On average, about a dozen new games are released on Steam per day. And while we think that’s a good thing, it can be understandably difficult to deal 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 took your fancy this week, we’ve rounded up the best PC games (opens in new tab) you can play now and current list of 2023 games (opens in new tab) which start this year.
ArcRunner
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: April 27
Developer: Trickjump Games Ltd
Starting Price: $18 | £12.29 | AU$26.55
It’s hard to be blown away by the cyberpunk stylings of this post-Cyberpunk 2077 world, but ArcRunner still manages to look gorgeous. This roguelike third-person shooter takes place on a space station under the command of a rogue AI, and your job is to mow down thousands of its robot soldiers on your way to taking down this boss AI. There are three types of characters, including the Tank Soldier, the Agile Ninja, and the Hacker, and all have their own primary melee weapons as well as specialized abilities. Levels are randomized, gear and power-ups are plentiful, and best of all, ArcRunner supports online co-op play.
Welcome to Goodland
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: April 29
Developer: Big City Lab
Starting Price: $17 | £14.29 | AU$24.95
Here’s a strategy-oriented adventure game about surviving or maybe even thriving as a money launderer for a Mexican drug cartel. As you might expect, this is a high-pressure job, and one wrong move can have disastrous consequences, so every business decision comes with double (triple?) the pressure it would otherwise have. To make matters worse, you have cops and other criminals to worry about. It’s essentially a tycoon game, but with a strong narrative component centered around diplomacy, tough decisions, and often tense negotiations.
Varni lake
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: April 28
Developer: LCB Game Studio
Starting Price: $10 | £8.49 | AU$14.50
From the team that brought us Mothmen 1966 (opens in new tab) comes Varney Lake, another disturbing narrative game presented in the style of CGA graphic adventures from the 80s. It focuses on the misadventures of three teenagers from 1950 on a summer vacation by Lake Varney, where the idyllic splendor is somewhat tarnished by the discovery of a vampire. Suddenly, all the usual teenage cares fall away and things get awful. Nearly 30 years later, paranormal investigator Lou Hill takes on the case, and it’s partly through his discussions with now-aged teenagers that the story unfolds. Expect puzzles, horror, nostalgia and a fascinating branching narrative.
Skinny & Franko: Fists of Violence
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: April 29
Developer: Blue Sunset Games
Starting Price: $17.09 | £13.04 | AU$24.25
Remember Skinny and Franco? I didn’t, but I googled it and there was indeed an Amiga game from 1994 called Franko (opens in new tab), on which this newer Beat ’em Up is based. Considered a clone of Amiga Final Fight back in the day, this new installment in the series looks like a fairly conventional side-scrolling brawler, albeit with a grittier atmosphere than most modern takes on the genre. There are eight main stages, over 50 weapons and special attacks, and – most appealingly – over “80 different hooligans and idiots” to punch. As you’d expect, local co-op play is supported, which is the best way to beat the bad guys.
Case of Digital Exorcist_(0);
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: April 28
Developer: Cool Beans Productions
Starting price: free
This free game is an adventure game visually inspired by the PC-98 catalog, but also takes cues from the likes of The Silver Case (opens in new tab). A mix of horror and deductive gameplay, the protagonist is a washed-up digital exorcist tasked with investigating a crime and then correcting it by exorcising a demon. This forbidding task takes him to some strange places, most notably a “spooky deep web forum.” Expect to solve puzzles, fight demons and reconstruct crime scenes, but most importantly enjoy a very disturbing and strange atmosphere.