What Are The Biggest Video Games Coming Out This Holiday Season?

The period between August and December is always busy for video game enthusiasts, and 2018 is no different. The video game industry is already in the midst of its crowded holiday season, with some of the biggest names in gaming putting their best feet forward in the battle for sales supremacy.

There is a little bit of something for everyone this holiday season, even if some high-profile games do not come out until early next year. Here are just a few of the biggest games that are either already available or coming out before the end of 2018.

Red Dead Redemption 2 (Xbox One, PS4)

The long-awaited follow-up to 2010’s “Red Dead Redemption” is actually a prequel to that game. Players step into the boots of Arthur Morgan, a member of a cowboy gang in a fictionalized version of America’s wild west in the late 1800s.

“Red Dead Redemption 2” promises a much larger world with much more to do than its beloved predecessor when it comes out on Oct. 26. Players will be able to make friends and enemies, hunt wildlife and band together in an online multiplayer mode coming later this year. It is widely expected to be a top seller this holiday season, despite controversy over alleged worker mistreatment at developer Rockstar games.

Battlefield V (Xbox One, PS4, PC)

“Battlefield V” takes the blockbuster shooter franchise’s chaotic, team-based multiplayer action back to where it began: World War II. It seems to build on 2016’s “Battlefield 1” with new weapons, vehicles and more destructible levels. It will also feature a single player campaign made up of small vignettes about different people who took part in World War II.

It was originally supposed to launch on Oct. 19, but moved out of the way of “Red Dead Redemption 2” with a delay to Nov. 20. Shooter fans who want something more futuristic, or who just cannot wait until November, can pick up “Call of Duty: Black Ops 4” now.

Fallout 76 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)

Ever since publisher Bethesda resurrected “Fallout” as a first-person RPG series in 2008, the franchise has grown to enormous proportions. It will become a large-scale multiplayer game for the first time when “Fallout 76” launches on Oct. 23.

Players will be able to work with, or against, each other in a version of West Virginia after the world was ravaged by nuclear war. Bethesda promised that players can try to survive by themselves if they want, but it is primarily an online game. That means “Fallout” fans should not expect the same depth of storytelling found in the other games in the series.

A trio of family-friendly Nintendo Switch hits

The Nintendo Switch has become quite a popular console since its March 2017 launch. Switch owners who want games to play with their parents, children, siblings or friends have a variety of options, starting with “Super Mario Party,” which launched earlier this month. The accessible, multiplayer board game has received positive reviews.

Then, on Nov. 16, the hit Pokemon franchise returns with “Pokemon Let’s Go, Pikachu!” and “Pokemon Let’s Go, Eevee!” The two games are functionally similar, except players will start with either Pikachu or Eevee, depending on which one they buy. These new Pokemon RPGs incorporate features from both the classic games and the mobile hit “Pokemon Go.”

Finally, “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” will hit the Switch on Dec. 7. The fifth game in the Nintendo crossover fighting series boasts a massive roster of characters from across dozens of video games. Every single character who has ever appeared in the “Smash Bros.” series will appear in “Ultimate.” The game will also feature new characters, levels, items and music for fans to dig into.