It's been all year for video games. From blockbuster releases like Death Stranding and Sekiro to next-gen breakthroughs with sophisticated streaming tech and spec-rich consoles, it's quite an exciting time to keep up with the game. But with the pace of information released throughout 2019, it can be easy to forget the year's biggest milestones. Don't worry, here at TechRadar, we're going to be going through 10 of the best gaming moments of 2019. So, take a trip down memory lane with us as you reminisce about exciting gaming reveals and key cultural conversations, as well as a mischievous waterfowl... .
Pokémon comes to the UK
Since the turn of the millennium, Pokémon has dominated handheld consoles, but so far the franchise hasn't shown the British community the love it deserves. no wonder. As high up as Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn, we finally saw Pikachu land on some great British soil with Pokemon Sword and Shield. The latest entry for Game Freak in the iconic series gave us Galar, a land filled with teapots and coal hubs and Pokémon that double as pubs.
Valve unveiled a new Half-Life game
We know, right? Valve starts creating software again. Half-Life 2: Episode 2 has been going on for 12 long years, and Valve is ready to deliver the next experience in the series: Half-Life: Alyx. But keep your horses there, it's a prequel, and it's only available in VR. 2020 will prove if it's the system vendor it wants to be, but for now, we look forward to the continuation of the series and all future Valve games that have plenty of classic properties in their vault to lean into virtual dominance. This looks to be one of the first real AAA VR experiences that could draw millions of players into the ecosystem, especially since it's backed by the talent from Campo Santo (Firewatch, In the Valley of the Gods) that Valve absorbed in 2018.
Auto Chess becomes the new Battle Royale
Just like Battle Royale last year, 2019 was truly the year of auto chess. Drodo Studio released their highly successful Dota Auto Chess as a mod in Dota 2 in January 2019 and the rest is history. Since then, Valve has signed an official deal with Drodo to release Dota Underlords as a separate game with official Dota 2 characters and League of Legends sported Teamfight Tactics. The Auto Chess scene is beginning to penetrate the esports space and is enjoying great success on mobile, with already record numbers. If you missed the zeitgeist, the games are starting to look less like rushed prototypes and are actually poking at the fun boundaries of a thriving genre, so check them out!
More details on PS5 and Xbox Series X revealed
The new consoles are expected to launch in late 2020, and in 2019 we learned a lot more about what they might look like. Microsoft's Xbox Series X will bring ray tracing to consoles, will be capable of 4K at 60 FPS, and has an SSD bumper for faster load times. Meanwhile, the PS5 will support 8K TVs, will also have an SSD, and is rumored to come with an enhanced VR suite (maybe PSVR 2?), so brace your wallets, gamers! The next generation is just around the corner.
The exclusivity war is raging
The success of Fortnite has allowed for the rise of the Epic Game Store, a developer-friendly response to Valve's developer monopoly of the PC market with Steam. After launching in December 2018, the service quickly garnered attention and dominated the conversation in 2019 by securing the game after some top-tier gameplay, spinning many contenders for game of the year, including Control, The Outer Worlds and Outer Wilds, to name a few. The game didn't seem to hinder its rise either, but with Origin, Uplay, Xbox Game Pass PC, and Google Stadia now out in the wild, it's poised to become a PC-exclusive battleground.
This horrible goose
It's a big day in the gaming industry, and everyone is a horrible goose. That pretty much sums up the explosive launch of House House's Untitled Goose Game, a viral phenomenon that spawned from a group of developers making humble fluffy geese memes. When it dropped in our rounds in September, players erupted in unison with praise for this irreverent and mischievous beast. Since then, the game has sold hundreds of thousands of copies and reached a sales peak. Not a bad result of a silly joke, huh?
Apple Arcade brings the mobile market to life
Apple surprised everyone by launching its mobile arcade subscription service, Apple Arcade, in September 2019, only for many to realize that its library was filled with a legion of undeniable hits, launched almost in secret, making many gamers play seriously on your mobile device. phones one more time. There are plenty of exciting and experimental indie games already available on the service at a reasonable price with, get this, no microtransaction. Sayonara Wild Hearts, WhatTheGolf, Grindstone and many others have delighted critics and mobile gamers alike, with new games hitting the arcade on a monthly basis, providing constant bursts of fresh air and welcome to the mobile market.
Keanu Reeves in Cyberpunk
"You're awesome!" the cry was heard around the world at Microsoft's illustrious E3 conference this year when Keanu Reeves took the stage to reveal he was playing Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077. A twist no one saw coming, but everyone was extremely pleased, Keanu Reeves' breeding cup should now become an AI companion in one of the most wanted games in the world. 2020. As if we needed any more reasons to be excited about CDProjektRed's follow-up to The Witcher 3.
Breath of the Wild 2
Another major moment during E3 2019 must be the reveal that Nintendo is working on a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the phenomenal Nintendo Switch launch title that has warped our thinking about Zelda. Breath of the Wild 2 doesn't even have an official title yet, but fans are already dying to know how the next entry will play out. If the trailer reveals anything, it looks like it's going to be a little scary this time. Majora's mask in the ocean of nature's breath time, if you will.
A 16-year-old wins € 3 million in the Fortnite World Cup
From the litigious dance follies to the virtual concerts to the Star Wars clips shown in-game, it's been quite a year for Fortnite's cultural freaks, but no player has benefited from their rise to stardom like Bugha, 16 , from Pennsylvania. who became a household name after winning the first Fortnite World Cup in New York in July this year, earning € 3 million very well for his elite skills.
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