The 20 games you can't miss this holiday

In "Mafia III," you are Lincoln Clay: an orphan who found a family in the black mob of New Bordeaux. After returning from Vietnam, Clay's adopted family is killed by the Italian mafia, which sets off Clay's quest for revenge.

At its heart, "Mafia III" is an open-world crime game in the same vein as "Grand Theft Auto." But where the latter goes for a satirical take on American culture, this game aims to feel as authentic to its fictional version of New Orleans as possible.

Release date: October 7

Platform: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC

"Gears of War 4" focuses on JD Fenix, the son of the original trilogy's main character. Along with his friends Kait and Del, he fights all sorts of nightmarish creatures in a post-apocalyptic landscape.

But let's not kid ourselves: You're here to shoot, stomp, and chainsaw the so-called Locust, right? Right. "Gears of War 4" has all that and more. (And when we say more, we mean a grizzled, elderly Marcus Fenix with a sweet beard, as seen above.)

Release date: October 11

Platform: Xbox One and PC (Windows 10 only)

Every year, a new wrestling fan is born. At least that's what the WWE 2K series is suggesting with its annual editions of the long-running wrestling franchise. 2016 is no exception, with "WWE 2K17" launching in October.

This year features the usual laundry list of wrestlers both active and retired (over 150 in total), and its cover is adorned by the massive Brock Lesnar.

Release date: October 11

Platform: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC

Sony's PlayStation 4 is getting a virtual reality headset. You'll be able to play a mess of brand new games made for VR, as well as using the headset as a virtual television. Want to play "Uncharted 4" lying down on a big screen? Throw on your PlayStation VR headset.

Here's the rub: PlayStation VR, which works with every PS4, launches on October 13 for a whopping $399. You'll need a PlayStation Camera to make that work, and to that end Sony is selling a $500 bundle that comes with the camera. Sony says 50 games will support VR on the PS4 by the end of 2016.

Release date: October 13

Platform: PlayStation 4

This year's "Battlefield" game is heading back in time to World War I. The game is called "Battlefield 1," which is a direct reference to the game's setting. "Only in Battlefield 1 will you bring a horse to a tank fight," the game's announcement reads.

The idea is that, during World War I, modern military forces met with traditional military forces on the battlefield. It was a clash of the past 4,000 years of human history with the modern age — literally people on horseback rolling up on tanks. As such, "Battlefield 1" aims to offer something entirely different from competitors like "Call of Duty" and "Titanfall": a more methodical, tactical shooter steeped in the early 20th century.

Release date: October 21

Platform: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC

The "Civilization" series is a staple of PC gaming, and its newest entry arrives this fall.

In "Civilization VI," you lead a society from the Stone Age into a sci-fi future, controlling its development, choosing where to allocate resources, and negotiating with other societies for dominance. It's intense, and notoriously popular.

Release date: October 21

Platform: PC

"Skyrim - Special Edition" is a beautifully updated version of the gigantic open-world role-playing game that originally blew up in 2011.

Five years ago, "Skyrim" put players in the role of the Dragonborn — a customizable character who can channel the powers of dragons — as they freely explored a massive, Nordic-inspired open world. You could go anywhere and do just about anything you pleased, from taking sides in a huge war to consorting with the locals in small town taverns. Most importantly, you could kill dragons and take their souls. What fun! It's coming back in a prettier package than before, now on modern consoles.

Release date: October 28

Platform: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC

When the Xbox One originally launched back in 2013, that launch was quickly followed by a major exclusive game: "Titanfall."

The folks behind that first game are about to launch the sequel, which is appropriately named "Titanfall 2." Like the first game, "Titanfall 2" is a first-person shooter — think "Call of Duty," "Halo," "Destiny," etc. Where it differs from the competition is in its giant robot machines (that you get to pilot), called "Titans."

