2021 may have been a bit of a wasteland due to COVID-related delays, but the side effect of that is that 2022 looks to be positively packed, with action fans having plenty of treats in store. Both Sony and Nintendo are set to deliver major exclusives in Horizon Forbidden West, God of War Ragnarok, Bayonetta 3, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel, while long-awaited third-party games like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Dying Light 2, and more are on the way. This was a hard list to narrow down, but here are Wccftech’s top 5 anticipated action games you’ll be battling through in 2022…

Check out Wccftech's other Most Anticipated of 2022 lists: Fighting, Shooter

Note: Only games with confirmed 2022 release dates are eligible for these lists. Stuff that’s only rumored or speculated to be coming out is relegated to the honorable mentions.

Horizon Forbidden West (PS4 & PS5, February 18)

Sony’s big breakout IP of the past generation gets a sequel in Horizon Forbidden West. Aloy’s back and so are the machines, and Sony and developer Guerrilla Games are promising a bigger, more lively world and a wider array of more challenging enemies. Thankfully, Aloy will have more tools to deal with them, as her ability to traverse the environment and gadgets have been greatly upgraded. Horizon Forbidden West has seen its share of delays (it was originally listed on our Most Anticipated Action Games of 2021 list) but it looks like the extra time has resulted in a game as shiny and polished as its mechanical creatures.

Bayonetta 3 (Switch, 2022)

Announced all the way back in 2017, some had given up hope that Bayonetta 3 was actually happening, but Platinum Game always preached patience. Well, it seems the game’s real, and it’s actually coming out in 2022! Bayonetta 3 relocates the action to Tokyo, introduces some new enemies, and a fresh hairstyle for Bayo (of course), but otherwise, it looks to deliver more of the over-to-top action players expect from the series, with a few tweaks and additions. For instance, this time around players can take direct control of giant kaiju-like demons, allowing for even more destruction. Expect Bayonetta 3 to be a full-on sensory overload (in more ways than one) when it arrives this year.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (PC, Xbox Series X/S & PS5, 2022)

Rocksteady Studios delivered some of the best action-adventure games of a generation with their Batman Arkham trilogy, but then they kind of fell off the map. Following the release of Batman: Arkham Knight in 2015 years passed with no news until Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was finally announced in 2020. Even then, very little was actually revealed about the game. Thankfully, Suicide Squad will finally arrive in 2022, and its first gameplay trailer looked very promising. It seems like Rocksteady is sticking to the slick, empowering action it's known for while adding 4-player co-op to the mix. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is also one of the few AAA games this year committing to next-gen exclusivity, so hopefully it kicks off a new era of action in style.

God of War Ragnarok (PS4 & PS5, 2022)

Get ready for more father-son bonding and skull-bashing, as God of War Ragnarok brings back Kratos and Atreus for another big Nordic adventure. While the game doesn’t appear to reimagine the blueprint laid down by 2018’s God of War too radically, expect new enemies, weapons, and a significantly larger world, as Ragnarok players will now get to explore all nine realms (only six were available in the original game). Sony is promising God of War Ragnarok will mark the end of Kratos’ Norse saga, so expect some big set pieces and equally big drama.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel (Switch, 2022)

No, we still don’t have an actual, final title for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel, but Nintendo promises it’s finally coming, and it will almost certainly dominate GOTY lists when it does. We still don’t know that much about the BOTW sequel, but Ganon’s back, Zelda’s in trouble, and it seems Link will be able to explore all new areas in the sky. Link will also bring some new weapons to the fight, including the ability to morph through objects and rewind specific objects. Breath of the Wild 2 (or whatever it ends up being titled) probably won’t be as revolutionary as its predecessor, but it looks like all the pieces are in place for another Legendary adventure.

Honorable Mentions and Possible Surprises

With such a packed year, some pretty major titles didn’t make the main list, like Dying Light 2: Stay Human, Gotham Knights, Saints Row, Ghostwire: Tokyo, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, Gungrave GORE, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. In addition to those, there are some great indie actioners coming to tweak your nostalgia and test your reflexes, including Hollow Knight: Silksong, Sifu, Trek to Yomi, Tunic, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, and River City Girls 2.

Of course, there are also the games that are rumored for 2022, but are still unannounced or without a release date. For instance, there’s word Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 may be on the way this year and whispers of remakes of major games like The Last of Us and Metroid Prime. 2022 is going to have more than enough to play without these possibilities, but hey, the more the merrier!

Those are the games you’re going to be grappling with in 2022! Any promising action games I missed? Round up your own list and share it in the comments!

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