Gamescom 2022 LIVE: Latest announcements, news, trailers, and more

Dead Island 2’s Feb. 2023 release date confirmed, gameplay shown

The leaks and rumors were true: Dead Island 2 is finally coming out in 2023 on Feb. 3, and based on the trailer that was shown at the end of Opening Night Live, it looks like it’s going to be a brutal and bloody good time. Based on the additional gameplay trailer that was shown, it looks like players can expect everything they loved from the original Dead Island games, including physics-heavy melee combat, eccentric characters, and a whole lot of gore. — Brendan Lowry

Hideo Kojima announces his new podcast instead of a new game at Gamescom

During Opening Night Live, Hideo Kojima made an appearance to showcase one of his new projects. However, what he had to reveal wasn’t a new game; it was a new Spotify podcast dubbed Brain Structure. In it, Kojima will discuss the video game industry and many of his ideas, and will also have guests on as well. The podcast will also have English and Japanese versions so more people around the world can listen to and enjoy the podcasts. The first episode is expected to release on Sept. 8, 2022. You can check out Brain Structure’s Spotify page here. — Brendan Lowry

Age of Empires IV ‘Anniversary Update’ arrives on Oct. 25

Age of Empires IV developer World’s Edge has unveiled new content headed to the title, including the arrival of the Ottomans and Malians, expanding its roster of historical civilizations. The latest additions arrive on October 25 via an anniversary update, marking one year since the release of the real-time strategy title, available for free to all players. — Matt Brown

Gotham Knights reveals a new “Villains” trailer, releases Oct. 21

The upcoming DC action RPG Gotham Knights made an appearance during Opening Night Live with a new “Villains” trailer, showing off some of the threats that players will encounter in the game. These include Mr. Freeze, Harley Quinn, Clayface, and the Court of Owls. Gotham Knights also has a new Oct. 21, 2022 release date. — Brendan Lowry

The Expanse: A Telltale Series gameplay premieres during Opening Night Live

We’ve known that Telltale Games was back when the studio announced The Wolf Among Us 2 and The Expanse: A Telltale Series in late 2021 and early 2022, and now, we’ve finally got to see some gameplay of the latter. During Opening Night Live, Telltale and developer Deck Nine Games showed off our first look at The Expanse: A Telltale Series, which is expected to release in Summer 2023. — Brendan Lowry

Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game announced, launches early 2023

Developer Good Shepherd Entertainment announced Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game during Opening Night Live, showing off the adaptation’s recreation of the cult classic ’80s film. Players can play as the iconic Killer Klowns and harvest humans, or they can choose to play as survivors and fight back against the alien menace. The game is slated to launch in early 2023 on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC via Steam. — Brendan Lowry

Xbox console exclusive High on Life gets a fresh gameplay trailer 

High on Life, an upcoming Xbox and PC exclusive shooter from Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland, got a new gameplay trailer during Opening Night Live. The trailer prominently showed off High on Life’s bizarre tone and arsenal, including its talking guns and knives, the player’s ability to grapple onto flies using a frog’s tongue and swing around, and a fight with a boss called 9-TORG. The game is slated to launch on Dec. 13, 2022. — Brendan Lowry

Return to Monkey Island receives September 19 release date

Return to Monkey Island made an appearance at Opening Night Live on Tuesday, offering a firm release date for its PC and Nintendo Switch versions. The title, now slated to launch on September 19, brings back the adventure series with a refreshed art style and various updates for the modern age. That’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day for those keeping track, and if you preorder, there’s bonus horse armor also up for grabs. — Matt Brown

Lies of P gets a premier gameplay trailer during Opening Night Live

Lies of P is a highly-anticipated Soulslike that blends Victorian and steampunk aesthetics with a story that’s inspired heavily by the story of Pinocchio. It got a new gameplay trailer during Opening Night Live, showcasing the protagonist’s versatile prosthetic arm (think Sekiro), combat encounters, boss fights, story cutscenes, and more. — Brendan Lowry

First Goat Simulator gameplay debuts in new Gamescom trailer

Coffee Stain Studios has unveiled the Goat Simulator 3 gameplay at Opening Night Live, providing a deeper look at its chaotic action sandbox. The next entry in the Goat Simulator series follows up on the 2014 indie darling with an aptly confusing-titled second installment, ramping up its carnage with new four-player co-op support. The game launches on the latest generation Xbox and PlayStation consoles, plus PC, with a slated November 17, 2022 release date. — Matt Brown

