Video games receive sequels based on many factors. Developers may look at financial performance, fan engagement, or critical reception to decide whether a game is worthy of a sequel. While these are understandable metrics to go by, there are many great games that never get the love and attention they deserve.

All of the games listed below deserve a follow-up. While some of them have already received sequels, those sequels may not have captured the spirit of the original game in a way that highlights its strengths.

Updated by CJ Kuzdal on March 13, 2024: There's no end to the number of games that deserve sequels. The list below has been revamped with new images, formatting, and five additional entries.

15 Tak And The Power Of Juju

From Video Games To TV

Reasons it deserves a sequel:

• There is room to improve on gameplay.
• There have been sequels, but not on modern consoles.

Tak and the Power of Juju was an Avalanche Software video game that revolves around platforming and collecting objects scattered around the world. Originally, the Tak was exclusively a video game but years later it became a Nickelodeon TV show. Because the games weren't incredibly impactful, many people likely remember Tak solely as a television show. This fact alone merits a sequel, shining light on a game that would otherwise be forgotten.

The game had a lot of problematic mechanics. Some puzzles were overly tedious and players were forced to repeat them several times to obtain certain collectibles. The game did receive sequels, but none of them made their way to modern consoles. Reintroducing this game to modern gamers would give the franchise a chance to revamp its gameplay loop and build on the loose narrative present in the original franchise entries.

14 Dr. Muto

A Blast Of Nostalgia

Reasons it deserves a sequel:

• It has a humorous and unique narrative.
• The game is originally from a legendary development team and didn't get the acclaim it deserved.

Dr. Muto was originally created by the legendary Midway Games, developers behind titles like Mortal Kombat, Ms. Pac-Man, and Tron. The game had a unique narrative, with Dr. Muto accidentally destroying the world while trying to save it. Dr. Muto's gameplay consists of platforming and exploration, tasking players with collecting animal DNA to transform into different mutated creatures.

The game wasn't easy, as the platforming was pretty tight. A sequel to Dr. Muto could shine more light on, and expand, the game's narrative and provide some much-needed updates to its gameplay and mechanics.

13 Fez

A Thought-Provoking Platformer

Reasons it deserves a sequel:

• The game introduced several innovations to the 2D platformer genre.
• The game had a planned sequel that was eventually canceled.

Many consider Fez to be a near-perfect game. The title introduced several new innovations to the 2D platformer genre and raised the bar for similar games. Fez deserves a sequel for its contributions to the genre, and one was planned and in progress but, due to external drama, it was eventually canceled.

Fez is a cult classic and many fans would be overjoyed to see it brought back again. It was perplexing in the ideas it presented. The gameplay, story, graphics, and everything else the player received while playing it is something that left them all wanting more.

12 Infamous

A Unique Take On Super-Powers

Reasons it deserves a sequel:

• The series has a unique take on super-powered gameplay.
• The game's visual style would look great on modern consoles.

It's been nine long years since the last entry in the Infamous series, Infamous First Light, was released. This entry is more for the Infamous series rather than the first game itself. The series made great strides since its debut, with First Light doing a great job of giving the series a more realistic style and tone.

Infamous Second Son, the second game in the franchise, showed how great these games could be and a release on modern consoles would be a true marvel. The sad truth of Infamous is that, after nine long years, it's clear that Sucker Punch has moved on to bigger and better things (i.e. Ghost of Tsushima). While it's not impossible, it's unlikely we'll see a continuation of this franchise.

11 Star Fox Adventures

A Different Look At The Star Fox Universe

Reasons it deserves a sequel:

• It's a legendary franchise in dire need of an update.
• No Star Fox game since has quite captured the charm of Star Fox Adventures.

Star Fox Adventures took elements from the prior Star Fox games and combined them with platforming mechanics to create a distinct experience. The game made some choices that might be considered questionable today, like having no jump button and, at times, overly intricate puzzles. These things could be greatly improved upon in a modern-day follow-up.

There have been additional Star Fox games released since the debut of Star Fox Adventures, but none of them quite capture that same feeling. The franchise has dipped its toe into many different genres, with some of the more recent entries introducing rail shooter, and even tower defense, mechanics.

10 L.A. Noire

Live Out Your Detective Fantasy

Reasons it deserves a sequel:

• The game deviated from Rockstar's standard formula.
• The game has very compelling gameplay and narrative.

L.A. Noire was developed by Team Bondi and was published by Rockstar Games. It deviates a bit from the standard formula of Rockstar's most popular franchise, Grand Theft Auto. It has some interesting gameplay, combat, and chase sequences that would be tons of fun in a modern rendition.

Between the side quests and the main story, there's a lot to do in L.A. Noire. The game featured impressive facial recognition technology as well, used in-game to tell whether a character was lying or not. This game mechanic could also be elevated in a modern sequel.

9 Bully

A Rockstar Staple

Reasons it deserves a sequel:

• The game is a Rockstar classic!
• Some of the game's core mechanics could do with an upgrade/modern-day

Bully is the second Rockstar game to make this list. Fans have been asking for a sequel to Bully for a long time, and for good reason! The game puts a lot of choices in the player's hands. Playing as Jimmy Hopkins, players can attend classes, unlock bonuses by playing mini-games, and interact with different schoolyard cliques to build up their reputation.

Whether the sequel follows Jimmy Hopkins, a relative of the iconic character, or features an entirely new cast of characters, fans of the series would be ecstatic to run around in the world of Bully again.

