On an average day, about a dozen new games are released on Steam. And while we think that's a good thing, it can understandably be difficult to keep up with. Potentially exciting treasures are sure to get lost in the sea of new ways to play if you don't check out every single game released on Steam. That's exactly what we did. If there's nothing you like this week, we've rounded up the best PC games you can play right now, as well as a running list of 2024 games coming this year.
Minami Lane
Steampage
Release:February 29th
Developers: Doot, Blibloop
Minami Lane is a casual management simulation about maintaining a road. This means that you have to build houses for people to live in, create some parks that increase the mood, and also add shops that increase the standard of living (ramen restaurants, karaoke and bookstores, of course). The wandering citizens will voice their opinions on your carefully laid out street to ensure everyone is happy. This isn't the kind of management game you can play forever: playtime is around four hours, and that's reflected in Minami Lane's $4 price tag. It has cats and a very pretty, detailed art style.
KeeperRL
Steampage
Release: March 1st
Developer: Electric Succubi
KeeperRL first launched in alpha a full decade ago, so it's quite telling that this exceedingly complex version of the Dungeon Keeper format has just reached 1.0. Often described as a cross between that old dungeon management sim and Dwarf Fortress, KeeperRL is set in procedurally generated worlds that are simulated “at a very detailed level,” meaning actions can have reverberating consequences. Interestingly, a big part of KeeperRL, aside from managing dungeons, is heading into battle as one of your demonic minions. So prepare to wreak havoc, spread evil and destroy villages in tactical turn-based combat.
Secrets of Grindea
Steampage
Release: March 1st
Developer: Pixel Ferret
Like KeeperRL, Secrets of Grindea took a decade to develop, so this retro-style action RPG is definitely a labor of love. It's basically a retread of You old people NES RPGs like Secret of Mana, with a dash of Zelda and support for up to four player co-op and lots of side content. In addition to a lengthy story campaign with over 300 quirky fantasy characters, Secrets of Grindea also features a full-fledged roguelite mode, which is essentially a standalone, standalone game. Ten years ago (!) Tom Sykes watched the demo, and although things have undoubtedly changed dramatically in the decade that followed, in his initial verdict he described it as “nostalgic, plunder-obsessed and a lot of fun”.
Time Melter
Steam page
Release:February 28th
Developer: Autoexec Games
Timemelters is a third-person strategic action game starring a time-manipulating witch. Its most fascinating feature is the ability to turn back time and accompany one's older self in battle, which opens up many possibilities for tactical thinking: If a particular encounter seems insurmountable, that's because you need to think about how your time-that traveling future selves will help you in battle. In some ways, it's basically a puzzle game with spells. Better yet, you can rely on a friend because the entire campaign can be played in online co-op. There are some really new ideas here.
Cricket through the ages
Steampage
Release: March 2nd
Developer: Free Lives
From the studio responsible for Gorn, Broforce and Terra Nil comes a bizarre physics comedy about the history of cricket. When you watch it, it's pretty obvious that this so-called story takes a lot of liberties in the interest of comedy. For example, why is it possible to use a tennis racket to decapitate an opponent? Was cricket once a blood sport? This is clearly best played on the couch with friends, just like Free Lives' other crazy classic, Genital Jousting.
