Armored Core VI, Death Stranding 2, Hades 2, and More Big Reveals From The Game Awards 2022

As an awards show, The Game Awards leave a lot to be desired, and that was still the case with this year’s events. Major winners were rattled off in seconds. Games were nominated in weird categories. Al Pacino showed up looking completely lost. Immortality didn’t win anything. Christopher Judge’s acceptance speech for his God of War Ragnarok acting win was awkwardly long. Even Elden Ring’s Game of the Year win got uncomfortably upstaged by some weird conspiracy kid. All we needed was some Oscar-style slapping.

However, as a multi-hour marathon for video game commercials, The Game Awards 2022 was arguably one of the strongest years yet. Rebounding after some understandable pandemic lulls, this year’s show rivaled E3 in turns of major exciting reveals(Opens in a new window). Here are some of our favorites.

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon

A decade of successful Souls games has finally given FromSoftware enough freedom and clout to return to its fan favorite mech franchise. Will the next-gen gameplay take inspiration from modern From games? We’ll find out when Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon(Opens in a new window) in 2023.

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon

Teased in Bayonetta 3, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon(Opens in a new window) is a prequel to the witchy action game. As young Cereza, you and your first demon, Cheshire, navigate a storybook world, solve puzzles, and fight enemies. This is a full-priced game, not a budget spin-off, so we’re curious to see what Platinum has in store for this whimsical title when it launches next March. 

Celebrities! 

The Game Awards constantly reminds us that Hollywood celebrities appear in video games. Idris Elba stars in the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 expansion, Phantom Liberty, to give Keanu Reeves a run for his internet boyfriend status. Crime Boss: Rockay City includes Kim Basinger, Danny Glover, Vanilla Ice, Michael Madsen, Michael Rooker, and Danny Trejo. We even got a new clip from the Super Mario Bros. movie complete with more of Chris Pratt’s “Italian” accent. 

Crash Team Rumble

After years of online rumors, the fabled Crash Bandicoot team-based multiplayer game is here. Crash Team Rumble sees two teams of furry weirdos competing to drop fruit in their respective zones. Sure! The game launches in 2023. 

Death Stranding 2

Hideo Kojima revealed an unsurprisingly bonkers trailer for Death Stranding 2, featuring squid babies, young Lea Seydoux, and Punished “Norman” Reedus. There’s no use trying to predict how this game will play out. When it comes to Death Stranding, we’re all just along with the ride.

Earthblade

Between TowerFall and Celeste, Maddy Thorson knows how to make 2D games that just feel incredible to play. Her and her team’s new game, Earthblade(Opens in a new window), looks to apply those lessons to an expansive Metroidvania adventure, and we can’t wait to play in 2024. 

Hades II

The acclaimed, diabolical roguelike from Supergiant Games returns in the studio’s first full-on sequel. Take control of a Greek underworld heroine with new powers to unleash and new gods to gawk at. Hades II(Opens in a new window) enters early access in 2023.   

Judas

It’s been about a decade since Bioshock-creator Ken Levine basically blew up Irrational Studios, but now his new team at Ghost Story Games has revealed its first title: Judas(Opens in a new window). This surreal first-person shooter sure does look a lot like Bioshock, but there’s plenty of time to reveal all sorts of mind-blowing twists and turns.

Release Dates!

Some previously announced games received firm 2023 release dates or at least release windows. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor(Opens in a new window) arrives on March 17. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League(Opens in a new window) delivers Kevin Conroy’s final Batman performance on May 26. Street Fighter 6 rumbles on June 2. Diablo IV(Opens in a new window) has a very satanic 6/6/2023 release date. Final Fantasy 16(Opens in a new window) launches June 22. And Baldur’s Gate 3’s full release is slated for August.  

Transformers: Reactivate

The award for most surprising title reveal goes to Transformers: Reactivate. At first, this just looked like any other solemn sci-fi game, but then the world witnessed large robot hands that will no doubt transform into a sweet vehicle. This upcoming, online action game comes from developer Splash Damage.

Did you manage to score a Steam Deck during the Game Awards giveaway? Check out these top verified games. For more in-depth video game talk, visit PCMag’s Pop-Off YouTube channel(Opens in a new window).