On average, about a dozen new games are released on Steam. And while we think that’s a good thing, it can be understandably difficult to keep up with. Potentially exciting gems are sure to get lost in the deluge of new things to play unless you sort through every single game released on Steam. So that’s exactly what we did. If nothing takes your fancy this week, we’ve rounded up the best PC games (opens in new tab) you can play now and a current list of 2023 games (opens in new tab) released this year.
Scorchlands
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: February 8
Developer: Ringlab
Release Price: $10.79 | £9 | AU$15.97
Released into Early Access last week, Scorchlands is a hex-based colony builder with a heavy focus on resource mining and all the complex logistics that come with it. So instead of going out there and digging stuff up, you should take care of how it’s done material it gets where you want. Well, yes, there’s a bit of Factorio here, but the setting is a lot less grounded: you build and operate a procedurally generated volcanic satellite, and more importantly, there’s magic. This magical technology will open up better ways to advance your colonization, but of course there are bad guys out there that you’ll occasionally run into. Studio Ringlab has an early access period of 18 months, during which new features will be added, as well as the usual spit and polish.
Midnight Scenes: From the Woods
Steam page (opens in new tab),
Release: February 10
Developer: Octavi Navarro
Release Price: $4.49 | £3.86 | AU$6.75
Best known as the artist behind Thimbleweed Park, Octavi Navarro has also published several individually crafted adventure games, usually with a strong psychological horror bent. Last week Navarro released Midnight Scenes: From the Woods, which I believe is the fourth in the Midnight Scenes series. This listing is placed at Fernwood Creek Mental Health Center, which is experiencing “disturbing incidents” following the arrival of a new patient. Protagonist Elijah befriends this new patient and… then the horror begins. This is a short adventure that can be completed in one sitting, and as usual with the Midnight Scenes series, it’s all about Twilight Zone-inspired eerie.
Union of Hygdras
Steam page (opens in new tab),
Issued: February 7
Developer: Sting
Release Price: $20 | £16.75 | AU$29.50
Yggdra Union was first released for Game Boy Advance in 2006 and has since been ported to PSP, smartphones, Nintendo Switch and now PC. Originally published by Atlus, but now handled entirely by Japan-based developer Sting, it’s a fairly orthodox tactical RPG, with an overworld map used for navigation and battles taking place from a side-on perspective. It’s not exactly a lost classic, but if you like Japanese fantasy RPGs, you’ll probably dig its atmosphere if nothing else. Curiously, the PC port is an Early Access affair, but only so that any lingering bugs can be fixed. It’s a major port, after all, with a new PC-friendly control interface and other bonuses like the ability to reset and adjust battle speed.
Pentacore
Steam page (opens in new tab),
Release: February 12
Developer: Jonathan Collier, Jason Martin
Release Price: $10 | £8.50 | AU$14.50
If you’re craving a conventional, old-school Metroidvania, Pentacore could do the trick. An undeniably nostalgic affair, Pentacore could make even Astalon: Tears of the Earth look experimental, but its art style is very charming, with an approach to pixel art that seems closer to you old Apogee shareware games than, say, an 8 or 16-bit console game. It ticks all the boxes: a large, interconnected world, a nice variety of permanent upgrades, and plenty of unknown baddies to repeatedly shoot to death. It looks like a wonderful labor of love.
Mystic Gate
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: February 10
Developer: Zoo Corporation
Release Price: $8 | £6.80 | AU$11.60
Wow, it feels like years (read: probably just a few weeks?) since a new roguelite twin-stick shooter hit Steam. This is Mystic Gate, which has a lot in common with Enter the Gungeon, Nuclear Throne, and the like. The loop is what you’d expect: enter a dungeon, shoot the bullet-firing enemies, collect loot that will improve or decrease your chances of winning, and then die. There are the much-anticipated permanent upgrades that stay good from run-to-run, but more importantly, there’s local two-player co-op play. If you can’t get enough of this genre, it looks like a blast.