If you haven’t already, read over my mega-list of 30 anticipated 2018 games for Pixelkin. It’s a general list of great games to look for this year across a variety of styles, genres, and platforms.

But this, this is my personal list of the ten games I’m most looking forward to in 2018. Hindsight always kills me at least a little bit by the end of the year, but that’s part of the fun of making these lists.

Hopefully we won’t have another Mass Effect: Andromeda on our hands. Only two games from last year’s Most Anticipated list got pushed back to (hopefully) this year, and as always there will be plenty of new announcements and surprising indie debuts that I’ll fall in love with it. And a big choice I’ll have to make this year is whether to take the Nintendo Switch plunge.

But for now, here are my Top Ten Most Anticipated Games of 2018!

10) Griftlands

Is it the Banner Sage in space? Is it Sid Meier’s Pirates…in space? I’m not entirely sure but it’s made me Klei and the trailer that debuted at E3 made me sit up and say: “oh my, oh yes.”

9) The Bard’s Tale IV

One of the last games I backed on Kickstarter, despite no nostalgia for the old Bard’s Tale cRPGs. InXile hasn’t been making waves like Larian and Obsidian but they’re doing solid work, and this first-person RPG is shaping up nicely.

8) Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

Both DQ 7 and DQ  8 remasters still lie unfinished on my 3DS, but I’m still looking forward to the first true main single player Dragon Quest RPG in a long time. I may actually be more exited for the 3DS version over the fancy big console release, as the bottom screen replicates the entire game in a classic 16-bit art style.

7) Into the Breach

“From the makers of FTL” deserves an instant Shut Up and Take My Money reply. That it happens to be an isometric tactical strategy game of mechs vs giant monsters is just icing on the cake.

6) Spelunky 2

I have so many fond memories of playing the first Spelunky. Its intuitive 2D platformer gameplay yet intricate challenge got its hooks in me real bad. The sequel was announced with only a teaser trailer and no gameplay, but I’m already sold.

5) Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

The master of Castlevania, Koji Igarashi, crowdfunded this Castlevania-like 2D action-RPG back in 2015, and I’m 100% on board. It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a proper 2D Castlevania, and Bloodstained looks to scratch that demonic itch beautifully.

4) Jurassic World Evolution

Planet Coaster is an amazing RollerCoaster Tycoon-like that just barely missed my top ten list of 2016. The same developers are making a sim theme park game with the Jurassic World/Jurassic Park license. I was a big fan of Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis back in 2003 and can’t wait to see what Frontier can do with it.

3) State of Decay 2

It was on my list last year but we heard almost nothing about it. I’m still very excited for the sequel to one of my favorite games of 2013. The inclusion of multiplayer should fit perfectly with the blend of zombie action and survivor management.

2) Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire

The sequel to my 2015 Game of the Year will absolutely rank highly on my most anticipated list. I’m loving all the new gameplay tweaks and updates, and the swashbuckling pirate theme looks fantastic.

1) Red Dead Redemption 2

I’ve sunk hundreds of hours into various Grand Theft Auto games over the years, but none made such a mark on me as Red Dead Redemption, the rare game I loved both with single player and online multiplayer. Red Dead Redemption 2 has been a very long time coming, and I’m excited to dive into the Old West again.