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You might be thinking that \u201caction\u201d is a hard genre to narrow down when it comes to<\/span><\/span> any<\/span><\/span> form of interactive media, and you\u2019d be right. At the very least, most video games \u2013\u00a0from first-person shooters to real-time RPGs<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0fall under the action banner in some shape or form. That’s why putting together this list was hard; there are a select few\u00a0games that made the honorable mentions section at the bottom of the page and many others that aren\u2019t even referenced \u2013\u00a0a\u00a0side effect of the immensity of the genre itself. Even so, these are the top 10 action titles that I\u2019m excited to get my hands on in 2021.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Last year, Nier: Automata<\/a>\u00a0joined the ever-growing list of my favorite video games of all time. Replicant is the long-awaited remaster <\/span><\/span>and <\/span><\/span>remake of the first Nier that launched exclusively in Japan over a decade ago. The central narrative chronicles a young boy\u2019s journey to find his kidnapped sister in a world brimming with autonomous machines and supernatural entities. What makes the Nier series so different is its intrusive game design (e.g. Automata\u2019s true ending is a real doozy!). If you\u2019re looking for a unique confluence of various gameplay mechanics with existential dread vibes haphazardly sprinkled on top, Replicant looks like it will deliver.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I\u2019ve been playing a ton of The Forest<\/a> recently \u2013\u00a0yes, I know, I\u2019m late by three years. The survival game\u2019s freeform narrative is a welcome break from the structured chapters in most contemporary titles. I mean, I spent almost 15 hours building a heavily fortified base with my girlfriend before we began venturing into the serpentine cave system beneath us. Sons of the Forest looks to bolster its predecessor’s solid gameplay by introducing an interactive\u00a0NPC alongside new, horrifying variants of mutants. Of course, the cannibals will be there too, but, based off of trailer footage, tribal warfare will play a large role in the sequel\u2019s mysterious story.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Ghostwire Tokyo made it on my Five Next Gen Worlds To Be Excited About<\/a> feature a few months ago. Ever since it was revealed at E3 2019, I\u2019ve been excited to run amok in a modern-day Japan vanquishing hideous monstrosities that go bump in the night. I still have a lot of questions and reservations about the short, montage-like snippets of combat and story beats shown in the trailers, but the art design is particularly unique and exhibits an interesting blend of contemporary and traditional supernatural lore.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Remember booting up Left 4 Dead back in the day and mowing down hordes of sprinting zombies across a devastated America with your three closest friends? I do, fondly. There was nothing quite as exhilarating as encountering the witch in the sequel for the first time, screeching at the top of your lungs when she rushed the team, and wildly spraying bullets in every direction. We\u2019ve seen the classic Left 4 Dead formula in other games (I\u2019m still salty about how Evolve turned out), yet the sheer terror that comes with journeying across dangerous arenas to reach dinky safe rooms continues to be a rare experience not easily replicated. Back 4 Blood is a nostalgic gut-punch that looks to satisfy Left 4 Dead\u2019s most ardent fans. We loved<\/a> what we played of it so far, and I can’t wait to see more.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Like many Xbox owners, I love Halo. I was too young to hop into Combat Evolved, but Halo 2 and 3 shaped most of my childhood and served as my first true competitive shooters. Halo 4, however, is my favorite of the bunch as its story proved to be the most coherent in the classic franchise (as you can probably tell, I think 343 is a suitable successor to Bungie). The outrage that surged following Halo Infinite\u2019s gameplay footage<\/a> during 2020\u2019s Microsoft Showcase was lost on me. Sure, “Craig the Brute” has\u00a0a face only a mother can love, but let\u2019s not just forget about how incredible everything else looked \u2013\u00a0the landscape, the action with its classic Halo-feel, and a potentially interesting villain.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I was one of the few who missed out on Guerrilla Games\u2019 Horizon Zero Dawn when it was first released and set a new standard<\/a> for awe-inspiring sandbox graphics. Perhaps it was too hard for me to suspend my disbelief when pondering the original game\u2019s odd combination of robot dinosaurs wandering a primitive Earth. In any case, I\u2019m going to give Horizon Forbidden West the benefit of the doubt. This time around I\u2019ll be more open-minded. Who knows, maybe I\u2019ll actually end up falling in love with its characters and world. Or\u00a0maybe my original reservations will be confirmed. Either way, the second chapter in Aloy\u2019s journey piques my interest and I can\u2019t wait to see what the dev team\u00a0has in store.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Okay, so here\u2019s the thing: I didn\u2019t like Black Desert Online<\/a>. Between the unnecessarily dense UI\/menus and the indecipherable plotline(s), the grind was dull and monotonous. And before you tell me that all MMORPGs are like that, try playing Final Fantasy XIV, a game that continues to impress even after its notoriously disastrous launch. On an aesthetic level, Black Desert was drop-dead gorgeous and the character creator kept me hooked for at least an hour.\u00a0These great features could easily carry over to Crimson Desert. Better yet, I think that Crimson Desert\u2019s single-player world could avoid all of the disappointments that came packaged into the previous title\u2019s gameplay loop and give the developers a chance to hone in on expounding the story. There\u2019s definitely a lot to unpack, and an MMO experience like Black Desert might not have been the right approach.