It’s been a great year so far for console exclusives, particularly if you’re a PS4 or Nintendo Switch owner (the Xbox games, and new console are coming, don’t worry). You’ve already had heavy hitters like Horizon Zero Dawn, Yakuza 0, Persona 5, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Edition, and Xbox Owners have Crackdown 3 and Cuphead to look forward to this year.
And, as if 2017 hasn’t been a great enough year for console gamers, it’s about to get a lot better, with a slew of top-notch PC games that have already been released but are about to join the ranks of console games. We’re here to tell you which ones to look out for.
Dead By Daylight – Michael Myers DLC
Consoles: PS4 & Xbox One
Release Date: TBA August 2017
Dead By Daylight has been a hugely popular asymmetrical horror game on PC, routinely on the top 100 games played on Steam, which is no small feat. It even managed to bounce back from the brief lull in Twitch viewers that coincided with the release of Friday the 13th: The Game, so it’s not afraid of the competition, and while I certainly prefer Friday the 13th: The Game, there’s room in our lives for both.
Dead By Daylight came to consoles in late June, and now its DLC is trickling in with the developers announcing that the Michael Myers Halloween DLC will be dropping for PS4 and Xbox One in August of 2017. Be safe out there!
Cities: Skylines
Consoles: PS4
Release Date: August 15, 2017
If you’re an Xbox One player, you’ve had access to Cities: Skylines for quite some time. Colossal Order’s city sim game has been on Microsoft’s console since April of 2017, while PS4 owners have been watching with envy. Luckily, the wait is almost over, and PS4 players can get their hands on Cities: Skylines on August 15th of this year.
As of right now, however, the Xbox One version only has the After Dark expansion/DLC for the game, which is included in the $39.99 purchase, so it’s likely the PS4 version will have the same access, with further DLC packs coming later. At least you have more to look forward to!
Pillars of Eternity
Consoles: PS4, Xbox One
Release Date: August 29, 2017
You’ve probably heard rumors of Pillars of Eternity – legends of what many consider one of the best CRPGs of all time. Well now that “C” also stands for consoles, as this legendary legend will be making its way to both consoles in late August.
What’s more is that this will not just be a regular port; it’s actually Pillars of Eternity: Complete Edition, which includes all DLC released. It’s also been tastefully updated to cater to a controller instead of the standard mouse and keyboard of PC. As we went over in our preview, these updates make all the difference, successfully bringing the CRPG to consoles in solid fashion.
Hollow Knight
Consoles: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: TBA 2017
Lots of people have been raving about Hollow Knight, an indie darling platformer on PC that got buried under Horizon Zero Dawn and For Honor headlines. In fact, even we missed out on it, only getting around to raving about Hollow Knight recently. Better late than never, though, right?
That’s also what people are saying about its impending Nintendo Switch release. There is no exact timeframe for it, but the developers have insisted that it’s rapidly approaching, announcing that it was “feature complete” (whatever that means) back in June. But hey, better late than never. Also, the DLC for Hollow Knight will be included with the Nintendo Switch version upon release.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
Consoles: Xbox One
Release Date: “Late 2017”
Asking whether or not you’ve heard about PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is a good litmus test to see if you’re a PC or console gamer. If you’re a console gamer, you could very well be oblivious. If you’re a PC gamer, there’s no way to avoid it. It’s a game that came out of nowhere through Steam’s Early Access program, went on to rival both Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in daily player count and sold 3 million copies while it was at it.
Known better as PUBG, the game puts 100 players (yes, 100 players) against each other in an increasingly smaller area until there is only one remaining. It got roped into the console wars as the developers made an exclusivity deal with Microsoft to release its game exclusively (at least for now) to Xbox One as part of the “Game Preview” program later this year. The trailer above just says “Late 2017,” so your guess is as good as mine. As for how long this will be an Xbox One exclusive, signs point to forever. But for as long as it is, you can hold it over PS4 players’ heads for the entire duration.
