As the new school year has begun, a new season for gaming has also started. Here are the top five upcoming video games to play this year. 

“Splatoon 3”

“Splatoon 3” is the third installment in one of Nintendo’s most-played games. This year, Nintendo added tons more content to play around with.

Some of the new content added includes a new story-driven campaign and 13 new weapons. The game will take place in the Splatlands, a war-filled desert run by Inklings (the characters we play as). All that’s known about the story so far is that it follows the discovery of mammals previously thought to be extinct. “Splatoon 3” was fully released on Sept. 9.

“God of War: Ragnarok” 

“God of War: Ragnarok” is the fifth game in the “God of War” series. It follows the events from “God of War: 2018,” after Kratos killed Baldur. The only thing that has been revealed about the story so far is that it will involve Ragnarok, a great battle in Norse mythology. 

 As for gameplay, all that has been revealed is that there will be new fire and ice abilities that can react to the environment. These abilities are dependent on specific weapons and cannot be used without them. 

 “I think it will be a great game with good graphics,” Carlsbad High School freshman Samson Olson said. “I hope it lives up to my expectations.”

“God of War: Ragnarok” is expected to release on Nov. 9.

“High on Life” 

“High on Life” is an upcoming story first-person shooter game led by the minds behind “Rick and Morty.” After an alien cartel invades earth and starts using humans as drugs, the gamer decides to form a team of talking guns to fight the aliens.

The game is expected to specialize in its unique dialogue, with lots of famous voice actors such as Justin Roiland and Zach Hadel (Psychicpebbles). There are expectations with in-ear gameplay, including lots of challenges and unlockable content.

“‘High On Life’ is a game I’ve been looking forward to since it was teased two months ago. The goofy look of the game is nothing but a breath of fresh air compared to the other biopunk first-person shooter CyberPunk 2077,” video game expert Adam Proctor said.

“Most voice actors are well known in the animation industry, and even the person who made the game is the creator of ‘Rick and Morty.’”    

“High on Life” will be released on Dec. 13.

“Skull & Bones” 

“Skull & Bones” is a new pirate-themed game created by Ubisoft. Much like Microsoft’s Sea of Thieves, Skull & Bones will feature sailing, fighting and treasure hunting.

  There are currently no aspects of the story revealed yet. The game also appears to have outposts claiming mechanics similar to “Far Cry”–one of Ubisoft’s most popular series.

 “Skull & Bones” is expected to be released on Nov. 8.

“Overwatch 2”

“Overwatch 2” is the sequel to “Overwatch,” a game published by Blizzard in 2016. “Overwatch 2” has nearly no new content and is more of a remastering of the original.

“Overwatch 2” contains the same game modes such as payload and control points with a few new maps as well as new playable characters. There are no additional gameplay mechanics, just bare-bones “Overwatch.”

“Judging by the beta, I think Overwatch 2 is pretty much the same as the original but with minor changes,” freshman Douglas Turner said. “It’s pretty disappointing, but Overwatch is still a fun game.”   

“Overwatch 2” is set to be released on Oct. 4.