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.
The Bus
Steam page
Release: March 25
Developer: TML-Studios
Launch price: $24.99 | £21.95 | AU$39.95
Some games have titles like .hack//G.U. Last Recode, while other games opt for simpler names. Take The Bus for instance, which is about driving a bus around a 1:1 scale recreation of Berlin. Don't take the name to heart though, because there is not only one bus but several, and there are heaps of different routes as well, which you can even plot yourself. In keeping with the normal routines of a commuter bus, you'll need to stop to let passengers on and off, and you can even get off the bus and walk around the world, if you want. It actually looks incredibly cool and immersive, with a day / night cycle and several modes. It's in Early Access, and will stay there for "roughly 8 to 16 months" during which time it will grow new features.
Mech Mechanic Simulator
Steam page
Release: March 26
Developer: Polyslash
Launch price: $17.99 | £15.29 | AU$26.05
Here's another sim, this time a bit more fanciful: it's all about building and repairing mechs. In addition to actually handling the mechs in some distant car-free future, you'll also need to ensure the success of your mech-repairing company, which is vying for market share alongside a host of other mech-centric corporations. So it's a mechanic sim folded into a tycoon game, basically, and it certainly brings to life a fantasy that some—but not many, I'd wager—people have harboured. Which is why videogames are the highest form of art.
The Tenants
Steam page
Release: March 25
Developer: Ancient Forge Studio
Launch price: $17.99 | £13.94 | AU$26.05
Here's a bright and pleasant sim about being a greedy landlord. Well, you don't have to be greedy, but that wouldn't be very realistic, would it? The whole game is about building a property empire which includes designing and prettifying your properties, investing, selling, and dealing with your tenants. It's kinda like The Sims crossed with House Flipper, I guess, and it's been getting a lot of "very positive" reviews this week. It's in Early Access, with new features and fixes to be rolled out during its "year to a year and a half" development period.
Dorfromantik
Steam page
Release: March 25
Developer: Toukana Interactive
Launch price: $8.49 | £6.79 | AU$12.32
Dorfromantik is a gorgeous hexagonal city builder that sells itself on being relaxing and charming rather than stressful. The towns and landscapes grow depending on how you place your hexgonal tiles, though part of the strategy is in placing them wisely. Studio Toukana provides some examples of this: You'll want to place a windmill tile near a grain field tile, or a deer tile wants to be placed near a forest tile. It's score based and procedurally generated, so you could feasibly play this forever if you love it.
Paradise Lost
Steam page
Release: March 25
Developer: PolyAmorous
Launch price: $9.89 | £7.51 | AU$14.19
This first-person narrative driven adventure is set in an alternate history Europe, where World War 2 carried on two decades longer, culminating in a continent wide nuclear disaster. The player-character is a homeless 12-year-old Polish boy who, during his search for his deceased mother's friend, discovers an underground Nazi bunker. The game is about exploring that bunker. There is some light puzzle solving here, but this one's all about the story and atmosphere, and looks well worth the time at this price.
These games were released between March 22 and 29 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.
