On an average day about a dozen new games are released on Steam. And while we think that’s a good thing, it can be understandably hard to keep up with. Potentially exciting gems are sure to be lost in the deluge of new things to play unless you sort through every single game that is released on Steam. So that’s exactly what we’ve done. If nothing catches your fancy this week, we’ve gathered the best PC games (opens in new tab) you can play right now and a running list of the 2022 games (opens in new tab) that are launching this year.
Gigabash
Steam‌ ‌page (opens in new tab)‌ ‌
Release:‌ August 5
Developer:‌ Passion Republic Games
Launch price:‌ ‌$35 |‌ ‌£27.79 ‌|‌ ‌AU$53
Every now and then a game about giant monsters beating the crap out of each other releases, and the world rejoices. The latest kaiju brawler comes in the form of GigaBash, which adopts the format of Smash Bros. and MultiVerse, though it’s played from a top down perspective. Matches can host up to four players in free-for-all or 2v2, and in addition to the kaiju-inspired beasts themselves there are also “Titan-hunting mecha” which work more like superheroes. While online and local multiplayer seems to be where the meat is here, GigaBash also has four single-player campaigns that follow the undoubtedly emotional and nuanced origin tales of some of the monsters. This looks like a ton of fun.
Zapling Bygone
Steam‌ ‌page (opens in new tab)‌ ‌
Release:‌ August 6
Developer:‌ 9FingerGames
Launch price:‌ ‌$12.79 |‌ ‌£9.91 ‌|‌ ‌AU$18.36
Here’s a bizarre Metroidvania starring a many-limbed alien. As Zapling you’ll explore a grotesque pixelated world in search of bosses, from whom you’ll adopt the expected array of Metroidvania power-ups. Somewhat disturbingly, Zapling switches between the skulls from these fallen bosses according to whatever skill you want to use, so if you want to run up walls, for example, you’ll need to don the Ratking’s skull. These bosses are spread across six biomes ranging gardens, mountains and a place called ‘Grimtown’, and along the way you’ll collect comic panels which piece together the story of the ruined planet the game is set on.
Plate Up!
Steam‌ ‌page (opens in new tab)‌ ‌
Release:‌ August 5
Developer:‌ It’s happening
Launch price:‌ ‌$14.39 |‌ ‌£12 ‌|‌ ‌AU$20.76
Frantic party games about culinary drama are in vogue at the moment, with Overcooked! the most popular. At a glance, Plateup! shares a lot in common with that phenomenon, right down to the art style and exclamation mark in the title, though there are some (admittedly small) differences. Either alone or with three friends you’ll develop and run your own restaurant, strategically placing cooking elements and ovens to streamline productivity. Once that’s done, the usual chaos or cooking and serving begins, and if you manage to complete a whole 15 days in business without everything falling apart, you win. It’s a neat roguelite spin on a flourishing genre.
Boneraiser Minions
Steam‌ ‌page (opens in new tab)‌ ‌
Release:‌ ‌August 5
Developer:‌ Anthony Case
Launch price:‌ ‌$1.59 |‌ ‌£1.35 |‌ ‌AU$2.36
Boneraiser Minions is what happens when the developer behind Skelly Selest and Staimium Immortaly makes a Vampire Survivors clone. Like those two earlier games, Boneraiser Minions has a distinctive approach to pixel art, walking the line between outright horror and Adult Swim psychedelia. As hordes of enemies rush towards you, you’ll need to avoid them while using “the bones and souls of slain heroes” to grow your own horde of minions. It’s a little more complex than that sounds, and there are a variety of game modes to dive into. Boneraiser Minions is in Early Access and will stay there for three months while new stuff is added, and old stuff polished.
Vanaris Tactics
Steam‌ ‌page (opens in new tab)‌ ‌
Release:‌ August 4
Developer:‌ Matheus Reis
Launch price:‌ ‌$9 |‌ ‌£6.47 |‌ ‌AU$13.05
While the screaming masses continue to demand a new Final Fantasy Tactics, the quiet sages among us know that the last few years has seen an abundance of great, modern alternatives. Vanaris Tactics is the latest, and unlike most of the competition it’s not a 50+ hour affair, so you might even finish it. It’s a “short narrative tactical RPG experience that tells a story about refugees fleeing their occupied motherland,” and as you’d expect, it’s all about moving little pixel people into sensible positions in order to mete out pain to your foes. There are fifteen encounters all up, with the usual mix of RPG number crunching and ability management.
