This console generation isn’t bad, but thanks to longer development cycles the current-gen consoles have yet to receive many of the staple titles that defined the last few generations of gaming consoles. That’s why I’m itching to play a new Fallout, Metal Gear Solid, and GTA.
The good news is that many of these games are on the way, though whether they’ll make it before the next big hardware leap happens is anyone’s guess.
Yes, we’ve just received Oblivion Remastered, and I will play the heck of that game after it receives a few patches that improve the constant stuttering. But you know, I’d rather see a new mainline Elder Scrolls game instead.
The Elder Scrolls VI, which was announced almost seven years ago, will almost certainly skip this generation of gaming consoles. If that happens, Bethesda won’t release a new TES title for two full console generations, which is bonkers. That’s worse than Rockstar’s track record with GTA, which is an achievement in itself.
I just want to run around Hammerfell before Skyrim turns 20…
9
A Decent Tennis Sim
I’ve been playing Top Spin 4 on my Xbox 360 for the last couple of months, and the game slaps. Yes, the visuals look dated during close-up camera shots. But during rallies, I don’t mind retro visuals because everything else is top-notch.
Detailed animations, excellent physics simulation, and gameplay that leans more toward simulation than arcade but doesn’t make the game hard to pick up and play; Top Spin 4 does it all.
The issue is that the game was released in 2011. Fourteen years later, we still haven’t gotten a decent tennis sim. Every single tennis game that came after Top Spin 4 was either a cash grab or a buggy mess that never got fixed. I’m especially disappointed with TopSpin 2K25, which is microtransaction hell, similar to recent NBA2K games.
Heck, I don’t even need a game on par with Top Spin 4; I’d be thrilled to see something as good as Virtua Tennis 3.
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8
A Battlefield Game That Doesn’t Suck
Talking about games that suck, Battlefield 2042 is everything but a competent entry in the Battlefield franchise. I had my share of fun with the game a couple of years ago after EA and Dice managed to salvage it somewhat with a deluge of massive updates. But even then, Battlefield 2042 was a far cry from the series’ best.
The last well-received Battlefield was Battlefield V, which was released in 2018 but also suffered from various issues at release. The last Battlefield game that garnered universal acclaim, Battlefield 1, came out nine years ago.
I’m yearning for Battlefield that doesn’t suck, and I hope the upcoming game, Battlefield 6, which should arrive sometime in early 2026, will make me enjoy a new Battlefield game at release, which hasn’t happened since 2016 and Battlefield 1.
7
A New Fallout Game
The last time I played Fallout 4, which turns 10 this year, was a couple of years ago when I went too far modding the game and spent more time watching my settlements evolve on their own than exploring The Commonwealth.
I had lots of fun, but I’d rather play a new Fallout game than return to a classic Fallout title yet again. The last Fallout game, Fallout 76, came out seven years ago, and we’re still waiting to see a Fallout game made for this generation of consoles.
As of right now, the chance of that is pretty slim. Bethesda is currently working on TES VI, another game that will most likely skip PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. If the studio continues releasing games at its current cadence, we might not see a new Fallout until PlayStation 7…
At least it looks like we’re getting a Fallout 3 remaster soon, which would be great if I haven’t beaten the game half a dozen times already.
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Another game that turns 10 this year is Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, which came out at the start of September 2015.
Now, Metal Gear Solid: Delta is a proper remake of the third MGS game, and it’s shaping up to be a phenomenal entry in the series. But, again, I’d rather see a new game instead of a remake or remaster, however good it might be.
Silent Hill will get a new game after the success of Silent Hill 2 Remake, so maybe Konami is waiting to see Delta‘s sales numbers before committing to a new entry in the series. Kojima isn’t there anymore, but I reckon Konami can find a studio that can give the franchise justice and give us a new chapter of one of the best gaming series ever.
But even if Konami greenlights a new MGS project, I reckon the game will skip this generation of consoles, the first time a current console gen won’t get a new MGS game since the original PlayStation.
