Our 20 Most Anticipated PlayStation 4 Games Of Fall 2017

The fall release calendar is a madhouse every year, with September to November being packed with highly anticipated titles. Fall 2017 is no different, with a number of promising games across every genre imaginable being released during those few months. Here are 20 games, both third-party and first-party exclusives, we're most excited about for the PlayStation 4 this fall.

20. Yakuza Kiwami
Release: August 29

Yakuza, the long-running series from SEGA, finally has its smash hit for Western audiences with Yakuza 0, a prologue that follows the interconnected stories of series protagonist Kiryu and his rival Majima. 0 was a deep, engrossing brawler RPG and Kiwami will give players a chance to play through the original game in remastered graphics and see where the series all started. For more on Yakuza, you can read Cork's glowing review of 0 right here.

19. Dishonored: Death Of The Outsider
Also on Xbox One and PC
Release: September 15

Dishonored 2's beautiful world and impressive gameplay flexibility stole our imaginations when it released last November. A standalone game focusing on Billie Lurk, featured prominently in the first DLC for Dishonored as well as Dishonored 2. Set to release nearly a year later, the game focuses on Lurk and fan-favorite assassin Daud's attempts to take down the mysterious and all-powerful Outsider. For more on Death Of The Outsider, check out our Q&A with Arkane founder Harvey Smith about the game here.

18. FIFA 18
Also on Xbox One, Switch, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Release: September 29

In FIFA 17, we saw the rise of protagonist and soccer star Alex Hunter in the game's story mode. Hunter returns in FIFA 18 as we continue to live out the next leg of his journey. FIFA 18 will also be coming to Switch and you can read Kato's hands-on with that version of the game here to get a good idea of what it's like.

17. The Evil Within 2
Also on Xbox One and PC
Release: October 13

We adored the original Evil Within for its mix of surreal and insane imagery as well as its creepy thrills. Though we haven't seen too much gameplay footage of the sequel, Bethesda revealed an engrossing cinematic trailer during its E3 presentation that got fans of the original game excited. We're curious to see just what sort of hell protagonist Sebastian Castellanos is walking into this time. For more on Evil Within 2, you can watch the snippets of gameplay that Bethesda has released here or check out our review of the original.

16. Marvel Vs Capcom: Infinite
Also on Xbox One and PC
Release: September 19

Marvel Vs Capcom has always been one of the premier 'chocolate and peanut butter' game series out there, letting two worlds collide in a fan service-y explosion designed to please comic and fighting game fans. Infinite looks to continue that trend with new additions to the roster as well as a fresh visual style. We recently got the chance to ask Capcom all sorts of questions about Infinite; you can read that here.

15. Battle Chasers: Nightwar
Also on Xbox One, Switch, PC
Release: October 3

Originally a fantasy comic book series, Battle Chasers found a dedicated following in the 90s before it ended in 2001, with creator Joe Madureira leaving comics to focus on designing video games. Thanks to a crowdfunding campaign, the comic is back but is instead an RPG with a turn-based combat system, one that the RPG nuts in our office are excited to get their hands on.

14.  GT Sport
Release:  October 17

Gran Truismo returns with the first game since 2013 with a focus on the E-sports competitive scene and integration of Porsche cars. This will be the first Gran Turismo to debut on PlayStation 4, so fans of the series have a lot to be excited about.  Kato recently got to play some of the beta and came back with glowing impressions you can read here. 

13. Hidden Agenda
Release: Fall

Until Dawn was one of the most surprising games of 2015, with its unique approach to interactive storytelling, quality writing, and genuine scares. Developer Supermassive is working on a follow-up called Hidden Agenda, which embraces the thriller genre more than horror and also introduces a new mechanic: a multiplayer functionality using cellphones, where players are encouraged to fulfill their own personal agendas. As big fans of Until Dawn, we're excited to see how Supermassive builds upon that formula with this sequel. You can watch Hidden Agenda in action here and read our review of Until Dawn.

12. South Park: The Fractured But Whole
Also on Xbox One and PC
Release: October 17

The first South Park, The Stick of Truth, left us in stitches with all its crude gags and jabs at video game conventions. If our time with its sequel is any indication, it seems that The Fractured But Whole will have us laughing just as hard. During E3, associate editor Elise Favis got the chance to play through a preview segment involving a strip club, enjoying her time with it. You can read the full preview here and also check out this collection of features we wrote when The Fractured But Whole was our cover story last year.

11. Matterfall
Release: August 15

Another side-scroller, arcadey action game from the makers of Nex Machina and Resogun? Sign us up. We loved both those games and developer Housemarque clearly has a skill for developing them and Matterfall looks to be hitting all the right notes so far with its sci-fi battle suits and crazy action. Matterfall was one of the best indies we saw at E3 this year; you can check out the full list of our favorite indie games from the event here.

