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 2023 games that are launching this year.
Miasma Chronicles
Steam page Release: May 24Developer: The Bearded LadiesLaunch price: $50 | £45 | AU$74.95
Miasma Chronicles is a tactical RPG from the team responsible for Mutant Year Zero. Thanks to its familiar post-apocalyptic setting, this new outing bears a close resemblance to Wasteland and Fallout, but it strays further into weird fiction than either of those—probably no surprise since the studio’s last game starred slightly creepy anthromorphs. Protagonist Elvis (yeah, Elvis) has a powerful glove that can control “Miasma”—the mysterious substance that is entirely to blame for America’s apocalyptic malaise. Presumably in order to use this glove towards productive ends, Elvis must trek across the wasteland, engaging in tense, increasingly complicated turn-based combat on the way. The production values are very high, and the Steam reviews are “mostly positive”.
Dynopunk
Steam page Release: May 26Developer: Tomato Fantasy GamesLaunch price: $13.49 | £11.51 | AU$19.75
Another cyberpunk game, except get a load of this: Humanity doesn’t exist because dinosaurs never went extinct. This one’s a narrative-driven adventure with a strong 1990s bent: you’re the operator of a repair shop, and in addition to fixing all manner of mysterious gadgets beloved by cyberpunk dinos, you’ll also get to know your customers. Sure, you’ll make friends with them, and in some cases console them, but since the Steam page promises you can “chat up the customers” there’s likely a romance element too. Cyberpunk with dinosaurs and romance? Say what you want about the human condition in the 2020s, but at least we get stuff like this.
Planet of Lana
Steam page Release: May 24Developer: WishfullyLaunch price: $18 | £15.29 | AU$26.55
Planet of Lana is a gorgeous cinematic platformer in the vein of Another World, Prince of Persia, and Inside. The story is deliberately opaque, but the gist is this: A planet that has experienced endless peace is suddenly attacked by a hectic horde of robots. As a result, the protagonist and their weird cat companion must navigate this lush, pastoral land, evading robots, solving environmental puzzles, and beholding some of the prettiest landscapes I’ve ever seen in a sidescrolling adventure. Honestly: the gameplay is very familiar, but Planet of Lana really excels when it comes to mood and a dreamlike sense of place.
Atomgrad
Steam page Release: May 26Developer: Petter Malmehed, JössesLaunch price: $2.69 | £2.24 | AU$4.05
Described as a “linguistic detective” game, Atomgrad is a cold war era puzzler about trying to avert nuclear disaster. Specifically, you’re a US agent who has penetrated a high value Soviet military base, where there is a single computer controlling the Soviet regime’s nuclear warheads. Find the computer and shut it down: easy done! Except the computer has a native language you don’t know. Duh! With just a morse-based messaging system, “your personal sense of linguistic pattern recognition” and some other visual resources, you’ll need to get the job done anyway. The devs call this the “first ever linguistic puzzler”, and I’ll take their word for it.
Diluvian Winds
Steam page Release: May 25Developer: Alambik StudioLaunch price: $16.19 | £14.39 | AU$23.85
Launched into Early Access last week, Diluvian Winds is a survival management sim about managing a lighthouse. Not just any lighthouse: this one is surrounded by a “hamlet” of fantastical dimensions, because in addition to building around it, you can also build under it, and even above it, all in aide of sheltering regular travelers. It being a lighthouse, you’ll also need to make sure its light never goes out, quite a tall order because the weather is always terrible. Chris played a demo of Diluvian Winds last year and his early impressions were very positive. This Early Access build has the first four chapters of the game, and will last six months while Alambik Studio add differen survival paths, new travelers types, and of course, the remaining narrative chapters.
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