What to play in January 2022: Rainbow Six Extraction, God of War, Blackwind

This month we are waiting mainly for ports: from PC to console, from consoles to PC and from consoles to consoles. A couple of new projects are also available, but nothing outstanding.

On January 12, a former Nintendo Switch exclusive, Monster Hunter Rise, will be released on Steam. Owners of sufficiently powerful PCs will be able to hunt monsters in 4K, with improved textures and increased frame rate.

On January 13, the console release of the tactical role-playing game Battle Brothers is due to take place. The game was released on Steam back in 2017 and managed to acquire a devoted fan base over the years, and now Xbox and PlayStation owners will be able to join it.

On the same day, the minimalistic strategy of Mushroom Wars 2 will reach the consoles, where the armies of mushroom kingdoms converge in short but fierce battles.

But the main port of the month (if not the year) will go on sale on January 14: for the first time in history, the mighty Kratos will officially look at the PC. Yes, almost four years after the original PlayStation 4 release, God of War will be released on Steam. As expected, the graphics were adjusted to the most top-end configurations, and the controls were adapted to the keyboard and mouse.

On January 20, the first notable novelty of the month will be released — the long-suffering Rainbow Six: Evacuation, formerly known as Rainbow Six: Quarantine. This is a sci-fi spin-off series in which operatives will have to fight alien mutants. You can choose from 12 maps inhabited by various creatures, as well as 13 types of tasks.

The alien invasion will also have to be stopped in the isometric action movie Blackwind, which will appear on all current platforms on the same day. The main character got an experimental power armor, equipped not only with an advanced arsenal, but also with an assistant drone. It can be controlled by both artificial intelligence and a cooperative partner.

At the same time, on January 20, the tactical role-playing game Expeditions: Rome will reach the release. It is a rare case when the action of an RPG takes place in a strictly historical setting without any fantasy elements. You will play the role of a young legate who was forced to leave Rome after the death of his father and now has to suppress the uprising of the Greeks. The developers promise a world rich in details, a twisted plot and tangible consequences of each choice.

And on the 20th, a curious sports arcade game Windjammers 2 will be released. In it, players are invited to exchange disks in a small arena. But the trick is that each of the ten athletes has their own parameters of strength and throw speed, as well as their own unique techniques. In addition to the interesting mechanics, the game also boasts stylish hand-drawn graphics and a soundtrack in the style of arcade machines of the nineties.

On January 25, another turn-based role-playing game will be released, but this time as fantasy as possible: Reverie Knights Tactics. In it, you have to break through hordes of orcs and goblins to liberate the elven city of Lenorien. Outwardly, all this resembles a much more optimistic version of The Banner Saga.

On January 27, Hotel Life: A Resort Simulator should be released on all current platforms. As you can guess from the name, you will become the owner of a resort hotel. Moreover, you will not only have to place bungalows and hire staff, but also personally do dirty work: for example, paint the walls in the first person. The game is strictly contraindicated for those who have been trying to get to the sea in vain for a couple of years.

On January 28, Switch will receive a major exclusive: Pokémon Legends: Arceus. The new part will take players back to ancient times, when people and strange creatures lived in parallel, and no one even thought about any tournaments. Arceus will feature large maps that are completely open for exploration, crafting items, as well as random encounters with aggressive wild monsters. And for the first time in the last 25 years, a game under the Pokémon brand is released without an alternative version.

And on the same day, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection will appear on PS5 — a collection of the fourth part of the adventures of Nathan Drake and an independent supplement The Lost Legacy. Both adventures will come out with slightly improved graphics and increased frame rate. Owners of both games on PS4 will be allowed to upgrade with an additional payment of 700 rubles — and this, in fact, is half the cost of a whole trilogy of remasters from the same series.

That's all the games coming out in January that have come to our attention. And what are you waiting for most of all? Write in the comments.