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.
2023 games: Upcoming releases
Best PC games: All-time favorites
Free PC games: Freebie fest
Best FPSes: Finest gunplay
Best MMOs: Massive worlds
Best RPGs: Grand adventures
Leap
Steam page
Release: June 2
Developer: Blue Isle Studio
Launch price: $25.49 | £20.22 | AU$36.50
Launched into Early Access last week, Leap is a 60 player online FPS with a focus on high mobility. That means, in addition to having fast and fluid player-characters with snappy gunplay, you'll also have a series of personal vehicles at your disposal, ranging hoverboards, high speed jets, and what appears to be some kind of rocket-powered inflatable boat. It looks really promising, kind of like a more feature rich (and prettier) take on Tribes: Ascend. Of course, this being an Early Access game, some Steam reviews are pointing out that you might be better off waiting for a few updates. That said, this looks like a genuinely fresh take on the competitive FPS, and a real swerve from the studio who brought us Citadel: Forged With Fire.
Nemesis: Lockdown
Steam page
Release: June 1
Developer: InterStudio
Launch price: $15 | £11.61 | AU$21.71
Based on a very popular board game, Nemesis: Lockdown is an online sci-fi horror about trying to escape a base riddled with aliens. Given its board game origins it's a turn-based affair, and players can choose to either help or hinder their fellow hopeful escapees, though a certain level of cooperation is utterly essential. As you explore the sprawling base you'll encounter various optional objectives that can dramatically improve (or destroy) your chances of escape, and while this is very much designed to be played cooperatively, there's also a singleplayer option. Nemesis: Lockdown is in Early Access and is expected to release into 1.0 by the end of the year.
Souldiers
Steam page
Release: June 2
Developer: Retro Forge
Launch price: $20 | £15.49 | AU$28.95
Souldiers is a sidescrolling Metroidvania with a heavy emphasis on RPG progression. As one of three classes—archer, mage or scout—you'll explore a sprawling fantasy world with unbelievably gorgeous pixel art. Seriously, it's among the best pixel art I've seen since Owlboy. Having spent the better part of the week playing Souldiers, I can confirm that most of the important elements feel great—the platforming, the exploration—but many players (including myself) are finding the difficulty spikes a little too much to bear. If you've got the patience for its gruelling Soulslike combat, this is a beautiful package, though it'll probably get a few balance passes in the coming weeks.
Tinyfolks
Steam page
Release: June 1
Developer: Pierre Vandermaesen
Launch price: $3.59 | £2.70 | AU$5.39
One Steam review describes Tinyfolks as "an Amiga version of Darkest Dungeon", which sounds pretty appealing to me. It's a strategy RPG about building a rugged ye olde township in a land riddled with monsters, which necessitates going into tactical turn-based battle against said monsters. There are 20 playable classes with more than 15 weapons and 20 "artefacts", and over 70 monsters to fight. This looks like a real labour of love, and the art style is beautiful. If you'd prefer, you can get it on Itch as well.
Dwerve
Steam page
Release: May 31
Developer: Half Human Games
Launch price: $17 | £13.16 | AU$24.60
Here's more lushly detailed pixel art, this time in the format of an action-adventure with tower defense elements. In Dwerve, a nasty Witch-Queen is causing a community of dwarves grief, and it's your job to fend off the "bloodthirsty trolls" she's sending in to do her bidding. It's a top-down Zelda-like that splits its time between dungeon exploration and more strategic tower defense, the latter using "the lost technologies of the ancient warsmiths", of of which can be very thoroughly upgraded. Dwerve is the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign and has attracted over 200 "mostly positive" ratings on Steam already, so if that genre hybrid sounds right for you, have a look.
