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 new games of 2019.
Hide or Die
Steam page
Release: August 2
Developer: VecFour Digital
Price: $24.99 | £15.59 | AU$35.95
Launched into Early Access last week, Hide Or Die is an assymmetrical multiplayer horror game with a unique take on survival. Basically, each player starts as either a hunter or a survivor, set forth in a large 1.2km squared open world. Gradually the survivors are consumed by "darkness", which turns them into "powerful and terrifying killers", which I suppose makes them a bigger problem for the hunters. Those who consume the most of this darkness become The Chosen, and each game culminates in a violent showdown around one of the world's three bunkers. It's a little confusing on paper but seems to work in practice. VecFour Digital hopes to launch into 1.0 by the end of the year, with an additional map and new hunter types in the pipeline.
Merchant of the Skies
Steam page
Release: July 30
Developer: Coldwild Games
Price: $7.99 | £5.79 | AU$11.50
As the name implies, Merchant of the Skies is a game about traveling the world via fancy zeppelin and selling stuff. According to Coldwild Games, it's a "trading game with light base-building and tycoon elements", but it also has slight RPG elements and, as you'd expect, exploration elements. One thing's for sure: it looks beautiful. The game launched into Early Access last week, and will likely launch into 1.0 six months from now, with more resources, islands and quests set for the final version.
We Need To Go Deeper
Steam page
Release: August 2
Developer: Deli Interactive LLC
Price: $15.99 | £12.39 | AU$22.95
We Need To Go Deeper is a 2-4 player cooperative roguelike about ocean exploration. Your crew will commandeer a submarine through a "Verne-inspired undersea universe", and in order to do so successfully a whole lot of communication and tight knit collaboration will be needed. It's definitely an attractive looking game, and if you're into ye olde style nautical adventure, and actually have friends, it'll definitely be worth a shot. After a stint in Early Access, it launched into 1.0 last week.
Jupiter Hell
Steam page
Release: August 1
Developer: ChaosForge
Price: $24.99 | £19.49 | AU$35.95
Jupiter Hell is a roguelike with a fairly simple sales pitch: it's basically Doom with tactical turn-based combat. I don't know how a game with tactical, turn-based combat could ever hope to resemble Doom, but it helps that ChaosForge is the studio responsible for the excellent Doom, the Roguelike. Whatever the case, Jupiter Hell looks very cool, with a nice 3D isometric perspective and, of course, shotguns. It's in Early Access and will likely stay there until the end of 2020.
A Short Hike
Steam page
Release: July 30
Developer: adamgryu
Price: $7.99 | £5.79 | AU$11.50
Here's a decidedly non-violent game about a journey to the summit of a mountain. The most striking thing about A Short Hike is its scruffy yet gorgeous pixel-art aesthetic. Then, the relief of not being pressured to do anything in particular sets in. You can fish, you can collect hidden treasures, or you can hightail it to the top of the mountain... it's up to you. Lauren played it last week and very much enjoyed it.
To check out previous instalments in the series, click here.
These games were released between July 30 and August 5 2019. Some online stores give us a small cut if you buy something through one of our links. Read our affiliate policy for more info.
