The PC games to watch at Gamescom 2015

Rainbow Six: Siege

When Ubisoft scrapped the set-piece-heavy Patriots last year, they replaced it with something more player-driven in Siege. With most floors, walls, and ceilings completely collapsible (read our interview with Ubisoft game designer Andrew Witts for more on that), you’ve got tons of tactical potential. We’ve played PvE mode Terrohunt, in which up to five players eliminate waves of terrorists, as well as the tense five-on-five multiplayer where one team must breach another’s fortified position. Both scream quality. After an April alpha, an upcoming September beta, and thousands of combined hours of internal testing, Siege, unlike Patriots, looks to be worthy of the Rainbow Six name.

Hitman

It’s back to the drawing bald for IO Interactive. Where 2012’s disappointing Hitman Absolution featured helicopter chases and linear levels where there wasn't much to do but sneak to the exit, this is a return to the sprawling, multi-path stages where killing can be creative. In the fashion show level, for instance, you can drop chandeliers on people, poison drinks as a bartender, don a reporter’s outfit and sneak in, smuggle weapons in crates, set of a noisy fireworks distraction, erase security tapes to cover your tracks, and even purchase soda to launch at guards' heads. Can it recapture the glory of Blood Money? We had a crack at answering that actually.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3

This is farther in the future than Call of Duty’s ever been, a time period where wars are fought with mechs, lasers, swarms of drones, and weird robot ball things lined with spikes like an evil version of Star Wars’ BB-8. See the reveal trailer here to see how far-flung we’re talking. Thankfully Treyarch don’t lose sight of what makes CoD tick, with ultra-satisfying weapon feedback and an addictive multiplayer introducing character-specific abilities. Reaper the robot wields a devastating minigun, Ruin can run faster on cybernetic legs, Outrider uses an explosive bow, and Prophet can flash back in time. Oh, and don’t forget those ruddy zombies.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

The PC’s first mainline Metal Gear game also happens to be Hideo Kojima’s last, but don’t let that put you off some fresh tactical espionage action. This’ll be just as revolutionary, creative, and downright bonkers as the last ones he helmed. Case in point: in the sandbox of Afghanistan, you can actually make your horse leave horsey droppings on the road and force passing cars to spin out of control. The newly sprawling setting looks a better size to contain Kojima’s mad brain. And good news: Konami have moved its release date forward!

XCOM 2

The fierce alien foes in this sequel to 2013’s ace turn-based sci-fi strategy are enough to make you wish for a Xenomorph. There’s the Chryssalid who can poison soldiers and turn them into cocoons which, when they hatch, spawn three more, the serpentine Viper who can snag people from cover with her tongue and squeeze them, and Advent troopers, who are actually people turned bad (or are they?). They’ll challenge you to master new abilities, such as The Ranger’s machete, The Specialist’s drone, as well as his power to hack robotic enemies, and the Sharpshooter’s new proficiency in pistols alongside sniper rifles. Do you agree with Firaxis that PC gaming is in a golden age?

Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst

Will we finally see Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst in action? A brief 23 second clip of footage suggests so, though we’ll have to wait and see if it’s true in-game footage or an in-engine mockup. Either way, the more we see of Mirror’s Edge, the more we get a sense of how well Catalyst will capture the sunny dystopia of The City, and how Mirror’s Edge will work as an open world game. If you can’t wait for the inevitable EA conference reveal, check out Sam’s preview for more on DICE’s approach to refreshing combat—a sketchy aspect of the first game that could use plenty of improvement.

Battlefront

DICE have been staunch about the fact that there will be no space battles in Battlefront, but—as seen in the recent teaser trailer—there are almost-in-space battles that let you fly around in X-Wing’s and TIE fighters. It’s called Fighter Squadron mode, which lets you “engage in huge Starfighter battles over canyons big enough to be truly epic”. Fighter Squadron will be shown tomorrow, most likely at EA’s Gamescom 2015 press conference, which starts at 9am BST / 1am PDT. We may also see more of “Blast”, a recently announced 10 vs 10 deathmatch mode.

Mafia 3

Surprise! Mafia 3 was merely a rumour before 2K’s Twitter feed honked its existence last week. We’ll be seeing it at Gamescom in a few days, and we have many questions. Will it be an open world game? Will it stick with the besuited charlatans of the first two games, or opt for a new flavour of gangsterism? Will it maintain the series’ penchant for exceptional hats? The announcement trailer is scheduled for tomorrow at 1pm BST / 5am PDT.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

E3 gave us 25 minutes of proper in-game footage of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, and with it, more information about Adam Jensen’s allegiances and abilities. With a thought he can form a crystalline outer layer of nano-obsidian that deflects bullets, and various guns live inside his arms now. More information about Adam’s insides will be revealed in a developer Twitch stream this Friday at 12:00 EST. The devs will also be running an Ask Me Anything segment on the Deus Ex subreddit on the same day.

Fallout 4

One of the most exciting showings at E3 this year, even more so for the fact it’s out this year on November 10. With the game so close, there’s an excellent chance we’ll see new footage. There will hopefully be more news about how Fallout 4 works as an RPG. Bethesda has teased details of a new perk system and the extended crafting systems, and it’d be interesting to hear more about how Fallout 4’s companions have improved.

Dark Souls 3

Hidetaka Miyazaki’s Bloodborne was released on PS4 earlier this year, and he’s already back co-directing Dark Souls 3. Such is the man’s skill that he’s able to fearlessly dual wield development projects from the director’s chair. His attachment adds extra weight to the project that will surely tempt back fans disappointed with Dark Souls 2. We can hopefully look forward to more info on weapons, combat stances, and story. Knowing Dark Souls, we’ll probably receive only the merest hints at what the story is about, but we might at least find out whether it’s a prequel to DS or another entry set many years after.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

What role will Evie play in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate? Her burly brother has hogged the limelight so far, but supposedly both siblings will be an important part of Syndicate’s tale of gang warfare on the streets of ye olde London. Horse and carriage fights, train fights and fist fights have all featured in previous press materials, but we haven’t seen much of the assassinations themselves. They were a much more involved and satisfying aspect of Unity, a point overshadowed by the last game’s huge technical troubles. Can Syndicate avoid controversy and bring something new to the annual series?

Doom

Editor Sam Robert’s enduring memory of E3 is of a man he sat next to at Bethesda’s conference who screamed in ecstasy when the chainsaw turned up in the Doom trailer. If Bethesda chooses to show anything this week, more dismemberment will surely feature, and wherever he is, that man will probably explode with excitement. Perhaps we’ll even get a look at some more monsters, or even multiplayer, but I wouldn’t hold your breath. It isn’t due out until spring next year, though a beta is promised at some point.

Need For Speed

EA’s reboot of Need For Speed is set in a rain-slick nighttime open world full of fashionable road racers and angry cops. It’s playable at Gamescom this year, so we’ll get to see whether it really looks as shiny as the E3 video implies.

Mass Effect: Andromeda

Andromeda is the the mysterious next stage in the Mass Effect series, with a strong focus on exploration on new worlds. The wobbly old Mako ground vehicle has had a makeover, and looks to be an important part of the game. We know that there's at least one Krogan, some humans, and that the N7 label will feature in some capacity. We spotted lots of colourful planet concepts in the teaser trailer, which Tyler has collected in our trailer analysis. We will roam the halls of Gamescom and hoover up any info we can find this week.