2024 games: Upcoming releases
Best PC games: All-time favorites
Free PC games: Freebie fest
Best FPS games: Finest gunplay
Best MMOs: Massive worlds
Best RPGs: Grand adventures
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 2024 games that are launching this year.
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection
Steam page
Release: September 6
Developer: Capcom
This collection brings together two Ace Attorney games originally released on the series' spiritual home, the Nintendo DS. They follow the "prosecutor of prosecutors" Miles Edgeworth, which means these instalments take a different format to the usual court room dramas: Edgeworth actually visits crime scenes and conducts on-site investigations, taking the form of deduction puzzles. Both games have been given a full HD remake, but you can toggle back to the original pixel art if you prefer, and there are a bunch of other quality of life improvements including the ability to dive in at the start of any chapter, and a story mode which basically plays the game for you.
Ale & Tale Tavern
Steam page
Release: September 5
Developer: Scienart Games
Ale & Tale Tavern belongs to that modern category of cozy fantasy RPG where, instead of slaying dragons and smashing trolls, you're running some kind of shop instead. Ale & Tale Tavern has received quite a bit of positive attention on Steam so far, with over 700 "very positive" reviews. In addition to running a tavern, you'll also get to roam the open world partaking in a range of other tasks including fishing, hunting and cooking. Even better, it supports online co-op, so you can pour beers and hunt boars with a friend. Watching the trailer, there does seem to be a whole lot more violence in this game than I expected, but I'm sure no one will complain. If anything it definitely looks more polished and stylish than some of its contemporaries.
Fantasy Map Simulator
Steam page
Release: September 4
Developers: The Stranger
This semi-idle simulator has a brilliant concept: the user creates a world map with a bunch of different conditions, and then the simulator creates an ongoing history. You can sit and watch while your various fantasy nations colonize, trounce or cower from your other fantasy nations, or if you want to get hands-on, there are lots of interventions you can make on the fly, such as sending one country in to invade another. Think of it as a more passive, more creative twist on the grand strategy game. It's an Early Access project: it'll stay in development for up to two years while the devs add more sim elements, modes and more.
Star Trucker
Steam page
Release: September 3
Developer: Monster and Monster
If you love the Truck Simulator games but wish they were set in space, well, that's the appetite Star Trucker is here to satisfy. At first I wondered "well isn't that just Elite Dangerous" but there are some pretty significant differences, one being that your spaceship actually looks a lot like an earthbound truck. Also: no shooting, no death, just good ol' intergalactic truckin'. Also: Star Trucker really leans into the whole American roadtripping mythos, despite being set in space. Fraser was impressed when he played its demo back in February.
Selfloss
Steam page
Release: September 5
Developer: Goodwin Games
Here's an "emotional exploration game" that seems to tick the same boxes as Tunic and Bastion. It's an isometric adventure set in a Slavic-inspired fantasy world with the usual mix of puzzling and fighting. The protagonist's staff is a crucial tool for both purposes, as it can not only fire off conventional magic attacks but also act independently, all the better to solve some tricky conundrums. It's a gorgeous game in action, and worth a wishlist for the next time you're after a breezy singleplayer experience.
