15 Video Games From E3 2021 You Need to Know About

E3, aka the biggest conference for all things video games, took place virtually over the weekend and literally hundreds of games were shown off.

If you missed it no one would blame you because there were some brutal time zone changes for those watching from Australia. So, to save you combing through four days’ worth of YouTube events, we’ve collated the biggest game announcements from E3 right here.

Breath of the Wild 2

Talk about saving the best for last. Nintendo had one of the last sessions at E3 this year but it brought plenty of new games for fans to fawn over, the biggest of which was the long-awaited The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2.

It’s been years since news about Breath of the Wild 2 has come out but Nintendo blessed us with a full-on trailer showing some new environments, new enemies and new moves for Link.

Release date: 2022 on Nintendo Switch

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

Like the Avatar movies, a lot of people had simply forgotten there was a new game based on Avatar in development. So it was a surprise when Ubisoft debuted the first trailer for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.

Frontiers of Pandora is a first-person action-adventure game that invites players into the immersive world of Pandora and it looks absolutely stunning.

Gamers will get to play as a Na’vi warrior and embark on a journey across the Western Frontier, which is an area we haven’t yet seen in the Avatar films. Of course, annoying humans will be around to disrupt your peace as well.

Release date: 2022 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Stadia

Metroid Dread

While it’s not quite the Metroid 4 people were expecting, Metroid Dread is the next game in the franchise and it’ll be a 2D sidescroller reminiscent of the Nintendo DS days.

Players will take control of Samus once again after the events of Metroid Fusion. They will explore a strange new planet alone while hunted by the ominous E.M.M.I robot.

Release date: October 8, 2021, on Nintendo Switch.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy

Square Enix may not have had much luck with its Marvel’s Avengers game but it’s looking to change all that with a new adventure following the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Both a trailer and gameplay footage was shown during Square Enix’s presentation showing the five (dramatically different looking) Guardians in action.

Players will gain control of Star-Lord/Peter Quill throughout the single-player game and are given dialogue choices, epic music choices and some cool weapon choices to top it all off.

Release date: October 26, 2021, on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

Mario and Rabbids reunite for a new sequel in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope.

This Mario + Rabbids looks pretty different with a more open-world planet-hopping level design and a freer combat system. The game will be single-player only.

Release date: 2022 on Nintendo Switch.

The Outer Worlds 2

What do you do when you have a game to announce but not much to show? Make a trailer poking fun at your own game.

The Outer Worlds 2 was another surprise announcement during Xbox’s E3 presentation and while they don’t have much to show us we do know that the new game will take place in a new star system with a new crew.

Unfortunately, this is literally all we know about the game and have no idea when it will be released.

Elden Ring

George R.R. Martin fans should be used to waiting a long time for things by now but that didn’t stop anyone from bemoaning the fact there’s been basically no Elden Ring news since it was announced.

The drought well and truly ended at E3, however, when Elden Ring received a brand new trailer and a release date that is barely six months away.

The FromSoftware/George R.R. Martin fantasy epic will be the company’s largest game yet with six major areas to explore, a four-player co-op, a character creator and multiple endings.

Release date: January 21, 2022, on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC.

Starfield

Gamers have been waiting eagerly to see what Microsoft will do with its acquisition of Bethesda and Starfield is most definitely one of the highlights coming to Xbox.

Admittedly, the E3 trailer didn’t give much away but if the idea of a large scale open-world space RPG doesn’t excite you what will? Players will become a part of the Constellation team who are exploring the stars to answer one of humanity’s greatest mysteries.

It’s been described as ‘Skyrim in space’, so I guess I’m buying an Xbox now.

Release date: November 11, 2022, on Xbox Series X/S, PC.

Forza Horizon 5

Another Xbox icon is the Forza franchise so naturally, Microsoft dropped its first look at Forza Horizon 5 during E3.

The new racing game will be set in the deserts, rainforests and beautiful cities of Mexico. The gameplay that was shown set the bar high showing the technology that is bringing next-level graphics and rendering to the Xbox Series X.

Release date: November 9, 2021, on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC.

Redfall

Another surprise out of the Xbox/Bethesda conference was a new console exclusive from Arkane (aka the creators of Prey and Dishonored). Redfall is a new original open-world vampire shooter with both solo and co-op options.

You’ll have a choice of a range of hero characters, upgradable skills and powers and customisable weaponry which you can use to become the ultimate vampire slayer. Long story short, Redfall looks damn awesome.

Release date: Mid 2022 on Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Jurassic World Evolution 2

Fans of Jurassic Park and simulators will be overjoyed to learn that a new dinosaur park game is coming with Jurassic World Evolution 2.

For the first time, players will be able to go beyond the islands of Muertes Archipelago and build parks in all-new environments. New species are also being added including water dinos.

Release date: 2021 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC.

Halo Infinite

One of the selling points of an Xbox is the ability to play Halo, so players were not amused when Halo Infinite was delayed long past the Series X/S launch date. Sadly, the game still doesn’t have a release date but it did get two sick new trailers and an in-depth look at the multiplayer aspects of the game.

Release date: Holiday 2021 on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2

A surprise hit from E3 has been the S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chernobyl announcement. Not only do the graphics look amazing but there’s something about exploring the creepy abandoned lands of Chernobyl that really excites.

Release date: April 28, 2022, on Xbox Series X/S, PC.

Replaced

Replaced is one of the most intriguing games to come out of the Xbox showcase. The sci-fi platform uses a beautiful pixel art style to create a dystopian cyberpunk world.

The game takes place in Phoenix City, 40 years after a nuclear blast that has turned human organs into the most vital form of currency. It looks epic.

Release date: 2022 on Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Far Cry 6

Far Cry 6 has been spotlighted a fair bit in the last few weeks but it deserves its place on this list solely due to the fact we learned the game lets you set a killer rooster with a spiked collar on enemies.

Some DLC for Far Cry 6 was also announced and will allow you to play as all three of Far Cry’s iconic villains, Vaas, Pagan Min and Joseph Seed, in their own adventures.

Release date: October 7, 2021, on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, Stadia.

This list barely scratches the surface of what was shown at E3 this year.

If you want to learn more about Battlefield 2042, Replaced, Contraband, WarioWare, Life is Strange, and all the great indie games that were announced this year, go check out our friends at Kotaku who have every E3 announcement covered.