Games, we all love them, and what an exciting year for gamers! We’re hot on our heels for two brand new consoles launching, and even though the ongoing global pandemic might have introduced a few complications, people all around the world are looking forward to whiteness the next generation of gaming. Now, all that is what’s ahead of us, but what about this tough year just passing us by?
COVID might have canceled eSports in every direction one might look, but online gaming is seeing huge numbers – probably helped by the fact that so many people have to stay inside all day – so what’s the biggest of the big as of now? Truth be told, the landscape itself is mostly unchanged. Many of the big names on this list have been in the top spots for a while now, and the next big thing needs to offer something pretty special in order to dethrone them. Even though there are some usual suspects on our list, we have thrown a couple of nods to this year’s surprise contenders too. So let’s start with our selection.
1. Fortnite
That’s right – Fortnite is still huge, and EPIC is the word that is capitalizing on their free-to-play monster almost mercilessly. You can walk into the supermarket and buy Fortnite action figures. They have apparently famous musicians performing concerts in-game. It’s become a pop-culture juggernaut and still shows no sign of slowing down, and there are several reasons for that, like:
- It’s available on multiple platforms
- Has relatively simple gameplay
- Excels in communication between players
But many people still wonder how it is gaining even more popularity as time goes, and it’s almost definitely kids (the little jerks). It’s free (technically), it’s bright, colorful, and it’s filled with silly dances. All it needs is a bag of E-numbers, and it’s the perfect recipe for hordes of maniacally obsessed children. That’s not to say it doesn’t enjoy an older crowd – there’s an eSports championship with some seriously skilled players competing, but all that is at another level. According to sportsbookreview.com, here’s a handy list of betting websites for gaming if you want to get a little more excitement out of the competition.
2. PUBG
PUBG is typically seen as a grittier, more grown-up Fortnite, and this might be true to some extent. These two games got released in the same year, just a few months apart, and while they share a genre, they’re polar opposites. There’s no building mechanics or flashy novelties in PUBG – just you, whatever weapons you can find, and a bunch of people who want to kill you before you kill them.
Survival game at its best. The only thing that bothered most people is when they added boots, as most of them saw this as a step in the wrong direction. Nonetheless, it is still a great game that we enjoyed and will enjoy playing in the future. Another interesting fact is that even though over 150,000 players are banned, it is still PUBG is still at the top.
It’s also got a mobile version with its own eSports circuit and some small alterations to accommodate the hardware limitations. It’s interesting to see the gap between mobile and PC/console gaming become this slim – PUBG Mobile won’t blow you away, but it runs a lot better than one might think!
3. League of Legends
League of Legends has always been synonymous with the MOBA genre alongside DOTA, attracting players of all ages with bright colors and no upfront cost long before Fortnite did. Although it is ten years old, it’s still among the most popular games, if not the most popular game in the world. It is a favorite game to many because of exceptional graphics, interesting heroes to play with, an interesting scoring system (ranks), and a fantastic community that unites all players.
But these are some particularly exciting times as the long-awaited Wild Rift is entering nationally staggered open betas. This is a mobile version of Riot’s MOBA favorite, through which the developer probably hopes to conquer the mobile gaming arena too. If you liked the game before, there is no reason not to have a great time playing Wild Rift because it is a mix of elements that we are all used to and some new ones that we are yet to fall in love with. Besides that, all forty characters from CL (champions list) are there, and it is possible to follow them in the future. Another great thing is that League of Legends: Wild Rift will be free to download and play.
4. Among Us
Somehow, an indie game released quietly in 2018 has exploded this year. It’s a neat concept executed with simple visuals, easily accessible for players of all ages. A free mobile version (noticing a theme here?) is available, which allows players to jump in on Among Us lobbies – even ones hosted on PC.
Among Us brought us the mechanics of a social media social game, and it seems to be precisely what the players needed. The game is also not too complicated, so a wide range of people can enjoy this title.
The game is on a spaceship where you and your crew members try to maintain the spacecraft to reach a certain destination. However, not everyone is on your side. There are a couple of intruders who are trying in every way to make your tasks more difficult, kill you, or convince other members that you should be thrown into the infinite blackness of the universe.
Some players will be normal spaceship crewmates doing normal spaceship crewmate things. Some will be evil alien bastards picking your multicolored nugget people off one by one, and it’s up to the crew to find out who they are before it’s all too late. What’s more powerful? Interrogation, observation, or random, haphazard chance? You’ll find out.
5. Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War
COD’s latest installment might have only launched last week, but it’d be a bit silly to omit it from this list. It has content to rival that unholy run-on-sentence of a name, with a new campaign taking fans back to the 80s and revamped Zombies (which, to be totally honest, is the only reason you need to buy this one). CODBLOPSCWAR leans into the over-the-top action that can make the series so exciting, and it remains to be seen if updates over the coming months will turn this entry into an essential online game.
We can be sure that Black Ops Cold War will be next gen’s premier online FPS for a little while yet – even if that is just because it doesn’t have all that much competition yet.
If you haven’t played CoD in a long time, and you like thrillers set in the eighties and want a good campaign – Cold War could definitely intrigue you.
Summing up
Game-wise, this is one truly exceptional year, with some great new things brought to us, and with so much more to hope and expect in 2024.
