Last year we saw the effects of a multi-year pandemic delay many games into 2022, and create horrible shortages on new platforms and video cards.

Hopefully things improve this year. And the best way to stay optimistic is thinking of all the awesome video games soon to come!

Here are the top ten games I’m most excited about as of January 2022.

10) Endless Dungeon

A returning anticipated indie game from last year’s list, Endless Dungeon is the dungeon-crawling spin-off to Dungeon of the Endless, a brilliant roguelike tower defense game. Developer Amplitude ended up making my #1 game of 2021, and I’m excited to see this sequel take off.

9) TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge

DotEmu has been quietly publishing some truly incredible retro game sequels, most notably Streets of Rage 4, one of my favorite games of 2020. While I’m unfamiliar with the developer of this modern sequel to Turtles in Time and Manhattan Project (some of the best beat ’em ups of the 8-bit and 16-bit generation), the trailers look like they’ve nailed the art and gameplay of that golden age.

8) Starfield

The obligatory “yes I’m excited for the next big Bethesda RPG,” but a little low on this list given Bethesda’s recent track record, and the fact that they have still shown next to nothing beyond a teaser for this open-world sci-fi RPG. Is it Skyrim in space? Is it Fallout 4 with less satire? Is it something much more different? I’d love to finally find out!

7) Sea of Stars

I’m easily seduced by any indie game mines the 90s era of JRPGs. I enjoyed the pitch so much for Sea of Stars that I actually backed a video game on Kickstarter in 2020, something I haven’t done in years (board games on the other hand…). The new trailer released a few weeks ago confirms that it was an excellent decision. Gimme that Chrono Trigger fix, baby!

6) Songs of Conquest

After a way too early announcement at E3 2019, we finally got some updates for Songs of Conquest, a pixelated indie strategy game heavily inspired by one of my all time favorite game series, Heroes of Might and Magic. Is this a record for most number of years a game has appeared on my Most Anticipated lists? Hopefully it’s worth the anticipation!

5) Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands

I get why the Borderlands series can be devisive, but few series have equally entertained my wife and me for nearly a decade, including spin-offs, DLC, and sequels. Hell, Borderlands 3 was my #1 Game of the Year in 2019! If Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is just more of the same, that’s more than enough for us —but it also looks like the proper sequel that the Borderlands 2 DLC Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep deserves.

4) Marvel’s Midnight Suns

Wait a minute. Firaxis Games, makers of Civilization and XCOM. Creating an XCOM-like tactical strategy game set in the marvel universe? And it’s a story based outside of the MCU, starring lesser-seen anti-heroes such as Blade and Ghost Rider? Hell. Yes! It’s like like this game was made just for me.

3) Baldur’s Gate 3

It’s been two years since I played through the Early Access version of Baldur’s Gate 3. I’ve purposefully stayed away, letting the updates trickle in while looking forward to the full release. It’s not the most accurate 5e video game, but I count the Divinity series as some of my all-time favorite RPGs of this era, and I’m excited to see Larian Studios’ take on the iconic Forgotten Realms.

2) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2

Still technically an unnamed sequel, and the game I’m least confident will release in 2022. But how can I not be excited for a sequel to one of the best games released this generation? Breath of the Wild wasn’t quite perfect but it was damn incredible, bringing back all the amazing open world exploration and gameplay that made me fall in love with Ocarina of Time all those years ago.

1) Horizon Forbidden West

I got a PlayStation 5 last year, and while it’s been fun catching up on great games such as Marvel’s Miles Morales, I’m absolutely salivating over the sequel to one of my favorite games of the last generation. Horizon Zero Dawn perfected the open world action game formula with everything I love about the genre, and I can’t wait for the sequel and continue Aloy’s story.