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 2024 games that are launching this year.
Burn
Steam page
Release: August 9
Developer: Convict Games
This visual novel traces the adventures and misadventures of Nina Burn, a globally popular Finnish pop star with three albums under her belt. Where next for Burn? Will she fade into irrelevance, reassert her dominance, or “become a monster”? There are sixteen endings here, and so plenty of answers to that question. Based on her logo, maybe there’s a pop / black metal hybrid in Burn’s waters? This game is made by the team responsible for Stone, which is an “Aussie stoner noir story” game featuring a koala. There’s a demo for Burn, in case you’re not 100% sure you want to deliberate over the career moves of a mid-career pop star (which seems weird to me).
Vladik Brutal
Steam page
Release: August 10
Developer: Narko Games
This solo developed first-person shooter stands out because it seems heavily inspired by Half-Life rather than the usual close-to-zero narrative boomer shooters. Set in an Eastern European dictatorship, its art style is definitely reminiscent of Valve’s classic, though Vladik Brutal leans in more on Soviet-era architecture and sooty urban environments. Most importantly, the movement and combat looks impeccably smooth here, with production quality that could rival bigger indie studios. It’s definitely worth a look if you’re one of those people decrying the death of cinematic singleplayer FPS games.
Cat Quest III
Steam page
Release: August 8
Developers: The Gentlebros
I played Cat Quest 2 with my seven-year-old son and it went down a treat. These games aren’t super complex takes on the action RPG, so they’re great to play with people inexperienced or otherwise indifferent to the genre. As far as I can tell, Cat Quest 3 is more Cat Quest, except now there are boats, pirates, and some deviations into 2D sidelong navigation. If you crank the difficulty up you’re in for a challenging time, of course, but Cat Quest is basically a cosy game with, uh, lots and lots of blood-free killing.
Volgarr the Viking II
Steam page
Release: August 7
Developer: Crazy Viking Studios, Digital Eclipse
I hated the first Volgarr the Viking, in the sense that I loved it but it kicked my arse so hard I felt much, much older after finishing it. So I’m determined not to touch this sequel to the tough as nails 2D platformer. I need to be careful of my heart rate. It looks to be a sequel in the most common sense: it’s similar to the first game just with more stuff. More power-ups, more magic, more baddies. I hope you have huge reserves of patience. I feel angry just thinking about it.
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Into the Pit
Steam page
Release: August 8
Developer: Mega Cat Studios
I doubt many FNAF fanatics “missed” this game, but it’s among the few in this universe that I’ve been tempted to try for myself, so I’m including it for everyone else. It’s a 2D pixel art take on the horror series with puzzles and tense pursuits. It’s developed by the studio responsible for WrestleQuest, and its pixel art is similarly colourful and chunky.
