We have a jam packed week of new game releases to look forward to, with almost all of the game releases this week being AAA or AA releases, although one is a remake from 2014. It's a mix of action RPGs, strategy and simulation games, so there should be something for almost everyone as well.

Atomic Heart / This week's AAA title / Monday 20 February
Atomic Heart is an adventure role-playing action game with a closed world, which takes place in an alternative Soviet Union of 1955. Science, equality and fraternity are the main symbols of Freedom in this reality. But what kind of effort does it take to build an ideal society? And what is the price of such a society? Will Major of Intelligence "P-3" have to find out what forces are behind the Utopian dream? And what secrets are hidden in the depths of Facility 3826? The truth will have to be paid in blood. [Editor's note: NVIDIA has been promoting this game since 2019 and it's guaranteed to have RTX and DLSS support]

Intel became the first of the three discrete GPU makers to release a day-0 graphics driver for "Hogwarts Legacy." The new Intel Arc GPU Graphics Drivers version 101.4123 beta comes with optimization for the hotly anticipated Harry Potter universe-based RPG, as well as the survival horror "Returnal," so gamers on Intel Arc "Alchemist" discrete GPUs can get gaming the moment the game goes live. The company didn't release any fixes for outstanding issues with this particular release, but identified a bunch of new issues with its driver and the Arc Control app.

DOWNLOAD: Intel Arc GPU Graphics Drivers 101.4123 betaUpdate 14:02 UTC: Today's release of NVIDIA GeForce software (version 528.49, lacks "Hogwarts Legacy" optimization.

Update 14:55 UTC: We asked NVIDIA whether a driver update with game-ready support is planned and if there's any estimate when it will come out. The company answered that it had no comment on these questions.

We're entering the second month of the year this coming week and the games being released next week are a mix of turn-based strategy RPG, Sci-Fi and something a bit more child friendly. There are multiple AA, but no AAA titles being released this week and of course, don't forget to vote in the poll.

The King's Dilemma: Chronicles / Monday 30 January
Lead the King's Council for generations as the consequences of your decisions decide the kingdom's resources and political standing. Form alliances, solve dilemmas, and prepare for the final uprising that was foretold by an ancient prophecy.

Redemption Reapers, the dark fantasy tactical RPG developed by Adglobe and published by Binary Haze Interactive (ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights,), sneaks into striking distance and prepares for launch on Steam for Windows PC, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch in February 2023. Redemption Reapers is being brought to life by industry luminaries, including tactical RPG veteran Masayuki Horikawa (Fire Emblem series director and scenario/level designer; Kingdom Hearts III planning), as well as a star-studded voice cast featuring Kyle McCarley (13 Sentinels: Aegis of Ruin, NieR: Automata), Allegra Clark (Apex Legends, Dragon Age: Inquisition), David Lodge (Persona 5, Final Fantasy XV), and Lucien Dodge (Fire Emblem: Three Houses, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel series).

Hope fades across the land following the sudden appearance of the ruthless Mort armies. Efficient as they are brutal, the macabre forces descend upon civilizations, leaving destruction in the wake of their nightly raids. As entire nations fall to the Mort onslaught, the Ashen Hawk Brigade, a contingent of mercenaries specializing in surprise tactics, band together to fight back against the invading legions.

Following the success of Vampyr, FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT and DON'T NOD had announced a new collaboration to bring one of the most ambitious projects in the history of both the publisher and the studio. FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT's participation in The Game Awards 2022 (5 nominations for A Plague Tale: Requiem, 2 nominations for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge) is the occasion to unveil this brand new project, set to release in late 2023: Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden.

Experience a powerful and intimate narrative in this Action-RPG, playing as two proficient ghost hunters and lovers, faced with impossible choices and their dramatic consequences for the living… and the dead. The World Premiere Reveal Trailer showcases the hallmarks of DON'T NOD: a striking art direction, strong characters and plot, as well as a unique fantasy world.

SQUARE ENIX today released HARVESTELLA, a brand-new life simulation RPG, for Nintendo Switch and STEAM. Featuring concept art by Isamu Kamikokuryo (FINAL FANTASY XII) and music by Go Shiina (Tales series), in HARVESTELLA, players will experience a beautiful world that changes with the flow of the seasons and enjoy a variety of gameplay, including tending to crops, befriending townspeople and adventuring into challenging dungeons.

