It's beginning to feel like the holiday game release season doesn't end until March. It used to be that the new year meant we could all take a breath, collect ourselves, and catch up on the big launches that piled up just before the holiday shopping rush. But as last-minute delays into the new year have grown more common, heavy hitters that need a bit of extra polish are now routinely dropping into the same release window as the games that set their early-year launch targets to dodge their biggest competition.

It's the makings of a perfect storm, and February's shaping up to be a real tempest. A genuine deluge. A proper Überschwemmung. Here are the games lighting up the radar:

• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 — February 11
• Civilization 7 — February 11
• Avowed — February 18
• Monster Hunter Wilds — February 27
• Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii — February 27

We're looking at Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Civilization 7, and Avowed all releasing in the space of a single week. We might want to start staking out free time on our calendars now. Sorry, Captain America: Brave New World, I don't have a Saturday to spare for you—if I ever did.

For starters, February's going to be a massive month for RPGs, particularly if you're [[link]] in the mood for some medieval adventuring. After some hands-on time with Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, to 15th century Bohemia, calling it "larger, confident and extremely tactile." If [[link]] you prefer more fantasy in your RPG fare, Robin called his "a cosy return to classic RPG adventure."

But those are practically small-time compared to the strategy and action games hitting next month. Frankly, new Civilization and Monster Hunter in one month feels like a cruel combination. Civ's the quintessential "just one more turn game," and after , Tyler said it's making promising—if controversial—revisions to its structure, which might make it an even more existential threat to my spare time. Meanwhile, after my , I'm eager to see how Capcom flexes its storytelling muscles alongside however many hundreds of hours I spend in dinosaur swordfights.

And of course, who could possibly deny the appeal of a swashbuckling Goro Majima in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii? For the sake of my employment and relationships with friends and family, I might have to deny it for a few months, at least.

As stacked as February is, it could have been even worse. just received , pushing it back into March. While Morgan walked away from a hands-off back in June 2024 eager to try Ubisoft's stealth and combat improvements himself, I'll admit: I'm happy to have the breathing room. I'm going to need it.