The 7 must-see trailers and reveals from The Game Awards 2018

Mortal Kombat 11

NetherRealm Studios makes fighting games, and nowadays they alternate between the Mortal Kombat and Injustice series. Well, it’s Mortal Kombat‘s time back in the spotlight, and the studio and Warner Bros. just announced Mortal Kombat 11 at The Game Awards.

At first glance, there are no surprises: it’s incredibly violent and gory, although this is just a cinematic trailer for now. But the darker form of Raiden is compelling, as is the seeming existence of two Scorpions. Mortal Kombat 11 will feature a new story mode, as usual, plus feature character customisation like that of the great Injustice 2.

It’s out quick, too: we’ll see it on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC on 23 April 2019.

Dragon Age 4

BioWare’s 2014 role-player Dragon Age: Inquisition was pretty stellar, and the fantasy franchise will be back in action at some point in the future. This teaser trailer doesn’t say or show much at this point, but according to the studio, it’s being built by a team featuring longtime studio and series veterans.

It could be a long while before we see the proper game, however: VentureBeat reported earlier this week that the next Dragon Age may not release until 2021, as BioWare is strongly focused on next year’s Anthem at this point.

Far Cry: New Dawn

Wasn’t it just this spring that we got a new Far Cry game? Indeed, Far Cry 5 released in late March, but Ubisoft is already back at it with a sequel – one with an explosive premise.

Set 17 years after Far Cry 5, standalone spinoff New Dawn sees Hope County transformed by a nuclear explosion, with a pair of sisters leading a gang of bandits across the modified Montana map. As ever, Far Cry is all about open-world shenanigans and entertaining ways to both explore and take out foes, so it ought to be fun… even if it seems rather soon for a successor. Far Cry: New Dawn hits PS4, Xbox One, and PC on 15 February 2019.

Outer Worlds

Feeling a little burnt by Fallout 76, which shed the series’ single-player approach with decidedly mixed results? If so, then maybe Outer Worlds can be your salve in 2019.

Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the team behind Fallout: New Vegas, this original IP feels like a blend of Fallout and Mass Effect, with a dash of Borderlands-like humour in the mix. Looks like a fun time, and this first-person role-playing is expected to ship next year on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Hades

Supergiant Games makes consistently excellent original games with bite-sized price tags, as seen with Bastion and Transistor. Given that, we’re thrilled to see the debut of Hades, which not only seems to carry on that trend but is actually available right now in early access.

Launched as one of the first titles on the new Epic Games Store, Hades is a hack-and-slash dungeon crawler that ought to be tough as nails despite looking quite alluring. Early access means it’ll be updated and expanded in the months to come, but we have little doubt that it already shows plenty of the polish and panache that Supergiant is capable of.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order

A full decade after the last entry, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 will arrive in 2019 – and this time, the action role-player is a Switch exclusive that is published by Nintendo and developed by Team Ninja (Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive). That’s all pretty unexpected!

What’s less surprising is the first footage of the game, which looks mostly familiar in approach to what we saw with the first couple games. That’s not a complaint: those earlier entries delivered a lot of hack-and-slash fun, and this one brings in the Guardians of the Galaxy along with The Avengers and X-Men for what should be a pretty comprehensive brawler.

The Pathless

There were a few super-compelling indies in the mix last night, including Simogo’s Sayonara Wild Hearts and Hello Games’ The Last Campfire, but it was The Pathless that made one of the strongest impressions.

Giant Squid’s game recalls its previous effort, Abzu, with an ethereal tone that also might remind you of Journey or Shadow of the Colossus a bit. This gorgeous game "is the mythic adventure of an archer and an eagle in a vast forest," according to the official description, and we’re definitely eager to hear and see much more. It’s due out in 2019 on PS4 and PC.