In the world of gaming news, the grinding never stops. As our wonderful virtual universe continues to spin on its metaphorical axis, there is much to look forward to in the coming year. We’ve got Hogwarts Legacy, Starfield, Diablo 4, and more, but some of the best PC games of 2022 are worth remembering. As Christmas draws to a close and fireworks sparkle on the horizon, we’ve taken the liberty of bring together some of the biggest news events of the year in one place; After all, what’s not to love about a little nostalgia?
January
One of the most exciting events of January was Blizzard’s announcement that a new game set in a “whole new universe” is in the works, adding another new twist to the creator’s metaphorical arc of Diablo and WoW. They weren’t the only ones to announce something new, as Apex Legends creator Respawn Entertainment also revealed that they’re working on another AAA shooter.
To top it off, fans of turn-based strategy have been blessed with the news of a new studio, comprised of the developers of Doom and XCOM, who have teamed up to bring more strategic excellence to the ever-expanding genre.
February
The highlight of February, of course, was Elden Ring. Considered one of the best FromSoftware games of all time, this RPG rocketed to the top of the charts, challenging gamers around the world to collect the ultimate item. In addition to Elden Ring, Amazon Games and Smilegate RPG have brought the hybrid ARPG/MMO Lost Ark to the West after a successful launch in Korea. While server queues have skyrocketed and players have often lost the will to live, the game has flourished since its launch and now includes many exciting classes and areas. Dying Light 2 also deserves a brief mention; After all, who doesn’t like killing zombies?
Finally, Valve has redefined portable gaming, as we mentioned in our Steam Deck review. Initially, few people could get their hands on the PDA due to the redundancy system and several people who pre-ordered it, but the device quickly became a favorite thanks to changes to the loading screen, physical accessories, and developers rushing to optimize their games for the new system.
We highly recommend checking out our Elden Ring review, especially since it’s a PCGamesN 2022 game. If you don’t like Soulslikes, you can also check out Dying Light 2 review and Lost Ark review.
march
Elden Ring was followed by Final Fantasy Origin: Stranger in Paradise, which could hardly match the success of FromSoftware. Instead, Elden Ring topped the Steam charts, as did porn. Meanwhile, the Hogwarts Legacy Quidditch feature (due to its absence) has become the talk of the town.
Rainbow Six Siege also returns with Operation Demon Veil, which adds a great set of Asian-inspired cosmetics, as well as a new hidden Operator and Defender, Azami, one of the most influential meta-characters since Mira. It was a bit quieter than February (not that it was difficult), but April made up for it.
April
The first major reveal on the April slate was WoW Dragonflight, the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion that was rumored to have leaked early but was quickly confirmed. With Dragon Isles looming on the horizon, Unknown Worlds has also confirmed that we’ll be diving back into the sea with Subnautica 3, release date to be confirmed.
In addition to these announcements, Blizzard’s Diablo 2 Resurrected saw class balance for the first time in over 12 years, as well as over five million copies sold, and the first Overwatch 2 beta launched on April 26 with the new hero Sojourn, who finally gave hardcore FPS fans something to sink their teeth into.
May
After March, May was also a relatively quiet month. Excitement around Diablo Immortal began to build, and due to rumors that the Marvel MMORPG would shut down quickly and quietly, she passed away. In other news, the Elden Ring NPC actor Bladed has finally reached out to fans who may have been a little too excited about the character. Describing herself as “warm, energized, comforting and much loved”, the feeling appears to be mutual.
June
Thus began the avalanche of microtransactions. Blizzard’s Diablo Immortal was eventually released for PC and mobile, although it was originally exclusive to the latter, but its release left an indelible legacy on the game’s MTXs and legitimacy. Streamer Quintin ‘Quin69’ Crawford decided to throw a $15,000 gem in the trash and then quit the game while others tried to complete the game without making any purchases (spoiler alert, it wasn’t easy).
As the debate raged and Immortal dominated social media, a World of Warcraft player decided to turn 600 million WoW gold into microtransactions, and some pretty creepy new Starfield bugs came out of the afterlife, and no, the game didn’t even crash. had yet released.
July
The Legions of Skarn continued to infiltrate in July, with new boss Vitaat handing players his proverbial asses, and Diablo 3 Season 27 finally stepping in to atone for the Immortal’s many sins. Blizzard also kicked off the Hell’s Ink World Tour, giving fans the chance to participate in the upcoming Diablo 4 beta in exchange for having Prime Evil marked on their skins. A decent exchange, you ask? I would say yes.
