This year is going to be a big one for game releases with several high-profile titles coming in addition to some long-awaited releases and… re-releases. On the re-release front, the PC goobers will be getting the brilliant God of War this month, plus Monster Hunter Rise -- it’s going to be a great year for ports. Which carries over to the PlayStation 5 thanks to the release of Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, also out this month.

It’s not all “played that somewhere else” as January 2022 finally sees the arrival of Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six Extraction, which blends co-op survival shooting with the sort of tactical gameplay that has made Rainbow Six a competitive staple. After a string of Left 4 Dead-style disappointments in 2020, it might just be the co-op shooter we’ve been looking for.

Here’s the breakdown of what’s coming.

Deep Rock Galactic

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Platform: PS4, PS5
Release Date: January 12

The rock and stone-cold classic co-op action of Deep Rock Galactic is finally headed to PlayStation. And as it’s part of this month’s PlayStation Plus freebies there’s no reason not to don your favourite beard, mine some rare alien ore, and shoot some bugs.

Monster Hunter Rise

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Platform: PC
Release Date: January 12

The phenom that is Capcom’s Monster Hunter series is now as ubiquitous as its monstrous older sibling, Resident Evil, and with Monster Hunter Rise now PC-bound, it finds a new audience and new power to truly shine. A definite must play now that 4K and 60fps are highlighted as PC-specific features.

Astroneer

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Platform: Switch
Release Date: January 13

Not to be left out in the cold, the Nintendo Switch port of Astroneer rocks the hybrid platform this month. The game is described as a solo or co-op experience that allows you to physically alter the terrain of an alien planet as you build your own custom bases above, or below ground.

The Anacrusis

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Platform: PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One
Release Date: January 13

Taking the Left 4 Dead formula and locking it into a space-limited space station set at the edge of the known universe sounds pretty good on paper, and when you package in “Horde Mode” as the differential to The Anacrusis being strictly Left 4 Dead-like, well, you’ve pretty much got us hooked on premise alone. Four-player co-operative alien horde mode engaged.

God of War

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Platform: PC
Release Date: January 14

Kind of hard to say anything about this that hasn’t already been said, except that on PC God of War 2018 (in 2022) will be the most complete version of the game to date, and an excellent primer for the tantalising God of War: Ragnarok. But in the interest of hype, here’s what we said about it in 2018 on PS4:

It has old-school game-design coupled lovingly alongside a modern storytelling tilt, and it marries the two in a contemporary and meaningful way.

’Nuff said.

Expeditions: Rome

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Platform: PC
Release Date: January 20

Expeditions: Rome is a tactical turn-based RPG set right at the time of the rise of Julius Caesar, and if you’re anyone interested in ancient history, you’ll know that this period of time within the Roman Empire is rife with storytelling potential, especially in videogame form. This is a quintessential PC title full of the sort of depth and gameplay the Desktop platform excels most in.

Rainbow Six Extraction

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Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One
Release Date: January 20

A standalone release to Siege, Extraction is more Left 4 Dead-like than any of its previous namesake entries, and could pave the way for a long-running spinoff series, to boot. We’ve had the privilege of playing the game on a few occasions now, and can say that this is a bit beyond just a fun romp and that you might be in for a career change from an active siege technician to full-time alien goop cleaner, in the best possible sense of that sentiment.

Windjammers 2

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Platform: PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox One
Release Date: January 20

Part classic 2D fighting game, part air hockey, part something else, Windjammers 2 is a 1vs1 competitive arcade title you can play solo, locally or online in a game that looks as though it could only live in a Pachinko Parlour in Japan, and that’s exactly what we love about it. Not everything in your library needs to be serious, or seriously in-depth, sometimes you just wanna jam some flying discs, you know.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus

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Platform: Switch
Release Date: January 28

The sales pitch here might as well be: “Imagine The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but with Pokemon?!”. And that’d be an apt descriptor, and hook, in tandem. But it also looks to be more than the sum of its influential parts; more story and less “gotta catch ‘em all” with a larger world to explore and feel a part of. This might very well be the Pokemon action-RPG the world has spent years crying out for.

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection

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Platform: PS5
Release Date: January 28

Nathan Drake returns… again. No, not in Pog form, but rather in remastered form for the PS5 and, well, with the honest lite-on in content for the machine since its release in late 2020, something like this is definitely a wanted commodity. And each game is a decent time investment as well. It’s also a great way to jump back in and experience the OG titles in updated form with 3D audio, performance enhancements and a hopefully adjustment to hitboxes.

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Be sure to keep an eye out each month for these shoutout features, as well as to AusGamers daily for changes, new additions and everything else we offer in the in-depth writing and analysis department. Plus the fun. Can’t forget the fun.