With gamescom 2022 kicking off in Cologne, Germany, Aug. 23, we’re awash with reveals and updates on the most exciting video games on the horizon. Starting with Opening Night Live, a two-hour event hosted by Geoff Keighley, we had a first look at New Tales From The Borderlands, Dead Island 2 was reintroduced, and we saw Goat Simulator 3’s first gameplay trailer. 

We’ve rounded up the most exciting games on show at gamescom that are coming to the Epic Games Store. Everything below can be pre-purchased, wishlisted, or even played right now! 
 

Goat Simulator 3’s first gameplay trailer

Watch as a menace of goats (that’s not the collective noun, but it should be) kick off Goat Simulator 3’s gameplay trailer by knocking down the cameraman. Barely 20 seconds in, and we’re already meta. Things just get more chaotic from there. 

The chaos of Goat Simulator is multiplied. Up to four goats can antagonize the residents of San Angora, a quiet island community just begging to be hoofed by Pilgor and pals. Activities include: tightrope jousting, goats firing themselves from cannons, meditation (but in a glass yoga studio that suffers the inevitable consequences), and, well, everything and anything you can do with physics and goats. Here. Watch. 
 

Goat Simulator 3 can be pre-purchased exclusively on the Epic Games Store and will be released Nov. 17, 2022. 
 

Dead Island 2 was re-revealed

Long-awaited zombie-infested sequel, Dead Island 2, was finally revealed. The game takes place in an undead-overrun Los Angeles. Players can choose from one of six characters who are immune to the infection and battle against hordes of zombies, either solo or with friends. Dead Island was famously gory, and the sequel promises a meaty upgrade on the signature dismemberment system, alongside a new skill system that enables players to respec on the fly. It’s a combat toy box, if that box were stuffed full of zombies.
 

Dead Island 2 can be pre-purchased now and will be released on Feb. 3, 2022. 
 

New Tales From The Borderlands was announced

The classic adventure game series, set in Gearbox’s looter-shooter universe, returns with a ‘trio of losers’ out to change the galaxy. New Tales From The Borderlands revealed three nobodies (altruistic scientist Anu, her ‘streetwise’ brother Octavio, and frogurt-slinging Fran) who are out to take on gun-crafting corporate overlords Tediore in the search for a new vault. Each playable character has a plan for the future, and players will control the outcome of their quest through the choices they make on the way. Also, it’s one of two games in this list with talking weaponry. You can watch the latest trailer here.

New Tales From The Borderlands can be pre-purchased now and will be released on Oct. 21, 2022. 
 

Hogwarts Legacy introduced the Dark Arts

A new Hogwarts Legacy gameplay trailer gave us the first look at the Dark Arts. The open-world RPG will let players attend classes at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, though some lessons are strictly off the curriculum.  

We’re introduced to Sebastian Sallow, a Slytherin student with a worrying fascination for unforgivable curses, spells that students are forbidden to use. Players can choose to follow him on a companion quest line, an optional storyline where they’ll uncover the Sallow family’s dark past and eventually decide whether or not to embrace the Dark Arts themselves. 
 

Hogwarts Legacy can be pre-purchased now and will be released on Feb. 10, 2023. 
 

Homeworld 3 unveiled its first gameplay trailer 

We were given our first glimpse of Homeworld 3 in-game at gamescom. The new gameplay trailer showed how the space RTS has evolved while still retaining the gorgeous, chilly aesthetic of the classic series. From afar, every battle is a work of art. 

The conflict, amidst hulking ruins floating in space, shows off how the vast, derelict ships can provide a plentiful amount of cover. Chunks of the craft let the fighters weave in and out of cover, while tunnels in the structures allow squadrons to move about the battlefield undetected. A smart commander will have to think in 3D in order to win. 
 

Homeworld 3 can be wishlisted now and will be released in the first half of 2023. 
 

The Lords Of The Fallen was announced

Epic RPG Lords of the Fallen is getting a ‘spiritual successor.’ The Lords of the Fallen is another dark fantasy Souls-like, set 1,000 years after the original game and almost five times larger than its predecessor. Players will roam the parallel worlds of the living and the dead, facing colossal bosses, and battling their way back to life, through the hellish world of the dead, should they fall in battle. 