In less light news, Steam has been banned in Indonesia, and the release of The Sims 4 High School Years update was an absolute disaster, defined by, well, incest. Yes truly.
August
August was the month that rocked Genshin Impact (briefly) as the new fantasy anime MMORPG tower was looking to topple MiHoYo’s open-world adventure. As Aida grew in popularity, the game was immediately attacked by hackers looking to ruin the player experience. It’s safe to say that Genshin faltered for a while, but he still remains on top.
The hits Sleeper Cult of the Lamb and Disney’s Dreamlight Valley (the latter in Early Access) were also released in August. The former remains one of the cutest games of 2022, while DDV gained a cult following (haha) in Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing. Oh, and someone else completely blew up a Minecraft map five years later. There is also that.
September
Did someone say CD Projekt Redtember? After the rocky launch of Cyberpunk 2077, Netflix’s Cyberpunk: Edgerunners series brought a host of new players to a forgotten RPG inspired by David and Lucy’s struggle to survive in an unforgiving world. After this hype, the developers have confirmed that Cyberpunk 2077 DLC called Phantom Liberty will appear on the maps, followed by a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077. Cyberpunk 2078?
But that is not all. In fact, The Witcher 4 is in development, as is another trilogy of games inspired by The Witcher. It’s still unclear what that means, but September was the best month in years for fans of the show.
October
After years of waiting, Overwatch 2 is finally here, adding three new heroes, tons of new maps, and a battle pass to Blizzard’s classic hero shooter. However, it was quickly eclipsed by Call of Duty’s sister title Modern Warfare 2 and its companion Warzone 2. 14th century France and Amicia and Hugo’s well-worn boots.
It was all framed by League of Legends Worlds, where the Lil Nas X Star Walkin’ anthem failed to win over fans and new queer black champion K’Sante fell off the League of Legends tier list pretty quickly. . While this was a victory for underrepresented communities around the world, the biggest event on the LoL calendar just didn’t live up to the hype.
Valve finally allowed people to purchase the official Steam Deck after several delays, allowing them to connect their gaming laptop PCs to TVs and monitors like the Nintendo Switch. Unfortunately, it launched with two big problems: an exorbitant price tag, and cheaper third-party accessories that do the exact same thing and have been around for months. Check out our Overwatch 2 review, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 review, and Plague Tale Requiem review to see what we thought of the October 2022 games.
november
From an escapade to a full adventure on Azeroth, WoW Dragonflight finally launched in November, slamming the book on the divisive Shadowlands and launching World of Warcraft into a magical new chapter.
The latest game to take us into the dark shadows of the distant future, Warhammer 40k: Darktide, has also released globally, but a positive start was overshadowed by a difficult beta, plagued by seemingly endless performance issues, as we speak. about in our article. Warhammer 40k Dark Tide analysis. You can also check out our WoW Dragonflight roundup to learn more about November’s biggest games.
December
However, the PC issues went beyond November and Darktide, and continued to plague our Callisto Protocol review. Throwing away visuals like hot cakes, the Dead Space-like horror game fell short of expectations, with gamers comparing it to Cyberpunk 2077 when it first released. Other notable releases include an XCOM-style superhero game, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, also more enthusiastically released that takes a darker, grittier approach to some of the company’s most iconic heroes and heroines, and High on Life, a game of Surreal shots straight out of the mind of Rick and Morty creator Justin Roiland.
The highlight of December, however, was The Game Awards, which finally announced Diablo 4’s release date, showcased the new Armored Core, and enthusiastically confirmed that Hades 2 was in development. In awards, Elden Ring and God of War: Ragnarok topped the competition, while indie game Stray took the win over Tunic. Sure, there was some random guy who spewed crazy shit on former US President Bill Clinton, but the less said about it the better. Instead, you should read our Marvel’s Midnight Suns review, as well as our High on Life review to close out the year.
And that’s a wrap, guys! Christmas wrapping, if you’ll excuse the pun. As we look forward to 2023, we already have a lot to be excited about and can’t wait to share it with you; 2022 has been a good year after all, but if you ask us, the release schedule for next year looks better than this one from 12 months ago (Starfield’s release date is coming up, after all).
Source : PC Gamesn
