# List of video games released in 2018
The video games released in 2018 spanned a year in which several large-scale releases, among them God of War, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Marvel's Spider-Man, competed for year-end honors, while the free-to-play battle royale game Fortnite dominated commercial performance. The United States industry recorded $43.4 billion in total sales for the year, a record at the time.[1](https://phys.org/news/2019-01-video-game-industry-scored-bn.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Notable January releases | Celeste (January 25, PS4, Switch, PC) and Monster Hunter: World (January 26, PS4, Xbox One)[2](https://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/11/09/2018-video-game-release-schedule) |
| Notable spring releases | Sea of Thieves (March 20), Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (March 23), God of War (April 20, PS4)[2](https://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/11/09/2018-video-game-release-schedule) |
| Notable fall releases | Marvel's Spider-Man (September 7, PS4), Assassin's Creed Odyssey (October 5), Red Dead Redemption II (October)[2](https://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/11/09/2018-video-game-release-schedule) |
| Game of the Year | God of War won at The Game Awards 2018, beating Red Dead Redemption 2, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Spider-Man, Monster Hunter: World, and Celeste[3](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/every-game-awards-winner-game-of-the-year-goes-to-/1100-6463733/) |
| Best-selling game of 2018 | Red Dead Redemption 2, per The NPD Group[1](https://phys.org/news/2019-01-video-game-industry-scored-bn.pdf) |
| Highest-grossing game | Fortnite generated the most annual revenue of any game in history, per SuperData[4](https://app2top.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/SuperData-2018-Year-in-Review.pdf) |
| Industry size (US) | $43.4 billion in 2018 sales, a record, per the ESA and NPD Group[1](https://phys.org/news/2019-01-video-game-industry-scored-bn.pdf) |
## Notable releases through the year
**Early 2018** opened with a strong January. Celeste arrived on PS4, Switch, and PC on January 25, and [Monster Hunter: World](https://www.edgepedia.org/monster-hunter-world) launched on PS4 and [Xbox One](https://www.edgepedia.org/xbox-one) on January 26, followed by [Dragon Ball FighterZ](https://www.edgepedia.org/dragon-ball-fighterz) on January 26 as well.[2](https://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/11/09/2018-video-game-release-schedule) February brought the PS4 remake of Shadow of the Colossus (February 6), Kingdom Come: Deliverance (February 13), and the Age of Empires: Definitive Edition (February 20).[2](https://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/11/09/2018-video-game-release-schedule)
**Spring** releases included [Sea of Thieves](https://www.edgepedia.org/sea-of-thieves) on Xbox One and PC (March 20), A Way Out (March 23), Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (March 23), and [Far Cry 5](https://www.edgepedia.org/far-cry-5) (March 27). April 20 saw two prominent launches on the same day: God of War on PS4 and the Nintendo Labo Variety and Robot kits on Switch.[2](https://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/11/09/2018-video-game-release-schedule) May added [Detroit: Become Human](https://www.edgepedia.org/detroit-become-human) (May 25) and Dark Souls Remastered (May 25).[2](https://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/11/09/2018-video-game-release-schedule)
**Summer** releases included [Octopath Traveler](https://www.edgepedia.org/octopath-traveler) on Switch (July 13), [Dead Cells](https://www.edgepedia.org/dead-cells) (August 7), Monster Hunter: World on PC (August 9), and [World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-of-warcraft-battle-for-azeroth) (August 14). Fortnite came to Switch on June 12, extending the game's reach during the year it became the highest-grossing game in history by annual revenue.[2](https://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/11/09/2018-video-game-release-schedule) • [4](https://app2top.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/SuperData-2018-Year-in-Review.pdf)
**Fall** carried the year's heaviest competition for awards. September 7 alone saw Marvel's Spider-Man on PS4, NBA 2K19, and [Dragon Quest XI](https://www.edgepedia.org/dragon-quest-xi): Echoes of an Elusive Age; [Shadow of the Tomb Raider](https://www.edgepedia.org/shadow-of-the-tomb-raider) followed on September 14. October brought Astro Bot Rescue Mission and [Forza Horizon 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/forza-horizon-4) (October 2), Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Super Mario Party (October 5), Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (October 12), and Red Dead Redemption II later in the month.[2](https://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/11/09/2018-video-game-release-schedule)
## Awards recognition
God of War, released April 20 on PS4, took Game of the Year at [The Game Awards 2018](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-game-awards-2018), defeating [Red Dead Redemption 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/red-dead-redemption-2), [Assassin's Creed Odyssey](https://www.edgepedia.org/assassins-creed-odyssey), Marvel's Spider-Man, Monster Hunter: World, and Celeste.[3](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/every-game-awards-winner-game-of-the-year-goes-to-/1100-6463733/) The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated God of War in 12 categories for its 22nd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, more than any other game that year.[5](https://www.interactive.org/images/press_release/22nd-DICE-Awards-Nominations-FINAL-1-10-2019.pdf) Among the six Game of the Year nominees at The Game Awards, Marvel's Spider-Man was the only one that did not win in any category.[6](https://www.shacknews.com/article/108915/complete-list-of-the-game-awards-2018-winners)
TIME's year-end list placed God of War first, citing its portrayal of Kratos as a father and widower, followed by Marvel's Spider-Man, Into the Breach, and Subnautica.[7](https://time.com/5455710/best-video-games-2018/)
## Commercial context
Red Dead Redemption 2 was the best-selling video game of 2018 in the United States according to The NPD Group, and the industry's $43.4 billion in 2018 US sales set a record.[1](https://phys.org/news/2019-01-video-game-industry-scored-bn.pdf) SuperData's year-in-review reported that Fortnite, a free-to-play title, generated the most annual revenue of any game in history and popularized gaming video content among mainstream audiences; free-to-play titles accounted for 80 percent of digital games revenue in 2018.[4](https://app2top.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/SuperData-2018-Year-in-Review.pdf)
## References
1. [US video game industry scored $43.4 bn record sales in 2018 (ESA/NPD Group), phys.org](https://phys.org/news/2019-01-video-game-industry-scored-bn.pdf)
2. [2018 Video Game Release Schedule, Game Informer](https://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/11/09/2018-video-game-release-schedule)
3. [Every Game Awards Winner: Game Of The Year Goes To God Of War, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/every-game-awards-winner-game-of-the-year-goes-to-/1100-6463733/)
4. [SuperData 2018 Year in Review](https://app2top.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/SuperData-2018-Year-in-Review.pdf)
5. [God of War leads with 12 nominations for the 22nd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences](https://www.interactive.org/images/press_release/22nd-DICE-Awards-Nominations-FINAL-1-10-2019.pdf)
6. [Complete list of The Game Awards 2018 winners, Shacknews](https://www.shacknews.com/article/108915/complete-list-of-the-game-awards-2018-winners)
7. [The 10 Best Video Games of 2018, TIME](https://time.com/5455710/best-video-games-2018/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Individual game titles › Individual game titles: overview, chronology, and lists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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