HARVESTELLA is set in a vibrant and colourful world where four giant crystals called "Seaslight" create a stable change between the four seasons. The adventure begins as abnormalities in the Seaslight begin to appear, creating the "Quietus," a season of death that takes place between the naturally occurring four seasons. During the Quietus the crops wither and people cannot venture outside, and troublingly, these seasons are mysteriously growing longer with each year.

Team17 and Stormind Games have today launched isometric action-RPG, Batora: Lost Haven, available now on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S consoles, Xbox One, and on Steam. Batora: Lost Haven combines a hybrid of hack 'n' slash combat and twin-stick shooting with intricate puzzle solving and a branching narrative with multiple endings, and follows the adventures of Avril, humanity's last hope after the destruction of Earth by a cataclysmic event. As Avril travels across the galaxy, she will harness the dual powers of Sun and Moon - mystical entities and protectors of the planet - in a desperate bid to undo its annihilation and restore her lost haven.

Batora: Lost Haven is available now at the PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store for £19.99/24.99 USD/€24.99, and will be available to purchase on Steam at the same price. For a limited time, the game will also benefit from a 20% launch discount across all available platforms.

Square Enix Ltd., today announced that NEO: The World Ends with You is now available on PC via STEAM. PC players who purchase the critically acclaimed action role-playing game will receive a number of special in-game bonuses to help them get a head start in the battles that await them in Shibuya's Underground. To celebrate the launch on STEAM, PC players who purchase NEO: The World Ends with You will also receive a 25% discount up until 17:00 BST on the 25th of October 2022.

NEO: The World Ends with You is the follow up to the beloved action RPG The World Ends with You, which transports players to the lively streets of Tokyo—assume the role of protagonist Rindo as you attempt to survive the life-or-death trials known as the "Reapers' Game." Rindo, along with a cast of unique and stylish characters, must band together to explore the bustling city of Tokyo and solve the mysteries behind this ominous game from which they can seemingly not escape.

CORSAIR, a world leader in high-performance gear for gamers and content creators, today announced a fantastical new lineup for its CORSAIR COLLECTIONS peripherals: the Enchanted Quest Collection. These limited-edition keyboards, available exclusively from the CORSAIR webstore, are clad in eye-catching colors inspired by retro 8-bit RPG and fantasy genres. Players can equip these magical items and add a unique, colorful flair to their gaming desktop overworld, whether they revisit their favorite classic adventures or forge new ones.

Enchanted Quest K65 RGB MINI keyboards' four bright, beautiful color gradients transport you to worlds of swords, sorcery, and epic loot. Choose your theme from the enticing Pink Elixir, the atmospheric Ethereal Blue, the mysterious Purple Rune, or the painterly Pastel Twilight. All four varieties come with an exclusive custom ESC keycap with a unique icon that fits each Enchanted Quest theme, for an extra touch of personality and detail on your keyboard.

The Lord of Terror has been defeated, but darker days lie ahead for Sanctuary's newest heroes. Diablo Immortal, the latest, all-new entry in Blizzard Entertainment's iconic Diablo franchise, is live and available for download free on iOS and Android mobile platforms, and in open beta on Windows PC via Battle.net, throughout most regions of the world, with select Asia-Pacific regions coming June 22. In celebration of the launch and in gratitude to the more than 35 million people who pre-registered for Diablo Immortal, all players who log in to the game and complete the tutorial within the next 30 days will be able to deck out their characters to battle demons in style with the ceremonial Horadrim Cosmetic Set.

"We're thrilled to now be able to put the newest entry in the Diablo series in players' hands," said Mike Ybarra, president of Blizzard Entertainment. "The visceral gameplay, dark story, and depth of character customization that Diablo is known for are all here in Diablo Immortal. And with this being a AAA free-to-play Blizzard game, it was important to us to give players a full and highly engaging core game experience—including upcoming features, character classes, story, and more—completely free."