Developer Hexworks promises hundreds of weapons, and a swathe of magical abilities, letting players forge their path by choosing the stats, weapons, armor, and spells that define their character. 
 

The Lords of the Fallen can be wishlisted now. 
 

Gotham Knights announced new villains and a new release date

Superheroes need villains. Gotham Knights, the open-world action RPG where Batman’s successors, Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin are taking on the lowlife thugs of Gotham, revealed two major villains. Joining Mr. Freeze, the Penguin, and the Court of Owls are Harley Quinn and shape-shifting monster Clayface. Players will be able to take on the gaggle of Gotham villains earlier than expected, with a new release date of Oct. 21, 2022 revealed.
 

Gotham Knights can be pre-purchased now, and will be released Oct. 21, 2022. 
 

The Callisto Protocol showed off more horror

Escaping the mutated inmates of Black Iron Prison, a maximum-security penitentiary located on Jupiter's moon, Callisto, is a brutal experience. The Callisto Protocol’s world is full of danger, with mutating inmates roaming around and every piece of machinery capable of turning the creatures and the player into mince. 

But players have an advantage. The character, Jacob, has telekinetic abilities, meaning he can grab enemies and float them around the level. The power allows him to use enemies as shields or toss them around. It’s a skill that combines well with the giant crushing machines dotted around the prison’s workshops.  
 

The Callisto Protocol can be wishlisted now and will be released Dec. 2, 2023. 
 

Tortuga - A Pirate's Tale was revealed

A pirate’s life will be tactical and turn-based in Tortuga - A Pirate's Tale. The sea-faring sim announced at gamescom lets players plan out their Blackbeard fantasies. They can craft their flag and battle it out against the colonial powers of the Old World. 

Pirates are surprisingly democratic. As elected captain of the fleet, players need to clearly define their goals, win the hex-based sea battles, and ensure the spoils of war are fairly distributed among the crew. Seek fame and fortune, build a reputation and skills (up to 35), while keeping the ship well-maintained (with over 360 unique loadouts) and the crew happy, or face mutiny. 
 

Tortuga - A Pirate's Tale is available to wishlist and will be released in 2023. 
 

Under The Waves surfaced

Narrative adventure game Under The Waves deals with grief and loneliness in the inhospitable depths of the North Sea. Professional diver Stan isolates himself in an underwater base, escaping from a traumatic past and into the abyss. The ocean confines him but also gives players gorgeous, atmospheric fathoms to explore. Caves, wrecks, and underwater life deliver an increasingly surreal backdrop while providing resources to go deeper and deeper into the depths of the ocean and Stan’s psyche. 
 

Under The Waves is available to wishlist.
 

High On Life introduced its verbally violent weapons

Rick and Morty creator Justin Roiland stars in High On Life, an FPS where the player battles off an alien cartel while wielding talking weapons. These aren’t guns just saying ‘pew,’ either, but fully voiced characters who rant, rave, and curse. It is weird, violent, and absolutely filthy.  
 

High On Life is available to pre-purchase now and will be released Dec. 13, 2022. 
 

Dying Light 2 Stay Human showed off the Bloody Ties DLC

A new DLC took the stage for Dying Light 2 Stay Human. Bloody Ties will let the player battle in the Carnage Hall, an old opera house that’s now home to a violent bloodsport. The arena will host bloody battles for big riches while the new villain, Skullface, watches.  

Dying Light 2 Stay Human: Bloody Ties is available to pre-purchase now and will be released Oct. 13, 2022. Watch the latest trailer here.

 

Geshin Impact updated to 3.0

Open-world action RPG Geshin Impact is expanding as it hits version 3.0. The update, the first phase of which is live now, adds a new region to explore, a new element, and three new playable characters. 

Filling out the desert and forested land of Sumeru are a number of new playable characters: Tighnari, Collei, Dori. Two of the new crew, the archers Tighnari and Collei, can use the game’s new element, Dendro. Dori, who will arrive in a later update, is an Electro Claymore user with healing abilities. 
 

Geshin Impact Version 3.0 is available now. 

Enjoy gamescom 2022, everyone.