The game is fast, fun, and unlike most other shooters on the market — it harkens back to the days of "Quake" or "Unreal Tournament" more than its contemporaries. Best of all: With "Titanfall 2," the game is coming to every platform.

Release date: October 28

Platform: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC

You've been to the past, present, and near-future with "Call of Duty." In 2016, you'll finally head to the final frontier: SPACE!

This year's game features Kit Harrington (AKA Jon "King of the North" Snow) as the antagonist, and it's set both on Earth and in nearby space. It's not a space shooter, though — this is still the traditional first-person shooter that the "Call of Duty" franchise is known for. BONUS: If you have the PlayStation VR headset, there's some form of functionality with this game.

Release date: November 4

Platform: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC

The "Dishonored" series is a perfect blend of action and stealth elements, which lets players execute missions in any way they choose. The combination of gadgets and supernatural abilities you use in those missions are entirely your choosing. Oh, and this is all happening in a gorgeous steampunk setting.

In "Dishonored 2," you can choose whether to play as the original game's protagonist (Corvo) or the now-adult-aged Emily from the first game, who has her own unique set of abilities. If you like sneaky, tactical games with a lot of character, this is the game for you this holiday.

Release date: November 11

Platform: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC

Who doesn't like suave, Renaissance-era, fantastically-wealthy, handsome Italian men? Ezio Auditore is a charmer, he's a family man, and he's got a penchant for leaping off of tall buildings into hay bales. He's also big into secretly assassinating his enemies!

In the upcoming "Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection," you get to play as Signore Auditore across his three main games — "Assassin's Creed 2," "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood," and "Assassin's Creed: Revelations." Let's make no bones about it: These are by far the strongest games in the "Assassin's Creed" game series. They also, unto themselves, comprise an entire story arch. If you're ever gonna jump in to "Assassin's Creed," this is the way to do it.

Release date: November 15

Platform: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC

Like the "Grand Theft Auto" series and, more directly, the "Assassin's Creed" series, "Watch Dogs 2" combines a massive open-world with special abilities. In the case of your character in "Watch Dogs 2," you can hack much of the open-world Bay Area environment that you're exploring. That means changing street lights to cause car crashes, making ATMs spit out cash (thus causing a distraction), and all sorts of other madness. If the game sounds like a meditation on the modern condition, that's because it's basically a meditation on the modern condition. Here's hoping it represents modern day San Francisco with the accurate level of demonstrable economic inequality it deserves.

Release date: November 15

Platform: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC

"Pokémon Sun & Moon" is the next big game in the core series of Pokémon role-playing games, and it's coming out on Nintendo 3DS this November. You'll explore the world of Alola, which is loosely based on Hawaii. While exploring, you'll capture Pokémon. Then you'll train those Pokémon and battle other Pokémon, as well as other Trainers. If you've literally ever played any main series Pokémon game before, "Pokémon Sun & Moon" will be intimately familiar to you right from the jump.

Release date: November 18

Platform: Nintendo 3DS

"Final Fantasy XV" has been in development for a very, very long time.

It used to be another game entirely, and it ended up being big and ambitious enough to earn the main series title. In case you don't already know, there are quite a few different "Final Fantasy" games — far more than 15, that's for sure. But the main series entries are big marquee experiences, and "Final Fantasy XV" looks like it'll live up to that lofty expectation. It's an open-world experience, and your "party" is traveling together in a sweet-looking convertible. Oh, and that convertible can fly. Finally, the flying cars we were promised!

Though it's suffered from a gaggle of delays and development issues over the years, the long-awaited "Final Fantasy XV" should finally, hopefully, we think arrive this November. Fingers crossed.

Release date: November 29

Platform: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC

The original "Gravity Rush" is a gorgeous, ambitious cult-classic. It was released as an exclusive on Sony's PlayStation Vita handheld — a portable game console that sold less-than-impressively. Though the original game eventually ended up on other PlayStation platforms, fans (including us) are anxiously anticipating "Gravity Rush 2" — a full-fledged sequel to the original, made for the (far more powerful) PlayStation 4.