The Worldstone is shattered, and it now falls to the heroes of Sanctuary to fend off the terrors rising in its wake. Blizzard Entertainment today announced that beginning June 2, players in most regions across the world will take up the call to defend against the Burning Hells in Diablo Immortal, the first Blizzard game designed from the ground up for mobile, with the remaining regions in Asia-Pacific gaining access a few weeks later. n addition to offering an uncompromised AAA experience on mobile, the most ambitious game released in the Diablo franchise's 25-year history will enter into Open Beta on Windows PC at launch. Diablo Immortal supports both cross-play and cross-progression, allowing Sanctuary's heroes to join the fight with each other regardless of platform while being able to seamlessly transition between mobile and PC gameplay. The Open Beta on PC will contain all game features, including cross-play and cross-progression, and upon conclusion all progress will be maintained.

"The demons of the Burning Hells are ready to be slain in the most expansive Diablo game that Blizzard has ever released," said Mike Ybarra, president of Blizzard Entertainment. "As Blizzard's first game designed from the ground up for mobile, it was important to us to deliver an experience worthy of the franchise, so we did a lot of testing, incorporated a lot of feedback, and created a game that we're very excited to share with players. We're looking forward to unleashing this epic new entry in the Diablo franchise, and we can't wait to join everyone in Sanctuary." With the fate of Sanctuary in their hands, players will choose between six iconic Diablo classes-Barbarian, Crusader, Demon Hunter, Monk, Necromancer, or Wizard-and embark on a journey through eight unique zones and the great city of Westmarch. They will join up with new and familiar Diablo characters, including the franchise's patriarch Deckard Cain, on an expansive quest to hunt down the shattered pieces of the corrupted Worldstone before the forces of the Burning Hells can gather them for their own sinister plans in an epic all-new story taking place between the events of Diablo II and Diablo III.

Warner Bros. Games and DC today announced Gotham Knights, a brand-new open-world, third-person action RPG videogame in development from Warner Bros. Games Montréal. Gotham Knights features the Batman Family as players step into the roles of Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood and Robin, a new guard of trained DC Super Heroes who must rise up as the protectors of Gotham City in the wake of Batman's death.

Introducing an original story set in DC's Batman Universe, Gotham Knights offers a dynamic and interactive Gotham City where an exploding criminal element has swept through the streets. With the Belfry as their base of operations, this new era of heroes will solve mysteries that connect the darkest chapters in the city's history and must defeat notorious villains in epic confrontations. Players must save Gotham from a descent into chaos and reinvent themselves into their own version of the Dark Knight.

MMD, the leading display specialist and brand license partner for Philips Monitors are releasing two new Momentum monitors, one of which includes a product collaboration with Bowers & Wilkins. The first is the 558M1RY which at 55 inches (139.7 cm) is the largest console gaming optimized monitor on the market, the second being the 278M1R, a 27-inch (68.6 cm) monitor designed for esports. The 558M1RY will bring a whole new dimension to gaming, boasting a 4K UHD resolution, up to 120Hz refresh rate, a specially designed speaker by Bowers & Wilkins, and Ambiglow which extends around the screen. The 278M1R is the first Philips monitor designed exclusively with esports players in mind, it's 27 inches and is HDR Ready. The 55" will be available end of June 2020 and the 27" as of July 2020.

The 558M1RY is a truly one box solution to immersive gaming and entertainment. Players will be completely engrossed in their games with a 55-inch screen and 3 sided Ambiglow. The monitor dazzles with its UltraClear 4K UHD resolution, featuring 3840 x 2160 pixels and DisplayHDR 1000. Users can adjust the HDR to their preferences with HDR Game, HDR Movie, HDR Photo and an HDR personal modes; HDR can also be completely turned off.

CD Projekt RED scrambled to clarify the "in game purchases" ESRB rating "Cyberpunk 2077" received. The ESRB rating exploded on social media earlier this week, with gamers fearing CDPR's magnum opus action RPG to be riddled with microtransactions - something both gamers and CDPR have strong views against. A CDPR representative Twinfinite spoke with clarified that the "in game transactions" tag is now required by games that may receive expansions in the future. Most game main-menus now include some sort of shortcuts to obtain expansion DLCs or news from the developers. Implementing something of that sort in Cyberpunk 2077 would mean tripping the "in-game purchases" marker with ESRB. Cyberpunk 2077 is on-course for a September 17, 2020 release.

A March 23 website domain name registration update by Take-Two Interactive, publishers of the "Grand Theft Auto" franchise, sparked rumors of an imminent "Grand Theft Auto VI" announcement. The registered domain "GTAVI.com" is now a placeholder for what could be an exclusive site for the upcoming chapter in the wildly popular open-world action RPG franchise.

