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 2021 games that are launching this year.
2023 games: Upcoming releases
Best PC games: All-time favorites
Free PC games: Freebie fest
Best FPSes: Finest gunplay
Best MMOs: Massive worlds
Best RPGs: Grand adventures
Zenith: The Last City
Steam page
Release: January 28
Developer: Ramen VR
Launch price: $27 | £21.41 | AU$38.65
Zenith is a virtual reality MMO that appears to blend science fiction and fantasy trappings in equal measure. As one of two main classes you'll wield either magic or blades, but more exciting than combat, for me at least, is the heavy presence of wingsuits in the trailer above. The first-person affair is structured like you'd expect from an MMO: there are story quests, public events, and all manner of other activities, and given that it supports crossplay with pretty much every VR platform, it shouldn't be too hard to get a friend involved. Zenith is an Early Access affair, and that will last for around a year while Ramen VR works on new content, including a new class.
Hidden Deep
Steam page
Release: January 25
Developer: Cogwheel Software
Launch price: $22.49 | £16.19 | AU$30.55
Rich described Hidden Deep as "Another World meets the Thing" when it was announced last year, and as far as I can see, he nailed it. This eerie sidescrolling adventure is set in a miserably dark old mine, where a group of researchers have gone missing. You can probably guess that, whatever happened to them, it was not pretty, but it's your job to enter the mines and save as many of these researchers as possible. This is an Early Access launch, developed by a single person, and over the course of the next six months it'll get a bunch of new content, as well as online cooperative play (it already supports local coop).
Reverie Knights Tactics
Steam page
Release: January 26
Developer: 40 Giants Entertainment
Launch price: $21.24 | £17.84 | AU$30.55
Sometimes an anime turn-based tactics game is exactly what the doctor ordered, and Reverie Knights Tactics looks about as orthodox as they come. Mixing exploration, visual novel-style storytelling and party-based combat, Reverie is all about the search for Lennórien, a "long-lost elven city," but don't expect to get there without leaving a long path of goblin corpses. As you'd expect, each of the game's four characters have their own special combat styles and traits, but you'll also customize their skills and load outs. The art style is gorgeous, too.
Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX 2
Steam page
Release: January 27
Developer: Inti Creates Co., Ltd
Launch price: $22.49 | £18 | AU$30.37
From the prolific studio that brought us Blaster Master Zero, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon and Azure Striker Gunvolt, comes another stylish 2D platformer. This sequel sticks pretty close to the format established by the original, though protagonist Copen does get some new moves: a new spinning blade weapon, a more powerful mid-air dash, and the ability to switch between two forms focusing on power and speed. Like most Inti Creates games, this looks like a dependable retro game with some really lush pixel art.
Blank Frame
Steam page
Release: January 28
Developer: Through Tunnel
Launch price: $4.49 | £3.59 | AU$6.75
This retro-styled horror game looks like an interactive mid-'90s CG video, but it's actually inspired by the PS2 era. What matters more, is that the art style looks brilliantly creepy, and the setting is simple but effective. The protagonist is holed up in an apartment, rendered inescapable thanks to a metal cabinet that has fallen through the ceiling, blocking the door. Studio Through Tunnel promises that Blank Frame isn't a jump scare laden horror game: expect something quieter and more surreal.