Subnautica studio announces Moonbreaker with a September release date

The studio behind Subnautica, Unknown Worlds, has revealed its next game at the Opening Night Live show. Dubbed Moonbreaker, this turn-based sci-fi strategy game will challenge players to take down opponents in action-packed encounters with tabletop-style figures that they’ll be able to improve and customize during gameplay. The game is launching in Early Access on Sept. 29, 2022 on Steam. — Brendan Lowry

Dying Light 2 Stay Human: Bloody Ties DLC announced, releases Oct. 13

The first DLC for Dying Light 2 Stay Human has been announced with a new trailer during Opening Night Live, showcasing the expansion’s gladiatorial-style arena combat. The DLC’s new area, The Carnage Hall, will offer fans plenty of story content, quests, new weapons, character interactions, and more. Bloody Ties is set to release on Oct. 13, 2022, and players who preorder it will get access to a bonus Aristocrat Pack that includes unique cosmetics and other items. — Brendan Lowry

New Hogwarts Legacy gameplay shown along with preorder info

New gameplay of the upcoming Harry Potter RPG Hogwarts Legacy was displayed during Opening Night Live, giving fans a look at the questline involving the Slytherin student Sebastian Sallow. The end of the gameplay trailer also revealed that preorders for the game will go live on August 25 at 8 a.m. PT, with the game slated to officially go live on Feb. 10, 2023. — Brendan Lowry

The Callisto Protocol shows off brand new gameplay trailer on next gen hardware

During Opening Night Live, a new gameplay trailer for the Dead Space-like The Callisto Protocol was shown off. The gameplay was recorded on next-gen hardware (likely an Xbox Series X or PS5) and showed off brutal combat with horrific monsters, exploration of the environment for supplies, and intense scripted sequences. You can check it out in the video embed above. — Brendan Lowry

Dune: Awakening, a new open world survival MMO, has been announced

Towards the beginning of the Opening Night Live show, Dune: Awakening, a new open world survival MMO, was announced with a new trailer. The adaptation of the famous sci-fi novel is being made by Funcom, Level Infinite, and Legendary Entertainment. The trailer featured iconography from the Dune franchise, including the massive sand worm, dragonfly-like helicopters, and more.

The game’s release date wasn’t revealed, though the game’s website is live and allows players to sign up for its beta by submitting their email. You can watch the trailer for Dune: Awakening here. — Brendan Lowry

Destiny 2’s Lightfall expansion is coming February 2023

During Bungie’s Destiny 2 showcase on Tuesday, the studio gave fans a closer look at what to expect from the Lightfall expansion. Destiny 2: Lightfall is set to release on Feb. 28 2023 and pits players against the fearsome Shadow Legion as the threat of The Witness, its newest disciple, and the fleet of Darkness pyramids looms overhead. 

The DLC will be centered primarily around the planet Neptune, with the techno-futuristic city of Neomuna serving as the expansion’s main location. Lightfall will also feature a new Darkness subclass called Strand, which allows Guardians to swing around with grappling hooks, create sentient allies to fight by their side (Warlock), synthesize a rope-dart (Hunter), or make giant claws (Titan).

Preorders for the expansion are available now, with the basic edition of the DLC retailing for $49.99 on Xbox, PlayStation, Steam, the Microsoft Store, the Epic Games Store, and Google Stadia. You can watch the official trailer for Lightfall here.

Dead Island 2 to return this Gamescom with new release date

While Gamescom 2022 is just getting started, we’re learning what to expect and the titles set to appear. Dead Island 2 could be among those appearances, with hints of a long-awaited revival of the zombie action game following its reveal back in 2014.

Dead Island 2 could return with a February 3, 2023 release date, according to a now-deleted Amazon listing. The store page suggests the latest iteration of Dead Island keeps its Los Angeles setting, now with six playable characters and a deep skill system to face off against the “dozens” of planned zombie types. Listings have reportedly since popped up via Xbox consoles, suggesting an imminent announcement during Gamescom.