Much has been talked about GTA VI in recent years, such as rumors of the game having the largest open world ever in the franchise, including the ability to transport between the various fictional cities in the GTA universe via fast-travel points at airports. With GTA V, Rockstar introduced the concept of multiple playable characters, each with its unique set of missions, and some interesting joint missions where you switch between the playable characters. The introduction of cities spread across the landmass could only take this concept further.

Blizzard employees protested the company's decision to ban Hearthstone player "Blitzchung" from an event for his opinions on the ongoing situation in Hong Kong SAR. Some employees covered up a portion of a floor decal in the company's office that read "Think Globally," and "Every Voice Matters," in protest. Blizzard's MMORPGs are "massively" popular in China, with Chinese Internet giant Tencent holding an equity stake. Some see the move to ban "Blitzchung" as the company "bending the knee" to China by taking a position on the situation in Hong Kong, instead of remaining neutral. The picture of a ruled piece of paper covering up the company floor decal with duct tape was tweeted by former Blizzard employee and eSports industry observer Kevin Hovdestad.

Control is one of the best non-surprising surprises of this year's gaming scene. Remedy's tale of science fiction and paranatural objects and events is joined with a strong narrative, some of the best environments and art direction we've seen this side of 2019, and strong gunplay to boot. That Remedy isn't finished with exploring the world of Control is a given, and now we have some idea of how things will (para)naturally pan out.

First off, a free content drop coming later this year is a Photo Mode and a new game mode, dubbed Expeditions, which will shore-up endgame content for players who want to get engrossed, without end, in the gameplay of Control. There will also be two paid expansions for the game. The Foundation drops in 2020 with new story missions, enemies, and game mechanics, and will explore the nature of The Oldest House. The second Expansion, AWE (Altered World Event in the games' lingo) will explore the Investigations Sector of the Oldest House and the Federal Bureau of Control. This last one is the most intriguing, and could (tinfoil hat galore) mean a mesh of Control and Alan Wake. We know from Control's lore that the events depicted in Alan Wake are considered an Altered World Event in the game, and that they occur in the same universe. Also, the teaser image recreates the legendary Alan Wake cover art. Perhaps we'll find closure to Alan Wake outside the game proper? I'll be here to see, definitely. Finishing off, the Expansion pass will reportedly be set at a $24.99 pricing, which means individual expansions could go for $14.99 each.

Soldak Entertainment today announced Din's Legacy has been released. Din's Legacy is an action RPG with mutating characters, set in a dynamic, evolving, fantasy world for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

During the Orc Schism, the entire Orc race was violently split into Dark Orcs, Zombielords, and the Mutated. The Mutated are tainted with Orc blood, a zombie parasite, and necromancer magic. This makes people seriously mistrust and even fear them. The fact that they slowly mutate over time makes it even worse. Who is going to trust you when you grow horns overnight?

Underworld Ascendant, the fan-funded title from independent game studio OtherSide Entertainment is now available digitally for PlayStation 4 from the PlayStation Store. The action-RPG, published by 505 Games, will soon be available to Xbox One players via the Xbox Games Store. Both versions are priced at 24.99.

Underworld Ascendant is a fantasy RPG that challenges you to think creatively in an interactive sandbox environment. Players can mix and match dozens of combat, stealth and magic skills to develop their unique style of play and devise clever plans to overcome challenges as they navigate the foreboding Stygian Abyss.

Baldur's gate 3, the sequel to one of gaming's iconic franchises, has just been announced. The game is being developed by Larian Studios, developers of the extremely-well received Divinity series, and will carry on with the lore of the series. The RPG game promises high-stakes decisions and forking branch decisions, where player's agency in the world is reflected and potentiated by writing and mechanics.

larian Studios have flung themselves deep into this sort of game before, since Divinity II: Original Sin was extrmeely well received in the world of RPGs. However, the studio has to carry over an expectation of excellence for the saga, and they consider this to be their most ambitious project ever. Baldur's Gate has has a troubling few years on its belt, with ideas and planned sequels livening up before crashing down before or after development started. The game has already been in production for two years, and now Larian Studios have announced they have their full studio grunt toiling to bring their Baldur's Gate vision to fruition. It's being developed for a single-player experience, but can also be experienced - with no reduction in quality of immersion - cooperatively. Look after the break for the announcement trailer, towards the Forgotten Realms that aren't, after all.

