptic survival horror
January 8—Iron Conflict (Early Access) - World War 2 RTS
January 13—Skellboy Refractured - Cardboard action RPG
January 14—Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game - Beat 'em up re-release
January 14—Sunlight - A first-person hike in the woods
January 18—Everspace 2 (early access) - Open world space shooter
January 20—Hitman 3 - Stealth simulation hijinx
January 21—Dyson Sphere Program (Early access) - Space factory simulation
January 21—Ender Lilies (Early Access) - Side-scrolling action RPG
January 21—Orange Cast: Sci-Fi Space Action Game - What it says on the tin
January 25—Atelier Ryza 2 - Another Atelier fantasy RPG
January 26—Cyber Shadow - Retro style Metroidvania
January 26—Encodya - A kid and her robot point & click adventure
January 28—Disjunction - Cyberpunk stealth RPG
January 28—The Medium - Bloober Team's next horror game
January 28—Sword of the Necromancer - Dungeon crawler
January 28—Tohu - Point & click adventure
January 28—Yakuza: Remastered Collection - Yakuzas 3, 4, and 5 finally on PC
January 29—Gods Will Fall - Hack & slash roguelike

2021 games: February

February is full of sequels and spinoffs in popular series like Nioh 2, Little Nightmares 2, and Persona 5 Strikers. This month has also turned into the release window for several early access games that plan to continue development throughout this year.

February new game highlights

Demons and souls

Nioh 2 | February 5
Team Ninja's next action RPG maintains its Souls-inspired roots but continues to spice up its samurai combat with a new yokai form for your half-demon protagonist. Get a look at the successes of the sequel in our Nioh 2 review.

Little Nightmares 2 | February 10
Tarsier Studios has cooked up a sequel to its grim and spooky platformer. As young children Mono and Six, you'll sneak your way through the horrible nightmare world. Take a peek at our Little Nightmares 2 review.

Hellish Quart (early access)| February 16
Hellish Quart looks like the ultimate test of your mettle. The physics-based battles between 17th century combatants use all manner of weaponry in its fencing battles. It could just be the ultimate fighting game. Check out our Hellish Quart impressions before you take a stab yourself.

February 2021 game releases

February 2—Valheim (Early access) - Viking crating survival
February 4—Aircraft Carrier Survival - Strategy simulation
February 4—Blue Fire - 3D platformer
February 4—Nuts - Squirrel surveillance mystery
February 4—Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood - Action adventure
February 5—Nioh 2 - The Complete Edition - Souls-like action RPG
February 8—Becastled (Early Access) - Siege defense
February 10—Little Nightmares 2 - 2D platformer thriller
February 16—Hellish Quart (early access) - Sword fight simulator
February 17—Nebuchadnezzar - Isometric city-builder
February 18—Rustler (Early access) - The medieval GTA game
February 21—Rogue Invader - Roguelike action shooter
February 23—Persona 5 Strikers - Persona's Dynasty Warriors spinoff
February 24—Fights in Tight Spaces (early access) - Turn-based James Bond
February 25—Imagine Earth (Early Access) - Colony management sim

2021 games: March

March is the month we'll be able to sit down with our friends to play the next co-op adventure from Hazelight, It Takes Two. It's also bringing some long-awaited follow-up games like Evil Genius 2, Shelter 3, and Crash Bandicoot 4.

March new game highlights

Cartoony co-op

It Takes Two | March 26
Hazelight returns with another co-op adventure, though It Takes Two looks much lighter in tone than the prison escape adventure A Way Out. Check out our It Takes Two review for details on the co-op bash.

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life | March 25
At long last, ~~almost~~ all of the Yakuza series will be on PC. The Song of Life is the last Yakuza game starring stoic punch machine Kazuma Kiryu and a fitting finale to the original series. Our Yakuza 6 review explains how Kiryu's finale holds its own.

Evil Genius 2 | March 30
Evil Genius 2 is finally arriving, Rebellion's follow up to the old RTS from 2004. Build your lair and train your minions and become the best bad manager you can be while defending against the nefarious good guys.

