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 2021 games that are launching this year.
Wytchwood
Steam page
Release: December 10
Developer: Alientrap
Launch price: $18 | £13.94 | AU$26.05
Wytchwood is immediately interesting for the simple fact that it casts you as "the mysterious old witch of the woods," a videogame fantasy many (including me) have been waiting for. As this witch, you'll need to roam a gothic hand drawn world in search of ingredients to brew potions with. It's not just about crafting weird and wonderful elixirs though, because you'll also need to use them on a cast of guileless characters. Expect a lot of meditative searching, some tricky puzzles, and encounters with extremely weird monsters. Sounds cool.
Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator
Steam page
Release: December 8
Developer: Strange Scaffold
Launch price: $17 | £12.75 | AU$24.60
In keeping with the theme of distributing unusual goods, Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator is about—yep—organ trading in space. As a warlord. It's a tycoon game about selling utterly bizarre alien body parts, which is apparently a very popular trade with an extremely competitive market. In addition to the "fast-paced innard-trading action" and the business-like interactions with other traders, you'll also get to experience "the growing existential dread that accompanies treating bodily organs as a trade commodity," which should eliminate some of that burgeoning holiday cheer. You don't want to go overboard.
Gary Grigsby's War in the East 2
Steam page
Release: December 11
Developer: 2by3 Games
Launch price: $80 | £63 | AU$114.95
Here's something deep to sink your teeth into over the holiday break: a sequel to one of the most complex World War 2 strategy games ever released. It focuses specifically on the Eastern Front battle between the Third Reich and Soviet Union, and is pitched as a thoroughly comprehensive revamp of the original. Expect much-improved AI across five major campaigns and a map that stretches "100 miles west of Berlin to Ural mountains and from 150 miles north of Leningrad in the north to Bulgaria and Baku in the south." Released earlier this year, this Steam edition will hopefully help it reach more players.
PsiloSybil
Steam page
Release: December 7
Developer: bad_vertex
Launch price: $15.29 | £11.89 | AU$22.05
The ongoing PS1 renaissance tends to focus on horror games, but here's a Crash Bandicoot-style platformer that mimics the sickly early 3D aesthetic very authentically. The emphasis here is on precision, so expect to tackle single levels over and over and over again, just like you did back in the '90s. And just like those early Crash games, don't expect big sprawling collect-a-thon levels, because this is a linear affair. PsiloSybil is in Early Access and will stay there until "early to mid-2022" while more levels, boss fights and other stuff is added.
Cleo - A Pirate's Tale
Steam page
Release: December 12
Developer: Christoph Schultz
Launch price: $13.49 | £10.25 | AU$19.35
Developed by one person, Cleo - A Pirate's Tale is an old school point and click adventure game that's also inspired by ye olde Zelda. It stars 14-year-old Cleo, who lives a pretty dull life in a port town until, one day, a ghost gives her "a mysterious hint." I don't know what that hint is, but it does kick off an emphatically not-dull series of events that throw her into "a world of lies, deceit, greed and bad breath." Also, a lot of puzzles.
These games were released between December 6 and 13 2021. Some online stores givers. us a small cut if you buy something through one of our links. Read our affiliate policy for more info.
