The future of console gaming isn’t all that far away. The PS5 and Xbox Series X are both set to shake things up during the 2020 holiday season, and while we’ve already helped you try to prepare your next-gen setup, it’s time to start getting some big hopes out there regarding what games we’d like to see on the new platforms.

Since one good title can be enough to sell us on a spiffy new PS5 or Xbox, we have high hopes for what may be in the works for these new platforms. With everything from sequels and classics to reboots and remasters on the table, here are ten franchises we hope to see return on the next-gen game consoles:

Sly Cooper

The thievius raccoonus and his gang have been in hiding since the fourth entry in the series, Thieves in Time, arrived on PlayStation 3 in 2013. It’s been a long seven years since that title, which many fans felt missed the mark a bit in the wake of the original PS2 trilogy.

Despite this, we’re overdue for a return of Sly Cooper. Now, if PlayStation’s Sucker Punch Productions wanted to step in to resurrect the series after wrapping up work on Ghost of Tsushima, I’m sure fans wouldn’t complain. I certainly wouldn’t.

Fable

After witnessing the cancellation of Fable Legends and closure of Lionhead Studios in 2016, it appeared as if the franchise would never return. Fast-forward to 2020 and there are now rumors that a reboot of the series may be in development for Xbox Series X under the guidance of Forza Horizon developer Playground Games.

The Leamington Spa, England-based studio sounds like a strong candidate to resurrect the series. Now if only we could get an official confirmation of the project sooner rather than later.

Perfect Dark

While Microsoft is well-equipped with exclusive shooters thanks to Halo and Gears of War, Rare’s classic series Perfect Dark is just sleek and unique enough to carve out its own niche. Truth be told, this is yet another reboot rumored to be in development for Xbox Series X, with industry whispers stating that Gears developer The Coalition has assisted with the project.

Now that I’m writing it out though, we still haven’t heard anything about what Xbox Game Studio’s team at The Initiative is working on. Perhaps Joanna Dark will be able to sneak into the limelight sooner than we had anticipated…

Dead Space

The claustrophobic horror of Dead Space is something that’s been sorely lacking in the gaming industry as of late. After Electronic Arts shuttered the franchise developer, Visceral Games, in 2013 the property was placed in limbo without any clear route back to relevancy. We’ve been without protagonist Isaac Clarke and the body horror-fuelled drama of the franchise ever since.

Oddly enough, Sony’s own Mark Cerny recently brought up Dead Space while detailing hardware specs for the PlayStation 5. Could something be in the works?

Dino Crisis

Utilizing a number of themes that were originally present in the Resident Evil series, Dino Crisis quickly gained a loud and passionate fan base. And what’s not to love, honestly? Dinosaurs actively hunting you down as the player-controlled protagonist Regina tries to escape an island crawling with thought-to-be-extinct monsters is the horror-centric spin on Jurassic Park that dreams are made of.

Plus, with Capcom releasing back-to-back remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3 to success and critical acclaim (at least for RE2), a return of Dino Crisis feels more like an inevitability than a fleeting hope.

Sunset Overdrive

Insomniac Games’ Xbox One-exclusive Sunset Overdrive is one of the very best experiences on the platform. Its unique style and gameplay set it apart from almost every other title out there. If you haven’t played it yet then you should, but things get a little weird when you take into account that Sony actually purchased the game’s developer in 2019.

That means that the future of the Sunset Overdrive franchise no longer rests with Microsoft, but instead with PlayStation. Could Sunset Overdrive 2 be destined for PS5? Only time will tell, but it’s something that I’d be jumping into on day one if it does.

Jak and Daxter

Heralded for Uncharted and The Last of Us, Naughty Dog is seen as a crown jewel of Sony’s game studios. Both aforementioned IPs add incredible value to the PlayStation brand with fantastic storytelling and white-knuckle action, making the pair welcomed series on PlayStation 5 if and when possible. But there was a time, after creating Crash Bandicoot, that Naughty Dog pushed the 3D platforming genre to its limit with Jak and Daxter.

With so many priority projects already on its plate, it may be difficult to throw J&D back into the fold at Naughty Dog. Still, it would be great to revisit a universe that Sony last touched on in 2009.

Bully

The original Bully threw players into the role of a troubled 15-year-old kid known as James "Jimmy" Hopkins who attended the private school called Bullworth Academy. While the name Bully implies that players took control of an actual bully, Jimmy actually comes across as a rough-around-the-edges hero who sticks up for others that are unable to defend themselves.

Suffice it to say, a sequel has been long awaited by fans of the original and I’m hopeful that Rockstar Games can make Bully 2 happen on PS5 and Xbox Series X.

Splinter Cell

Sam Fisher has been missing in action for an entire console generation already, which is shocking when considering that the agent used to be compared to icons like Solid Snake and Lara Croft. As one of Ubisoft’s brightest stars, he’s bound to return in a brand-new Splinter Cell game in time. Still, we’ve all been waiting quite a while as it stands.

Now, here’s hoping that if a sequel happens on next-gen consoles that Ubisoft does right by fans and brings back Fisher’s original voice actor, Michael Ironside.

Banjo-Kazooie

As two of the most beloved characters from the Nintendo 64 era, fans of the classic Rare collectathon have been longing for the bear and bird to get another shot. This is despite the lacklustre debut of Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts in 2008, which seemingly derailed the possibility of a full-fledged return for the IP. That game ditched the core mechanics of the original two iterations in favor of pursuing a vehicle-building romp and that, understandably, didn’t sit well with fans.

There’s so much demand for the Banjo-Kazooie franchise to make its proper return that the characters were actually licensed from Microsoft by Nintendo (a rival video game company) so that they could appear as playable fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Nintendo Switch. Here’s guh-hoping that Xbox Game Studios and Rare can get Jiggy and map out a return for the pair on Xbox Series X that’s sweeter than honey.