March 2021 game releases

March 1—Foregone - 2D Action platformer
March 2—Maquette - First-person puzzler
March 4—Loop Hero - Roguelike deck-building auto-battler (Our review)
March 9—Stronghold Warlords - Historical RTS
March 11—Supercross 4 - Motorbike racing
March 16—Mundaun - Hand-drawn horror
March 17—Adios - Midwest crime story
March 18—Dogworld - 2D pixel platformer with lots of dogs
March 23—Overcooked! All You Can Eat - Co-op kitchen hijinx
March 23—Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 - Two arcade classics combined
March 25—Dorfromantik - Relaxing strategy builder
March 25—Lords of Exile - Side-scrolling platformer
March 25—Yakuza 6 - The conclusion of Kiryu's punching saga (Our review)
March 26—Balan Wonderworld - Action platformer
March 26—Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time - Crash is back (Our review)
March 26—Genesis Noir - Psychedelic point & click story
March 26—It Takes Two - A cartoony co-op adventure
March 26—Spacebase Startopia - Space station manager RTS
March 30—Evil Genius 2 - Goofy strategy
March 30—Kingdom Hearts - Final Fantasy meets Disney finally on PC
March 30—Shelter 3 - Elephant mom survival (Our review)
March 30—Disco Elysium: The Final Cut - Free update with extra voice acting

2021 games: April

April is still looking a little light now that Humankind has been delayed to August. There are a few indie gems to keep an eye on along with looter shooter Outriders that's launching, no joke, on April 1st. Nier: Replicant's PC release hits this month too, which will surely keep you busy.

April new game highlights

Riding shotgun

Outriders | April 1
This action FPS from People Can Fly is a class-based shooter that may look a lot like Destiny at first glance. Our Outriders review digs into the specifics on why this one doesn't quite hit the mark.

Cozy Grove | April 8
This super cute collectathon island adventure might be as close as we'll get to Animal Crossing on PC. You're play as an adorable Spirit Scout getting to know the local ghosts which are even more adorable bears.

Nier Replicant | April 23
The predecessor to Automata is finally arriving on PC. Like Automata, Replicant dabbles in several genres aside from just being a straightforward RPG.

April 2021 game releases

April 1—Outriders - Third-person looter shooter
April 6—Oddworld: Soulstorm - Throwback 2D puzzler - Our preview
April 8—Cozy Grove - Adorable life-sim adventure
April 8—First Class Trouble (early access) - Hidden role party game
April 9—Say No! More - Comedy combat adventure
April 9—The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV - Cold Steel finale
April 9—Trials of Fire - Roguelike card combat
April 15—Godstrike - Boss rush bullet hell
April 15—Rain On Your Parade - Cute, silly puzzler
April 15—Shadow Man: Remastered - 90's horror revival
April 16—Emily Is Away 3 - Social media story game
April 22—Buildings Have Feelings Too - Silly city management
April 22—Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion - Action crops
April 23—Nier Replicant - Mind-bending action remake

2021 games: May

May is looking like an action-packed month with Arkane's sandbox FPS Deathloop, the long-awaited martial arts cat adventure Biomutant, and Resident Evil Village. If you aren't one for all that heart-pounding combat, perhaps we'll get some calmer game announcements closer to the spring.

May new game highlights

E-village

Resident Evil Village | May 7
The eighth mainline Resident Evil game picks up where RE7 left off, with Ethan Winters investigating a new threat in an extremely creepy village.

Hood: Outlaws & Legends | May 10
This Robin Hood-themed PvPvE heist game has you choose your class of forest thief and attempt to rob treasures before your rivals do. You'll use your stealth and skills to outmaneuver other players and AI guards simultaneously.

Biomutant | May 25
Experiment 101's long-awaited gritty cat RPG is finally coming and it looks just as pretty and intriguing as ever. It's an post-apocalyptic open world full of mutant animal characters whose physical attributes actually reflect their RPG stats.

