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.
Bear and Breakfast
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: July 28
Developer: Gummy Cat
Launch price: $20 | £15.49 | AU$28.95
Here’s a chill management game about running a bed and breakfast. Oh, and you’re a bear. This enterprising teenage bear has found a shack in the woods and wants to convert it into a serviceable place for accommodation. So you’ll be plotting out your little bed and breakfast, decorating it, and most importantly, keeping your short term tenants happy. There’s more to Bear and Breakfast than just management, though: there are quests and story lines, and an engrossing mystery to unpack related to the forest itself. So expect exploration, zany encounters with strange NPCs, and maybe some porridge too? This is an obvious choice for fans of Stardew Valley, but if you love bears and mysteries, it’s probably good for you too.
Digimon Survive
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: July 29
Developer: HYDE, Inc.
Launch price: $60 | £40 | AU$74.95
This new Digimon game has been in seeming development hell for a while, but it’s out now, and if you’re a Digimon enthusiast you probably know that already. Unlike a lot of the recent Digimon JRPGs, this is a visual novel first and foremost, with a light sprinkling of tactical combat. As a result, even if you love tactics this may not be for you, because it really is basically just a visual novel (and a pricey one at that). It’s a strange hybrid, but the presentation is typically gorgeous, and you can expect the usual branching paths and mindboggling melodrama that fans of visual novels are accustomed to.
Sweet Transit
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: July 29
Developer: Ernestas Norvaišas
Launch price: $19.79 | £15.74 | AU$29.65
In the blissful utopian world of Sweet Transit, there is no other mode of transport aside from trains. So expect to build railway networks in this Early Access affair, but don’t mistake it for a clone of Transport Tycoon (or OpenTT). It’s more of a city builder, with the scale and effectiveness of your rail network determining the growth of the beautiful villages you’ll be connecting. You’ll need to accommodate for both passenger and freight trains, and you’ll get to customize stations, platforms and services based on the individual needs of each settlement. The Early Access period will last until mid-2023, but it already has modding support.
Hohokum
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: July 29
Developer: Honeyslug, Richard Hogg
Launch price: $10 | £8 | AU$14
A PlayStation exclusive since 2014, Hohokum surprise-launched on Steam last week during publisher Annapurna’s digital showcase. It’s a colourful and meditative game about steering a kite-like object through bizarre worlds. There aren’t really any hard and fast objectives here: it’s really a game about enjoying strange sights and encounters. A Steam reviewer describes it as “ASMR for your ears and eyes” which is pretty on point: the music in particular is a delight.
Blastronaut
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: July 28
Developer: Perfoon
Launch price: $16.14 | £12.31 | AU$22.90
Launched into Early Access last week, Blastronaut is a sidescrolling survival and trading sim about extracting precious resources from an endless, procedurally generated underground. Coming across as a hybrid of Terraria and Steamworld Dig, the underground is made up of increasingly dangerous biomes; the further you spelunk, the more lucrative the rewards and the more deadly the environments. Blastronaut is expected to stay in Early Access for “about two years”, and during that time it will receive new locations and obstacles, as well as a steady flow of upgrades and tools for more effective plunder extraction.