January typically is not an especially busy time of the year for new video games, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing worth playing. Quite the contrary: while January 2024 doesn’t have the meatiest release schedule—especially following the annual holiday barrage—it has a few big releases worth watching.
Meaty adventures rule the month, including a new Prince of Persia game and the remastered PlayStation 5 edition of The Last of Us Part II, but there’s also Tekken 8 to deliver some quick thrills for fighting fans. Here’s a look at January’s biggest game releases.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (Jan. 18)
It’s been well over a decade since the last totally new, core Prince of Persia game, and Ubisoft is finally reviving the classic adventure brand with Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.
Releasing across PS5/PS4, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, The Lost Crown merges the franchise’s classic side-scrolling action with the kind of time manipulation elements seen in the more modern 3D entries. But it also takes cues from the likes of Metroid and Castlevania, providing a sprawling map and a litany of abilities that you’ll gradually unlock over time, making the campaign richer and richer as you go.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered (Jan. 19)
It’s been less than four years since The Last of Us Part II released at the tail end of the PS4 cycle, and it was already given performance enhancements on PS5. But with the popularity of the HBO show and 2023’s remastered version of the original PS3 action game, Naughty Dog is launching a remastered and expanded version of the sequel on PS5.
Along with a visual upgrade, it includes some levels that were cut during the original development, additional character costumes, and a new roguelike survival mode called “No Return.” Luckily, it’s also selling for less than a typical new PS5 game at $50.
Tekken 8 (Jan. 26)
The King of Iron Fist tournament is back with Tekken 8, which brings Bandai Namco’s fighting franchise to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. While the vibe largely looks familiar, with many returning faces in the mix, Tekken 8 introduces combat elements to reward more aggressive players, and brings a more cinematic touch to the action.
It can be difficult to make a 30-year-old franchise feel fresh again, especially after so many entries and spinoffs, but Tekken 8 looks to have a renewed spark to it. Let’s see if it can hang with Street Fighter 6.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Jan. 26)
No, you’re not mistaken: Sega did indeed just release another Like a Dragon game, The Man Who Erased His Name, in November. But the rebranded Yakuza series is expanding yet again in January, bringing together both series leads (Ichiban Kasuga and Kazuma Kiryu) for an open-world action affair in both Yokohama and Honolulu City, Hawaii—the first time away from Japan.
It’s billed as one of the big, mainline series entries, and a direct sequel to 2020’s Yakuza: Like a Dragon, unlike the recent spinoff release. It’s probably not the best place to start with this series, but existing fans should get a kick out of it across PS5/PS4, Xbox Series X/S and One, and PC.
Edited by Ryan Ozawa.