Keeping track of all the latest video games coming out is an increasingly complex task, what with multiple PC storefronts, Xbox One, PS4, Switch, mobile, and more to keep track of, but don’t worry, I’m here to help. Every month I’ll be running down the games you need to be keeping an eye on, from the big triple-A headliners, to the intriguing indies you might overlook.
January may have been a bit slow, but 2024 is already kicking into high gear in February, with a number of heavy hitters including Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Helldivers 2, and the divisive duo of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Skull and Bones. Indies are also bringing the heavy leather in February, with The Thaumaturge from the team behind The Witcher remake, the full release of Sons of the Forest, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake, and more.
Note: While I may have played demos or got early access to some of the games recommended in this article, in most cases I’m simply choosing games that look promising, and can’t vouch for the end product. Do wait for reviews before buying!
That said, here are the games you should be looking out for in February…
The Headliners
Persona 3 Reload (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 & PS5, Feb. 2)
While the Persona series has been around in some form since the 90s, it was 2006’s Persona 3 that really ushered in the series’ modern era, with a heavy emphasis on the life sim elements in addition to the usual dungeon hacking. Persona 3 Reload is a full-on remake of the original, bringing the game up to modern Persona-5-level presentation standards. See where Persona really became Persona. You can pre-order Persona 5 Reload here.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (PC, Xbox Series X/S & PS5, Feb. 2)
Okay, yeah, this has been a controversial one. In development at Batman Arkham creators Rocksteady Studios for over seven years, many fans have objected to the game’s live service approach and its PR campaign has been a bit of a disaster. That said, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is still a Rocksteady game and it seems to retain plenty of the studio’s DNA. The action looks solid, the presentation is impressive, and there are plenty of juicy references for DC Comics fans. Approach this one with caution, but maybe don’t completely write it off. We’ll have a full review next week (codes were send to outlets late). You can pre-order Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League here.
Helldivers 2 (PC & PS5, Feb. 8)
Continuing on the live service theme, Sony’s big live service push kicks off this month with Helldivers 2. The first Helldivers was a fun yet relatively simple isometric twin-stick shooter, but the sequel goes much grander with a third-person perspective and full-on AAA presentation. Thankfully, the straightforward Starship-Troopers-inspired “let’s blast some aliens” charm of the original seems to have been retained. You can pre-order Helldivers 2 here.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden (PC, Xbox Series X/S & PS5, Feb. 13)
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden represents a bit of a departure for developer Dontnod, or, at least, a return to style of game we haven’t seen from them in a while. Coming from the team being Vampyr, Banishers is a full-on action RPG in which players assume the role of a ghost hunter in a fantasy world. The new universe Dontnod has created seems intriguing and the game’s action looks surprisingly intense, so don’t banish this game from your “ones to watch” list. You can pre-order Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden here.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Switch, Feb. 16)
Back before Mario was Super or DK had his Country, the two debuted together in 1981’s Donkey Kong, and while the pair have had a lot of adventures since then, some folks remain nostalgic for that classic arcade action. Enter Mario vs. Donkey Kong, an expanded Switch remake of the original Game Boy Advance entry in the series. Will this game blow your mind with its fresh ideas? Probably not, but based on my hands-on time it’ll be worth monkeying around with. You can pre-order Mario vs. Donkey Kong here.
Skull and Bones (PC, Xbox Series X/S & PS5, Feb. 16)
It’s a bit of a month for long-delayed live service games, isn’t it? After being pushed back many times, Ubisoft’s open-world online pirate sim Skull and Bones officially sets sail this month. Ubisoft has delivered on the swashbuckling high-seas pirate fantasy in the past, it just remains to be seen whether they’ve managed to bring everything together into a compelling whole here. Perhaps another one to approach with caution, but not completely write off. You can pre-order Skull and Bones here.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (PS5, Feb. 29)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the middle chapter of Square Enix’s ambitious Final Fantasy VII Remake project, arrives this month. While 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake told a somewhat constrained story focused more on character, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth opens things up with a full explorable open-world, tons of minigames, and more. If it was in the original FF7 back in the day, Square Enix has somehow figured out to stuff it in here (check out our hands-on impressions here). You can pre-order Final Fantasy VII Rebirth here.
