We’re just two months away from the 2024 finish line, and after several months of high-profile game releases, November feels like a good time to catch up on your backlog. That’s not to say that there aren’t some noteworthy releases around the corner–especially from the indie and AA side of the industry–and the main event in November is easily the arrival of new PlayStation hardware in the form of the PS5 Pro console. Retro enthusiasts can also look forward to new Evercade releases, and on the software side, the big three have some interesting games launching.
Sony has Lego Horizon Adventures headed to PS5 and Switch, Xbox has a one-two punch of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, and Nintendo will release Mario and Luigi: Brothership for its Switch console. Between those releases, games like Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop, Metal Slug Tactics, and Slitterhead look like fascinating games to pick up.
For more in November, you can see the rest of the highlights below, and for a broader look at the rest of the year, you can check out 2024’s upcoming game release dates.
Metal Slug Tactics
Release date: November 5Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch
It has been quite a while since a new entry in the Metal Slug series has been released, but at long last, the franchise is making a comeback this month. The big difference here? A switch from the usual side-scrolling shooting action to turn-based tactical combat in this spin-off. It’s a bold departure from the franchise run-and-gun norm, but one that puts an interesting spin on the series while retaining the Metal Slug spirit with its Neo Geo pixel-art style, cannon-fodder enemies, and cool vehicles to pilot.
PS5 Pro console launch
Release date: November 7Price: $700
It’s the start of a new chapter in the PS5 era, as Sony launches a beefy hardware update in the form of the PS5 Pro console this month. Geared toward enthusiast gamers, the PS5 Pro sports a larger GPU, substantially increased storage capacity, and enhanced visual technology like AI-driven upscaling and advanced ray tracing. It also has a heftier price tag–$700 when compared to a base model PS5 retailing for $450–but for those people looking to get an improved graphical experience, early previews have looked promising so far. The console will launch with dozens of enhanced games, including graphical heavy-hitters like The Last of Us Part 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and Lies of P.
PS5 Pro retailer listings: In stock at all retailers
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Mario and Luigi: Brothership
Release date: November 7Platforms: Switch
Almost a decade after the duo first shared the spotlight in an RPG, a new Mario & Luigi game arrives this month and sees the brothers embark on a seafaring adventure. Featuring an art style that wouldn’t look out of place in a Saturday morning-cartoon, the RPG has multiple islands to explore and a turn-based combat system with Action Commands (timing-based maneuvers) to master. Outside of battle, you can expect to engage in some platforming and puzzle fun with the duo.
Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival
Release date: November 7Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
For something a little different this month, check out Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival. This drum-based rhythm game features 76 songs from across a wide variety of music–like anime, video game tracks, and pop tunes–and it’ll be making its debut on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PS5 this month. It’s a fun game where you hammer out beats on a digital taiko drum, and to kick things up a notch, you can buy a replica of that musical instrument to play the game with.
Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm FestivalTaiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival Drum Controller (PC and PS5) — $100Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival Drum Controller (Xbox Series X|S and PC) — $100 | Releases December 9
Goat Simulator Remastered
Release date: November 7Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
A remaster of 2014’s Goat Simulator is ready to cause some chaos this month, only this time with improved visuals that’ll help show off the finest in advanced goat-simulation technology. This new version includes all previously released DLC from the PC version, the previously mobile-exclusive GoatVille High map, and reworked mutators. In case you missed it, the debut trailer for this remaster was also the best trailer out of Gamescom Opening Night Live.
Chicken Police: Into the Hive
Release date: November 7Platforms: PC
Another cerebral game to check out in November, Chicken Police: Into the Hive is an old-school film-noir detective story where you’ll have to do some top-notch investigating to get to them bottom of a new mystery. As one of two rooster detectives working the case, you’ll get to meet dozens of characters, shake them down for information, and follow the clues to discover just what the heck is going on in the seedy underbelly of the city. A sequel to Chicken Police: Paint it Red, Into the Hive also features a neat technicolor mode for when you get tired of experiencing the world through various shades of morally dubious grey.
Slitterhead
Release date: November 8Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S
Slitterhead looks like a classic survival-horror game from a studio led by industry veterans. With a heavier emphasis on action over outright chills, you’ll hunt down the titular Slitterhead monsters in a semi-open-world setting–they’re nightmarish creatures who have blended in with society. As an incorporeal phantom who can possess and control human bodies at will, Slitterhead will let you turn the people wandering the city into your pawns as you fight back against the darkness, and along the way, you’ll forge alliances with special humans.
Farming Simulator 25
Release date: November 12Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Believe it or not, Farming Simulator is a juggernaut within its very specific agricultural genre. Used as a real-world tool by actual farmers and home to dozens of real-life brands, the games consistently sell well and have a very dedicated fanbase. For this year’s entry, there are over 400 machines to master on your farming adventure, several visual upgrades, and a gameplay engine that developer Giants has described as being very mod-friendly. The collector’s edition is also interesting, as it comes with a “USB ignition lock” that lets you twist a real key to start the game.
