When it comes to video games, 2017 is going to be hard act for 2018 to follow. The previous year was wall-to-wall with great releases. Hot games were coming out almost every month, if not every week. Ask any gamer about the games they played and the games they wanted to play and you’ll learn they all had a massive backlog of unfinished games that year.

2018 looks kind of crazy too. We’ve got massive sequels, eyebrow-raising oddities, potentially sensational multiplayer experiences. This list is of course, very subjective, as eight slots are not enough to cover the thousands of games that will be coming out this year. Let me know in the comments which games you’re most looking forward to in 2018!

8. Skull & Bones

Late 2018 | PC, PS4, Xbox One

In this shared world game from Ubisoft Singapore, you assume the mantle of a pirate captain with ship, crew and all. You’ll loot and plunder from royal trade galleons and rival pirates and grow your fortune, expand your fleet and garner fame. It’s basically all the great pirate-y bits from 2013’s Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag made into a big budget game of its own.

7. A Way Out

March 23, 2018 | PS4, Xbox One, PC

This co-op adventure from Hazelight Studios focuses on two convicts, Leo and Vincent,  who must work together to break out of prison and stay on the run from the authorities. Whether you choose a hostile approach or eschew confrontation, cooperation will be key. A Way Out is also being helmed by Josef Fares, the creative lead behind Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, the most tearjerking game of 2013.

6. Vampyr

Early 2018 | Xbox One, PC, PS4

Set in 1918 London, Vampyr is a third-person action role-playing game in which you play Jonathan Reid, a physician who happens to be a vampire. The studio behind it, Dontnod Entertainment, produced the breakout supernatural teen drama hit, Life is Strange, and ethical decisions similar to those in it will be present in Vampyr. As a vampire, you must wrestle with your bloodthirst and your conscience.

5. Monster Hunter: World

January 26, 2018 | Xbox One, PS4, PC

The hype is quite strong for this one, as past installments of the Monster Hunter series are beloved treasures on handhelds like the PSP, 3DS, and PlayStation Vita. World takes the game to the triple A stratosphere with shiny graphics and a ginormous world filled with tropical jungles and all manner of monstrous prey. It looks complex, ambitious and has potential to be enormously satisfying.

4. Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom

January 19, 2018 | PC, PS4

The first Ni No Kuni was a JRPG made in collaboration with Studio Ghibli, giving its world a look that parallels classics like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro. While the animation giant is not involved with the sequel, developer Level-5 has shown us enough to guarantee it retains its dazzling look. Ni No Kuni II will transport players to a world with cat princes, sky pirates, and elemental creatures.

3. Yoshi

Mid-2018 | Nintendo Switch

While Yoshi games have been mostly hit or miss, this next title is from Good-Feel, the people behind Yoshi’s Woolly World. Whereas Woolly World introduced a variety of yarn-based tricks, the inventive new mechanic for this Yoshi outing is a camera flip which allows players to shift their perspective and explore mysteries that lie tucked away in every whimsical cardboard level.

2. God of War

March 22, 2018 | PS4

It’s been several years since the original God of War trilogy saw Kratos murder the Olympian pantheon. And while not much is different in the return of this franchise, the bone-ripping violence looks more visceral and intense than ever. The most novel addition is Kratos’ young son, who serves as a companion in the game, adding God of War to the canon of video game daddening.

1. Kingdom Hearts III

Mid-2018 | PlayStation 4, Xbox One

It’s been a whole generation since the first two Kingdom Hearts games were released on the PlayStation 2 and charmed everyone with their fusion of Japanese cool and Disney style. Since then fans have grown up, graduated, gotten jobs and had children. But they still hold out hope for this one. Six spinoffs later, director Tetsuya Nomura and his team are hoping to finally land this one in autumn.

Which one do you look forward to the most? Tell us below!