The 20 games you can't miss this holiday

It's a gift and a curse — there are too many great video games coming out, and not enough time to play them. 

With that in mind, we took a hard look at the many, many great games expected to arrive this holiday. Then we whittled the list down to 20, including one new piece of hardware. Here's what we found:

SEE ALSO: The 31 biggest games of the holiday season

"Forza Horizon 3"

"Forza Horizon" is the "Fast & Furious" of racing games. It's reverent of cars, sure, but its focus is on fun. "Forza Horizon 3" is all about making you, the player, happy all the time. It gives you a huge world to explore — a massive section of Australia — and hundreds of cars. 

The game's selection of vehicles is, to put it lightly, very large. Over 350 vehicles of all types are in the game, and they can all be tuned as you like. It's gorgeous and fun and — best of all — respectful of your time. Check out our full review right here.

Release date: September 27

Platform: Xbox One and PC (Windows 10 only)

"Mafia 3"

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"

"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)