Gamescom 2018 has been and gone, delivering a week chock-full of video game reveals and demos. There was a hell of a lot to process and it’s incredibly likely that you missed a bunch of significant announcements. Thankfully, we had our eyes glued to our monitors for the entire week, keeping track of every little gameplay snippet and trickle of new info. Now it’s time to take what we’ve learned and compile a list of the top 20 games at Gamescom 2018.
From Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and its impressive boss battle, to the glorious graphics boasted by Cyberpunk 2077, Gamescom 2018 had something for everyone. Whatever your preferred genre, this event was guaranteed to pique your interest.
Those are the top 20 games at Gamescom 2018. There were many other titles doing their darnedest to attract our attention, with dedicated panels, booths, hands-on demos, and more, but the above 20 games are what stood out to us the most.
It might seem difficult for Gamescom to follow an event like E3, but this year it really delivered. While there weren’t as many AAA reveals, we did get a lot of confirmed release dates to look forward to, and there was a lot of gameplay to watch. As we enter the winter months, closing in on those end-of-year releases, sometimes a nice chunk of unedited footage is all you really want. Add in a passionate development team giving in-depth commentary on the various new features and mechanics, and the combination makes for more substance.
Though we’re in the final stages of 2018, there are still a number of key gaming events to look forward to. Even with the generous showcases seen during Gamescom 2018, you can be sure that these developers still have a few tricks hidden up their sleeves. Here’s to many glorious games releasing before the year is over!
Best 20 Gamescom 2018 Games
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Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Assassin's Creed Odyssey made its presence know with several different trailers. The highlight of the Gamescom 2018 showcase was undoubtedly "The Hunt for Medusa," which featured the game's hero taking on the legendary monster. We only got to see a short snippet of the fight, but this teaser did enough to get us excited. -
Life Is Strange 2
Dontnod Entertainment was finally ready to show off Life Is Strange 2, revealing a story trailer that introduced the two new protagonists, brothers Sean and Daniel Diaz. What's more, we also got to see an extended gameplay sequence. After so much secrecy surrounding the title and its characters, it was nice to get a good chunk of unedited gameplay. -
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Speaking of unedited gameplay, we also got to see Snake vs King K. Rool throwdown in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Though it only lasted two minutes, there was a lot to like about the fast-paced action, unique character moves, and classic fighting stage. Nintendo did the right thing by letting the game do the talking. Bravo! -
Devil May Cry 5
Nero continued to kick ass in some fresh Devil May Cry 5 footage. His flashy, weird arm thing certainly comes in useful when going up against demons and other uglies! In addition to the visceral demonstration, we also learned of the game's release date. Open your diary and add "March 8, 2019!" -
Metro Exodus
You might be used to Metro games looking a little bleak and depressing. I mean, it is a post-apocalypse wasteland that's being ravaged by dark creatures! Despite the death and destruction preceding it, the Metro Exodus Gamescom 2018 trailer introduced us to a thriving, green valley, where wild animals roamed free. Unfortunately, the peace didn't last for very long... -
Resident Evil 2 Remake
A new Resident Evil 2 Remake trailer was gifted to us during Gamescom 2018. It featured Claire Redfield taking on a sizable zombie chap. We did get to see some gameplay here, with Claire using everything in her arsenal to try and win the fight. Despite her efforts, she didn't fair too well! -
Battlefield 5
EA announced the date for the Battlefield 5 open beta, in which all players could try out the upcoming World War II shooter for free. A new trailer accompanied the announcement, offering a tease at what players would soon be getting up to at the beta's launch. DICE really knows how to cut together an epic video! -
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Shadow of the Tomb Raider stood out with its incredible graphics, pushed further than ever with Nvidia's new ray tracing technology. The RTX 2018 Ti powered the game's impressive visuals, making all PC gamers drool. A gameplay trailer broke down all of the different effects, emphasising just how great this Tomb Raider looks. -
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
From Software is at it again, getting us excited about a super difficult title that will make us curse and rage, but ultimately push through to great satisfaction. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is the name of the next cursed title. During Gamescom 2018 we were gifted five minutes of brutal gameplay, which was as intimidating as you'd expect. -
Spyro Reignited Trilogy
To help keep Spyro fans sane until the delayed release date, Activision kindly provided new screenshots of Spyro: Year of the Dragon. That is the third game in the original trilogy, and we got 11 images to help us imagine what actually playing it feels like. Here's hoping we can get our hands on it soon! -
The Dark Pictures Anthology
The Dark Pictures Anthology got its reveal during Gamescom 2018. Supermassive Games is out to scare the pants off us all with a collection of "standalone, cinematic branching horror games." Until Dawn gave us a taste of the intense, yes-everyone-can-die stories that this developer can create, so we're naturally terrified at the experiences to come in 2019. -
Shenmue 3
It finally happened! At Gamescom 2018, we got a Shenmue 3 release date! On August 27, 2019, the mythical game should finally be released on PC and PS4. It's been a while since its 2015 announcement, but next year it will launch... Fingers crossed! -
Fallout 76
Though we didn't see much from the game itself, Microsoft did unveil a new Fallout 76 Xbox One X bundle, which includes a white version of the console. While it might have been cool to have seen a special Fallout 76 edition Xbox design, this will be the first time that the white console has been made available for consumers to buy. -
Destiny 2: Forsaken
After the Destiny 2: Forsaken expansion trailer had the balls to kill off a fan-favorite character, Bungie used Gamescom 2018 to deliver more gameplay and story details. Despite being out for almost two years, Forsaken managed to grab our attention and ready us for a mission of revenge. -
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077's Gamescom showcase wasn't as exciting as we were hoping. Sure, we got some cool new screenshots, but we were wishing for an extended gameplay reveal. Fortunately, a generous helping of gameplay came the following week, during a record-breaking livestream. The Gamescom 2018 teaser screenshots worked to drive hype levels back up through the roof, so I guess it was a good move! -
Hitman 2
Not only is Hitman 2 going to be packed full of brand new missions, it's also going to feature all the content found within the original reboot, tinkered to include the new game's improved mechanics and equipment. A Gamescom 2018 announcement trailer revealed this info, along with news of additional missions for the Sniper Assassin mode, which is separate from the main game. -
Rage 2
The Rage 2 developers were keen to show off an extended gameplay demo, giving us a good look at what the combined effort of id Software and Avalanche results in. Enemies can be dispatched in a number of visually satisfying ways, as demonstrated in the shooting-focused gameplay sequence. This title is looking promising! -
Starlink: Battle for Atlas
Shout-out to Starfox and Peppy for taking the spotlight during Gamescom 2018's Starlink: Battle for Atlas showcase. Nintendo Switch owners will be able to play as Starfox for the entire game, and we got to see gameplay of what exactly that entails. Space battles with Starfox on Nintendo Switch have to be a good thing, right? -
The Settlers
Ubisoft had a bit of a surprise for Settlers fans, revealing a cinematic trailer for The Settlers. Yes, the titling is very confusing, but the important thing is that the trailer looks great! Of course, we'll have to wait for gameplay before getting too hyped, but just knowing a new game is in the works is exciting. If you can't wait until next year, the previous games in the series are all getting re-released on PC! Expect to hear more about that soon. -
Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Halo: The Master Chief Collection was added to the Xbox Game Pass, meaning all subscribers can now access the fantastic compilation of campaign and multiplayer experiences. There is a hell of a lot of content to enjoy here, and now the game will be repopulated with newcomers who are eager to get their Spartan on!
