DESPITE the industry-wide labour and fiscal problems that plagued game studios last year, 2023 was one of those rare years that has thus far pumped out a seemingly endless barrage of great games, one right after the other.

Quite literally, there is no room for gamers to breathe, with the gap between each game’s release windows being extremely tight. This year might be shaping up to a redux of 2023, with the months of 2024 being loaded with games being released in quick succession.

These are the five biggest games set to be released from January to March 2024.

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered

Release Date: Jan 19

Platforms: PlayStation 5

Unlike the 2022 remaster of The Last of Us Part 1, Part 2 Remastered is not just a simple upscale in graphic quality. The upcoming game will also come with a slew of new features and modes.

The biggest of which is the hotly anticipated new roguelite mode called No Return. Players will pick one of several main characters from the story to fight through select levels with random, difficult enemy encounters to reach the end.

Dying is inevitable and will reset their progress, but players will retain weapons and skills that were unlocked to help in their next attempt at survival.

Malaysian players with their original PlayStation 4 copy of The Last of Us 2 can upgrade to the remastered PS5 version for only RM40.

Persona 3 Reload

Release Date: Feb 2

Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft Windows

A remake of the original Persona 3 Reload from 2006 will feature graphic and functional updates that will bring the game closer to Atlus’ more recent Persona games.

Unfortunately, Reload will not contain the story content from previous re-releases of the game, such as Persona 3 FES’ The Answer epilogue chapter or Persona III Portable’s option for players to pick a female character as the main protagonist.

As the creators of Reload have made it clear they want the game to be more in line with the original game, anyone seeking a “definitive” version with all the additional bells and whistles might want to skip this one.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

Release Date: Feb 2

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft Windows

The latest game set in the “Arkhamverse”, Kill the Justice League, initially had a lot of hype around it, but after several delays and reveals by developer Rocksteady Studios last year, fan anticipation seems to have subsided somewhat.

Featuring a story involving a group of unwilling mercenaries tasked with fighting the iconic members of DC Comics’ most popular superheroes, Kill the Justice League will apparently be a shooting action game with a heavy emphasis on loot, which has not gone down well with gamers.

The past month or so has also seen the game’s alleged story leak, along with additional playable characters post-launch being revealed, such as the potential Killer Croc.

Though a looter shooter game might not be what fans want, the game is a must buy for hardcore DC Comics fans.

Skull and Bones

Release Date: Feb 16

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X

Inspired by the naval battles, navigation and exploration introduced in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Skull and Bones began development a decade ago and since then, has gone through multiple changes while having its release date pushed back five times.

If Ubisoft manages to finally launch the game next month, players will finally get to satiate their 17th-century pirate fantasies modelled around a multiplayer format.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Release Date: Feb 29

Platforms: PlayStation 5

After the blockbuster hit of 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake, the wait by fans for the sequel is almost over.

Though Remake focused on the first five to eight hours or so from the original Final Fantasy VII in 1997, Rebirth will open the world of Midgar up to the players — up to a certain point — for them to experience the complex new direction Square Enix will take the game in.

Dragon’s Dogma 2

Release Date: Mar 22

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X

Everything that made the first Dragon’s Dogma good will be improved upon and fleshed out, or so the director of this game, Hideaki Itsuno, has claimed.

Unlike last year’s high-soaring, high-fantasy game Baldur’s Gate 3, Dragon’s Dogma 2 will not be turn-based. As an action game set in a similar high fantasy medieval world, this game has the potential to be one of the year’s best outputs.