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 you can play right now and a running list of the 2022 games that are launching this year.
Janitor Bleeds
Steam page
Release: April 7
Developer: Korpus
Launch price: $9.09 | £7.20 | AU$12.95
It's starting to feel more novel when a new horror game doesn't sport retro PS1-style visuals, but Janitor Bleeds still manages to stand out. It's set in an abandoned videogame arcade, with all the neon and garish carpet patterns that entails. As you explore this hellish, poorly lit arcade you find a machine called Janitor, which ends up unleashing a horrible pursuer who wants to kill you. Janitor Bleeds combines the usual survivor horror puzzle solving with the usual monster evasion, but the art style and environment design is really appealing.
Stacklands
Steam page
Release: April 9
Developer: Sokpop Collective
Launch price: $5 | £4 | AU$7.50
Here's a fun looking village builder from the impressively prolific Sokpop Collective. Unlike most town building games, you won't be placing buildings or zoning terrain, but instead stacking cards to help your township flourish. One example provided by Sokpop involves dragging a 'Villager' card on top of a 'Berry Bush' card, which creates 'Berry' cards for your citizens to eat. There are over 100 cards, and these can be sold in order to buy new Card Parks (all in game; there are no microtransactions here). In addition to bolstering your town you'll also need to fight enemies, goblins included, and complete quests.
Cool Kid Cody
Steam page
Release: April 9
Developer: Denny Truong, Andy Schneider
Launch price: Free
From the creators of the Purrfect Apawcalypse series of point and click adventures comes the first episode of Cool Kid Cody, another serialized project. This first episode introduces protagonist Cody, who is tasked with transforming "the biggest Loser in school into a Cool Kid". If he doesn't succeed, he himself will become uncool. Those are incredibly high stakes, but Cool Kid Cody appears to inherit the zany humor of the Purrfect Apawcalypse games, so come expecting a laugh rather than a distressing high school drama. This first episode is free, with subsequent paid episodes releasing every Friday until June 10.
Bone's Cafe
Steam page
Release: April 9
Developer: Acute Owl Studio
Launch price: $9 | £6.47 | AU$13.05
Launched into Early Access last week, Bone's Cafe is a pixel art take on the Overcooked! format, with one important twist: the chef is a necromancer, and the workers are undead. With support for up to four players, Bone's Cafe has you customizing the layout of your restaurant, kitting it out with the right tools to maximize efficiency, and managing your growing zombie employees. The Steam page warns there is "blood and implied cannibalism". Of course there is. The Early Access stint is expected to last around six months while Acute Owl Studio irons out bugs and adds new content.
Monster Girls and the Mysterious Adventure 2
Steam page
Release: April 9
Developer: Nekotokage Games
Launch price: $18 | £14 | AU$25.95
Monster Girls and the Mysterious Adventure 2 is a roguelite monster collecting RPG that is hugely inspired by the Mystery Dungeon series. That means exploring a bunch of randomized dungeons, engaging in some jolly turn-based combat, and building up an army of collectible monster friends to tip the odds in your favour. When you're not diving into dangerous dungeons, you're hanging out in a village which can be permanently upgraded, or else decorating your house with loot you find out in the field. This sequel launched into Early Access, and will stay there for "approximately three months" as it grows new dungeons, characters and items.
