NBA 2K20
Go from the blacktop to the big leagues in this year’s NBA 2K release. For NBA 2K20, players will be able to experience all that the sport has to offer from playing against friends in local neighbourhoods to going for the championship against the best in the world. For this year’s MyCareer, players will be able to customise every aspect of their player and playing style as they work their way through the trials and tribulations of being a professional player through a story produced in collaboration with LeBron James, with Idris Elba and Rosario Dawson leading the voice cast.
Players who pre-order the Standard Edition will receive 5000 currency, 5000 MyTEAM points, skill boosts, a clothing capsule, 10 MyTEAM packs and five Heat Check packs. The Digital Deluxe Edition includes 35,000 currency, 10,000 MyTEAM points, 10 MyCAREER boots, clothing capsule, MyTEAM and Heat Check packs and a Sapphire MyTEAM Cover Athlete Card. The Legend Edition includes 100,000 currency, 50,000 MyTEAM points, skill boosts, a clothing capsule, MyPLAYER Apparel and Shoe Collection, 20 MyPLAYER and Heat Check packs, five MyTEAM Theme packs and two Sapphire cards. In addition, select retailers also include physical limited-edition NBA 2K20 basketballs.
NBA 2K20 will be available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC and Nintendo Switch from September 6*
Gears 5
The biggest threat might be the closest in the latest Gears release. In Gears 5, players take on the role of Kait Diaz, an Outsider of Locust descent. However, any chance she has at discovering the truth about her family and what it means for her future are slim as there is a bigger threat looming in the Swarm. Following on from Gears of War 4, the Swarm have now corrupted the Coalition’s army and have set their sights on destroying humanity. With time running out, Kait must work with only a handful of allies to find out the truth about herself and the danger she poses to the world of Sera.
Players who pre-order will receive seven days of Boost and the Marcus Tattoo Lancer skin and sticker pack along with the Terminator: Dark Fate character pack featuring the T-800 and Sarah Connor. The Ultimate Edition comes with the game, Ultimate Edition character pack, Terminator: Dark Fate character pack, sticker sheet, Steelbook case and 30 days of Boost. Those who purchase the Ultimate Edition or who are subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will be able to play Gears 5 four days early.
Gears 5 will be available on Xbox One and PC from September 10*
Borderlands 3
Pandora awaits in this highly anticipated release. Taking place after the fall of Hyperion, Borderlands 3 takes players back to the wastelands as they must end the reign of a dangerous cult. Choosing one of four vault hunters – Moze, Zane, Amara and Fl4k – players will work alongside returning character Lilith to stop the Calypso Twins. These maniacal twins, Troy and Tyreen, have claimed the vaults as their birthright and have managed to amass a devoted violent force to help them. Players will have to use every weapon and ally – including some familiar faces – available to them in order to dethrone the false gods of Pandora.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiEu23G4onM
Players who pre-order will unlock a gold weapon skin pack, with a replica Psycho Bandit mask available at select retailers. The Deluxe Edition includes a copy of the game, Retro, Neon and Gearbox Cosmetic packs with additional skins and trinkets, the Toy Box weapon pack along with XP and Loot Drop boosts. The Super Deluxe Edition includes the game, all the content from the Deluxe Edition as well as the Season Pass – with four campaign DLC packs – and the Butt Stallion pack with an additional weapon skin, trinket and grenade mod. The Diamond Chest Collector’s Edition includes the game and all content from the Super Deluxe Edition alongside a collection of Borderlands figurines, a Sanctuary 3 snap model, replica map, character art lithographs and replica Vault Key keychains all inside a functional replica of the game’s Diamond Loot Chests.
Borderlands 3 will be available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC from September 13*
The Surge 2
The fight for survival is on in this action-packed sequel. In The Surge 2, players are sent crashing into a new world – literally – after a storm forces them to crash on the outskirts of Jericho City. However, all is not what it seems within this metropolis as it is slowly crumbling away. Consumed by a nanite disease, players will have to adapt fast in order to survive. Using whatever they can find or scavenge from fallen enemies, players will have to find out what happened to the city and make it out alive.
Players who pre-order will receive the URBN Gear pack, with PlayStation users also receiving a limited-edition home screen theme. The Limited Edition of The Surge 2 comes with an exclusive sleeve and cover design, comic book, poster artwork and lithographs.
The Surge 2 will be available on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 from September 24*
FIFA 20
The world is your pitch in this year’s FIFA release. For FIFA 20, players will not only be able to play in grand stadiums against some of the biggest clubs in the world but also in the streets as they travel the globe. In the new VOLTA Football mode, players will be able to create their own customisable character and skill set as they travel to 17 different locations around the world to hone their skills in this mode inspired by FIFA Street. FIFA 20 will also bring changes to Manager Mode, with full customisation – including gender – interactive press conferences and live new updates among the new features.
Players who pre-order will unlock special-edition FUT kits, three Gold FUT packs and a Loan Icon Player Pack. The Champions Edition includes three days early access, 12 FUT Gold Packs, the choice of one of five ICON items and special-edition FUT kits. The Ultimate Edition includes early access, 24 Rare FUT Gold packs, a Loan Icon Player pick and special-edition FUT kits. In addition, players with EA Access on PS4 and Xbox One – or Origin Access Premier on PC – will have the game as part of their subscription.
