.jpg/BROK/thumbnail/1600x900/format/jpg/quality/80/pokemon_legends_arceus_011322-(2).jpg)
Our Boldest Predictions for PC Gaming in 2022
PC gaming is changing in surprising ways.The rise and fall of new genres, games that were neglected one day became global phenomena the next, people like Microsoft now. (The last fact still surprises me from time to time, with PC gaming covered through Windows Live and games from the Windows 8 era.)
It is difficult to predict exactly what will happen in the future. Some might say that it would be foolish to even try. But the same people might also say that I should stop trying to make complicated Rocket League antennas that I obviously can’t do and just focus on getting the ball into the net, am I going to let that stop me from whining 9 out of 10? Shooting? Absolutely not.
Once again, I’m asking the PC Gamer team to gather all their video game knowledge and look to the future of the Foundation style. What will be the fate of our high refresh rate empire in 2022? Here are our best (or maybe just the wildest) guesses:
We finally get Bloodborne on PC
If I keep saying that, it will happen. This year we’re launching Bloodborne, FromSoftware’s bloodiest action game on PC. Or at least an announcement. The year has already started with 2018’s God of War PC port. This is clearly a step towards releasing a better game where you can beat (the werewolf) dad instead of playing one.
With Elden Ring’s release this year, it’s time for more people to play Bloodborne, even if it’s not a complete remake like PlayStation 5 Demon’s Souls. All Bloodborne needs are 60 fps and support for some high resolutions. It’s a major release that helped shape the modern action game, and a semi-updated version without it would be criminal. It’s not even my favorite game in the series, but it’s one I’m dying to play again. —Tyler Kolp, Associate Editor
I’m sorry, Taylor. I have lost confidence. The dream is dead and will die until we see the PS5 remake. Only then can I dare to hope. –Wes Fenlon, Senior Editor
GTA 6 will be released in 2023, this time it will launch on PC at the same time as consoles
2023 will be 10 years after GTA 5, which seems like the right time to launch another GTA game, or at least close enough to officially announce it. There’s definitely been enough rumors floating around so maybe this prediction isn’t all that crazy, but I think we’ll get our first trailer in time for E3.
I predict a return to the American South, but not just a new sin city for Miami. This time the map will cover the entire state of Florida, ripe for Rockstar’s irony of American culture. You’ll have a city representing Orlando (theme parks oh), the Kennedy Space Center (where you can steal the space shuttle), the Everglades for wildlife and airboats, the rural backcountry panhandle, Boca Raton (the rich guys) Retire there)), hey, why not just throw Cuba and the Bahamas to the coast? GTA 6 will be full of sun, sand and southerners. perhaps. If you insist I’m bold with this prediction: this time it’ll actually launch on PC at the same time as the console. truly. —Christopher Livingston, Features Producer
Someone will come up with a really interesting blockchain gaming app
In my two decades and changes in gaming coverage, I don’t think there’s a single topic that generates more conversation (mostly one-way, from preacher straight to my recycle bin) than bloody blockchain. Given the amount of superheated air surrounding this subject, I have to believe that, at some point, someone, somewhere, will find a use for technology that the rest of us will actually be interested in. So far, all we seem to be hearing is how items can persist and move between games, though there’s hardly any evidence that this is something players actually need or want. Or… maybe, um!
Note that this is not an invitation to send me more emails on this topic. I’d love to be last at this party. —Tim Clark, Brand Director
The NFT hype will end in December
have something to NFTs. The digital material we collect (Steam games, Destiny 2 costumes, etc.) is huge and scattered, and we really “own” very little – only the DRM-free GOG games and Bandcamp songs we download. I don’t hate the idea of consolidating all my virtual items into one wallet, like being able to trade Rainbow Six Siege skins for Rocket League decals on the indie market. If it doesn’t involve a GPU furnace, it’s probably fine.