In "Gravity Rush 2," you are Kat: a woman with the ability to manipulate gravity. Take aim at a surface, press a button on the PS4 gamepad, and that surface becomes your new floor. It's the kind of experience that's fun enough on its own, without all the gorgeous artistry and mysterious storytelling.

Release date: December 2

Platform: PlayStation 4

You remember "Super Mario Maker," don't you? It's the incredible game for Nintendo's Wii U game console that lets you create and play Super Mario levels from the original game through to the latest iteration of the series.

It's basically infinite Super Mario, and now it's heading to a handheld you can bring anywhere with you!

The game lets you play and create Mario levels from the following classic Mario games: "Super Mario Bros." (the original on NES), "Super Mario Bros. 3," "Super Mario World," and "New Super Mario Bros." As seen in the image above, you can place individual Super Mario items in the world using the 3DS stylus. From there, you can easily playtest your levels as you're going.

After creating your masterpiece, you can share it with friends locally, or you can spend time playing other peoples' levels, or you can play one of the over 100 levels that Nintendo's making for the game. You can even create levels collaboratively with friends, but they have to be close enough that your 3DSes can speak to each other (think: in the same room).

Release date: December 2

Platform: Nintendo 3DS

The "Dead Rising" series was a breakout success on the Xbox 360: a comically absurd zombie-slaughter adventure set in a mall. What could go wrong? To plow through the (literally) hundreds of zombies in any given area, you could employ ordinary objects to great effect. It's essentially a freewheeling zombie murder game, where the stakes are only as high as the fun you're having.

And finally, we're getting a major sequel — the last game in the series launched alongside the Xbox One, back in 2013. "Dead Rising 4" brings back the original game's main character, Frank West, and sets him up in the same small town where the series began. Oh, and it's Christmas. What could go wrong? Indeed.

Release date: December 6

Platform: Xbox One and PC (Windows 10 only)

"The Last Guardian" is a game that Sony's been making, in-house in Japan, for the past eight years. To say it is anticipated is to vastly understate how anticipated it is. It's essentially mythic at this point.

Development of "The Last Guardian" is being led by beloved creative director Fumito Ueda. He is responsible for two previous PlayStation games that set the bar for creative, beautiful games: "Ico" and "Shadow of the Colossus."

Like those two games, in "The Last Guardian" you control a character — in this case, a small boy — from the third-person perspective. The focus is on solving puzzles to progress forward, which you'll do by working with the massive cat-bird creature seen above. It's not clear how the relationship between the boy and the creature play out across the game, but there's no doubt that their relationship will be central to the game — Ueda is known for his emotional, subtle storytelling. "The Last Guardian" is unlikely to be an exception.

Release date: December 6

Platform: PlayStation 4

"Super Mario Run" is a so-called "constant runner," where Mario is automatically running from left to right.

Think "Flappy Bird" or "Jetpack Joyride," but Super Mario and the standard Super Mario levels you're used to — lava and question mark blocks and what have you. There's one huge difference in the case of "Super Mario Run": flagpoles that end levels. These aren't randomly created levels, but levels that were crafted intentionally (by the same folks who build the original "Super Mario Bros.," might we add).

There's one other huge difference: Since Mario is automatically running, all you're doing is tapping on the screen to make him jump. The longer you touch, the higher he jumps. Simple! It's an easy way to play Mario on-the-go, with just one hand.

The goal of the game is simple: collect coins and reach the flagpole. You can play against friends in a special battle mode as well. "Super Mario Run" isn't a free game — it will cost a "set price," which Nintendo hasn't given just yet.

Also of note: This isn't an Apple exclusive, but it doesn't look like "Super Mario Run" will arrive on Android at some point after iOS.

Release date: "December"

Platform: Apple iPhone/iPad, and Android (eventually)