It's a new year, so that means a whole new slate of games to play. That is if your backlog allows you to keep up. Once upon a time, January was a slow month, but that hasn't been the case in a while and this year is no exception. Here are the new games coming in January 2021. Be sure to keep an eye on our calendar for upcoming releases as well.
Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues (PC) – January 5
With the Netflix show gaining popularity, this continuation of the Karate Kid story comes to PC after last year's launch on consoles. It wasn't received too well there, garnering just a 61 average from 20 critics, but perhaps the show's biggest fans don't need a blockbuster.
MXGP 2020 (PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC) – January 14
The annual motocross game is back for another go on most platforms. The notable exception is right now its Xbox Series X|S version, which isn't listed on the game's website alongside the PS5 launch. Xbox players can still play it via the inherent backward compatibility via the Xbox One but seemingly won't have the native current-gen version available.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game - Complete Edition (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, Stadia, PC) – January 14
Delisted many years ago, Ubisoft is bringing back the beloved beat 'em up Scott Pilgrim vs. The World to most platforms, including its streaming debut on Stadia. The colorful 2D game plays like an homage to the arcade cabinets of old, but since 2014, the game has been unavailable digitally, which was its only distribution method.
Hitman 3 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, Stadia, PC) – January 20
Probably the biggest game of the month, Hitman 3 concludes the World of Assassination trilogy, which has been nothing short of an impeccable rebirth for Agent 47 and his devilish sandbox series. The creative assassination game will be the last for a while according to IO Interactive, as they'll soon shift gears completely to making the upcoming James Bond game.
Ride 4 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S) – January 21
Racing fans get not one, but two genre titles to kick off the new year. Ride 4 returns the two-wheeled, high-speed races on motorcycles to the asphalt for an experience unlike the month's earlier racing affair. If you prefer your motorcycles on pavement rather than mud, this new-gen upgrade of last year's game is more likely your pick.
Cyber Shadow (PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – January 26
Cyber Shadow is a sidescroller with a retro look. Using an 8-bit aesthetic, it tells the tale of a cybernetic ninja named Shadow on a mission to take down the robots in the way of saving his clan. It signals new publisher commitments for the team at Yacht Club, who made a name for itself first as a developer of Shovel Knight.
Stronghold: Warlords (PC) – January 26
PC has long been the home of strategy games, and among the most beloved is Firefly Studios' Stronghold series. The latest historical adventure takes players to the time of Genghis Khan, where players can recreate the castle economies of East Asia for the first time ever in video games, boasts the developers in a charmingly specific website blurb.
The Medium (Xbox Series X|S, PC) – January 28
Previously delayed out of 2020, this new horror game from Bloober Team comes with their bona fides earned by working on Layers of Fear and Observer but does some things new not just for the team, such as third-person horror, but for all of video games, as the new-gen Xbox exclusive renders two worlds side by side and asks players to solve problems in one to escape the other. It's touted as something only the Series X|S can do.
The Yakuza Remastered Collection (Xbox One, PC) – January 28
PlayStation fans already got access to the Yakuza Collection last year, but now Xbox and PC players will get to catch up. The box set includes remastered versions of Yakuza 3, 4, and 5 which couldn't come at a much better time.Yakuza's popularity in the west has been skyrocketing for a few years now, and this collection will likely mean it continues to grow in the hearts of players.
