Image: Capcom
This year's Gamescom showcase had everything from Civilization 7 to Borderlands 4.
Gamescom Opening Night Live returned this year for another packed two-hour livestream, showcasing trailers and announcements from tons of upcoming games. The showcase was held by The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley, kicking off the annual Gamescom industry trade show in Germany this week.
This year’s Gamescom Opening Night Live showcase was a big one, showcasing announcements for Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, Borderlands 4 and Civilization 7, among many others. Here are all the biggest announcements and trailers that dropped today:
Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred
The upcoming Diablo 4 expansion’s latest trailer shows off a surprising new feature: Mercenaries, ordinary people with powerful skills who can be recruited to fight alongside players. Blizzard also confirmed two new dungeons coming with the expansion: a multistage dungeon called the Kurast Undercity and a co-op PvE dungeon called the Dark Citadel.
Borderlands 4 (2025)
If the recently released Borderlands movie adaptation just made you miss the real thing, good news! Gearbox and 2K have announced Borderlands 4, a sequel that picks things up after Lilith’s sacrifice to stop the moon Elpis from opening up the Great Vault and destroying the universe. Unfortunately, it looks like her efforts might have been for nought. In this trailer, Elpis makes a mysterious return to cause more chaos.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (October 25, 2024)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 showed off a lengthy gameplay segment from its Most Wanted campaign mission. While the trailer first shows off some photography-related espionage, things take no time at all to devolve into an all-out gunfight. The crew then gets into a motorcycle chase on the street, abandoning the very concept of stealth altogether.
Goat Simulator Remastered (2024)
One could argue that Goat Simulator’s dated graphics were simply part of its charm, but we’re getting a remaster of the game anyway. Despite only containing a brief snippet of gameplay, this trailer is still worth watching for how silly it is.
Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis (September 10, 2024)
Persona 3 Reload’s second wave of DLC will add a remake of the original game’s The Answer expansion, taking place after the events of the original game. This new trailer reveals a special challenge battle featuring none other than Persona 5’s protagonist Joker as a main boss.
Dying Light: The Beast (TBA)
Developer Techland’s planned second expansion for Dying Light 2 has become a real beast - pun intended. Now a standalone game, Dying Light: The Beast sees the original game’s protagonist Kyle Crane return for a brand-new 20-hour adventure.
King of Meat (TBA)
This co-op party game is being published by Amazon Games and developed by Glowmade. Players will hack and slash through user-created dungeons in multiplayer PvE combat.
Lynked: Banner of the Spark (Early Access on October 22, 2024)
Lynked: Banner of the Spark is a co-op multiplayer roguelike hack-and-slash game, where players step into the shoes of one of the last living humans on the planet. There are good robots and bad robots, but the good ones will help players rebuild their homes. That's one way to tell them apart, at least.
Lost Records: Bloom and Rage (February 18, 2025)
Life is Strange developer Don’t Nod Entertainment’s next game follows four former friends who reunite after 27 years, following the consequences of a mysterious event that split them apart as children. A new trailer shows off gameplay for this very Life is Strange-like adventure game, which will consist of two story chapters released one month apart.
No More Room in Hell 2 (TBA)
This sequel to No More Room in Hell gives players an eight-player permadeath co-op multiplayer experience with loads of zombies.
Arc Raiders (2025)
The Finals developer’s next multiplayer PvE shooter Arc Raiders now has a release window: 2025. The shooter will also now be a paid game rather than a free-to-play one, with a playtest scheduled for later this autumn.
Infinity Nikki
This cosy-looking RPG is the Nikki series’ fifth instalment, taking players on a new adventure across the fantastical nations of Miraland. You’ll be able to encounter all sorts of adorable creatures while collecting a suite of outfits, the latter of which will also be crucial in exploration.
Predecessor (Out now)
Predecessor is a flashy-looking MOBA-shooter hybrid, and it’s available to play for free right now.
Path of Exile 2 (November 15, 2024)
Grinding Gear Games has finally announced a release date for the early access launch of Path of Exile 2, its highly-anticipated action-RPG sequel. This game is set years after its predecessor, bringing players back into the world of Wraeclast where they’ll have to halt a spreading corruption.
Dune Awakening (Early 2025)
Funcom’s highly-anticipated Dune MMO showed off a meaty gameplay trailer this week, giving players a first look at its character creator and gameplay mechanics. As one might expect from an MMO set in Arrakis, players will have to survive by making their own water in the desert and building shelter.
Reanimal (TBA)
Little Nightmares creator Tarsier Studios’ next game is genuinely horrifying. Its side-scrolling platforming gameplay doesn’t appear to be too much of a departure from Little Nightmares, but its new monsters are twisted animal-like creatures who are out for blood.
