The beginning of the year has been relatively quiet in terms
of high-profile Triple-A releases. COVID-19’s lasting impact on game
development is well and truly still being felt, but luckily there’s a slew of
major titles set to arrive on home consoles throughout April. It all kicks off
with Square Enix’s new co-operative loot-shooter, and then it doesn’t really
let up.
Which new release should you be keeping an eye on? We know
it can be tough to keep up. That’s why we’ve collated a list of every big game
releasing on PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch in April 2021, helping you
stay on top and choose which games to pick up. We’ll included detailed
breakdowns of what each game offers as well as its current best price. Let’s
see what next month has in store on consoles.
Outriders (April 1st)
Brought to you by the same studio behind Bulletstorm and
Gears of War: Judgement, is a three-player co-op shooter where you
must gun down legions of alien invaders in search of loot. There are various
gun types to seek out and find, but your hero also fits into one of four
classes that can drastically affect how the third-person action plays out. Will
you be a Pyromancer and dominate enemies using fire or embrace the Trickster’s
power set by playing it sneaky. Outriders is the first major Triple-A shooter
to release in 2021, coming to PlayStation and Xbox consoles on April 1.
Xbox Game Pass members will gain instant access.
Doom 3 VR (April 16th)
Doom 3 was highly regarded as one of the scariest
first-person shooters when it released in 2004. It’s made the transition to other
console platforms since then, but April 16th sees Id Software’s cult
classic venture into all new territory by way of a new VR version for
PlayStation’s first-party headset. The extra dimension means you’ll be able to
fend off against the aliens of Mars from an all-new perspective, venturing
through an abandoned research facility and then the fires of hell itself in a fright-filled
shooter.
MotoGP 21 (April 22nd)
Regular as clockwork, a new year means the arrival of MotoGP’slatest outing. Milestone’s latest racer promises to be the most authentic
MotoGP experience yet when it arrives on PlayStation and Xbox on April 22nd,
featuring a roster of both new and classic riders from all GP seasons. The managerial
career mode makes its expected return, challenging you to pick your staff and
make vital choices with regards to bike development. Similarly, tyre wear
technology and the neural AI used in online races have also been improved.
Nier Replicant VER.1.22474487139... (April 23rd)
A game previously only made available in Japan, NierReplicant VER.1.2247448 us a remastered version of the cult classic action JRPG
that serves as a prequel to the wildly popular Nier: Automata. Players who pick
this up on either PS4 or Xbox One will be able to learn more about this barren
world where humans are slowly being forced to vacate Earth and machines are
beginning to take over. If you want more stylish third-person action, Nier
Replicant VER.1.2247448 has you covered. The original game’s storyline remains
intact but the visuals have now been much improved.
Terminator: Resistance Enhanced (April 30th)
Terminator: Resistance is a mid-budget first-person shooter
that released around the same time as Terminator: Dark Fate. While the movie
may have disappointed, though, Resistance actually turned out to be a fun, old-school
experience. Players on PS5 and Xbox Series X will be able to revisit this
tie-in shooter on at the end of the month on April 30th, thanks to a
remastered next-gen version known as Terminator: Resistance Enhanced.
Containing an all-new Infiltrator mode as well as an improved framerate and
graphics, it’s free to all those who own the last-gen versions.
New Pokemon Snap! (April 30th)
2021 marks the 25th anniversary of the Pokémon
franchise. But in addition to Pearl and Diamond remakes coming later this year,
the Snap! Spin-off series makes its long-awaited return on April 30th
by exclusively releasing on Nintendo Switch. You play as a photographer exploring
the Lental region’s various exotic islands, all of which are brimming with over
200 Pokémon for you to find and take pictures of. The better poses you snap,
the more points you will accrue, until eventually you fill out a complete Pokédex.
Returnal (April 30th)
Returnal is one of the PlayStation 5’s biggest early
releases of the year, originally scheduled to come out in March before being delayed
to allow extra polishing. Luckily, the wait looks to have been worth it.
Returnal will launch on at the end of the month on April 30th, mixing
in the mechanics of a third-person shooter with a splash of psychological
horror and asking to escape this dangerous planet. As space marine Selene you’ll
constantly be battling terrifying aliens, gathering new weapons and trying to
traverse constantly evolving environments. It’s an otherworldly
action-adventure.