The global community of FINAL FANTASY XIV Online continues to grow as SQUARE ENIX announced the game has now surpassed 16 million registered users worldwide during a Letter from the Producer LIVE segment streamed from San Francisco. Accumulating almost six years of critical adoration and passionate fandom, the positive momentum of the MMORPG carries into the upcoming release of its third major expansion, FINAL FANTASY XIV: Shadowbringers on July 2, 2019.

Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida also revealed several new details for the upcoming expansion during the livestream, including:

• Details on battle system changes, including the introduction of the charged action system.
• Updates to the FATE system, side quests, as well the addition of role quests.
• Adjustments to job synergy and rebalancing of jobs
• Various quality of life changes and UI updates

Capcom's "Monster Hunter: World" opened to generally positive reviews on the backs of strong gameplay mechanics, inventory system, and an addictive yet simple RPG quest, although we found it falling slightly short in the eye-candy department, as its visuals and texture-quality felt dated and a good 3-5 years behind what's considered cutting-edge today. Capcom alleviated some of this criticism by releasing a free and optional high-resolution texture pack for the game. The "High Resolution Textures Pack" is an optional feature-update that adds not just significantly higher resolution textures for the game, but also the new "TAA+FXAA" anti-aliasing mode under graphics settings. Rock Paper Shotgun comments that it has also observed some refinements in some of the visual effects. You can get the update from the "DLC" section of your game's Steam page, or this page.

The new installment is an open-world space action single-player RPG that puts the player in the cockpit of Captain Jonathan Bold, a space adventurer traveling the vast universe of Starpoint Gemini 3. For the first time in the franchise, Starpoint Gemini 3 introduces 3D, animated NPCs that players can interact with, and this time the flight path leads beyond Gemini as they get to explore two new planetary systems, visiting various venues, from pubs with shady clientele to high-tech facilities and noisy, glitzy nightclubs.

Along with the action-packed space battles, Starpoint Gemini 3 comes with an array of novel possibilities. With the help of ADAH, a digital consciousness that runs the ship's computer, players can operate the ship's drone and accomplish tasks they wouldn't otherwise be able to do.

Obsidian Entertainment, which was recently acquired by Microsoft in its efforts to bolster its first-party studios, has announced a new video game set for release in 2019. Titled "The Outer Worlds", it's a first-person RPG with a focus on single-player and story - it seems more Fallout than Fallout, really, which should come as a surprise to virtually no-one: this is the game studio that developed Fallout: New Vegas and that still holds the talent of some of that franchises' early creators.

The game seems to be striking a balance between Fallout and Borderlands, both in the art and setting department and overall design. If so, this could be an interesting take on the genre, though we'd hope for either a really strong storyline or some innovative mechanics to set itself apart from other offerings that are crowding this particular strata of the gaming world: Borderlands, Rage, Fallout, and now Far Cry New Dawn are all exploring stretches of this setting. We'll be here to look at what a current-gen Fallout game might be without the Creation Engine - and multiplayer focus like Fallout 76.

THQ Nordic today announced they had acquired the IP for Kingdoms of Amalur, the huge, ambitious RPG that launched back in 2012. Developed by 38 Studios and the adequately named Big Huge Games, Kingdoms of Amalur> Reckoning launched to a good public and critic reception (albeit slightly polarizing in the extreme), which wasn't really that unexpected - renowned fantasy writer R. A. Salvatore created the in-game story and lore, for one, and Todd McFarlane was responsible for the art department.

However, the game didn't go on to be the commercial success it needed to be (perhaps because of it threading genre conventions all too well, particularly in the side quest portion of the game), and 38 Studios eventually filed for bankruptcy. The world and lore of Kingdoms of Amalur was already quite substantial to begin with, and a sequel was in the works and in pre-production; and that's ostensibly all part of the new IP acquisition by THQ Nordic. There's something about the overall Kingdoms of Amalur aesthetic and gameplay that resonates with THQ Nordic's own Darksiders, so it seems to be a good fit for the company. Here's to something new actually flourishing from the ashes of this acquisition.