What to Play in Early 2020 (Since Every Game You Wanted Was Delayed)

Published: February 10, 2020 11:00 AM /

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Cyberpunk 2077

Picture back to E3 2019. Game after game is announced for early 2020. You begin getting concerned. How will you find time to play all these games in such a small release window? Before you know it though, early 2020 has arrived, and many of the games you set your sights on are getting delayed. Final Fantasy VII Remake, Cyberpunk 2077, and Dying Light 2? See you later in the year! So, what do you play in early 2020 since every game you want was delayed?

There’s plenty of interesting games you may not have heard about that have released or will soon be released in early 2020. Here are a few games that can hold you over until the end of the year:

Hearts of Iron IV: La Resistance [Feb. 25]

A screenshot of the intelligence screen in Hearts of Iron IV

La Resistance isn’t a new game per se; rather, the game is an expansion for the popular World War II strategy game Hearts of Iron IV. Paradox is well known for its DLC or expansions, but La Resistance is shaping up to look like one of the biggest yet. You gain the ability to train spies who can acquire intelligence, resist enemy spies, and send them on special missions that can aid your country. While you put your spies to work, engage in the new mechanics of code cracking, new recon units, collaborating with other governments, and new focus trees for other countries.

KUNAI [Feb. 6]

Screenshot of the character Tabby the tablet from KUNAI

You may enjoy the fast-paced action and side-scrolling adventures in KUNAI. You may especially enjoy it when you realize you play as Tabby, the tablet. Yes, you play as a tablet that has sworn to fight against the robot uprising that almost squashed humanity. In fact, the game recently earned a solid review from one of our very own. The game’s art style looks adorably fierce. KUNAI should be a solid game to keep you entertained with tight controls, action-packed side-scrolling combat, and fast-paced movement mechanics. Plus, when it all comes down to it, who wouldn’t want to fight robots as a friendly tablet?

Two Point Hospital Console Release [Feb. 25]

A quaint looking hospital in the game Two Point Hospital

PC players have had some time to enjoy the quirky and silly hospital management sim Two Point Hospital, but soon console players can now leap at the chance to enjoy all the shenanigans. Two Point Hospital is less serious than most sim games, but it has a surprising level of depth to go along with its silliness. Feeling light-headed? Well, you’ve got a light bulb for a head and should probably get that checked out. The game has been frequently updated (for free) and has a natural progression of levels that pushes you into more challenging situations each time you enter the hospital. Fans of the old Theme Hospital game will feel right at home in Two Point Hospital.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics [Feb. 4]

A fight breaks out between multiple characters in The Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics

Big fan of the similarly named Netflix series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance? Now’s your chance to play as those adorable little Gelflings! The recently released game features impressive turn-based combat with meaningful role-playing game mechanics that should give you a level of customization over your characters. The Dark Crystal contains an impressive atmosphere and unique art style that should provide continued entertainment. Besides, who can resist those adorable little puppets?

Darksburg [Feb. 12]

A spooky dark world revealed in Darksburg

Cooperative game? Check. Zombies? Check. Darksburg is a top-down zombie survival game. Survivors possess a unique set of skills to hone and master as you survive with a small number of resources. Interestingly enough, the game even offers PvP as you can play as the Revenants, whose main goal is to kill the other players (or Survivors). Although zombie survival games are a tried and true formula, it’s worth taking a look at Darksburg upon release as it looks to offer a solid progression formula and replayable gameplay that might get you through to the end of 2020.

Dead Cells: The Bad Seed [Feb. 11]

A lush green new level in Dead Cells: The Bad Seed

Not a new game, but if you’ve been one of the many who have embraced the incredibly crisp and tight action of Dead Cells, it will be worth looking into the downloadable content releasing soon. The new DLC boasts impressive-looking new areas, a scythe, and even a new boss. If you’re a fan of the game already, it may be worth adding this additional gameplay to your playthroughs.

Honorable Mention: Starbase

A massive battle is underway as ships fly everywhere in Starbase

Starbase is the riskiest and game most likely to slip out of early 2020. As such, it receives an honorable mention since there remains no official release date. Originally delayed from late 2019, Starbase is a true space MMO where you play as a friendly-looking robot. The game’s features list is a mile long, but the developers promise pretty much any style of gameplay you might be interested in: player-versus-player combat, economy-based gameplay, and the ability to build space stations and ships. Starbase has no official release date, but recently the developers began surveying members in its Discord about gaining potential access to a closed alpha. It will be a bit more of a wild card with its release date, but if the game hits early 2020 it may hold you over to until the end of the year and beyond.

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


A picture of staff writer Alex A. Verdini
| Staff Writer

A gamer since his earliest memory, Alex enjoys practically every video game genre known to humankind (with a particular favoritism toward shooters and RPGs… More about Alex