Here comes Niko! – 3. Augustwe have never seen a game described by its developers as a cozy 3D platformer for tired people, but yes, we are. And yes, it sounds beautiful. Here comes Niko! You have just been approved by Tadpole Inc. Recruited as a professional friend, so it's up to you to travel through six pristine tropical islands, meet and befriend the strange inhabitants, solve puzzles and hunt bugs. It's bright, charming and full of heart, with an aesthetic that screams of wellies and beach vacations – a perfect summer ointment. Here comes Niko! Read here.
Death Waste – 5. August
This wacky isometric role-playing game has been on our radar for a few years now, so it's great to see it finally released on Steam Early Access. In a post-apocalyptic world dominated by bloody cosmic horrors and sentient AIs, you create your own outcast and embark on a journey across this land with a mysterious burden to carry. In terms of gameplay, Death Trash combines classic Fallout role-playing with action combat as you venture across a world map full of handcrafted locations to explore. The pixel art is gorgeous and atmospheric, the world feels original, and there's a special button to puke on … Get back to us! You can watch Death Trash here.
Haven Park – 5. Haven Park is a mix of Animal Crossing. A Short Hike the perfect destination for travelers. To do this, you explore the campground, talk to campers and design areas that meet their needs. It's short, very cute and designed to be played at your own pace. You can check out Haven Park here.
City of Gangsters – 9. August
The life of gangsters during the Prohibition era has long been glamorized and romanticized in the media, but among the fast cars, guns and overindulgence you'll find some serious fiscal nous that rarely gets its due. City of Gangsters is a resource management game that aims to address this imbalance by running your own crime syndicate. There's a bit of muscle to flex, but for the most part your job is to build up speakeasies and distilleries and manage a complex network of rivals, crooked cops and smugglers to make sure you always turn a profit. You can watch City of Gangsters here.
Black Book – 10. August
A curious mix of card battles and adventure games, Black Book puts you in control of a young sorceress named Vasilisa who roams the Slavic countryside helping villagers fight and exorcise demons. The world of Black Book is based on North Slavic mythology, which – with the obvious exception of The Witcher series – is not a theme you explore in many games. Conveniently, there's an in-game encyclopedia with plenty of details about the folklore to help you along the way.
Combat takes cues from Slay the Spire and Steamworld Quest, but it's the dark, hazy art style that crisply mixes low-poly character models with softly textured views of Slavic fields and forests that caught our attention. You can read Black Book here.
Patron – 10. August
You may have spotted this medieval city builder among the hundreds of demos available at the recent Steam Next Fest. While there are many feudal city builders on Steam, Patron differentiates itself from the rest of the pack by dividing your population into different social groups. These groups will often have very different reactions to the policies you pursue as the benevolent overlord of city building, so compromise and political cunning are just as important as leading your city to economic prosperity. You can check out Patron here.
Glitchpunk – 11. August
The gaming industry is still weathering the shockwaves of Cyberpunk 2077's rocky launch , but luckily there are plenty of great alternatives that come out of it. Glitchpunk is a top-down action game in the style of the original Grand Theft Auto games, in which you explore four dystopian cities, collect bounties and shape the destiny of gangs, cults and corporations. There are some light RPG systems, but mostly it's about racing through neon-lit streets and causing as much mayhem as possible. You can check out Glitchpunk here.
Road 96 – 16. August
Here's a genre we really hope will gain momentum: tramp games. In Road 96, you're trying to hitchhike your way to the border from your homeland of Petria, but how your journey goes depends entirely on who stops to offer you a ride and whose car you risk getting into. Every character you meet can lead to moments of chaos, contemplation or comedy.
Since Road 96 comes from the studio of Valiant Hearts, which managed to put all this complexity into a game about the horrors of World War One, we are very excited to see what awaits us in this one. You can watch Road 96 here.
Monster Harvest – 19. August
To give you the elevator pitch, Monster Harvest is effectively Pokémon mixed with Stardew Valley. The latter inspiration is pretty obvious: you're new in town after inheriting a farm that desperately needs some care, there are countless characters to meet and even caves to fight through. What shakes Monster Harvest up a bit, however, is that you grow your own monsters to fight alongside, train and indulge in. You can watch Monster Harvest here.
Book of Travels – 30. August
Forget MMOs, they are like this year after year. Book of Travels developer Might& Delight calls its upcoming game a TMORPG, which stands for a small online role-playing game with multiple players – neatly. Its goal is to create a stunning, picturesque world that players can explore and role-play in without having to guide them through huge quests or kill groundbreaking monsters.
You can drink tea and play games all day or. Become a mountain-climbing explorer, and although there are battles, it's far from the focus of Book of Travels. As for the multiplayer part, the objective of Might& Delight in fostering fleeting, meaningful interactions with other players as your paths cross on the rare occasions you. There may be skills you can share or remote regions you can explore with other hands, but collaboration and camaraderie are always the main goals. You can check out Book of Travels here.
Song of Iron – 31. August
This side-scrolling bearded brawler is the work of solo developer studio Resting Relics, which, given the quality of its animations and the apparent depth of its combat. Your goal in this Norse inspired mythical land is to reach the Great Temple of the Gods and save your people by fighting all the monsters and men that stand in your way. This puts a range of abilities at your disposal, from fiery axe attacks and lightning arrows to simpler moves like drop kicks and dodge rolls, all brought to life with a palpable sense of weight and menace behind each swing. You can watch Song of Iron here.