Hottest Video Games for Holiday 2018

The holiday season is often replete with the year’s biggest games, and 2018 will be no exception. This holiday season is shaping up to be a real doozy for fans of all the major game consoles! The biggest names are showing up in force this year. To help you keep all the big names straight, we’ve got your rundown of the hottest video games for holiday 2018!

Hottest Video Games for Holiday 2018

10. Spyro: Reignited Trilogy

Photo Credit: Windows Central

No longer content to just pump out paint-by-numbers Skylanders games, Activision is bringing Spyro back to the games that made him! We’re as ecstatic as you for the purple dragon’s return to 3D adventure gaming! This package contains the first three Play Station entries in the Spyro series, now with a gorgeous HD facelift. We’re quite excited to relive Spyro’s first adventures! Spyro: Reignited Trilogy drops September 21^st.

9. Fallout 76

Photo Credit: CNET

A bit of an odd entry in the Fallout series, 76 is an online, multiplayer spinoff of the main series. Every character in the game world is controlled by players, and the focus is on building bases. This is an interesting departure from the epic, single-player-only Fallout series. We’re cautiously optimistic regarding this unusual experiment. Hopefully Bethesda brings the goods when 76 drops November 14^th!

8. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Photo Credit: IGN

Assassin’s Creed was circling the drain before Origins injected some much-needed life into the franchise. While Origins is far from perfect, it’s a good bit more original and fun than many of its predecessors. Odyssey’s Greek setting is intriguing, to say the least, and has us interested to see how the game shapes up.

Confirmed to be reappearing are naval battles, which was the highlight of the excellent Assassin’s Creed 4, itself an odd outlier in the otherwise blasé series. Also confirmed for this game are heightened RPG elements and the ability to pursue relationships. For when you’re not out, you know, assassinating people. AC: Odyssey drops October 5^th.

7. Mega Man 11

Photo Credit: Capcom

Sure, there’ve been literally dozens of Mega Man games, and sure, we’ve seen a lot of this before. But if you’re telling me you’re skipping any of the Blue Bomber’s main series entries you’re deluding yourself. You’re going to get this one and play it until your thumbs are sore, because it’s main series Mega Man. Jokes aside, we’re excited for the storied series to return to form and bring white-knuckle platforming action to bear. Mega Man 11 hits on October 2^nd.

6. Marvel’s Spider Man

Photo Credit: PlayStation

While Marvel continues to dominate Hollywood with the MCU, Sony’s looking to replicate that success with their exclusive Spider-Man game. Marvel’s Spider-Man seeks to put you in the web-slingers shoes as he swings through the city, stopping criminals and generally just saving the day.

Compared by many to Rocksteady’s exemplary Batman: Arkham series, this game is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated of the year. If you’re looking forward to getting to be your favorite superhero, you won’t have to wait long! Marvel’s Spider-Man releases on September 7^th.

5. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate

Photo Credit: wccftech

Monster Hunter: World is a tremendously amazing, modernized take on the franchise. It commits only one unforgivable sin: it isn’t on the Nintendo Switch. All is forgiven, however, as an updated remaster of Monster Hunter Generations, called Ultimate, is coming for Switch on August 28^th.

If that’s not enough to get you excited to hunt some monsters, you must not own a Switch! If you don’t, some of the upcoming games on this list are going to make you wish you did!

4. Pokemon: Let’s Go

Photo Credit: US Gamer

Case in point? An adorable, brightly-colored romp through the world of Kanto with your Pokemon friends is coming November 16^th. Pokemon: Let’s Go comes in two flavors, one Pikachu and one Eevee. The game functions as an updated retelling of the events of the first Pokemon game and incorporates the catching system from Pokemon Go.

As a bridge between casual fans of Go and more hardcore, main-series fans, Let’s Go seeks act as an on-ramp for Go’s millions of players. Pokemon Go has a ton of players who have never touched a main Pokemon entry, and Nintendo is seeking to fix that with these new games. Get ready to go on the greatest adventure in video games all over again!

3. Super Mario Party

Photo Credit: Nintendo

It’s been a while since a proper Mario Party landed. The last few entries in the series incorporated an unusual cart system that saw all players gaining and losing ground as a group. This largely defeated the point of the Mario Party franchise, which is meant to be a competitive, head-to-head board game. Thankfully, Super Mario Party represents a return to form for the series.

A staple of late-night parties and college dorms the world over, Mario Party is one of the best reasons to own a Nintendo system. The new entry will also incorporate a two-Switch game mode where minigames will jump between the two systems. Whether that’s used for increasing the size of the game board, hiding information from other players or whatever else depends on the minigame. Super Mario Party lands October 5^th!

2. Red Dead Redemption 2

Photo Credit: Polygon

A sequel to one of the very best video games of all time, Red Dead Redemption 2 has big boots to fill. It’s technically a prequel, exploring the life and adventures of protagonist Arthur Morgan with the Dutch Van Der Linde gang, some of the antagonists of the previous entry. This game is Rockstar’s first since GTAV shattered world records and will be their final entry into the current console generation.

Expectations are high, but Rockstar has yet to underperform when it comes to their storied franchises. We’re downright ecstatic to see what the studio has in store for the gaming world. We’ll find out when the game releases on October 26^th! Truly, nothing feels cooler than being a badass cowboy in the Old West.

1. Super Smash Bros Ultimate

Photo Credit: IGN

Well, nothing except beating the hell out of your friends at Smash Bros. This new entry in the series comes four years after the previous game, Super Smash Bros for Wii U and 3DS. Super Smash Bros Ultimate will include every single character from the previous games in the franchise, including the DLC characters and guest characters. Other reappearing features are assist-trophies and Final Smash finishing moves.

We’re incredibly excited to see the game in a finished state. Nintendo is even bringing support for GameCube controllers for this entry in the series, meaning you’ll control it in the same manner as the originals! The best part is, we’re seeing it this year! That’s right, Smash Ultimate releases December 7^th.