Summer Game Fest is fast approaching and we've been making predictions left right and center about what we may see - from our hotly anticipated RPGs and new JRPGs to some seriously exciting open-world games, nail-biting horrors, brutal soulslikes, and upcoming Metroidvania picks. With a wealth of exciting showcases making up the Summer Game Fest schedule, we can't resist rounding up the games we're dying to see more of - even if we're fully prepared to put clown makeup on over them. From games that have been rumored for years, to long awaited releases that are likely still a ways off, and new titles that we're simply trying to manifest, these wildcard wishlist picks likely won't make an appearance - but that doesn't stop us from setting down a summoning circle in the hopes they materialize.
So join us as we cross our fingers and toes and run down our ultimate wildcard wishlist for Summer Game Fest.
Witchbrook
Developer: Chucklefish
I haven't stopped thinking about Witchbrook since it was first announced all the way back in 2017. The pixelated RPG looks like a very magical Stardew Valley, but instead of farm life, you're attending college to learn the arts of spellcasting, potion brewing, and broom racing. Basically, you can become the witch you've always dreamed of and build a life for yourself - with a cozy cottage to renovate, relationships to form (romantic or otherwise), and plenty of activities to get stuck into outside of your studies. After its initial reveal and a design document detailing more about the game a few years later, we haven't heard much about Witchbrook since new assets were released in 2022. The chances of it actually turning up during Summer Game Fest feel pretty slim, but that won't stop me from once again making my own summoning circle in the hopes that it'll cast a spell on me all over again.
Resident Evil 9
Developer: Capcom
I have a dream. A daft dream, seeing as the game is still yet to be revealed in any meaningful way, but I'm hoping that Capcom finally addresses those Resident Evil 9 rumors by presenting something at Summer Game Fest 2024. The apparent IGN-confirmed existence of upcoming Code Veronica and Resident Evil 0 remakes has done nothing to sate my hunger. It's been three lonesome years since Resident Evil Village launched, and although 2023's Resident Evil 4 Remake proved an enjoyable distraction from the series' future, I'm keen for the next mainline game to build on from the Winters family saga. But Capcom's silence about the direction it wants to take has only made RE9 riper for the rumor mill. I've heard it all, from whisperings of an older Leon Kennedy reprising his leading role to a supposed working title of Resident Evil Apocalypse, but there's only so much speculation I can take before I start spreading my own lies about Wesker being resurrected by the megamycete and returning as a love-to-hate baddie. The conversation is reaching fever pitch, and Summer Game Fest would be the perfect place for Capcom to prove that Resident Evil is not stuck in the past.
The Witcher 4
Developer: CD Projekt Red
It's been more than three years since Cyberpunk 2077, nine months since Phantom Liberty, and CD Projekt has been gradually moving people over onto The Witcher 4 for a long time now. I'm not expecting some kind of imminent release date - the new saga hasn't even entered full-scale production yet - but I can only look at that picture of a mysterious medallion in the snow for so long. And I have so many questions that even one teeny cinematic trailer might help answer: Where on the continent is it set? How does it handle The Witcher 3's multiple endings? Will we play as Ciri? And is that a new Witcher school being teased?
Perhaps I'm being a little too hopeful. Perhaps The Witcher 4 is still a little too far away to show up this year. According to CDPR CEO Adam Kicinski, 2025 is about the earliest we could have hoped for a new Witcher game, and it seems pretty likely that that date isn't one the developer is actively targeting. But if I cross my fingers for a 2026 release, a 2024 reveal doesn't seem too outlandish - Cyberpunk 2077 launched in 2020, but got its first trailer at E3 2018. The Witcher 3 arrived in 2015, but its major reveal event was E3 2015. Perhaps I've got at least another year to wait, but I have a good feeling that this could be the year.
Titanfall 3
Developer: Respawn Entertainment
Let's be honest with ourselves, fellow Pilots: Titanfall 3 just ain't happening. Respawn is one of EA's biggest and most important studios, and with a proven track record that includes two successful Star Wars: Jedi games and the money printing license that is Apex Legends, I’d be surprised if the developer is ever afforded the room to make a threequel to such a beloved game. Whenever Apex Legends directly references things from Titanfall, it’s both a nice reminder and salt in the wound. The tense battle royale action and masterfully designed gunplay just doesn't quite scratch the same itch when you can’t also stomp about in a massive robot armed to the teeth.
Although, maybe it’s for the best that Titanfall 3 never sees the light of day. Recent news of Respawn’s Star Wars FPS being cancelled (this would've been another license to print money) alongside mass layoffs, followed by EA CEO Andrew Wilson sharing that advertising in EA games is being looked into and that he reckons generative AI will positively impact development processes, has left a bad taste in my mouth. If Titanfall 3 is going to feature energy drink ads and stiff banter with ChatGPT-7274, I'd rather play literally any of the other currently unreleased or non-existent games on this list.
