Gamescom 2021 Highlights

We can honestly say that the Opening Night Live with host Geoff Keighley was the main highlight of gamescom 2021. Wondering what it was all about? Let’s dive right into this year’s highlights!

Gamescom Opening Night Live

It was a blast! Live from Cologne, Germany, Geoff Keighley delivered a very amusing two-hour long show full of premieres and surprises. Let’s quickly skip over the unreleased multiplatform game Elden Ring winning the “Best Sony PlayStation Game” prize and get into the highlights: 

Saints Row

You read it right, the new Saints Row game created by Volition, is just called… Saints Row. Nice and easy. The CG trailer and short gameplay trailer gives us some direction on what we can expect from the game, which arrives February 25, 2022 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC

Just like the first game, we can expect a lot of silliness and funny moments when you conquer the open world. Will the newest addition to the family live up to the hype of two original games?

Halo Infinite

It’s official! Microsoft is releasing Halo Infinite on December 8, 2021. We were expecting some news during the Xbox stream, but 343 industries extended the update until the Opening Night Live. What we got was more than worth the wait: an amazing Cinematic Trailer showcasing the multiplayer mode. And good news, this is completely free-to-play. We will be able to play the new game on Xbox and Windows PC.

Did you know? Microsoft also made sure you can game in style with a Master-Chief inspired Xbox Elite Wireless Series 2 controller. If you want to expand your Halo merch even more, they are also providing a special Halo 20th anniversary Xbox Series X console at the end of this year. 

Of course we will keep you up to date with everything concerning the new Halo game including all the in-game currency you need. If you are still busy hunting the Blue team and Master Chief in Halo 5, you can find some in-game credits down below.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Xbox One

£19.99

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Halo 5: Guardians

Xbox One

£14.99

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Halo: Spartan Assault

Xbox One

£3.99

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Halo 5: Guardians: 7 Gold REQ Packs + 2 Free

Xbox One

£15.99

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Death Stranding: Director's Cut

At the end of the Gamescom Opening Night Live we could witness in detail what the new Death Stranding 2.0 is all about. Kojima Productions decided to evolve the PlayStation 4 release of Death Stranding for the PlayStation 5. Complete with 4k visuals and a 60fps performance mode. In the nine-minute video preview we could already witness new gameplay features that give a feeling of being more prepared for the adventures to come. What’s new: 

• Buddy Bot, which will take off some heavy load during your travels. This added feature makes it possible to carry more and takes some pressure off Sam's back.
• Firing range where we can try out new weapons for training and competition purposes.  
• Boots (without the fur), decreasing your fall damage.
• Cargo Launcher, and other delivery tools.

We will also be able to enjoy a new racing mode and a VR mode to add. If you have not played it yet, it is worth the try! The Director’s Cut will be released on September 24, 2021. 

Call of Duty: Vanguard

Sledgehammer games treated us with graphically pleasing gameplay footage of the newest Call of duty addition: Vanguard. This time we’re (re)packing our bags to jump back in the fray set in World War 2. We can expect a new multiplayer mode to join with our squad as well as a lot of improved lighting and textures. Just like in Battlefield, the environment will adapt to its players. Meaning that your surroundings will respond to the many explosions and bullets flying around. This is something we call “Levolution”.

Your experience in Call of Duty Vanguard as well as Modern Warfare, Black Ops, and Warzone can be improved with the use of Call of Duty Points. Get your Points right here at Startselect!

Some more highlights in a nutshell:

DokeV

A Pokémon-like game on steroids, coming to consoles sometime after 2022.

Midnight Suns

New Marvel Strategy game inspired by XCOM. This will become a tactical RPG taking place in the world of Marvel. Not only MCU heroes, but Wolverine from X-men was also spotted amongst the playable characters. Expect the game to arrive in March 2022 on PC and consoles. 

Horizon Forbidden West

More news on the long-awaited sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn. We will be able to play the new game on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in February 2022. While this is later than originally planned, Guerilla Games released a new patch for the first game. Horizon Zero Dawn is now available to be played in 60fps gameplay on the PS5. 

Persona 5

Morgana joins Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania.

UFL

The first trailer was revealed for UFL, the new football game from Strikerz Inc.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

Turtle Van driver April is joining the new arcade-inspired fighting game with her own combo moves. The game will be released sometime in 2022.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Another one! Lego is breathing some more life into the Star Wars films. This time we 
can find the whimsical humour throughout the entire Star Wars universe. We have to wait a little longer though, as Warner Bros. is releasing the game in Spring 2022.

Besides the Gamescom Opening Night Live there was more content scheduled! We witnessed the Destiny 2 showing, an Xbox stream, a Future Games Show and much more. The first company to present their new goods was Bungie with its Destiny 2 Showcase. Destiny 2 was released in September 2017 and is preparing for its next DLC: The Witch Queen, which will arrive in-game February 2022. 

GamesCom Xbox-stream

When it comes to the Xbox Stream, we won’t say it was a let down, but we expected a whole lot more after the amazing E3 2021 showing. Interestingly, Xbox Cloud Gaming is coming to the Xbox consoles in December. This feature makes it possible to jump into games without downloading! Here are a few other highlights brought up during the stream:

De Dying Light 2 trailer shows us some new tricks and ways to use your body in defeating hordes of enemies. Dying Light is releasing on December 7, 2021.

Age of Empires 4 will provide a new feature: documentary-like videos in which we will learn about the buildings and other units we have built during the Age of Empires games. We can actually learn something while playing a game at the same time. Tell that to your history teacher. It is scheduled to be released on October 28, 2021. 

Forza Horizon 5 forces us back behind the wheel from November 5, 2021. There will also be a cool custom Forza Horizon 5 controller coming out at the same time if you want to drive in style.

The Gunk takes place on a mysterious infested planet we need to clean up. The game will launch in December 2021 and available for the game pass from day one.

Talking about the game pass: Humble Games announced that it will bring 10 Indie games it’s publishing directly to the Xbox Game Pass. If you do not own the extensive gaming library yet, make sure to check out our offers.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 3 months

Digital code

£38.99

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Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 1 month

Digital code

£12.99

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Future Games Show at Gamescom

The Future Games Show at Gamescom was presented by Resident Evil Village’s voice actors Aaron LePlante (the voice of the Duke) and Maggie Robertson (Lady Dimitrescu, or as Girlfriend Reviews would say “Big Titty Momma”). Notably, during the stream we saw a trailer for Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate and some exclusive gameplay for Life Is Strange: True Colors. Protagonist Alex Chen is spotted to have a new superpower with which she can feel and analyze people’s emotions. 

Let’s end this page by showing you the lovely Dinosaur Expert, Jeff Goldblum. Because who doesn’t love Jeff Goldblum! He stopped by to talk about Jurassic World Evolution during the Future Games Show.