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5
More Superhero Games
Prototype, multiple Spider-Man games, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Batman Arkham trilogy, the first two Crackdown games, the Infamous trilogy, Saints Row IV and Gat out of Hell, Iron Man VR for the original PSVR headset, X-Men Legends, and many other superhero games were all released during the PS3/Xbox 360 and PS4/Xbox One eras.
On the flip side, this generation of consoles only has a few (admittedly great) Spider-Man games, Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 (which is somehow a Switch exclusive); Midnight Suns, a turn-based game; and Marvel Rivals, a multiplayer hero shooter.
Aside from the Spider-Man games and, somewhat, Ultimate Alliance 3, other titles don’t really make you feel like Batma… I mean, like a superhero.
I finished Spider-Man 2 and then the first Crackdown a few months ago, and I want more. I want to jump over buildings, fight against hordes of enemies, and have a bunch of cool superpowers that don’t cool down for 10 minutes. Only the Spider-Man games allow me to live through that fantasy with a modern coat of paint.
What also bothers me is that nowadays, all we have are licensed (read: Marvel) superhero games with the same rotating cast of characters. I’d like to see a fresh take on the genre, something like Prototype, where you play as an antihero, or Saints Row IV, a silly superhero game that didn’t take itself seriously, which only made it better.
The best the gaming industry can promise are Wolverine and Blade games (Marvel, again), both of which should arrive before the end of this console generation. At least the latter sounds intriguing since Arkane is at the helm.
4
A New Gears of War Game
Gears of War 5 is an Xbox One game released in 2019. It was ported to the Xbox Series consoles after they came out. So, technically, GoW 5 is a last-gen game, not even a cross-gen title.
Now, while the series likely won’t return to its glory days, I’d still like to see a new GoW game. It’s not like we’re getting loads of big-budget first and third-person story-driven games nowadays, so I’ll take what I can get.
This time, my prayers will be answered sometime in 2026 (unless the game gets delayed) when Gears of War: E-Day comes out. Better late than never, I guess.
3
A Brand New Game From Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog had been on a roll since 1996, turning out multiple new games for each PlayStation console. But during the PS5 era, we’ve only gotten two remasters.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will be the studio’s first new game for the PlayStation 5, and it will arrive just in time to get the remaster treatment for the PlayStation 6.
I just hope Sony relegates Intergalactic remaster to an outside studio, allowing Naughty Dog to release a sequel before the PlayStation 6 goes to greener pastures.
2
A First-Party Single-Player FPS for PlayStation 5
The PS3 era was a great time for PlayStation owners who were fans of story-driven first-person shooters. The Resistance trilogy, two outstanding Killzone games, and a bunch of third-party story-driven shooters made the PS3 arguably the best console for single-player shooter fans.
Then came the PS4, and the only FPS Sony released during that era was Killzone Shadow Fall.
The PS5 begs for a big-budget, blockbuster, first-party single-player shooter. However, considering Sony’s focus on live service games and the fact the company hasn’t released such a game in 11 years, with the ill-fated Concord “ending” the drought, I reckon we won’t even see a single-player FPS from Sony on the PlayStation 5. Heck, I’m willing to bet Sony won’t make one for the PS6 either.
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1
A New GTA Game
Almost 12 years have passed since the last Grand Theft Auto game, and saying that this console generation is overdue for a new GTA would be a gross understatement.
Luckily, GTA VI should land later this year, if it doesn’t get delayed and slips to 2026. That said, I’m still salty that Rockstar and Take-Two focused all their energy on GTA Online, thus failing to give us a new GTA to enjoy during the PS4/Xbox One generation.
Yes, GTA VI will be huge, and yes, it’s not the only open-world game taking place in an urban environment. However, the production quality Rockstar brings to the table is unmatched. The sheer level of polish combined with pristine visuals and animation, along with Hollywood-level voice acting, and stupendously good soundtracks make every GTA game a proper feast for the eyes and ears.
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Here’s hoping that GTA VI’s single-player campaign will be yet another grand undertaking in the vein of previous GTA games and Red Dead Redemption 2, and not a glorified tutorial included only to funnel players to the online portion of the game as soon as possible.
Many of these games form the pillar of each new console generation, and their absence has been noted by many gamers. For some, it even feels like this generation has yet to take off.
