Animal Crossing and Pokemon lead a huge month of video game releases.
March is set to be one of the biggest months of the year for video game releases, with two major Nintendo titles hitting store shelves, as well as the next installments in the Doom and Nioh franchises, which are only appropriate for adults.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Rated E
Appropriate for: Kids who enjoy slow-paced, relaxed games
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the latest game in the incredibly popular Animal Crossing series. It will take players to a deserted island, where they’ll be able to begin a new life for themselves starting with little more than a tent and a few basic supplies. Players can gather resources, do some crafting, go fishing, meet a variety of talking animal friends, build and decorate their home, visit a museum, and much more as they progress through the game. For more information about Animal Crossing: New Horizons, check out our previous coverage.
Great if your kids love: Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp (or any other Animal Crossing game), The Sims 4
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
Rated E
Appropriate for: Kids who enjoy strategic gameplay
This latest installment in the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon franchise is a remake of sorts of the original Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team games, which were released in North America on Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS in 2006, respectively. This new version has updated graphics, as well as some helpful features (like “auto mode”) that can help players as they make their way through the game. In Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, players are turned into a Pokemon, and they’ll become part of a “Pokemon Rescue Team” and will take on jobs that ask them to enter “dungeons” to complete goals like rescuing lost Pokemon. When moving through a dungeon, each time the player’s team takes a step, enemy Pokemon in the level will also take a step. However, if players stand still, so will the other Pokemon. This gives kids and adults alike the time to strategize their next move before performing an action. To learn more about Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, take a look at our preview of the game.
Great if your kids love: Other Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games, Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon Every Buddy
Doom Eternal
Rated M
Inappropriate for young teens and children
*Please note the trailer above includes content that may be inappropriate for children
Doom Eternal is the latest game in the popular Doom franchise. The first-person shooter challenges players to save humanity from demons who have invaded Earth. Doom Eternal has received an M rating from the ESRB, meaning it’s been deemed inappropriate for players under 17. The game has Content Descriptors for “Blood and Gore” and “Intense Violence.” Head to the ESRB’s website to view its complete rating summary for Doom Eternal.
Try These Games Instead: Mirror’s Edge, Overwatch
Nioh 2
Rated M
Inappropriate for young teens and children
*Please note the trailer above includes content that may be inappropriate for children
According to the PlayStation website, this action role-playing game (RPG) takes players to Japan in 1955, where they’ll become “a rogue mercenary wielding the supernatural powers of the mythical Yokai.” Nioh 2 has been rated M for Mature by the ESRB, with Content Descriptors for “Blood and Gore,” “Suggestive Themes,” and “Violence.” To see the ESRB’s full rating summary for Nioh 2, visit the ESRB’s website.
Try These Games Instead: Final Fantasy XV, Horizon: Zero Dawn
Full List
Notable kid- and teen-friendly titles are in bold.
Release dates can change at any time.
Monday March 2, 2020
AvoCuddle, Switch
Tuesday March 3, 2020
Granblue Fantasy: Versus, PlayStation 4
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2: Warlords of New York [DLC], PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Holfraine, PlayStation 4
Wednesday March 4, 2020
Baron: Fur Is Gonna Fly, Switch, Xbox One, PC
I am Ball, Switch
Lost Horizon, Switch
Thursday March 5, 2020
Murder by Numbers, Switch
Wunderling, Switch
Ibb & Obb, Switch
Dude, Stop, Switch
Kairobotica, Switch
Friday March 6, 2020
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, Switch
Save Koch, Switch
Breeder Homegrown: Director’s Cut, Switch
60 Seconds!, Xbox One
Murder by Numbers, PC
Tuesday March 10, 2020
Langrisser I & II, Switch, PlayStation 4, PC
Farming Simulator 19: Bourgault [DLC], PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Wednesday March 11, 2020
Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Xbox One, PC
Thursday March 12, 2020
Mystic Vale, Switch
Brotherhood United, Switch
Half Past Fate, Switch, PC
Hidden Through Time, Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, iOS, Android
inbento, Switch
A Street Cat’s Tale, Switch
Bless Unleashed, Xbox One
Friday March 13, 2020
Alder’s Blood, Switch
My Hero One’s Justice 2, Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Syder Reloaded, Switch
Stela, Switch, PC
Nioh 2, PlayStation 4
Path of Exile: Delirium [DLC], PC
Granblue Fantasy: Versus, PC
Tuesday March 17, 2020
La-Mulana, Switch
La-Mulana 2, Switch
La-Mulana 1 & 2: Hidden Treasures Edition, Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
R.B.I. Baseball 20, Switch
MLB The Show 20, PlayStation 4
Stellaris: Federations [DLC], PC
Thursday March 19, 2020
SeaBed, Switch
Silent World, Switch, PC
TT Isle of Man – Ride on the Edge 2, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Friday March 20, 2020
Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Switch
Doom Eternal, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
DOOM 64, Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Monday March 23, 2020
Half-Life: Alyx, PC [VR Required]
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III, PC
Tuesday March 24, 2020
Hyperspace Delivery Service, Switch
Moons of Madness, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Element Space, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Bleeding Edge, Xbox One, PC
Thursday March 26, 2020
One Step From Eden, Switch, PC
Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition, Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order Fantastic Four: Shadow of Doom [DLC], Switch
DreamGallery, Switch
Borderlands 3 Guns, Love, and Tentacles: The Marriage of Wainwright & Hammerlock [DLC], PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Friday March 27, 2020
Gigantosaurus: The Game, Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
One Piece Pirate Warriors 4, Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Railway Empire, Switch
Saints Row IV: Re-Elected, Switch
Inops, Xbox One
Tuesday March 31, 2020
The Complex, Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, Switch
Operencia: The Stolen Sun, Switch, PlayStation 4, PC
