Five games to look forward to in 2013

Grand Theft Auto V

Release March 12th (tbc), Xbox 360/PS3
Grand Theft Auto V is back in 2013, bringing with it all the car-jacking, drug-smuggling and death-dealing action we've come to expect – plus a few surprises. GTA V will give you access to the whole vast open world of Los Santos and the surrounding area – bigger than the maps of GTA IV, GTA San Andreas and Red Dead Redemption combined. And it'll be the first game in the series to feature multiple protagonists, putting you in the shoes of disturbed war vet Trevor, repo man Franklin and aging gangster Michael. Consider us enthused.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4

Release TBC, Xbox 360/PS3/PC/Wii U
Treyarch's Black Ops 2 had its turn to rake in the cash – and that it most certainly did. Now it's the turn of Infinity Ward and Modern Warfare 4. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to predict how it will play – expect the usual macho single player romp and a multiplayer mode that will keep you hooked for months, thanks to hilariously powerful killstreaks and a drip-feed unlock system.

Dead Space 3

Release February 8th, Xbox 360/PS3/PC
Dead Space 3 is the sort of game that will require a spare pair of pants to play. Set in some godforsaken graveyard in space, it'll pit you against hideous aliens that would like nothing more than to slice you apart and enemy bosses that even a mother would struggle to love. This third outing in the series will see you tracking down the Necromorph plague to put an end to it once and for all.

Crysis 3

Release February 22nd, Xbox 360/PS3/PC
Crysis 2 deserved more respect than it got because it was actually fun. You know, that thing games used to be known for instead of number-crunching graphical prowess? Not that Crysis 3 will skimp in that department – this time around the visuals look so good, you may think you've moved house to a troubled alien world and the weapons look riduculously fun to use. Crysis 3 will undoubtedly prove to be a blast in all senses of the word.

Halo 5

Release TBC, Xbox 720
And now for the wild card – donning our speculative hat, we may well see Halo 5 next year. Why? Because if a new Xbox is coming out, you can bet your bottom dollar one of those launch games will be the one that kicked it all off. Even better visuals? Even bigger space battles? Think we need to sit down for a minute or two.

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