5 Game Releases We Are Looking Forward to in May

May has arrived, and with it comes a whole slew of new games to try and enjoy! April was surprisingly strong, ending on a high note with the releases of Dead Island 2 and Jedi: Survivor, but May looks like it could go even further. With a mix of new and old, sequels and standalones, strategy and action, this month may provide a little bit of something for every gamer out there.

But how can players choose what to play? Don’t fret, as we’ve narrowed the releases down to the top five we’ll be looking forward to this month. Whatever types of games players find themselves gravitating toward, we’re sure one on this list will be right for them.

Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Let’s get the easy one out of the way first. Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom arrives on May 12. A direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, players will traverse a familiar Hyrule, though terraformed and shadowed beneath floating islands. There players with take the fight to Ganondorf, reborn in his Gerudo form.

Breath of the Wild was one of, if not the best-received Switch game to have ever been released. An open-world game that fully realizes its scope, the game was full of interesting mechanics and puzzles, with a simple combat system that allowed all these other pieces moments to shine.

Tears of the Kingdom seeks to add to this, giving players the ability to fuse items to create new weapons, armor, or even vehicles. We’ll see exactly what form these new mechanics take in the coming weeks, but it’s an easy recommendation to make, telling people to try this game.

More N4G Unlocked: The Legend of Zelda Time Explained, With Tears of the Kingdom

Age of Wonders 4

A 4X game with some fantasy flair, Age of Wonders 4 has already been released, garnering solid reviews in its first days post-launch. Rule a fantasy empire, carving your name into the crust of the earth with a brutal army, or become a protector of the weak. This game allows for both roleplaying and incredibly tactical thinking, making it easy for a wide audience to find enjoyment in it.

The Age of Wonders series has always provided a very solid 4X experience, nearing the likes of the Sid Meyer’s Civilization series. While Age of Wonders won’t have the same number of playable leaders as Civilization, it does go out of its way to provide a more interesting and dynamic narrative experience.

A new storytelling event system adds both game depth and roleplaying opportunities, meaning you’ll get to be the leader you choose to be, while also never playing the same game twice. The reviews don’t lie, as both strategy fans and fantasy worldbuilding junkies are getting a kick out of this game.

Lord of the Rings: Gollum

Lord of the Rings fans are truly living in a golden age as more and more content is developed for them. From the Shadow of Mordor series to the Rings of Power show on Amazon, there continues to be consistent development of titles that take place in Middle Earth. The newest of this number is Lord of the Rings: Gollum.

The story is set eight years before the War of the Ring, centering on the story of Gollum. Given the narrative focus of titles associated with Lord of the Rings, fans can expect this game to be full of lore and storytelling moments that seek to bring more depth to some of the less explored moments in Tolkein’s world.

The game is slated as an action-adventure, so those just looking for an engaging fantasy world to play in could benefit as well, not just Tolkien fans. Still, the game looks promising, and we’ll be monitoring reviews closely when it arrives on May 25.

Darkest Dungeon 2

Darkest Dungeon is one of the most punishing roguelikes out there, and its sequel is on track to follow in its footsteps, if not go beyond. Releasing on May 8, this title battles Legend of Zelda for the most anticipated title of the month.

Players control a group of warriors fighting back against the coming end of days. Where the first title had players delving into the depths of a forgotten manor, players now travel by stagecoach across a world on the brink of apocalypse, making the experience feel that much larger.

The game also seems to have undergone several graphical upgrades, maintaining the grim style the original game had, but adding a bit of technical flair. Fans of the first will more than likely find this game to be a worthy successor. The rest will do their best to enjoy it, for as long as they can survive.

More N4G Unlocked: 5 Tips for Those Starting Their Journey in Hogwarts Legacy in May

System Shock (2023)

The last title on this list is old made new again, a remake of the original System Shock. The entire game was rebuilt with updated graphics, modernized controls, an updated UI, and new sounds and music to bring the game into the future.

For those that don’t know, System Shock was originally released in 1994 and is the building block on which the future of sci-fi shooters would be built. Featuring a first-person perspective in a 3d world, a non-linear experience focusing on emergent gameplay, and freedom of player control that was unheard of at the time, the game can be seen as the progenitor of the sci-fi game genre. For any that want to know the history of games and how ideas in them evolved, System Shock is a core part of this growth that needs to be experienced to be understood.

The developers have gone to great lengths to keep the gameplay as true to the original game as possible while modernizing the visuals and parts of the UI that are now outdated or clunky. We’ll have to wait until May 30 to see if they succeed, but we are willing to bet that it will be something worth experiencing for every gamer.

And there they are, the most anticipated titles of May! This month seems to be one that will treat players well, us here at N4G included. We’ll be right there with you, covering the releases of each game as they arrive. And me personally? I’ll be looking forward to dying in Darkest Dungeon 2 over and over again. And again. And again.