To see the rest of our picks, head on over to the next page.

10. Madden NFL 18
Also on Xbox One and PC
Release:  August 25

Following in the footsteps of FIFA, this year's Madden will include a story mode called The Long Shot, which follows a small town rookie named Devin Wade. What we've seen so far of the story mode suggests a narrative drawing inspiration from the likes of Friday Night Lights. This Madden will also be the first to use the Frostbite engine. For more on Madden, be sure to check out The Sports Desk about its career mode.

9. Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds
Release: Fall

Horizon Zero Dawn was one of the first great games to come out this year and its open-world offerings impressed most of us here at Game Informer, so we're definitely looking forward to more Horizon. The Frozen Wilds follows Aloy as she tracks a machine foe in a massive mountain. Sony's revealed that there will be new enemies for players to tackle as well as new areas to explore. For more on Horizon Zero Dawn, check out our review. 

8. Middle-earth: Shadow of War
Also on Xbox One and PC
Release: October 10

Get ready to head back to Mordor. Shadow of War brings us back the popular Nemesis system from Shadow of Mordor as well as gruesome decapitations, and a new gameplay mode built around raiding forts with an army you've assembled. We're looking forward to diving back into Monolith's version of Tolkien's popular world and settling grudge matches with orcs. 

7.  NBA 2k18
Also on Xbox One, Switch, PC, PS3, Xbox 306
Release: September 15

The follow-up to our sports game of the year of 2016 arrives this September and includes fan favorite modes like My Team and My League. We're hoping that the new version of the game builds upon the last excellent iteration and makes certain changes that make this core game even better. You can read our wishlist for the next entry here.

6. Assassin's Creed Origins
Also on Xbox One and PC
Release: October 27

The latest in Ubisoft's popular series takes us to Egypt and will explore the beginning of the brotherhood. Origins looks absolutely gorgeous and is making quite a few changes to the series' formula, introducing RPG-lite leveling as well as loot. We're cautiously optimistic about this entry and all the bold choices that are being made to help the game stand out. We recently had Origins as a cover story for the magazine and you can check out all our online features associated with that here. 

5.  Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Release: August 22

Though Nathan Drake's adventures may be at an end, Uncharted goes on. This time it focuses on two fan favorite characters, Nadine and Chloe, as they search for an artifact in India called the Tusk of Ganesh. Though series fans are excited for more Uncharted, it'll be interesting to see an entry that's not centered around gaming's resident wise-cracking doofus with a charming smile. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy was our cover story back in April and you can read all of web features tied to that story here.

4. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus 
Also on Xbox One and PC
Release: October 27

BJ Blazkowicz and friends are back, and this time they've got their crosshairs set on Nazi-controlled America. The New Order was a fantastic shooter that told a great story filled with memorable characters, somber moments, and hyper violent hijinks. From the eight minute trailer that Bethesda showed off at E3 as well as our own hands-on preview, it looks like developer Machinegames is turning everything up to 11, with BJ shooting nazis while rolling back in a wheelchair and later punching them into bloody gibs while he wears a super suit. For more on Wolfenstein II, you can read my breakdown of the E3 trailer here. 

3. Call of Duty: WWII
Also on Xbox One and PC
Release: November 3

After several entries starring people flying around in exo-suits and shooting each other in space, Call of Duty is returning to its origins as a World War 2 shooter and we couldn't be happier about that. More than just the setting, the new COD will also remove the series' standard regenerating health system in favor of having to find health and it will introduce a new multiplayer hub for players to explore. You can read our multiplayer preview here. 

2. Star Wars: Battlefront II
Also on Xbox One and PC
Release: November 17

Many Star Wars fans felt left out in the cold after EA's reboot of Battlefront launched with sparse content. DICE and EA are looking to fix that with the sequel, offering expanded multiplayer modes as well as campaign that focuses on an unexpected protagonist: a soldier in the Galactic Empire's army. While many folks are still skeptical after the lackluster launch of the first game, the footage shown off during E3 suggests that both EA and DICE are looking to remedy that complaint and offer a galaxy's worth of compelling content. Furthermore, those on the fence will get a chance to try the game for themselves when the open beta hits in October. 

1. Destiny 2
Also on Xbox One and PC
Release: September 6

Destiny is a divisive game for a lot of reasons: an almost non-existent narrative, a lack of compelling endgame, writing that occasionally strays into ludicrously bad territory. However, there's no denying that Destiny's gunplay is fun and engaging, and that universe is ripe for expansion and refinement, which is exactly what Destiny 2 looks like it's doing. We're curious to see just what good comes out of Bungie and Activision getting a clean start with the next phase of Destiny and hopefully fixing a number of issues that have pushed certain players out of the game while still focusing on the meaty gameplay and quirky fantastical elements that make Destiny so charming.