The Rise of the Golden Idol
Release date: November 12Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, iOS, Android
2022’s The Case of the Golden Idol was a fascinating point-and-click investigation game that quickly became a cult-hit, and this month, it’s getting a follow-up in the form of The Rise of the Golden Idol. Set 300 years after the first game, the sequel follows a relic hunter looking to claim the fabled artifact for themselves and investigating 20 strange cases of crime, death, and depravity along the way.
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake
Release date: November 14Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch
Square Enix has built up an impressive library of HD-2D JRPGs over the last couple of years, and in November, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake joins that collection. A remake of the original 1988 game, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake retains the core of the classic fantasy adventure and adds brand-new visuals, newly orchestrated music, and several gameplay tweaks to it. Dragon Quest 1 and 2 are also getting the HD-2D remake treatment, and they’ll both launch in a single package in 2025.
Lego Horizon Adventures
Release date: November 14Platforms: PC, PS5, Switch
Sure, a remaster of Horizon Zero Dawn already launched in October, but if you’re looking for a loose retelling of Aloy’s first adventure told through the colorful medium of plastic building blocks, then you’ll want to check out Lego Horizon Adventures this month. All the main plot beats are there, but with Lego’s signature sense of goofy charm and a colorful art direction, this looks like a fun way to create a more kid-friendly approach to expanding the Horizon franchise.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
Release date: November 19Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S
The next chapter in the Microsoft Flight Simulator series is ready to take off this month, and like the previous edition, the whole world is your aerial playground. One of the big additions this year is a career mode that’ll allow you to experience multiple roles in the aviation space, from commercial flights to mountain-rescue operations and more. Anyone looking to play the game on PC will be pleased to know that you won’t need to reserve too much SSD space, although you will need quite a bit of RAM.
Genshin Impact
Release date: November 20Platforms: Xbox Series X|S
It only took four years, but Genshin Impact is finally making its way to Xbox this month. Developer HoYoverse’s free-to-play action-RPG mixes lush anime visuals with the allure of Gacha gameplay mechanics, and Xbox owners can expect quite a bit of content–like a cozy potion shop to manage–when the game arrives.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Release date: November 20Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S
It has been a turbulent journey for developer GSC Game World, as the studio has weathered Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, a fire at one of its buildings, and even an early build of Stalker 2 leaking onto the internet. Amidst several delays, Stalker 2 launches this month and will see players once again explore an irradiated zone full of anomalies, mutants, and other dangers. The end result looks like a compelling reason to return to the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, as the risky landscape is teeming with treasure and opportunities for bold players to discover.
Nine Sols
Release date: November 26Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch
With no shortage of high-profile games released this year, smaller indie gems often go unnoticed. One such example would be Nine Sols, a killer combo of Sekiro-like combat mixed with metroidvania level design. Originally released on PC earlier this year, it’s slashing a path onto console this month and is not to be missed if you’re a fan of punishing souls-like adventures. At the same time, it does a terrific job of making you feel empowered as you continue your journey, while the imaginative visuals do an great job of bringing this 2D-action game to life.
Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop
Release date: November 28Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch
Another potential indie gem to keep an eye out for this month is the fix-’em-up Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop. A game about the horrors of adulthood and mentally enslaved donut shop employees, this roguelite spaceship-repair simulator is full of broken vehicles, wonderfully detailed repair manuals, and dark gods who aren’t nearly as deadly as the protagonist’s monthly rent payments.
Evercade Alpha
Release date: November 28Price: $250
There’s more than one new console releasing this month, as retro enthusiasts can check out the Evercade Alpha. These are designed to be bartop units and they come preassembled so you can start playing right out of the box. There’ll be two models available, priced at $250 each: a Street Fighter Alpha Evercade and a Mega Man Evercade, each one preloaded with six games. These are equipped with a vibrant eight-inch display, stereo speakers, headphone jack, Wi-Fi support for updates, and even a swappable light-up marquee. Each one is also compatible with existing Evercade cartridges, allowing you to play over 500 titles using the dual cartridge slots on the front of the machine.
Evercade Alpha: Street Fighter EditionEvercade Alpha: Mega Man Edition
Evercade EXP-R with Tomb Raider 1, 2 and 3
Release date: November 29Price: $100
Another hardware release from Evercade this month, the EXP-R handheld that comes bundled with classic Tomb Raider games. This $100 device is also compatible with the entire Evercade library of retro classics, and it comes equipped with an 800 x 400 IPS screen, up to five hours of battery life from a full charge, and built-in Wi-Fi.
