We're holding our annual live weekend show at the London Olympia on February 17-18. In addition to two packed days of developer showcases across two stages, a hardware zone staffed by our experts, the OMEN by HP Bootcamp that will help your Overwatch game, we will also have rows of PCs loaded up with new and upcoming releases.
This is your chance to go hands-on with the biggest PC games of tomorrow. Tickets are available now, and you can use code PCG to apply a 20 percent discount to tickets. The following games are all playable at the show.
Biomutant
Play an adorable, murderous raccoon-type-thing in this gorgeous third person action RPG from THQ Nordic. As you switch between guns and blades in combat you may notice a hint of Devil May Cry, but that's underpinned by an extensive loot system and a progression mechanic that lets you splice new abilities into your genetic code to become the Biomutant you were always meant to be.
Kingdom Come Deliverance
This gritty, deep RPG wants you to feel like a serf in a medieval world full of bandits and knights. Get your hands on the complex combat system and try not to get decapitated as you explore the game's germanic rural lands.
Frozen Synapse 2
A turn-based tactical delight rendered in cool, icy tones, Frozen Synapse 2 challenges you to command a team of crack operatives in a city full of competing corporations. Plot your squad's actions carefully and be sure to pay attention to each weapon's distinct capabilities in battle; a well-placed shotgunner can wipe out a room in seconds.
Warhammer: Vermintide 2
Look at how much fun that rat is having. He's happy because the hordes of Chaos join the Skaven hordes in this highly anticipated sequel. We loved the first game's take on the Left 4 Dead formula with proper melee combat and really satisfying weapons. This one is shaping up to be a fitting follow-up with a revamped loot system, improved combat and a greater variety of locations.
Phoenix Point
Julian Gollop returns to the genre he invented with this exciting rework of the X-Com formula. Expect tactical turn-based battles with a more militaristic feel than Firaxis' recent XCOM games. Enemies mutate and evolve to counter your tactics, and the world map is full of other factions who may help or hinder your efforts to fend off the gangly crab monster threat. This is the first time Phoenix Point's tactical combat demo will be demoed to the British public, and you'll get to play the latest build of the game before anyone else in the world.
Total War: Warhammer 2—Rise of the Tomb Kings
Command the dread forces of the mighty Tomb Kings in Total War: Warhammer 2's latest expansion. Raise hundreds of skeletons and then command them to raze your enemies settlements so that you can raise more skeletons, and so on until everything that isn't a skeleton has been wiped out.
Quake Champions
Frenetic arena shooter action from the masters of the form. It's got jump pads, rocket launchers, bunny hopping—you know the score. However this time the characters have different characteristics and special abilities, which brings a curious asymmetry to each match. Have a go yourself and see what you make of this attempt to rework a classic formula.
Basingstoke
Basingstoke has fallen and is now full of undead—oh no! Your mission is to explore, find survivors, and perhaps one day escape Basingstoke. You can stealth around to avoid zombies and skeletons or take them on with quirky weapons crafted from bits of tat you've found in Basingstoke.
Rend
Enjoy some three-way faction warfare in a world of demons. Explore, craft better equipment and defend your base against waves of demons and sneak attacks from other players. You can get your hands on the latest alpha update before it goes out to the world at the PC Gamer Weekender.
Production Line
Design perfect, hyper-efficient factory layouts in this engrossing factory management sim. You have to build cars as efficiently as you can to turn a profit and stave off the competition. Warning: you may lose hours to this game on the show floor.
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius—Relics of War
Lead your forces to battle in hexes full of war in the latest 4X Warhammer 40k game from Slitherine. Four actions jostle for control of the galaxy: Space Marines, Orks, Astra Militarum and the undying metal bastards known as Necrons. Occupy their hexes until they are no more.
Crash Force
Pilot a weaponised hovercraft in glossy arena battles in this fast-paced multiplayer game. This is your chance to preview a huge update due to arrive at the end of the month.
Deep Rock Galactic
In this co-op shooter you play a team of space dwarves exploring procedurally generated cave networks. You're seeking treasure, because dwarves, but the caves are full of beasties who come at your hardy miners in waves. The totally destructible environments add an interesting wrinkle, giving your team the opportunity to burrow a custom route through the level.
Bomber Crew
You have to pick your crew carefully and keep your vessel airborne during this detailed air combat sim. You have to keep an eye on your fuel, ammo levels and hydraulics under fire and deal with the consequences of any damage you sustain. Can you land a plane with one and a half wings?
Human: Fall Flat
If games like Octodad and Gang Beasts have taught us anything, it's that game physics are hilarious. In Human: Fall Flat you have to wobble your way around assault courses floating in the sky. To be honest your wibbly jello guy, Bob, is probably not going to make it, but he'll fail with style.
PC Building Simulator
Build your dream rig in this detailed PC building sim featuring real-world components. This is the first public hands-on session for the game anywhere in the world, and the developers will be there to answer any questions you might have, like "can I put five GTX 1080 cards in this thing?"
Shift Quantum
It will be a fun challenge to wrap your head around this puzzle game on the show floor. Rotate levels and battle warped gravity in stylish noir mindscapes. By inverting the black-and-white levels you can create new pathways and platforms you can use to escape the maze.