FIFA 20 will be available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC and Nintendo Switch from September 27*
Code Vein
An altered world awaits in this action RPG. In Code Vein, players find themselves in the near future, which has become a living nightmare. Destroyed by a mysterious disaster and now consumed by the Thorns of Judgement, the world is a shadow of itself, with a hidden society at its core. These Revenants – or Vein – fight in what remains of the world against the Lost, who have given in to the bloodlust that surrounds them. These nightmarish creatures will stop at nothing to feed their hunger for blood, with the player and their allies being the only line of defence left to keep humanity safe.
Players who pre-order will unlock the Code Vein x God Eater Weapons pack – featuring the Blanchard Greatsword, Cerulean Spear and Crimson Longsword from the fantasy saga – an accessory set with stat boosts and an exclusive Venom’s Claw Blood Veil Ogre. The Digital Edition includes all the pre-order content and the Reserved Bloodkin Set, featuring a selection of cosmetic items and stamps.
Code Vein will be available on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 from September 27*
Free to Play
Xbox Gold subscribers will have four new games to download and keep for free with this month’s Games with Gold. From September 1-30*, Hitman: The Complete First Season will be available on Xbox One, with We Are Here available from September 16 to October 15*. Over on Xbox 360 – and Xbox One via Backwards Compatibility – Earth Defence Force will be available to download and keep from September 1-15*, followed by Tekken Tag Tournament 2 from September 16-30*
Over on PlayStation, Plus subscribers will have two new titles to download and play for free this month. Both Batman: Arkham Knight and Darksiders III will be available on PlayStation 4 from September 3-30*
Full details on this month’s free games and offers on Twitch Prime – including the last chance to get a free Nintendo Online Membership for 12 months – can be found on the Twitch Prime website.
Also Released This Month
September 3* – Catherine: Full Body (PS4), Conan Chop Chop (Xbox One, PS4, PC, Switch), Last Oasis (PC – Steam Early Access), Torchlight 2 (Xbox One, PS4, Switch), Spyro Reignited Trilogy (Switch, PC), UPlay+ (PC), Final Fantasy VIII Remastered (Xbox One, PS4, PC, Switch), Children of Moria (PC), Phoenix Point (PC, Mac), Root Letter: Last Answer (Xbox One, Switch), Torchlight II (Xbox One, PS4, Switch)
September 4* – Warsaw (PC), DragonClash (PC)
September 5* – Lock’s Quest (iOS, Android), Sin Slayers (PC), Hyperforma (Switch), Space Cows (PC, Switch), River City Girls (Xbox One, PS4, PC, Switch), Green Hell (PC), WRC8 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
September 6* – Creature in the Well (Xbox One, PS4, Switch), Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (Xbox One, PS4), Gun Gun Pixies (Switch, PC), The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure (PSVR), The Bard’s Tale IV: Director’s Cut (Xbox One, PS4), Batman: Arkham Collection Steelbook Edition (Xbox One, PS4), Sudden Strike 4 Complete Collection (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
September 9* – Kings of Lorn: The Fall of Ebris (Xbox One, PS4, PC), Unrailed (PC – Steam Early Access)
September 10* – eFootball PES 2020 (Xbox One, PS4, PC), Blasphemous (Xbox One, PS4, PC, Switch), GreedFall (Xbox One, PS4, PC), Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series (Xbox One, PS4, PC), Goat Simulator: The Goaty (Switch), Forager (PS4, Switch)
September 11* – No Man’s Sky Beyond (PS4, PSVR)
September 12* – Die Young (PC)
September 13* – Daemon X Machina (Switch), Ellen (Xbox One, PS4, Switch), Star Wars Pinball (Switch), Utawarerumono: Zan (PS4)
September 16* – Nauticrawl: 20,000 Atmospheres (PC)
September 17* – Session (PC – Steam Early Access), AI: The Somnium Files (PS4, PC, Switch), Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son (PSVR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive), Devil’s Hunt (PC), Lego Jurassic World (Switch), Truck Driver (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
September 18* – Exorcise the Demons (PC)
September 19* – Police Stories (Xbox One, PS4, PC, Switch)
September 20* – The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (Switch), Tracks (Xbox One, Rains of Reflection: Chapter 1 (PC), Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (PS4, PC, Switch), Nintendo Switch Lite, The Sojourn (Xbox One, PS4, PC), VR Ping Pong Pro (PSVR), Tetris 99 (Switch)
September 24* – Dead by Daylight (Switch), Cat Quest 2: The Lupus Empire (PC), Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid (PC)
September 25* – The Executioner (PC)
September 26* – Northgard (Xbox One, PS4, Switch), Flotsam (PC – Steam Early Access), Darksiders 2 Deathinitive Edition (Switch), Contra Rogue Corps (Xbox One, PS4, PC, Switch), Wanderlust: Travel Stories (PC, iOS), From The Depths (PC), BDMS: Big Drunk Satanic Massacre (PC), Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones (PC, Mac)
September 27* – Dragon Quest 11 S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition (Switch), Tropico 6 (Xbox One, PS4), Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition (Switch), Teslagrad (Switch, PS Vita), Jalopy (Xbox One), Killer Queen Black (Xbox One, Switch), RPG Maker MV (PS4, Switch), Memorrha (Xbox One, PS4, PC, Switch)
*Dates refer to UK release only. International dates may vary and are subject to change. Information correct at time of writing.
Words by Megan Roxburgh