Q1 2021 is a Big Gap for AAA Games

After a 2020 packed with games and more than enough time to play them, it appears that there’s not much to look forward to in the way of big games to kick off 2021. This comes off as a bit of a surprise, as we just got a new console generation of high-spec consoles to enjoy 4K visuals at high framerates. However, it feels as if there’s a bit of a lull in the early part of this year. Thankfully, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

This is the perfect time to work on a backlog, which I’m sure you have. It’s almost a given that gamers have bought a game a while ago that they haven’t played yet. So, with this huge delay in AAA releases, you have more than enough time to immerse yourself in a lengthy, time-consuming open-world RPG like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (which I plan to do). Alternately, you can tread the same path in Skyrim that you’ve done for almost 10 years now.

We’re not completely exempt of new games coming out. IO Interactive is delivering Hitman III in just a week, which will feature the ability to play the rest of the series within one ~60GB package. February will see Outriders, a long-awaited drop-in/drop-out coop shooter from the makers of Bulletstorm, published by Square Enix. Let’s hope it fares better than Marvel’s Avengers, which had a demoralizing 96% drop in playerbase.

So, while there isn’t a ton coming out from the big studios these first few months of 2021, let’s enjoy what we’re given with Hitman III and Outriders, and keep plugging away at that backlog that’s sure to have some great entertainment behind it. There’s plenty to come later in 2021, like Biomutant, Psychonauts 2, and Deathloop, so let’s get excited for those before one of them gets delayed to 2022 (for good reason now).