Guns of Icarus—Alliance
Form a crew and battle other players' ships in the open skies. Each vessel is a steampunk marvel that requires careful co-ordination to fly. Alliance takes the original Guns of Icarus and adds player vs. environment challenges starring an adaptive AI, and an ongoing multiplayer six-faction war.
SpellForce 3
A bold mix of RPG and RTS elements, Spellforce 3 is set in a fantasy world recovering from a war between mages and the crown as a mysterious plague begins to spread. You play as a custom hero who travels the world unraveling the mystery, but you also command an army that you build over the course of the game.
Planetoid Pioneers
Explore huge circular planetoids, find materials, and craft new new weapons and armour in this exploration and survival game. Movement and combat are physics-driven and the futuristic setting allows for some neat gadgets, like mech suits and bouncy cars.
Metamorph Dungeon Creatures
Fend off hundreds of critters and build up a solid killstreak in Metamorph. It's so named because you can switch between three heroes and use their various ultimate abilities to last waste to each dungeon. You can customise each hero's ability loadouts to create tailored combos as you morph between forms.
Mashinky
Mashinky is a game about designing transport systems on procedurally generated maps. It's a strategy puzzler about making the best of the topography of the land. You design your routes on a stylised map, and then hit a button to zoom into a realistic view where you can tailor train routes, load cargo, and just enjoy how well your rail network is functioning.
Extinction
Look out, the ogres are coming! They are 150 feet tall and like to stomp on human settlements. As a warrior called Anvil it falls to you to stop them using gadgets like the grapple whip, which lets you fling yourself up onto a creature's shoulders. You also have access to runes that let you slow time so you can target armour pieces and reveal the monsters' weak points. It's a promising mashup of Shadow of the Colossus and Attack on Titan.
Beast Quest
The Kingdom of Avantia needs you. Dark magic has turned nature bad and only a hero can take up sword and shield and battle the dragons, phoenixes and elemental giants that are rampaging throughout the land. Beast Quest is based on the best-selling fantasy novel series of the same name.
Real Farm
Real Farm is sure to be an oasis of rural calm on the show floor. Manage your farm, care for your livestock, plant crops and then reap a profit while taking in the noble sight of cows munching on a field.
Cobalt WASD
Team up and take on opponents in deadly 2D arenas. As you race to defuse the other team's bomb, or protect your own, you earn cash that lets you buy new guns and gadgets between rounds. Essentially, it's 2D counter-strike with grappling hooks and bombs that slow down time and is perfect for some quick contests in the midst of a live event.
Epic Loon
Dive into the deeply surreal world of Epic Loon, a physics platformer for up to four players. The game pays homage to cinema classics. Play through a grainy VHS rendition of "Jurassic Land" or take on a suspiciously godzilla shaped monster as you hop between realities.
Beyond Type 1: 2150
A VR game built from the ground up for room-sized virtual reality. You play a security officer thawed out from stasis aboard your space vessel. Aliens have invaded and released a gas that has turned your crewmates into monsters. Time to break out the laser pistols...
Company of Heroes 2
A worn-torn RTS that follows the Soviet Red Army on the Eastern Front in WW2. Balance resources and battles in the harshest weather conditions in your quest for success. Execute your tactics well—lest you starve, freeze or get shot to death.
Endless Space 2
A turn-based sci-fi 4X space opera and the epitome of ‘one more move’ strategy. Brimming with atmosphere, depth and, crucially, replayability, Endless Space 2 is as much about clever resource management as it is battling hostile enemy fleets.
Dawn of War 3
Space Marines, Orks and Eldar face off in this RTS with MOBA trappings—once again threatening the existence of the lost planet Ascheron. Expect typically in-depth lore, sprawling battles, and cameo appearances from the Imperial Guard, the Daemons of Khorne, and the Necrons.
Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
Announced at the PC Gaming Show at last year's E3, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is a reworked modern take on the 1997 classic with 4K graphics, a remastered soundtrack, new zoom levels, and improved gameplay. Build from the Stone Age to the Iron Age 20 years on.
Macrotis: A Mother’s Journey
As if its name wasn't beautiful enough, Macrotis: A Mother’s Journey is a gorgeous 2.5D indie puzzler that combines whimsical storytelling with head-scratching puzzle work. A real gem.
Sure Footing
Sure Footing is a vibrant, fast-firing and unrelenting endless runner about four friends who're out to save the planet. Hop and jump and run and run and run to survive.
Candleman: The Complete Journey
Despite filling the shoes/wick of a candle, this top-down indie puzzler has you juggling light as a source of good and not so good. Boasting a smooth difficulty curve, one Candleman's greatest strengths is its stunning scenery.
AngerForce: Reloaded
AngerForce: Reloaded is an ode to '90s vertically scrolling shooters that's more than just a modern clone. Wonder at its lovely comic book art style, but don't idle too long if you want to thwart the robot rebellion.
Fade to Silence
Fade to Silence is a survival game whose Steam page asks: "Can you survive in a world of unrelenting winter, fighting not only hunger and monsters, but also nature itself?"
Take a look at the image above. If the answer is yes, then you're far braver than us.
