The new games of 2021 are already proving that there's never a bad year to be a PC gamer. Even amidst continuing game delays caused by Covid-19 conditions, we've gotten multiple surprises already for the year. So far, we've seen our first surprise smash hit with early access viking game Valheim. We were also as pleased as we hoped we'd be with Hitman 3's trilogy finale. The spring is scheduled to heat up as we look forward to class-based FPS Outriders and Arkane's next FPS Deathloop.
Best PC games: Our all-time favorites
Best free PC games: Freebies forever
Best laptop games: High quality for low-spec
After the new PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles launched late last year, 2021 is sure to have more surprises yet. This year's releases will likely capitalize on the power in those new consoles, which PC versions should benefit from too.
Due in part to the Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of games, big and small, delayed from their original dates to this year. Highly anticipated games like Halo Infinite have wound up with new plans to launch in 2021. It doesn't look like news of delays will be drying up just yet, either. We likely haven't quite seen the end of game delays caused by the pandemic as developers continue to work from home. As with last year, we'll keep this page up to date with all the new announcements, delays, and reveals for games releasing in 2021.
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.
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
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
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
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
- March 26—Genesis Noir - Psychedelic point & click story (Our review)
- 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
Outriders | April 1
This action FPS from People Can Fly may look a lot like Destiny but after trying it, we think it's really more than that. It is a class-based shooter, but the co-op campaign makes mastering your skills and loadout matter.
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 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—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
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.
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 7—Resident Evil Village - Horrific vacation
- May 10—Hood: Outlaws & Legends - Team-based PvPvE
- May 12—Huntdown - Arcade shooter
- 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 ??—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
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.
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—Dark Alliance - Action-heavy D&D
- 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 27—Alchemic Cutie - Slime farmer life sim
- July ??—Cris Tales - Turn-based time manipulation RPG
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
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.
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.
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
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.
September 2021 game releases
- 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
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
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV - Latest in a long-running JRPG series
- 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
- 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
- Tales of Arise - Action RPG
- 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
What's moved to 2022?
Some games expected for 2021 have already announced delays to 2022. Here's what you can look forward to next year:
- 2022—Gotham Knights - Crime-fighting team up
- 2022—Hogwarts Legacy - Magical RPG
- 2022—Kerbal Space Program 2 - Physics disaster
- 2022—The Lord of the Rings: Gollum - Fantasy spinoff RPG
- 2022?—Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 - Blood-sucking sim - Our preview