This year could mark a major moment in gaming history with the highly anticipated release of <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/2024/06/04/grand-theft-auto-7-video-game/" target="_blank"><i>Grand Theft Auto 6</i></a>. Set to launch in the summer, it has been eagerly awaited since the record-breaking success of its predecessor, <i>GTA 5</i>, back in 2013. But until then, gamers have plenty to look forward to. From long-awaited sequels to exciting new titles, here are some of the most anticipated games hitting the shelves this year. <b>Release date: </b>February 11 The <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/2023/11/19/educational-video-games-sustainability-environment/" target="_blank"><i>Civilization</i></a> series has been beloved by its fans since the release of the first game in 1991. Since then, every release has advanced the reality of the experience and added new features to keep players interested. The objective of the game is world domination: take a society and grow it from simple means to cities of skyscrapers and nuclear power. <b>Release date: </b>February 14 Postponed from last year, the next <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/uk-news/2023/07/05/abbasid-architecture-to-the-fore-in-new-assassins-creed-mirage-video-game/" target="_blank"><i>Assassin's Creed</i></a> game is finally set for release next month. French studio Ubisoft announced that the game would be delayed due to it not being ready, which is admirable in an environment where many games are half-cooked, prompting discontent among fans. The game is set in feudal Japan and stars two characters, a female shinobi ninja and a black samurai. <b>Release date: </b>March 25 <i>Lord of the Rings</i> fans are eagerly waiting for the release of <i>Tales of the Shire</i>, a cosy gaming experience that will allow gamers to immerse themselves in the whimsical world of the films as they discover, decorate and share in this idyllic corner of Middle-earth. <b>Release date: </b>summer While fans still have trepidation about Rockstar’s current promised release date of "summer 2025", most are hopeful that they'll get the game after waiting more than a decade since the last <i>Grand Theft Auto</i> title. The open world in <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/pop-culture/2023/12/05/grand-theft-auto-vi-trailer-gta/" target="_blank"><i>GTA 6</i></a><i> </i>will be in a Miami-like setting, with two playable characters, a man and a woman. <b>Release date: </b>TBC The <i>Metal Gear Solid</i> series has many popular games, but the standout is <i>Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater</i>. Directed by gaming auteur <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/2024/02/13/hideo-kojima/" target="_blank">Hideo Kojima</a>, it was first released in 2004 and was one of the bestselling games of that year. A reboot of the game called <i>Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater</i> is coming this year, with many hoping to enjoy the game again in a graphically improved setting. <b>Release date: </b>TBC Another Kojima game, <i>Death Stranding 2: On the Beach</i> is a sequel to 2019’s popular<i> </i><a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/2024/02/16/troy-baker-indiana-jones-great-circle-death-stranding/" target="_blank"><i>Death Stranding</i></a>. The objective is to move packages across a vast map and deliver them during an apocalypse-level event. The sequel looks to expand the world set in the first game and improve on the mechanics of delivering goods. <b>Release date: </b>TBC <i>Ghost of Tsushima</i> was one of the last great games on the PlayStation 4. It transported players to feudal Japan to assume the role of a disgraced samurai who must clear his name and rid his island from a Mongol invasion. The <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/pop-culture/2024/09/26/ghosts-of-tsushima-sequel-yotei-playstation/" target="_blank">sequel</a> is set more than 300 years after the events of the first and takes place in the mountains of Yotei on Hokkaido Island. The game’s protagonist is a female ninja who is out for revenge. <b>Release date: </b>TBC <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/2023/03/27/playstation-plus-and-xbox-game-pass-subscription-services-compared/" target="_blank">Xbox</a> players have been anticipating the next game in the <i>Fable</i> series since the release of <i>Fable: The Journey</i> in 2012. The action role-playing game is set in a magical world where wizards are fought with spells and incantations. The game will feature British comedian Richard Ayoade as a major character who helps the protagonist on his quest. <b>Release date: </b>TBC The next instalment in the <i>Doom</i> series, which began in 1993, will be set in a gothic, medieval setting. The series was rebooted in 2016 for a new generation, upping the ante with loud rock 'n' roll and power weapons. The trailer for <i>Doom: The Dark Ages</i> shows a frenetic fun time, vanquishing enemies and levelling up in the process. <b>Release date: </b>TBC From the same studio that created <i>Deathloop</i> in 2021, the new <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/film/blade-at-20-how-the-film-kick-started-marvel-s-cinematic-success-1.761946" target="_blank"><i>Blade</i></a><i> </i>game transports players to Paris. As the day walker, gamers must infiltrate a congregation of vampires who have been terrorising the city at night. <b>Release date: </b>TBC Captain America and Black Panther team up in this action game set during the Second World War. Details on the game are sparse but the two-minute trailer shows the story will involve espionage work behind enemy lines coupled with fight sequences. Recent games such as <i>Guardians of the Galaxy</i> and <i>Marvel's Avengers</i> haven’t sparked much confidence, but gamers will be hoping <i>Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra</i> is more like the PlayStation’s popular <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/2023/10/21/marvel-spider-man-2-game-review/" target="_blank"><i>Spider-Man</i></a> games than the aforementioned flops. <b>Release date: </b>TBC A new massively multiplayer online game, or MMO, set in the <i>Dune</i> universe is coming sometime this year. Taking place in the desert planet of <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/film/2021/09/22/why-dune-director-denis-villeneuve-chose-mesmerising-abu-dhabi-as-his-arrakis/" target="_blank">Arrakis</a>, the game will have players strategising and commanding the Fremen in their resistance of House Harkonnen and its grip on the spice trade on the planet. <b>Release date: </b>TBC The <i>Mafia</i> series has had three mainline releases as well as a remaster of the first game. The next will be set in Sicily in the early 20th century. The game will follow protagonist Enzo Favara and his journey from the Italian island's sulfur mines to joining a crime family.