10 Video Games That Could Be 2019’s Game Of The Year

Star Wars, samurais, and so many open worlds are on the slate for 2019.

Death Stranding Norman Reedus
Kojima Productions

2018 brought us some great AAA games in the form of Red Dead Redemption 2, God of War and Spider-Man, and in between those were plenty of indie gems like Celeste which saw some much deserved praise, alongside a bunch of unexpected hits in the mix as well. Fortunately, the momentum of the last 12 months isn't stopping as we enter 2019, as there's plenty of potentially great games on the horizon as well.

Now, guessing game of the year is a fool's errand at the best of times, but it's even more difficult at the start of January. In 2018 Fortnite even scooped one of the many Game of the Year accolades, despite releasing in summer 2017. Consequently, trying to predict who’ll win the title out of games not even out yet is even more difficult.

That’s why this list isn’t doing that, particularly. Instead, it’s looking at ten of the biggest potential winners, if all goes to plan. There’s a little bit of optimism here too, as with the unpredictable nature of release dates, some of these games could end up being 2020 releases when all is said and done.

If the stars align though, the next 12 months could be the best the generation has seen so far.

10. Kingdom Hearts III

Death Stranding Norman Reedus
Square Enix

Don’t let that 3 in the name fool you; there’s been 11 Kingdom Hearts games released between this and Kingdom Hearts 2 in 2005. Still, Kingdom Hearts III seems like it might just be the Kingdom Hearts we’ve been waiting for.

As well as finally returning to the main storyline, the third game promises more characters than ever before with Toy Story and Winnie The Pooh’s gang joining the fun. Not only that, but it’s coming to Xbox for the first time ever as well.

While those additions might appeal to fans, it’ll take more to challenge everything else for Game of the Year. Fortunately, the sequel promises a renewed focus on combat, offering a smoother style closer to a Western action game than Kingdom Hearts’ roots. Final Fantasy XV made a similar change and although it wasn’t met with universal acclaim, Kingdom Hearts may just learn from its missteps.

If nothing else, judging by the latest screenshots it’ll definitely be memorable. Due to China’s censorship of Winnie The Pooh, the cuddly yellow bear had to be blurred out of footage in those regions. At the very least, then, Kingdom Hearts III could arrive with one of the strangest controversies of the year.

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Self appointed queen of the SJWs. Find me on Twitter @FiveTacey (The 5 looks like an S. Do you get it? Do you get my joke about the 5?)