The holiday season constitutes one of the busiest times in the video game industry and there are plenty ofholiday video game releases to play, which are set to launch between the beginning of November to the middle of December, there are a lot of games and expansions that players can look forward to. With availability across different platforms, gamers will have a lot to look forward to over the next month.
Particularly for those players looking for something new to play, November will be full of options. Many franchises are getting remakes of beloved titles, long-awaited expansions, and new releases for some of the most popular franchises. From the first week of November through to the last, there seems to be something for almost everyone to enjoy.
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Call of Duty: Vanguard and Battlefield 2042
Leading the FPS genre are heavy hitters likeCall of Duty: VanguardandBattlefield 2042which will release November 5 and 19, respectively.Call of Duty: Vanguardwill keep the franchise’s current streak of focus on historical conflicts going, which has allowed it to step away from the present and near-future scenarios that players experienced inCall of Duty: Modern WarfareandCall of Duty: Black Ops 4.
With a focus on adapting familiar stories,Call of Duty: Vanguardwill also highlight the creation of Special Operation Forces during the war with characters adapted from an international list of war heroes and resistance members as players fight against the game’s main villain, the Nazi SS General Hermann Wenzel Freisinger. Alongside the campaign and multiplayer,Treyarch recently revealed details forCall of Duty: Vanguard’s Zombies, a game mode that has been loved by fans sinceCall of Duty: World at War.
Swinging in the opposite direction isBattlefield 2042. TheBattlefieldfranchise has had some stark differences from itsCall of Dutycounterparts for a while but will be taking a big step this November with a multiplayer-only game. Fans can already expectgameplay changes forBattlefield 2042after its troubled Betawhich is good news since the lack of a single-player campaign can already be a big hurdle for players. The story will still unfold through multiplayer experiences, but this change could affect how the game performs.
Remakes and Remasters in November
Players that are looking to experience some nostalgia this fall or simply share the memories of their favorite titles with friends will also have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks. TheGrand Theft Auto: The Trilogy Definitive Editionreleases on November 11 with enhancements toGTA 3,Vice City, andSan Andreas. Just over a week later, two of the most highly anticipatedPokemonremakes will be out on November 19 with the release ofPokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearl.
Even asGTA 5continues to dominate the market in many ways, fans of the classics will be able to revisit some of the series' most iconic stories.GTA 3,Vice City, andSand Andreaswere part of an iconic era in video games on systems that dominated for years after their initial releases. As games and fans have grown the titles that pulled players in kept their icon status and despite many people still waiting for the reveal ofGTA 6,players will at least be able to revisit some classicGrand Theft Autolocations inGrand Theft Auto: The Trilogy Definitive Edition.
Pokemon DiamondandPearlwere revolutionary for their time and the Nintendo DS was a major step in changing what people thought about handheld gaming systems. With the release ofPokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlon the Nintendo Switch fans will be able to experience the Sinnoh region in a whole new art style. On top of visual changes,Pokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearl’s HM changes sound greatfor players who remember the struggles of needing a dedicated HM user on their team.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons' 2.0 Update and Happy Home Paradies DLC
Keeping the hype train moving forward for titles exclusive to the Nintendo Switch isAnimal Crossing: New Horizons’Happy Home ParadiseDLCwhich releases on November 5. Releasing in tandem withAnimal Crossing: New Horizons’ final free update theHappy Home ParadiseDLC will give fans a lot to do outside of maintaining their island. The ability to build and design new homes for villagers with unique decorating opportunities has the potential to keep fans engrossed in the title for years to come.
TheHappy Home ParadiseDLC andthe 2.0 update forAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsshould also reinvigorate players that have taken time away from the game. With quality-of-life changes and additions toAnimal Crossing: New Horizons,players should see a lot of wants met when they download the expansion and boot up their newly updated island. While not everything that fans have wanted will be added on November 5,Happy Home Paradisewill still be worth the money with a lot of new content to offer.
Forza Horizon 5
Rounding out major releases for November isForza Horizon 5on November 9. A lot has gone into makingForza Horizon 5one of the bestForzaexperiences to date, including several firsts for the series. Its fictitious depiction of Mexico will be the largest map yet, which is backed up byForza Horizon 5’s massive file size, with varying biomes and unique weather events influencing the player experience. Even though theForza Horizonseries has traditionally been a more casual approach to the world of racing, when compared toForza Motorsport, these incredible details are something that fans of both series should consider when debating whether to pick upForza Horizon 5.
Alongside this are immense customization options. Arcade racers and customization have gone hand-in-hand for years with classic titles likeMidnight Club: DUB Editionsetting the bar early for what players expect. Now with the technology available and the in-depth options thatForza Horizon 5will offer, longtime fans will have a title with countless hours of playtime available and a nearly innumerable number of ways for them to put their personal touch on the cars they love.
Forza Horizon 5will also be a day one release on Xbox Game Passhelping to ease some of the expenses for interested players this month. While the number of titles available through Game Pass keeps growing the next few weeks can become incredibly expensive for gamers. Hopefully with some key additions through the end of the year getting other titles will become easier as the overall cost for games comes down for Game Pass members.
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