Genshin Impact (November 20 on Xbox)
HoYoverse announced a release date for Genshin Impact on Xbox consoles later this year.
Monster Hunter Wilds (2025)
Capcom showed off two monsters in this upcoming open-world Monster Hunter game: Lala Barina and Rey Dau. This third trailer also shows off more of the game’s locales, camping mechanics and characters.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (April 24, 2025)
SNK’s Fatal Fury fighting game franchise officially returns next year! Fatal Fury: City of Wolves showed off returning character Mai Shiranui today, who joined the game’s playable roster along with 22 more characters.
Monument Valley 3 (December 10, 2024)
Monument Valley 2 is getting a sequel. Developer UsTwo Games has partnered with Netflix for another elaborate puzzle game, but it will be exclusive to the streaming service when it launches this December.
Civilization 7 (February 11, 2025)
Firaxis Games has finally revealed gameplay for its long-awaited sequel to Civilization 6. While most of what players love about this franchise has been kept intact, this game is introducing two big changes to mix things up: separating campaigns into playable ‘Ages’ of history featuring different civilisations, and allowing players to mix-and-match different Leaders and civilisations.
Starfield: Shattered Space (September 30, 2024)
A car commercial-like trailer for Starfield shows off its new vehicle: the Rev-8. At long last, players will be able to traverse the game’s many explorable planets using this buggy - which can also house the robot companion Vasco, and seemingly attack enemies. The trailer also serves as a reminder that the game’s first expansion launches this September.
Marvel Rivals (December 6, 2024)
Marvel Rivals finally gets a release date: December 6, 2024. The game’s latest trailer also reveals two new playable heroes, Captain America and his long-lost best friend Bucky, the Winter Soldier. It looks like Cap will be able to buff his teammates and toss his shield around for damage, while the Winter Soldier wields a pistol and grapples foes with his metal arm.
Secret Level (December 11, 2024)
Here’s an unexpected reveal: Amazon Prime Video has commissioned an all-new animated anthology from the creators of Love, Death + Robots, and it’s all about video games! This crossover-laden series pulls characters from games like God of War, Sifu and Dungeons & Dragons to tell new stories in familiar gaming worlds. The series will consist of 15 episodes.
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (February 11, 2025)
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 picks the story back up from where the first game left off in 15th century Bohemia. You’ll play as Henry the blacksmith, as he fights against the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund and his allies in the turmoil of a civil war.
Zenless Zone Zero
HoYoverse showed off another trailer for Zenless Zone Zero, starring the game’s next S-Rank banner: Jane Doe. Jane Doe will be available to pull in Version 1.1’s second half, but the very end of this teaser also teases two more playable Agents in Version 1.2: Burnice White and Caesar King. Interestingly, both characters seem to be in the midst of a showdown despite being in the same faction.
Batman Arkham Shadow
The next Batman: Arkham game is headed to the Meta Quest 3. This VR game allows you to quite literally be the Batman, in a new story that seems to revolve around a mysterious villain called the Rat King.
Little Nightmares 3
If Reanimal wasn’t enough to whet your appetite for more Little Nightmares content, here’s a full-blown sequel. In this horror-platformer developed by Supermassive Games, you’ll be able to play through the game with a friend in online co-op.
Masters of Albion
Infamous game designer Peter Molyneux has returned with a brand-new project to show off: Masters of Albion. This open-world game pulls inspiration from games like Black and White, giving players godlike power over an entire world. You’ll be able to design, build and customise towns to minute levels of detail, and even possess their townsfolk at will.
Floatopia (2025)
Imagine Animal Crossing, but set in the sky. This adorable-looking life simulator will have players build new lives on floating islands, doing things like terraforming the land, gardening and building up towns.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (December 9, 2024)
This trailer for Bethesda’s upcoming first-person Indiana Jones game focuses on Troy Baker, who plays the titular archeologist. The trailer goes over Indiana Jones' quest to follow the Great Circle across the globe, while he gets into various Nazi-related shenanigans along the way. This game will also launch in Spring 2025 on PlayStation 5 consoles.
Mafia: The Old Country (2025)
2K and developer Hangar 13 are taking the Mafia crime franchise back to 1900s Sicily. More information on Mafia: The Old Country will be revealed this December, but here’s how 2K describes the game for now: “Uncover the origins of organised crime with a gritty mob story set in the brutal underworld of 1900s Sicily. Fight to survive in this dangerous and unforgiving era, with action brought to life by the authentic realism and rich storytelling that the critically acclaimed Mafia series is known for.”