8 Conker’s Bad Fur Day

Cute, Cuddly, & Crude

Reasons it deserves a sequel:

• Conker's humor is greatly missed in today's gaming industry.
• Conker has a cult-classic following.

Conker's Bad Fur Day is a game that was developed by Rare. This game did receive a remake a long time ago on the original Xbox. It never, on the other hand, got the sequel that it needed. The game consists of a straightforward story that retells how Conker became king in one day with a Clockwork Orange-style opening.

The game was well crafted for its time, and it has a lot of good references to different genre-thematic elements. It also combined cute and cuddly with crude. Conker's Bad Fur Day needs Microsoft to pick up where it left off with improved mechanics. A new Conker game would be a welcome and humorous addition to the Microsoft lineup.

7 Jak And Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

Unmatched 3D Platforming

Reasons it deserves a sequel:

• The platforming was top-notch!
• The game received sequels that never quite captured the allure of the first game.

Jak and Daxter was a smash hit on the PlayStation 2. The world Jak and Daxter created was interesting and dynamic and the plot was surprisingly deep for a 3D-Platformer of its time. Jak and Daxter received multiple sequels and even a cart racing game, Jak X: Combat Racing, but none of those games really captured the wonder of Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy.

They were far more mature and gritty than their predecessor. The games were made by Naughty Dog and the Jak and Daxter franchise is probably the last thing on their minds in 2024. Nevertheless, a new Jak game on the PlayStation 5 would be a massive win for fans of the series.

6 Shadow Of The Colossus

Unique Feeling & Gameplay

Reasons it deserves a sequel:

• No other game quite captures the awe that Shadow of the Colossus does.
• The game's remake did quite well.

Shadow of the Colossus has been remade before, but that was long ago and the game could really use a sequel. Some might argue that the original had the perfect ending, but the sequel could do a lot in terms of the direction that the story could head in. The game has some of the best boss fights to date and creates an open-world experience full of vast loneliness.

If the developers were to ever release a sequel, players would have many new Colossus to tackle and take down. A new Colossus game with modern-day visuals and mechanics would be a treat.

5 Grim Fandango

Top-Tier Game From An Industry Legend

Reasons it deserves a sequel:

• The game has that classic LucasArts feel.
• Unmatched humor and writing.

Grim Fandango sets players off on an adventure across the underworld. The game is filled to the brim with memorable characters and scenes. The puzzles are truly difficult and can give even veteran players a hard time!

Tim Schafer was the director of Grim Fandango, a fact that will take nobody who has played the game by surprise. It oozes Schafer's signature writing and humor. Modern Double Fine Productions games, like Psychonauts 2, do scratch the itch that Fandango leaves behind but there would be nothing quite like a new Grim Fandango game in 2024.

4 Sunset Overdrive

Don't Drink The Drink!

Reasons it deserves a sequel:

• The game had unique gameplay and visual style.
• Great story with room to expand.

As it seems to be a running theme with entries on this list, this game was developed by a studio that has gone on to reach incredible heights with their recent releases. Sunset Overdrive was developed by Insomniac Games, the minds behind the most recent Spider-Man games. Similar to the Spider-Man games, Sunset Overdrive had distinct and gripping traversal mechanics with players traveling and skating around the game's world on rails, something that would be tons of fun on modern consoles!

The story of Sunset Overdrive was also unique, with players taking down mutants in a dystopian world. The mutants were a result of an energy drink that tainted its consumers and turned them into monstrosities. The game is extremely memorable and, while it was an Xbox exclusive, many players jumped into it at release with it being one of the first titles launched on the Xbox One.

3 The Order: 1886

Messy Story, But Great Potential

Reasons it deserves a sequel:

• The game had a lot of potential and the story could do with some fleshing out.
• The game was visually impressive for its time. A sequel would look even better on modern consoles.

It gets a bad rap today, but when it was released, The Order: 1886 was a visually astonishing game. The major themes of the game's narrative consisted of the Industrial Revolution, Knights of the Round Table, werewolves, and more. To say that it made no sense would be an understatement. The story was difficult to follow and had many different disconnected threads, and it struggled to really tie those threads together by the end of the game.

With that being said, the game had a remarkable aesthetic and engaging combat. A modern sequel could build on the lore of the game's world and flesh out some of the more confusing story bits.

2 Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy

Right Game At The Wrong Time

Reasons it deserves a sequel:

• The story left a lot to be expanded on.
• The gameplay/combat was unique and engaging.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy didn't get the recognition it deserved when it was originally released, and there is one giant reason for that. It was Eidos-Montréal's next game after the devastating release of Marvel's Avengers. Eidos' Avengers game was seen as a live-service blunder that made many players hesitate when they announced their next game would stay in the Marvel Universe.

It really is a shame that more players didn't dip their toe into Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. The game has recognizable references to the Marvel universe, a gripping story, beautiful environments, and pretty unique combat.

1 Bloodborne

Soulslike Perfection

Reasons it deserves a sequel:

• No Soulslike released since has quite captured the charm of Bloodborne.
• It's one of the most popular Soulslike games.

It is pretty unanimously agreed that Bloodborne is one of the best games ever made. Similar to other FromSoftware titles, the game is known for its punishing combat and dark aesthetic. The similarities don't end there, but Bloodborne is very much in its own lane when it comes to Souls games.

Whether it's a remaster, a remake, or a sequel, Bloodborne needs more content. There's been a gigantic outcry from fans for a new entry in the franchise, but it seems like that ship has sailed. There's always a chance though!