May 2021 game releases

May 6—Skate City - Skate combos around the world
May 7—Resident Evil Village - Horrific vacation
May 10—Hood: Outlaws & Legends - Team-based PvPvE
May 12—Huntdown - Arcade shooter
May 13—GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon - Sidescrolling action roguelike
May 13—Monster Harvest - Stardew Valley but Pokemon
May 14—Mass Effect: Legendary Edition - Remastered trilogy
May 14—Subnautica: Below Zero - Underwater survival
May 20—Of Bird and Cage - Heavy metal interactive fiction
May 21—Knockout City - 3v3 dodgeball action
May 25—Biomutant - Kung-fu cat RPG
May 25—Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne - Another Atlus RPG classic
May 27—Solasta: Crown Of The Magister - Another D&D-based RPG
May ??—Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector - Turn-based strategy

2021 games: June

June is heating up with lots of familiar favorites. Legend Of Mana's HD remaster is arriving on PC along with the Ninja Gaiden master collection. The long-awaited Chivalry 2 is finally dropping this month as well, which should be plenty of chaos for the month.

June new game highlights

Medieval mayhem

Chivalry 2 | June 8
Medieval fighting is having a comeback when Torn Banner Studios release the sequel to their competitive sword battling game. Battles can be bigger than ever this time with 64-player objective maps to tackle.

Scarlet Nexus | June 24
This sci-fi action RPG looks like a weird and wild adventure. You'll play a a psionic, a human with psychic abilities trained to fight the mutants called Others, which are wacky things giant human arms with a steam valve in the center.

June 2021 game releases

June 1—Necromunda: Hired Gun - Warhammer 40k FPS
June 3—Critters For Sale - Psychedelic point & click
June 4—Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 - Tactical FPS campaign
June 8—Chivalry 2 - First Person Sworder (Our preview)
June 10—Ninja Gaiden Master Collection - Three Ninja Gaidens in one
June 11—Guilty Gear Strive - 2D anime fighter
June 22—Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance - Action-heavy D&D
June 24—Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX - 2D platformer
June 24—Legend of Mana HD Remaster - Classic Mana series RPG
June 24—Roguebook - Roguelike deck-builder
June 24—Scarlet Nexus - Sci-fi action RPG

2021 games: July

July 2021 game releases

July 9—Monster Hunter Stories 2 - MonHunt's Pokemon-like spinoff sequel
July 20—Cris Tales - Turn-based time manipulation RPG
July 27—Alchemic Cutie - Slime farmer life sim
July 27—Neo: The World Ends With You - JRPG cult classic sequel
July ??—Hoa - Hand-painted 2D platformer

2021 games: August

Unless it winds up with another delay, August is officially the month that Amazon will push their first MMO out the door. It's joined by Kena: Bridge Of Spirits, the really lovely-looking action adventure we've had our eyes on since it was first revealed.

August new game highlights

A world of strategy

Humankind | August 17
Aiming to evolve world-building strategy, Humankind looks like a possible rival to Civilization. Amplitude Studios are challenging players to create civilizations that change and survive rather than dominating opponents.

August 2021 new game releases

August 17—Humankind - 4X strategy game
August 24—Kena: Bridge of Spirits - Cinematic action adventure
August 24—King's Bounty 2 - Turn-based tactics
August 31—New World - Amazon Games Studios' colonial MMO
August ??—Blood Bowl 3 - Dwarf and elf fantasy football

2021 games: September

September new game highlights

LIVE DIE REPEAT

Deathloop | September 14
Arkane returns with another FPS adventure and this one sounds like a great time. Master assassin Colt is stuck in a time loop on Blackreef Island where he'll have to sneak and plan and maneuver to kill all of his eight targets in 24 hours or start over.

Tales of Arise | September 10
The latest Tales JRPG has been a long time coming, but it's looking promising, with a new engine and bigger budget than the series has seen in years. Expect some very anime drama and even faster action-RPG combat than past Tales games.

September 2021 game releases

September 10—Tales of Arise - Action RPG
September 10—Life Is Strange: True Colors - Small town supernatural mystery
September 14—Deathloop - Arkane's FPS sandbox mystery

2021 games: October

October is still a ways out but thanks to Back 4 Blood's delay we know at least one trick we'll be treated to for the month. More spooky games will definitely hit the schedule throughout the year.

October new game highlights

Zombie Revival

Back 4 Blood | June 22
Turtle Rock Studios are returning to run and gun zombie co-op under a new name but don't be fooled, this is essentially a Left 4 Dead game, which we're all for.