Publisher, Deep Silver, could choose to give Dead Island 2 the stage at Opening Night Live, only a few months out from its alleged 2023 debut. The title’s development hasn’t been smooth to date, with the project handed between multiple studios and now under Nottingham-based Dambuster Studios. The title appears to be headed to Xbox Series X, PS5, and PC, alongside previous-generation consoles. We’ll have to wait for the live show to find out more. — Matt Brown

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord coming to console, preorders begin today

Ahead of the Opening Night Live show, developer TaleWorld has announced that Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord — one of the most popular strategy action RPGs on PC — is officially launching on consoles on October 25th, 2022. The game will be available on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and Xbox One and PS4 systems.

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is set in the medieval lands of Calradia, in which brutal civil war has led to the fall and rise of entire kingdoms. In this open world, you can summon your armies and charge into battle, siege fortresses, create and grow secret criminal organizations in the shadows, and more. 

Preorders for the game are also going live today, with copies expected to become available at 12 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CEST. Standard preorders of the game will cost $49.99, though there may be more advanced editions of the game that cost more and include extra collectibles and content as well. — Brendan Lowry

Welcome to our live coverage of Gamescom 2022! Stick with us to catch all of the latest reveals and premieres from major showcases like Opening Night Live and the Future Games Show, as well as the smaller pieces of news that come out before, between, and after them.

As my colleague Matt Brown said, Gamescom is generally quieter than E3. Even so, it’s still an exciting event to watch closely if you’re a gamer, as it provides developers with an opportunity to show off more of what fans can expect from upcoming titles. 

Thanks for joining us as we cover and analyze anything and everything Gamescom 2022! Whether it’s something big like Thursday’s Xbox Booth Live showcase or a smaller announcement, we’ll be watching and writing about everything you need to know. — Brendan Lowry, Windows Central Contributor

‘Lies of P’ and ‘You Suck at Parking’ seemingly headed to Xbox Game Pass

Microsoft is one of the many with big showings at Gamescom, including an Xbox booth providing fans with hands-on opportunities for many of 2022’s most anticipated titles. We’re also expecting some new titles confirmed for Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass subscription service this week, with two titles now seemingly confirmed ahead of the show.

“Lies of P” and “You Suck at Parking” are among future titles headed to Xbox Game Pass, according to Microsoft’s own Xbox Gamescom booth. Aaron Greenberg, general manager, Xbox games marketing, has provided a preview of its Gamescom booth in a new tweet, with signage depicting the two titles alongside the Game Pass logo. Expect to hear more between Opening Night Live and the Xbox Gamescom show on Thursday. — Matt Brown

Opening Night Live will be two hours, ‘new unannounced games’ to feature

Gamescom Opening Night Live host, Geoff Keighley, has now provided additional insight into what to expect from tonight’s conference. The upcoming show will feature both previously announced and “new unannounced” games according to a recent tweet posted by Keighley. We also expect the show to run two hours, with 35 games to feature, suggesting a packed show cycling through a range of anticipated titles. — Matt Brown

Here’s the latest Gamescom Opening Night Live roster

Gamescom 2022 kicks off with Opening Night Live later today, offering what looks to be this year’s premier digital showing. The show brings together publishers and developers from across the globe, delivering over two hours of gaming reveals and trailers. Opening Night Live host, Geoff Keighley, has now shared a full rundown of confirmed appearances ahead of today’s live streamed event.

Confirmed premieres include a new Tales From the Borderlands entry, Hogwarts Legacy, Gotham Knights, and Sonic Frontiers, among other upcoming titles. We also expect updates for existing hits, including Genshin Impact and the first major Dying Light 2 DLC dubbed Bloody Ties. The complete list of confirmed titles for Opening Night Live follows below. — Matt Brown

Welcome everyone — and thanks for joining us! Gamescom is back and we’re just getting started with this year’s coverage.

Gamescom, while quieter than trade shows like E3, provides a second chance for developers and publishers to share their games through the summer. While not known for blockbuster conferences or industry-shaking reveals, it’s an ideal opportunity to learn more about games arriving in the year ahead. We’re starting with Opening Night Live this evening, which could bring this year’s top news and announcements from an assortment of major players in the industry.

We’re just getting started on our live coverage for the week. This Tuesday, we’ll discuss the breaking news so far, with insight into what’s to come this week, followed by live reporting on Opening Night Live starting at 2 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CEST. You can expect regular updates to follow before things get crazy later tonight. — Matt Brown, Windows Central Senior Games Editor