Or it could be scary. who knows? There is little time to think about the uses or consequences of NFTs.Industry executives have been talking about their views on new technology – things like “this is an upcoming technology” and “we can’t ignore it” and that’s Ubisoft Talking about 3DTV in 2010—None of the wishful speculations of blockchain evangelists lead me to believe that NFTs are really going to change the game in the near future.
The term “making money” is made up without an actual trend to describe it, and there are many obstacles to achieving the decentralized marketplace I propose.To date, most game publishers have committed to avoid Outside of their platform, at least, players exchange currency from in-game items, and Valve has actually had some legal trouble with third-party CS:GO skin gambling sites. Currently, Valve doesn’t allow Steam games to include the ability to exchange NFTs, and Apple is in a bitter battle with every company (most notably Epic Games) that challenges its control of the iOS exchange. It’s not something that can be put into place by meme power alone.
The topic of NFTs is mostly empty talk right now, and at the current rate I suspect the value of ape drawings will correct itself by December 2022, when we’ll be talking about Starfield, not fungibility and tokens. (If I do here A risky prediction that Starfield won’t be delayed until February 2022.) –Taylor Wilde, Executive Editor
Another Nintendo genre will thrive on PC
Since Stardew Valley launched a series of other Harvest Moon-inspired farming sims on PC, I’ve been waiting for the next surprise. Over the past five years, there have been a few other types of games that have typically been relegated to Nintendo systems that seem like they might be making waves on PC. Pokemon-like creature collectors Ooblets and Temtem aren’t quite on fire. Animal Crossing-inspired Cozy Grove is cute but not sensational. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl isn’t a serious contender for Super Smash Bros., and Warner Bros. Smash-alike MultiVersus is still on the way.
I think 2022 is the year we finally see another traditional Nintendo genre make the leap to PC with astonishing success. But which one? Maybe we’ll finally see breakthrough Smash-alikes or creature catchers or social sims. Maybe it’ll be a Mario Party-like mashup of board games and minigames. What if, somehow, peripheral hardware caught on and we were suddenly drowning in Wii Sports on PC? — Lauren Morton, Associate Editor
Neither Starfield nor the next Mass Effect was what one expected
After an ad campaign focused on science-based space travel and relatively hard sci-fi, Starfield will become a chosen man with some kind of special ability. On the other hand, it was stable and almost bug free at launch.
After the trailer hinted at the return of the character from the original trilogy and focused on the legacy of the Shepherd, the next Mass Effect full reveal and trailer (release date: far away) will show the Mass Effect Andromeda in its DNA more than anyone else Imagine more. This will be an attempt to unify the two storylines to express contempt for Andromeda’s haters. —Jody Macgregor, Australia/Weekend Editor
This time next year, your Steam deck will be in the dust
A handheld computer made by Valve seems to be just what I need right now, as I find myself playing more games on the couch to escape the office. But when I think about my favorite PC games, they tend to be the things I really want to sit up straight and at my desk. How else would you scrutinize a map of medieval Europe? I think the games that Steam Deck is best for are in many cases already on existing handhelds I already own.
While it might not be the best experience, I still want to play a lot of games away from my PC, but I’m going to have to be ruthless with what I keep on my device. With the 512GB SSD on the most expensive version, I’m constantly running out of space. When I saw the physical size and hefty price tag of this thing, I also started to wonder if I really wanted to take the risk of getting it out of my apartment often.
For me – and I think many of you do – it might end up being a streaming device, using remote play, and the game running on my computer in another room. It will be an assistive device. That’s why I don’t think it really had much of an impact. Like VR, cloud gaming, and Steam Link: advertised as ambitious game changers, but really just a backup for when you want to change sitting in front of your main device. I got rid of my Steam Link, but I still have that version of the app on my Shield TV, and both cloud gaming and VR continue to do their thing, but it’s also easy to forget they’ve been around for months. Steam Deck will face the same fate. —Fraser Brown, Online Editor
But listen to me, what if the opposite happens, 2022 Year of the Steam Deck, Are we still using them after it’s over? —Wes Fenlon, Senior Editor