Next-gen consoles are just over a month away, and with the holiday season also rapidly approaching, more and more major games are launching. While November is set to a be huge month with the launches of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, as well as games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, October is also packed with releases.
From highly-anticipated open world games to smaller indie experiences, here’s what gamers can look forward to this month.
Super Mario Bros. 35
Releasing October 1 for Nintendo Switch
As part of Nintendo’s celebrations for its mascot’s 35th anniversary, Super Mario Bros. 35 is a unique battle royale-style take on the classic game. Similar to last year’s Tetris 99, players will simultaneously attempt to make it through levels of the side-scrolling platformer, obtaining power ups and sabotaging opponents by sending them defeated enemies. The game is free for all Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, but those intrigued should try it out while they can — the game is only available until March 31, 2021.
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Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time
Releasing October 2 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
Over 20 years after the previous main installment in the franchise launched on the original PlayStation, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is a pretty apt title. The story picks up after the events of 1998’s Warped and will see the villainous Uka Uka ripping a hole in the fabric of space and time in an attempt to break free, liberating Doctor Neo Cortex and Doctor Nefarious Tropy in the process.
Now, it’s up to Crash and Coco to travel across the universe, getting help from special masks that give them special powers. In addition to the Bandicoot siblings, players will also be able to control three others in special levels: Doctor Neo Cortex, Dingodile and Tawna. New gameplay elements combined with throwbacks to the classic trilogy look to create a modernized version of the ’90s classic.
Star Wars Squadrons
Releasing October 2 for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
A first-person space combat game, Star Wars Squadrons places players in the cockpit of ships from the Galactic Empire and New Republic after the events of Return of the Jedi. Players will engage in tactical combat alongside a team, working together to pilot the ship and defeat opponents. The game features a story mode, which switches between playable protagonists on both sides of the fight, as well as two multiplayer modes: Dogfight and Fleet Battles.
Additionally, the PC and PS4 versions will be playable in VR. Squadrons will also support cross-platform play, and while it won’t receive a next-gen upgrade, it will be playable through backwards compatibility.
Ikenfell
Releasing October 8 for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch
After starting life as a Kickstarter project, the indie tactical RPG launches this month. Ikenfell tells the story of a group of students at a magic school, including Mariette. Despite having no powers of her own, Mariette comes to the academy looking for her missing sister. Along the way, the students will uncover mysteries and treasure while fighting enemies and exploring the school. The game also features a retro art style and a soundtrack from the composers of Steven Universe.
The Survivalists
Releasing October 9 for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. It will come to mobile through Apple Arcade at a later date.
From the makers of The Escapist games comes a new adventure sandbox title set in that universe. The Survivalists trades prison breaks for life on a deserted island. Players will be able to explore, hunt, built and fight alongside up to three fellow castaways as they avoid being hunted themselves in single player or co-op. You can also tame monkeys to help you out with various tasks. With quests to complete and procedurally generated areas to explore, The Survivalists is a game fans of Team17’s other work won’t want to miss.
Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues
Releasing October 27 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch
Based on the Netflix series, Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues will allow players to engage in side-scrolling beat ’em up action as Daniel LaRusso, Johnny Lawrence and their students. With eight playable characters with special moves and skill trees and two story campaigns following the Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do dojos, the game appears to feature plenty of content that will keep fans busy until season three of the show drops next year.
Watch Dogs Legion
Releasing October 29 for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Stadia. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions will be available as launch titles.
This massive open world game from Ubisoft is finally launching after several delays. Watch Dogs Legion is a unique title set in a totalitarian near-future version of London that has been turned into a surveillance state following a series of terrorist attacks that were pinned on the hacker group DedSec. Now, the group must learn who was really behind the bombings in an effort to liberate the city.
As they build their version of DedSec, players will take on corruption and work to earn the hearts and minds of citizens. Different characters will be useful in a variety of situations like combat, stealth and hacking. Legion promises plenty of freedom and consequences as players unravel the conspiracy that has destroyed their way of life.
Pikmin 3 Deluxe
Available October 30 for Nintendo Switch
One of Nintendo’s lesser known franchises is finally making its way to the Switch. The Pikmin games have flown under the radar since the first game launched on the GameCube in 2001, but this enhanced port of the 2013 Wii U game is a chance for the real-time strategy series to finally get some love thanks to the Switch’s massive popularity and (relatively) quiet fall.
In Pikmin 3 Deluxe, players control a captain who commands a group of Pikmin, tiny plant-like creatures exploring the world, solving puzzles and engaging in combat. This new release adds co-op to the story mode, new difficulty settings and additional story content in the form of a prologue and epilogue. It will also include all of the DLC from the game’s Wii U release.
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