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 (opens in new tab) you can play right now and a running list of the 2022 games (opens in new tab) that are launching this year.
Catizens
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: August 18
Developer: badopticsgames
Launch price: $16 | £12.59 | AU$23.35
Heard of cats? They’re the best animal, and Catizens is basically a hybrid of RimWorld and The Sims, except with cats. You’re probably smashing that buy button already—because of the cats—but there are some other things to know: you have to build a town for the cats, but not according to your own whims and fancies, because its the cats’ proclivities that really matter. That’s the hard part. The easy and possibly funnest part is creating “unique cats”, and making sure their homes are as feline friendly as possible. Along with the detailed settlement and home management you’ll also go hunting in the wilderness. Catizens is an Early Access affair and will launch into 1.0 in roughly six months while it gains new content and sheds some rough edges.
Cursed to Golf
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: August 19
Developer: Chuhai Labs
Launch price: $18 | £15.29 | AU$26.05
It’s a sidescrolling platformer with golf, basically. You’re the “Cursed Golfer” who is trapped in “Golf Purgatory”, and in order to escape this purgatory you have to get extremely good at playing golf under bizarre conditions. Split into levels, you need to get the ball in the, uh, golf hole, before your PAR count runs out. But that’s not going to be easy because you’re in purgatory, which is riddled with supernatural obstacles, spikes, and aggressive things that want to kill you. Oh, and it’s a roguelike, so expect to stay infuriated-yet-entertained by this one for a while, especially with the “70+” holes promised across four biomes.
Slaycation Paradise
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: August 18
Developer: Affordable Acquisition
Launch price: $12 | £9.59 | AU$17.20
If you thought this week’s column was a little too family friendly, here’s a game about an intergalactic resort themed around mindlessly killing things. That’s pretty bleak on paper, but this twin-stick shooter and tower defence hybrid has a bit of a grim smirk to it. Basically, each arena in Slaycation Paradise is based on a real world environment—ruined cities, tranquil farms—except they’re all on fire by dint of the fact that they’re murder playgrounds. You’ll get to roam these environments from an isometric view, shooting at things with a large array of weaponry, but you’ll also get to play with turrets and barricades as well. Looks like some decent, albeit disturbing, tension release.
This Rain Will Never End
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: August 18
Developer: Marginal Act
Launch price: $10.39 | £8.23 | AU$14.80
Subtitled a “noir adventure detective (game)”, This Rain Will Never End also stars a cat, which is good. It’s a point and click adventure set in Sunny City, which is suddenly always dark and awash in rain. The protagonist cat detective is investigating the suicide of the city mayor, which caused this onslaught of rain, and to solve the mystery you’ll need to explore the city, chat to its varied inhabitants, and combine evidence in order to arrive at some truth about the strange circumstances. It’s a dark affair then, somewhat offset by the fact that you are, indeed, appealingly, a cat.
OneBit Adventure
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: August 19
Developer: Galactic Slice
Launch price: Free
OneBit Adventure has existed as a browser and phone game for a while but now it’s on Steam. It’s a casual turn-based roguelike that’s best played in short bursts, and the objective is to climb as high as possible through its monster-filled environment, picking up loot along the way. There are seven classes, all unique and customizable, and if you love it you can enjoy cross-saves with the Google Play or App Store versions, so you never have to stop playing.