Sorting through every new game on Steam so you don't have to.
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 2022 games that are launching this year.
Moth Lake
Steam page
Release: December 3
Developer: Stefano Mazzotta (Il Sui)
Launch price: $7 | £7 | AU$10.15
Moth Lake is a horror point and click adventure set in a small town during a solar eclipse. It follows the misadventures of six teenagers as they explore this creepy little town and face some of the grim truths about their lives. This is emphatically a horror game—the ’90s style pixel art does a surprisingly good job of capturing a sinister, oppressive atmosphere—but don’t expect vicious jump scares or gore, but rather a more slow burn approach to psychological dread. Throughout the adventure you’ll need to manage the group’s energy and mood, which can not only affect their interactions with the other characters, but may have roll-on effects on how the narrative as a whole plays out. Modern takes on the point and click adventure are abundant these days, but this one looks quite distinctive.
Dwarven Skykeep
Steam page
Release: December 2
Developer: Hack the Publisher
Launch price: $14.44 | £12.14 | AU$21.20
Dwarven Skykeep is a curious blend of base and deckbuilding. Across five worlds with distinct environmental challenges, you’ll play as a sorcerer tasked with building and defending an enchanted castle. This means kitting it out with important stuff like workbenches and forges, as well as strengthening its defences and keeping your dwarven helpers happy (mostly with beer). All of this is done via cards: each sessions grants a new deck of cards, and the way these cards are utilised and combined will play a role in the success (or failure) of your edifice. There’s a large cast of amusing characters and foes to interact with, and the whole thing is wrapped in a cheerful ‘n’ chunky pixel art that vaguely recalls Terraria.
The Knight Witch
Steam page
Release: November 30
Developer: Super Mega Team
Launch price: $18 | £14.39 | AU$26.95
The Knight Witch is a Metroidvania with brisk shoot ’em up action. Taking control of the titular Knight Witch, you’ll explore the world of Dungeonidas, shooting the crap out of baddies from the back of your broom, and gradually becoming more powerful thanks to powers granted by (wait for it) unique spell cards dotted throughout the land. Yep, there’s cards. These apparently allow quite a bit of freedom with how your witch develops: is your desired playstyle schmup-centric, or would you prefer to wield “Witch magic”? I would like to do both, and according to the Steam page, I can. Some early Steam user reviews point to some uneven difficulty curves here, which may or may not be patched out in the coming weeks.
Soccer Story
Steam page
Release: November 30
Developer: PanicBarn
Launch price: $18 | £13.94 | AU$26.05
From the creators of Not Tonight comes Soccer Story, a similarly dystopian game, albeit with a much lighter tone. In the cruel world of Soccer Story, soccer has been banned globally. Amid this gloom, the protagonist is visited by a sentient soccer ball, and tasked with saving soccer. In a fashion similar to Golf Story—which is still not on PC—Soccer Story wraps sports game action around an adventure RPG. As you explore you’ll use your trusty ball to solve most problems, but you’ll also get the opportunity to play the banned game as well. Early Steam reviews suggest this had some teething problems at launch, but studio PanicBarn has already issued at least one big patch.
Potions!
Steam page
Release: December 4
Developer: Rockwell Studios
Launch price: $7.19 | £6.02 | AU$10.61
As Lauren correctly noted in September, there are so many potion games right now. There’s Potion Craft, Potionomics, Potion Permit and Potion Tycoon. The latest to join that list is simply called Potions!, which not only includes the word “potion”—a well-observed rule of the genre—but doesn’t even include any other words. Like some of its potion-oriented siblings, this is a management game. You’ll brew potions, sell potions, unlock new abilities in order to make better potions, and you can even consume potions yourself. Not only that, but you’re a traveling potion merchant, so expect a colourful pixel art adventure through a varied world absolutely raring for your potions.
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