OD
Developer: Kojima Productions
You want a wildcard at Summer Game Fest? Here's your wildcard, and then some. Hideo Kojima's OD is an inexplicably beautiful car crash you just can’t look away from - acclaimed actor Hunter Schafer saying sentences that don’t make any literal sense? Check. An actor from Germany who looks noticeably confused every few frames? Absolutely. I want whoever else Kojima has dredged up from the depths of his phone’s contact list to make an appearance in this stunning disaster of a game(?). Maybe we'll somehow top the frankly unbelievable Geoff Keighley cameo reveal from Death Stranding back in 2019.
A new Rayman game
Developer: Ubisoft somewhere, somehow
It's been almost 11 years since the last Rayman game - if you discount the Apple Arcade exclusive Rayman Mini from 2019. Ubisoft teased us with his flop of blonde hair in one Ubisoft Forward presentation, but it turns out our limb-less hero was being reincarnated as DLC for Mario + Rabbids: Spark of Hope. While I don't begrudge Rayman's foray into the world of Rabbids, the original Rayman game is still one of my all-time favorites. Original creator Michel Ancel may have left Ubisoft, but I know the spirit of Rayman is being kept alive somewhere. It has to be. Just dive into Reddit, social media, or the comments section of the next Ubisoft Forward and you'll find there are tons of us clamoring for a new Rayman - or even a remake of the original trilogy. Come on Ubisoft, I know you've got a great year ahead with Star Wars Outlaws and Assassin's Creed Shadows, but Rayman would be the ultimate way to round out a 2024 trio of bangers.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Developer: Team Cherry
Fine, I'll be the one to say it, because unlike Will desperately hoping for Titanfall 3, it has to happen at some point, right? Right?! Hollow Knight Silksong is at the point where it genuinely seems to have supplanted Half-Life 3 as the go-to joke about games never coming out - and considering it was supposed to launch early last year and there's still no obvious release date, it's not hard to see why. I know, I know, you can't rush genius, but I really would quite like to play Hornet's journey through Hallownest before I die - and it feels like there's been at least a few little hints and teases circulating in recent months to suggest some movement from behind the curtain at Team Cherry, even if none of them are official.
Call it copium if you want, but frankly we don't have much else to go on right now, and at the very least some concrete information about whether we should be prepared for months or years to wait would be appreciated. And God, even if there's no Silksong news, could I at least get that long-awaited DLC for Katana Zero, please?
Earthblade
Developer: Extremely Ok Games
Since Eathblade's announcement trailer at The Game Awards in 2022, we haven't heard any official word about it. As we stare down the barrel of Summer though, I would love to see more - even if its former 2024 release window isn't happening. Towerfall Ascension is one of my favorite games of all time, and 2018's Celeste really brought the talent of Maddy Thorson and friends to the mainstream. Now rebranded as Extremely Ok Games, I could not be more excited for the "explor-action platforming" the team has in store.
This seems like a perfect blend of Towerfall and Celeste, bringing back the masterful compositions of Lena Raine, the ingenious level design we’ve come to expect, and the nostalgic pixel art that pulls it all together. At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised, or bothered by a delay to 2025 - it is a small development team at work, afterall. Whatever happens, I’m just desperate to hear more about this game at SGF. If Celeste is anything to go by, it could be a dark horse for a Game of the Year contender whenever it's ready to release.
Earthbound remake
Developer: Nintendo
If there's one JRPG series I adore that doesn't get nearly as much attention as it deserves, it's the Mother series, with the second installment, Earthbound, being one of my favorite games of all time. So, as we approach its 30th anniversary this August, I can't help but hope that perhaps there's the slightest chance an Earthbound remake could be announced.
Earthbound's charming 16-bit art style isn't one that's aged poorly in the slightest, but my nostalgic brain can't help but imagine a sparkly new HD-2D version, or perhaps even a 3D one adopting a similar style to the Link's Awakening remake, with its colorful environments and adorable, toy-like character models. The JRPG is a truly special game, with its quirkiness and unique vibes going on to inspire a plethora of RPGs from other developers, notably including Toby Fox's indie hit, Undertale, so the more players can be introduced to that, the better. Nintendo hasn't said or done anything to hint that a remake could exist, mind you, but for now, I'm going to hold onto that hope, along with my undying dream that one day, Mother 3 will finally get an official English localization.
A Naughty Dog Announcement
It's been 4 years since N-Dawg last released a brand new title, and since The Last of Us 2, it's been remaster, after collection, after port, after remaster, with nothing new supposedly on the horizon.
That was until relatively recently when Naughty Dog president Neil Druckmann confirmed not only are multiple Single-Player Games in development at the studio, but that their next release will be quite the Doozy. With these trickles of news in mind, maybe a Naughty Dog announcement isn’t as wild a card as others, so let’s spice things up a bit.
Wouldn't 2025, the twenty year anniversary of Jak X, their final PS2 installment in the Jak and Daxter franchise, be a fantastic time to return to that fantastical world of the Precursors? Yes, yes it would.
Uncharted is fine too.
For more, check out our pick of the 15 games we really want to see at Summer Game Fest.