October 2021 game releases

October 12—Back 4 Blood - Essentially Left 4 Dead 3 (Our preview)

2021 games: November

No games announced for this month yet. Check back soon!

2021 games: December

No games announced for this month yet. Check back soon!

2021 games: release dates to be announced

As we kick off 2021 there are plenty of games that have been announced for this year but without a specific date set just yet. There are also plenty of games here that were planned for 2020 and have slipped the mark, which we're anticipating will release at some point in 2021. You might also spot just a bit of wishful thinking here. Will Tunic finally launch this year? What about Hollow Knight: Silksong? We sure hope so.

12 Minutes - Indie story thriller
Age of Empires 4 - Real-time strategy
The Ascent - Co-op cyberpunk shooter
Astria Ascending - JRPG with a story by a Final Fantasy writer
The Artful Escape - Psychedelic adventure game
Atomic Heart - Sci-fi Soviet shooter
Axiom Verge 2 - Sci-fi Metroidvania
Babylon's Fall - Action RPG
Black Book - Card battler RPG
Book Of Travels - Tiny MMO
Boyfriend Dungeon - Rogue-like dating sim
Bright Memory: Infinite - Action FPS
Chasing Static - 1980s-inspired horror adventure in Wales
Chenso Club - Co-op roguelike with cute chainsaws
Circuit Superstars - Top-down motorsports
CONV/RGENCE: A League of Legends Story - Action platformer
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course - DLC
Death's Door - Crow-based action RPG
Despot's Game - Strategy roguelike
Dread Templar - Retro FPS with bullet time
Dying Light 2 - Zombie-killing parkour
Eastward - 2D indie RPG
Elden Ring - From Software's next big RPG
Evil West - Cowboys vs. vampires
Far Cry 6 - Action FPS
The Forgotten City - Action RPG
Get In The Car, Loser - Lesbian road trip RPG
Ghostwire: Tokyo - Neon combat
Glitchpunk - Top-down cyberpunk shooter
The Good Life - Mysterious cat caper plus photography
Halo Infinite - Master Chief's next adventure
Harold Halibut - Claymation space story
Hollow Knight: Silksong - Challenging metroidvania
Indiana Jones - MachineGames' (untitled) Indy game
Inkulinati - Medieval animal strategy
Jett: The Far Shore - Interstellar adventure
Know By Heart - Story-based adventure
Lake - Postal worker simulator
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga - Blocky beat-em-up
Lord Winklebottom Investigates - Point & click adventure
Minute of Islands - Puzzle adventure game
N1RV-ANN-A - Cyberpunk bartending visual novel
Naraka: Bladepoint - Multiplayer sword battler
Neon White - Deck-building FPS
Nighthawks - A vampire RPG from adventure game veterans
OlliOlli World - OlliOlli but prettier
Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals - Spooky mystery adventure
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous - Classic RPG
Pharaoh: A New Era - City builder remaster
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake - Action adventure
Psychonauts 2 - Classic 3D platformer sequel
Rainbow Six Quarantine - Tactical FPS spin-off with zombies
Roller Champions - Competitive roller derby
Ruined King: A League of Legends Story - Narrative adventure
Sable - A lovely open-world adventure
Scavengers - PvPvE shooter
Scorn - First-person horror
Serial Cleaners - Stealth action mob cleanup crew
The Settlers - Reboot of classic build-up strategy game
Shadow Warrior 3 - Guns, parkour, and gore galore
Skull & Bones - Naval RPG
Solar Ash - Action adventure
Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator - Management sim
The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe - Comedy narrative, expanded
Stray - Adorable cyberpunk cats
Total War: Warhammer 3 - Grand strategy RTS with polar bear mounts
Tunic - Cute fox adventure
Unpacking - Organization puzzler
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide: Vermintide, but 40K
Way to the Woods - Bambi adventure
Weird West - Dishonored dev does a top-down immersive sim
Windjammers 2 - Classic disc tennis sequel
Witchbrook - Wizarding school life sim
Wrath: Aeon of Ruin - Quake-like retro shooter
Young Souls - Artistic 2D beat-em-up