The best games coming in April 2021 - including Oddworld: Soulstorm, Star Wars: Republic Commando and Returnal

We’ve already taken a look at all the great games from last month that should definitely make time to play.

So how about we look forward now, to the weeks ahead and all the great looking games that should be gracing your TVs in the month of April 2021?

Here are the best looking games coming out this month.

Oddworld: Soulstorm

PC, PS4, PS5

What is it? A ‘new’ sequel to 1998’s Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee (Abe’s Exoddus is technically that game’s ‘first’ sequel but “only took 9-months to make” and was ”not the game” its creators “had envisioned to be”).

Similar to previous games in the long running series, players control protagonist Abe through massive, “cinematic scale” levels and weird but wonderful environments filled with breathtaking visuals on a goal to save his fellow mudokons from slave labour.

As you try to save the more than 1,000 Mudokons, there is power in many, and they will help you solve puzzles, and provide you an opportunity to harness their collective energy to overcome certain obstacles.

When can I play it? 6 April

Star Wars: Republic Commando

PS4, Nintendo Switch

What is it? First released in 2005, Republic Commando is perhaps one of the lesser-remembered Star Wars games, but has rightly retained a cult following in the 15+ years of its existence.

In April, fans of the galaxy far, far away on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch get to experience an enhanced version of the game, a first-person tactical shooter where players lead a team of clone commandos as they battle through increasingly difficult missions.

You’ll take on a variety of highly intelligent and deadly enemies utilising the skills of your squad as they follow your orders, performing complex commands and strategic maneuvers.

When can I play it? 6 April

MLB The Show 21

PS4, PS5. Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S

What is it? Arguably to America’s favourite pastime what FIFA is to football, The Show presents an accurate representation of baseball, with all the officially licensed real-world teams, players and stadiums for an authentic ball game experience.

For the first time, the series - which has been a PlayStation exclusive up to this point – will be available on Xbox too.

Perhaps most excitingly for players on Microsoft's consoles, the game is coming to Xbox’s Game Pass service on the day of release, meaning a traditionally PlayStation exclusive series will essentially be free (bar the cost of a Game Pass subscription) to play on a rival console!

When can I play it? 20 April

MotoGP 21

PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S

What is it? If taking to the track is more your thing, April’s other sporting offering is MotoGP 21, which thrilling recreates the spectacle of the 2021 MotoGP World Championship in high detail.

With more than 120 official riders, over 20 tracks and new and improved features, this year’s instalment offers an unprecedented level of realism, with players also able to take full control of a managerial career, overseeing the workings of an official team and appointing staff to assist you throughout the season.

Racing games are arguably the purest form of gaming, with players essentially trying to get from point A to be B quicker than all the others, and MotoGP 21 looks to be another strong entry in the motorbiking series.

When can I play it? 22 April

New Pokemon Snap

Nintendo Switch

What is it? A long-awaited sequel to the 1999 Nintendo 64 game Pokémon Snap, New Pokémon Snap has you playing as a Pokémon photographer who visits various islands to help the research studies of Professor Mirror and his assistants.

Taking photographs as you travel through levels in an on-rails hovercraft, the game features over 200 different Pokémon in habitats including jungles, deserts and beaches.

These can be visited day or at night in order to photograph different types of Pokémon, and can be revisited to snap any you may have missed the first time around.

Each of your pics is then graded by Professor Mirror, taking into account things like shot composition, how close the Pokémon is, and whether they are facing the camera.

When can I play it? 30 April

Returnal

PS5

What is it? Arguably the first big test of the PlayStation 5’s graphical heft (this is the first “first party” game to release on the console which doesn't also have to cater for the less powerful PS4), Returnal is a third-person sci-fi shooter.

You’ll play as Selene, a space pilot equipped with a suit and armed with high-tech weapons, who is stranded on the alien planet Atropos and stuck in a time loop.

After every death, Selene is resurrected, following a pattern of traversing across foreign environments and combating extraterrestrial entities with growing visions in an ever changing world.

When can I play it? 30 April