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Most anticipated games of 2016: July to December

E3 is over, and now we have hard dates for nearly all of the big games for the rest of 2016. Here are ones we're most looking forward to.

Jacob Krol
Jacob Krol is an editorial intern for CNET. He has a big love for all things tech, and is a huge Springsteen fan and also a native New Jerseyan. Jacob is currently a rising junior at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA.
Jeff Bakalar Editor at Large
Jeff is CNET Editor at Large and a host for CNET video. He's regularly featured on CBS and CBSN. He founded the site's longest-running podcast, The 404 Show, which ran for 10 years. He's currently featured on Giant Bomb's Giant Beastcast podcast and has an unhealthy obsession with ice hockey and pinball.
Jacob Krol
Jeff Bakalar
Inside
1 of 27 Playdead

Inside

Release date: June 29 (Xbox One, PC)

The follow-up to the indie hit Limbo puts you in a dystopian environment as seen through the eyes of a young boy.

No Man's Sky
2 of 27 Hello Games

No Man's Sky

Release date: August 9 (PS4, PC)

How vast is No Man's Sky? Developer Hello Games estimates that it has 18 quintillion planets to explore. So don't make any other plans for the month of August.

We Happy Few
3 of 27 Screenshot by Jacob Krol/CNET

We Happy Few

Release date: July 26 (Xbox One, PC)

Stop taking the pills and open your eyes to the world of We Happy Few -- think George Orwell meets "The Prisoner" meets BioShock.

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4 of 27 EA Sports

Madden NFL 17

Release date: August 21 (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

This year's annual Madden installment adds an updated Franchise Mode with "Play the Moment" and many other improvements.

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5 of 27 Josh Miller/CNET

Xbox One S

Release date: August 2016

The new Xbox One S is coming in hot, and it's got a nice roster of improvements. It's 40 percent smaller, plays 4K Blu-Rays, offers HDR video support and will eventually start at $299 in the US later this year.

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6 of 27 Microsoft

Recore

Release date: September 13 (Xbox One, PC)

GameSpot called Recore "Mega Man successor we've been waiting for" -- which makes sense, since both games were created by Keiji Inafune.

fifa-17-preventa-ps4-xbox-one-fecha-lanzamiento.png
7 of 27 EA Sports

FIFA 17

Release date: September 27 (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC)

EA's soccer sim is back, with a new career story mode called "The Journey" that follows you from rookie upstart to football superstar.

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8 of 27 Microsoft

Forza Horizon 3

Release date: September 27 (Xbox One, PC)

Microsoft's latest Forza is looking like a sweet joy ride. The new version adds more than 300 vehicles, massive new maps and easy multiplayer matchmaking.

e3-final-fantasy-xv.jpg
9 of 27 Square Enix

Final Fantasy XV

Release date: September 30 (PS4, Xbox One)

After a decade of development (including its initial life as Final Fantasy Versus XIII), the latest Final Fantasy chapter will finally hit on September 30.

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10 of 27 Projekt Red

Gwent: The Witcher Card Game

Release date: September 2016 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

This card game spinoff of The Witcher series will be wooing Hearthstone fans when it hits in September.

e3-mafia-3.jpg
11 of 27 2K Games

Mafia III

Release date: October 7 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

The Mafia series is back with a gritty tale of crime and revenge against the backdrop of a New Orleans-influenced city in 1968. Mafia III is coming in October to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

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12 of 27 Nintendo

Paper Mario Color Splash

Release date: October 7 (Wii U)

Mario saves the Wii U from irrelevance with this successor to Sticker Star. Paper Mario Color Splash adds in a more vibrant set of graphics and new battles.

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13 of 27 The Coalition/Microsoft

Gears of War 4

Release date: October 10 (Xbox One, PC)

Duck for cover as you advance through yet another gore-drenched alien battlefield when Gears of War 4 hits Xbox One and Windows 10 in October.

battlefield1reveal01.jpg
14 of 27 EA

Battlefield 1

Release date: October 21 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

The Battlefield series is heading to World War I in Battlefield 1, promising some of the largest online battles in the game's history, with dynamic weather effects and the option to control massive "behemoth" vehicles like battleships, trains and zeppelins.

e3-last-guardian.jpg
15 of 27 Sony

The Last Guardian

Release date: October 25 (PS4)

After nearly a decade in development, The Last Guardian will finally bring its story of a boy and his gigantic beast of a friend exclusively to the PlayStation 4 this October.

skyrimdragon.jpg
16 of 27 Screenshot by Bonnie Burton/CNET

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Remastered

Release date: October 28 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

One of the best open-world adventure games is coming back with overhauled graphics that take full advantage of current-gen consoles and PC graphics horsepower.

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17 of 27 EA

Titanfall 2

Release date: October 28 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

We loved the epic online multiplayer battles of the original Titanfall that pit players against huge mechs. Titanfall 2 adds new mechs and a single-player story to the package -- and lets PS4 players join the fun.

sony-playstation-vr.jpg
18 of 27 Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNET

Playstation VR

Release date: October 13 (PS4)

Sony beats Microsoft to the punch with the first VR product for game consoles when the PlayStation VR hits in October. Expect 50 compatible games by year's end.

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19 of 27 Activison

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

Release date: November 4 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare continues the series futuristic turn, taking the multiplayer mayhem to orbiting space platforms.

batman-arkham-knight-warner-bros.jpg
20 of 27 Warner Bros.

Batman Arkham VR

Release date: October (PS4 VR)

See Gotham City from Batman's point of view with Batman Arkham VR.

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21 of 27 Bethesda

Dishonored 2

Release date: November 11 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)

Play as assassin Corvo or Empress Emily in Dishonored 2, the first-person actioner that brings magic powers and stealth attacks to an otherworldly Victorian-style setting.

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22 of 27 Ubisoft

Watch Dogs 2

Release date: November 11 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Watch Dogs 2 is sort of like Grand Theft Auto meets TV's "Mr. Robot." The sequel pits hacker heroes once again attempting to defend the masses from the corporate-government industrial complex, this time in a faithful recreation of San Francisco.

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23 of 27 Nintendo

Pokemon Sun & Moon

Release date: November 18 (Nintendo 3DS)

A new world, new games, new Pokemon: Sun & Moon will include a few new Pokemon like Rowlet, Litten and Popplio.

south-park.jpg
24 of 27 Ubisoft

South Park: The Fractured But Whole

Release date: December 6 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)

Trey Parker and Matt Stone are letting players back into their cartoon world with South Park: The Fractured But Whole. Where the last game poked fun at the world of fantasy role-playing, this new entry will skewer the superhero genre.

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25 of 27 Screenshot by Jacob Krol/CNET

Dead Rising 4

Release date: December 6 (Xbox One, PC)

Capcom brings Christmas cheer to its zombie gorefest in the fourth installment of the Dead Rising series. (A PS4 version will follow later.)

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26 of 27 Ubisoft

Steep

Release date: December (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Steep lets players jump into a variety of winter mountain sports -- via skis, paragliders or wingsuits --and capture the footage to make shareable highlight reels.

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27 of 27 Microsoft

Sea of Thieves

Release date: Quarter 4 (Xbox One, PC)

Sea of Thieves is like a co-op version of "Pirates of the Caribbean." Work together with your friends to sail a pirate ship and do battle on the open sea.

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