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November is typically a very hectic time of year for gaming. Not only do lots of games sell during Black Friday, but the final barrage of games hoping to launch before that shopping-spree window also comes out. This year is no different, as there are several new games to look forward to across PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2 this month. The most notable game of the month is obviously Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, as every new Call of Duty game is typically one of the best-selling games of the year it releases in. Other franchises like Europa Universalis and Hyrule Warriors are also getting long-awaited new entries this month. Even after a very busy October, there's still a lot to set aside time to play in November. To help you pick out what to play first, I'm spotlighting seven games launching throughout the month and giving you a rundown of what to expect from them. Listed chronologically, these are the games releasing this month that you should be looking forward to the most. Europa Universalis V Launches for PC on November 4 Paradox Interactive has etched out a niche for itself in the grand strategy game genre. Although these games aren't very approachable, they provide massive (often historical) sandboxes for players to manage nations and ultimately thrive in. Europa Universalis is Paradox's flagship franchise, typically focusing on the period between the 1300s and 1800s. 12 years after the last game in the series was released, a new Europa Universalis is finally here. Europa Universalis V doesn't radically change the series formula. That said, it brings the UI and gameplay elements that are more in line with other Paradox games like Victoria 3 and Crusader Kings 3. It also allows players to offload some of its complex management tasks to an AI, making it easier for them to learn specific parts of the game. Europa Universalis V isn't a game that you can easily pick up and play if you've never experienced a grand strategy game before. If you are one of the players this kind of game is appealing to, though, you'll have a meaty new game to sink your teeth into early on in November. In typical Paradox fashion, lots of DLC is also on the way. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Launches for Nintendo Switch 2 on November 6 While PS5 and Xbox Series X|S aren't receiving any major exclusives this month, Nintendo Switch 2 is. The first to arrive will be Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, a successor to Koei Tecmo's other Hyrule Warriors games and a prequel to 2023's The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It's 2025's Zelda game, and the first to be exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2. Narratively, you can expect Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment to shed more like on what Zelda was up to when she was transported to the past during the events of Tears of the Kingdom. We'll see Zelda and Rauru take on Ganondorf when he first tries to become Demon King, gaining more insight into what sets Tears of the Kingdom's plot in motion. For fans of The Legend of Zelda series lore, that's quite exciting. On the gameplay front, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a Musou game. That means players can expect to fight large hordes of enemies as powerful characters. Look to January's Dynasty Warriors: Origins for more insight on what this kind of game plays like, but expect this game to be less concerned with historical realism, as players can use flashy magic and abilities from Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Lumines Arise Launches for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S on November 11 In 2018, Tetris Effect wowed me by transforming the ubiquitous puzzle game into a dazzling audiovisual experience with fantastic music and impressive visual effects. Enhance, the developer behind Tetris Effect, is now doing the same thing with a cult classic PSP puzzle game called Lumines. Lumines is a more musical alternative to Tetris, as the goal is to match the colors of blocks dropping so they clear when a line passes through, to the beat of the song. It's a more complex puzzle game than Tetris, but just as enthralling. Lumines Arise takes that core and adds a layer of impressive visual effects on top. I played the game's demo a couple of months ago and absolutely loved it. If you're a fan of casual puzzle games or video games that play around with what the medium's audio and visuals can do, then Lumines Arise is a sneaky good title to keep an eye out for later this month. Anno 117: Pax Romana Launches for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S on November 13 While not as mainstream as Assassin's Creed or Far Cry, Anno is one of Ubisoft's steadier game series. This franchise of historical city-building games reliably offers up an entertaining new experience every couple of years, and a new game is releasing later this month. It's titled Anno 117: Pax Romana, and is the furthest back in time the series has gone yet. That's because this is a city-builder set during the reign of the Roman Empire. Players have to build up a city somewhere within the vast empire as a governor, building out the city and managing the economy, politics, and resources required to keep the settlement running and growing. Following the disappointment that was Cities: Skylines 2, I'm still looking for a new city-building game that can really hold my attention. I'm hoping Anno 117: Pax Romana does just that. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Launches for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on November 14 While a new Call of Duty game comes out every year, the Black Ops subseries made its grand return last year with Black Ops 6. Now, Activision and Treyarch are trying to build on that momentum with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, a game that builds on the gameplay foundation of last year's game while narratively calling back to Black Ops 2. I don't consider myself a Call of Duty fan, but I do tend to check out each new game out of curiosity. Regarding Black Ops 7, I'm particularly intrigued by the co-op campaign and the return of Dead Ops Arcade. When it comes to the standard multiplayer modes, it seems like Black Ops 7 will just deliver more of what I liked from Black Ops 6. The real challenge Black Ops 7 will have to overcome is feeling like a necessary, distinct game, as 2023's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III struggled to do that. If Black Ops 7 can accomplish that feat, though, it's likely that it will be the best-selling game of 2025. Where Winds Meet Launches for PC and PS5 on November 14 While Call of Duty is pretty well-known, you may not have heard of Where Winds Meet. That said, I think this game from Everstone Studios and NetEase has the potential to be a breakout hit. It's an open-world action game that proved pretty popular in China on both PC and mobile, and is now releasing in the West for the first time on PC and PS5. The combat of this game stands out in particular, finding itself somewhere in between the Soulslike feel of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers and the flashy action of Lost Soul Aside. It even supports co-op, and I think it has the potential to tap into the same audience as games like Genshin Impact. Chinese-developed games have been gaining relevance in the West in recent years, with titles like Black Myth: Wukong becoming major hits. I'm wondering which Chinese game will be the next to break out in the West, and I think there's a chance it's Where Winds Meet. Kirby Air Riders Launches for Nintendo Switch 2 on November 20 While following up Switch 2 launch title Mario Kart World is a tall task, the two Nintendo Directs focusing on Kirby Air Riders have gotten me ridiculously excited for the game. It looks very approachable and easy to pick up and play, but it also seems like it'll have the depth across three different racing styles to keep me occupied for dozens of hours. The titular Air Ride mode is the game's flagship style, as players race on different "machines" with unique traits, as a variety of different Kirby characters that also have distinct abilities of their own. There's also the Top Ride mode, which plays from a top-down perspective, and City Trial mode, which tasks players with building a powerful machine before competing in a final challenge. All three look like a whole lot of fun, and the game as a whole looks like it will serve as a love letter to the Kirby series, with lots of references across its riders, machines, and stages. I know I'll definitely try the game during the online tests ahead of launch before picking up the full game on October 20. A great month for games from legacy franchises All in all, there's a respectable lineup of games headed our way throughout November. Due to the holidays, it's a bit front-loaded, but that will just give us more time to play these games as 2020 rounds out. I can't wait to get my hands on Kirby Air Riders and Lumines Arise in particular. It's also worth noting that this is a great month for games from pre-established franchises. Call of Duty, Hyrule Warriors, Europa Universalis, Anno, and more are all reminding people that they exist, and I think many of them have the potential to be the best game in their respective series yet.