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I\u2019ve been obsessed with this under-the-radar gem since our in-depth coverage<\/a> from last fall<\/span>. Kena is a spirit guide that helps lost souls find their way to the next life. If that sounds familiar, then you\u2019re probably thinking of Spiritfarer<\/a>, another game about death and the hereafter. Kena: Bridge of Spirits, however, isn\u2019t a management game. In fact, the game looks more like the 3D entries in the Legend of Zelda series, which is probably a good sign, right?\u00a0The Rot (you can see one of them pictured above on Kena’s shoulder)\u00a0help players fight their\u00a0enemies and navigate the game\u2019s myriad hubs. If nothing else, the visuals\u00a0alone are what make me excited for this game; it\u2019s like a well-balanced mix of Studio Ghibli and Nintendo\u2019s beloved art styles.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Want to know what made God of War (2018) so great? Kratos changed. Santa Monica Studios left the series’ rage-fueled, hyper-masculine identity behind. Instead, the team took a more personal and mature direction, focusing on Kratos\u2019 weaknesses as a god, and\u00a0more importantly, as a parent. Atreus was his father\u2019s perfect foil, and their growing bond led to some of 2018\u2019s most heartfelt gaming moments. Ragnarok<\/a> continues the reboot\u2019s epic story and blatantly references the doomsday that awaits the familial pair. I\u2019m excited to see the unexplored realms, the latest deities\u00a0and creatures of lore that we\u2019ll likely have to slay, and finally get extra details on the tragic revelation revealed at the end of the first game.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n That\u2019s right, we\u2019ve got two of the best Norse-inspired video games out there slated for 2021 sequels. Look at the photo above and tell me that Hellblade II doesn\u2019t look intense as hell (pun intended). Senua\u2019s Sacrifice<\/a>\u00a0was a dark meditation on love, sacrifice, insecurity, and psychosis, among many other heavy themes. I loved the titular character\u2019s stellar internal monologues as well as the nightmarish environments of Ninja Theory\u2019s depiction of Helheim. Now, I honestly can\u2019t tell you what Hellblade II is going to be about, but it\u2019s obvious that Senua\u2019s journey into the depths of the underworld and her own tortured soul are far from over. I’m mainly excited to see how Ninja Theory ramps up the simple-but-gritty battle sequences from the first game. Hellblade II hasn’t been confirmed for 2021, but I feel pretty confident about an end-of-the-year release.\u00a0A\u00a0guy can dream, right?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n My honorable mentions for this year range from confirmed titles (Deathloop, Far Cry 6, and Returnal) to wishful-thinking picks (like Breath of the Wild 2 and Bayonetta 3). There are so many IPs \u2013 well-established and otherwise \u2013 that fall under the action umbrella; it\u2019s incredibly difficult to pick and choose! <\/span><\/span>For other timely lists, check out our <\/span><\/span>Top”>https:\/\/www.gameinformer.com\/2021\/01\/26\/top-upcoming-rpgs-for-2021-and-\u2026<\/a> Upcoming RPGs For 2021 And Beyond<\/a> and the Top”>https:\/\/www.gameinformer.com\/2021\/01\/23\/top-horror-games-coming-in-2021\u2026<\/a> Horror Games Coming In 2021<\/a>. What action games are you looking forward to playing this year? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/top-10-upcoming-action-games-1.jpg\")
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Nier Replicant ver. 1.22474487139<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\nApril 23, 2021 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, & PC<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/top-10-upcoming-action-games-2.jpg\")
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Sons of the Forest<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\n2021 for PC<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/top-10-upcoming-action-games-3.jpg\")
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Ghostwire Tokyo<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\n2021 for PlayStation 5 & PC<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/top-10-upcoming-action-games-4.jpg\")
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Back 4 Blood<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\nJune 22, 2021 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X\/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, & PC<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/top-10-upcoming-action-games-5.jpg\")
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Halo Infinite<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\n2021 for Xbox Series X\/S, Xbox One, & PC<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/top-10-upcoming-action-games-6.jpg\")
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Horizon Forbidden West<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\n2021 for PlayStation 5 & PlayStation 4<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/top-10-upcoming-action-games-7.jpg\")
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Crimson Desert\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\n2021 for PC<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/top-10-upcoming-action-games-8.jpg\")
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Kena: Bridge of Spirits<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\n2021 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, & PC<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/top-10-upcoming-action-games-9.jpg\")
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God of War: Ragnarok<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\n2021 for PlayStation 5<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/top-10-upcoming-action-games-10.jpg\")
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Senua\u2019s Saga: Hellblade II<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n\n(Hopefully 2021!) for Xbox Series X\/S<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n