Promising Indies
The Thaumaturge (PC, Feb 20; Xbox Series X/S & PS5 later in 2024)
Set in a realistic UE5-powered version of early-20th-century Warsaw, The Thaumaturge promises to deliver complex roleplaying in a deeply-researched historically-accurate world (well, aside from all the magical stuff going on). The Thaumaturge is being developed by Polish studio Fool’s Theory, who are also making the upcoming remake of the original The Witcher. If CD Projekt Red is willing to trust Fool’s Theory with their baby you can be fairly confident they know their way around an RPG. Here’s the Steam page for The Thaumaturge.
Pacific Drive (PC & PS5, Feb. 22)
Pacific Drive is an interesting mashup of survival-horror and car maintenance. The Pacific Northwest has been plunged into an apocalyptic hellscape overrun with Lovecraftian monstrosities and your only refuge is your rust-bucket ride. Survive the horrors, scrounge resources, upgrade your car, and find out what the heck is going on in this strange world. Here’s the Steam page for Pacific Drive.
Sons of the Forest (PC, Feb. 22)
Another survival-horror game that puts a heavy emphasis on survival, Sons of the Forest tasks you with scrounging, crafting, and building up your defenses and home base while being preyed upon by grotesque fleshy cannibals. This sequel to the fan-favorite The Forest has been in Early Access for the past year, during which the response has been quite positive, so you can jump into the horror with confidence upon the game’s full launch. Here’s the Steam page for Sons of the Forest.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake (PC, Xbox Series X/S & PS5, Feb. 28)
Josef Fares of Hazelight Studios have become a bit of a rockstar in recent years, but before he scored big hits with games like A Way Out and It Takes Two, there was Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. Much like Fares’ later games, Brothers focuses heavily on the concept of teamwork, although in this case, a single player controls the two titular brothers at once. Rebuilt with Unreal Engine 5, it will be interesting to see if this new version of Brothers can be as successful as Fares’ recent efforts. Here’s the Steam page for Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake.
Full List of Games Worth Watching in February:
- Granblue Fantasy: Relink (PC, PS4 & PS5, Feb. 1)
- Jujutsu Kaisen Cursed Clash (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 & Switch, Feb. 2)
- Legendary Hoplite (PC, Feb. 2)
- Persona 3 Reload (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 & PS5, Feb. 2)
- Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (PC, Xbox Series X/S & PS5, Feb. 2)
- Foamstars (PS4 & PS5, Feb. 6)
- Helldivers 2 (PC & PS5, Feb. 8)
- Airhead (PC, Xbox Series X/S & PS5, Feb. 12; Xbox One, PS5 & Switch later)
- Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden (PC, Xbox Series X/S & PS5, Feb. 13)
- Islands of Insight (PC, Feb. 13)
- Ultros (PC, PS4 & PS5, Feb. 13)
- Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore (PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 & Switch, Feb. 13)
- Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior (PC, Feb. 13)
- Solium Infernum (PC, Feb. 14)
- Tomb Raider I – III Remastered (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 & Switch, Feb. 14)
- Gunvolt Records Cychronicle (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 & Switch, Feb. 15)
- Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II (PC, PS5 & Switch, Feb. 15)
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Switch, Feb. 16)
- Skull and Bones (PC, Xbox Series X/S & PS5, Feb. 16)
- Lazaret (PC, Feb. 20)
- Le Mans Ultimate (PC, Feb. 20)
- The Thaumaturge (PC, Feb 20; Xbox Series X/S & PS5 later in 2024)
- Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story (PC & Switch, Feb. 21)
- Last Epoch (PC, Feb. 21)
- Slave Zero X (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 & Switch, Feb. 21)
- Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance (PC, Feb. 21)
- CorpoNation: The Sorting Process (PC, Feb. 22)
- Pacific Drive (PC & PS5, Feb. 22)
- Sons of the Forest (PC, Feb. 22)
- Promenade (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 & Switch, Feb. 23)
- Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island (Switch, Feb. 27)
- Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake (PC, Xbox Series X/S & PS5, Feb. 28)
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (PS5, Feb. 29)
- Welcome to ParadiZe (PC, Xbox Series X/S & PS5, Feb. 29)
And those are the games you should be keeping an eye on this coming month. What games are you planning to pick up in February? Did I miss anything you’re looking forward to?
