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.
Ecosystem
Steam page
Release: March 17
Developer: Tom Johnson
Launch price: $19.99 | £15.49 | AU$28.95
Ecosystem is the ultimate god game: you take charge of an aquatic ecosystem where every lifeform's existence is determined by your actions. In other words, the creatures that evolve in your ocean are completely at the mercy of your actions and are not "pre-made"—they're grown from "synthetic DNA and live in a physically-simulated ocean." That means not only their bodies will evolve according to the broader circumstances they live in, but also their brains. It seems like an admirably complex simulator, hence its current Early Access stint, where it will stay for around 12-18 months.
Mr Prepper
Steam page
Release: March 19
Developer: Rejected Games
Launch price: $17.99 | £13.94 | AU$26.05
If a meditative game about evolving aquatic life isn't really your speed, Mr Prepper is another simulator about—you guessed it—building an underground bunker in preparation for catastrophe. You'll build your shelter, craft machines to keep it ticking, trade with other nearby preppers and, uh, make a plan. Which is probably where the less "sim" aspects come to the fore, because protagonist Mr Prepper is a renegade hellbent on subverting an oppressive new government. The shelter isn't just a refuge from nuclear hell or environmental disaster: you've also got to hide your "plans" down there... especially when the secret police pay you a visit.
Can't Drive This
Steam page
Release: March 19
Developer: Pixel Maniacs
Launch price: $16.99 | £13.16 | AU$24.60
Can't Drive This is a multiplayer racing game with a huge twist: one player drives the vehicle while the other player creates the circuit on the fly. The driving player has to maintain a certain speed or else they'll explode, so the circuit-building player is probably going to want to make the circuit as hazardous as possible. It sounds incredibly fun, to be honest, and it can also somehow be played solo. But I feel like this is something you're going to want to play with friends, and it even supports four-players at once: two build circuits, the other two race.
Adios
Steam page
Release: March 17
Developer: Mischief
Launch price: $18 | £14 | AU$25.95
Not many games let you play as a pig farmer, but to its enormous credit Adios does. Don't expect to just be farming pigs though, because this first-person narrative adventure game also involves the mob, who use your pigs to dispose of bodies. The pig farming protagonist is no longer ok with this, and the game is mostly concerned with the process of delivering this news and seeing your resolve through without being murdered, because crims generally don't like it when you quit. You really thought they were going to make a game about pig farming? If that's what you're after try this.
Cartel Tycoon
Steam page
Release: March 19
Developer: Moon Moose
Launch price: $22.49 | £17.54 | AU$32.35
Cartel Tycoon is about producing drugs, smuggling drugs, fighting rival drug producers and smugglers, and managing public opinion re: your criminal drug enterprise. That's why it's called Cartel Tycoon, you see, but it's more than a tycoon game, as there's also a narrative-driven component mostly driven by quests. The game is set on a procedurally generated map and is designed to be "replayable," but it'll stay in Early Access for most of 2021 while new quests and characters are added, as well as the usual bug smiting and finetuning.
These games were released between March 15 and 22 2021. Some online stores give us a small cut if you buy something through one of our links. Read our affiliate policy for more info.
