Welcome to our weekly roundup of what's happening within the indie sport house. There have been fairly a couple of high-profile arrivals this week, in addition to others which have left early entry and or arrived on extra platforms.
I’ve an extended flight this weekend and I'm somewhat torn over what to play whereas I'm within the air. I’ve my Change 2, Steam Deck and Playdate with me (extreme, I do know). As such, there are a lot of methods I can go right here. I haven't but burrowed my means into Donkey Kong Bananza, in order that's a powerful choice. However then there are all of the Playdate Season Two video games I've but to take a look at — Taria & Como is one I undoubtedly wish to play — whereas my Steam Deck is bursting with video games and is operating out of space for storing.
Determination paralysis is an all-too-common affliction nowadays, notably on the subject of video games or selecting one thing to observe. I really feel like the neatest selection right here is to play no matter is taking over essentially the most house on my Steam Deck that I've but to play, so I can simply scrub it if I'm not . I'll in all probability try this until I do my regular factor whereas flying: attempt to compensate for sleep.
New releases
If there have been a corridor of fame only for cell video games, the primary two Monument Valley video games would absolutely be first-ballot inductees. Whereas the third entry within the collection maybe didn't fairly hit these heady heights, it nonetheless has its followers and was well-received when it debuted on iOS and Android by way of Netflix late final yr. Simply over seven months later, Monument Valley 3 has sailed onto extra platforms. Ustwo Video games' considerate and trendy M.C. Escher-inspired puzzler is now obtainable on PC, Nintendo Change, Change 2, PS4, PS5 and Xbox Collection X/S.
RageSquid and writer No Extra Robots had a shock in retailer this week after they immediately launched Descenders Subsequent throughout a showcase of that sport and its downhill biking-focused predecessor. It is a multiplayer motion sports activities sport that, on the outset, options snowboarding and mountainboarding. The builders plan so as to add extra excessive sports activities over time (the sport is presently in early entry and there's a two-year roadmap to the 1.0 launch). Descenders Subsequent is on the market on Steam, Xbox and Recreation Cross for Xbox and PC.
Wheel World appears rather more stress-free than Descenders Subsequent, although your mission is to save lots of the world from full collapse. The launch trailer for this open-world biking sport from Messhof (Nidhogg) has impeccable vibes. Between races, you'll be capable of seek for elements to improve your bike. Given its stellar observe document, any sport that Annapurna Interactive publishes is value testing, and I'll definitely be giving Wheel World a spin. It's out now on Steam, Epic Video games Retailer, PS5 and Xbox Collection X/S, in addition to Recreation Cross Final and PC Recreation Cross.
Wildgate is a multiplayer shooter from writer Dreamhaven's Moonshot Video games division. Dreamhaven CEO Mike Morhaime is a co-founder and former president of Blizzard. Virtually the entire firm's first wave of workers used to work at Blizzard too. So it's possibly not an excessive amount of of a shock that Wildgate has a refined, colourful look. The crew extraction shooter — which is now obtainable on Steam, PS5 and Xbox Collection X/S — has spaceship-based fight and a procedurally-generated map to assist change issues up from game-to-game.
Dreamhaven has had fairly a busy 2025 to this point. It has launched the complete model of the pleasing motion RPG Lynked: Banner of the Spark (by FuzzyBot Video games), solid a publishing partnership with Recreation River for its tactical wargame Mechabellum and unleashed two video games of its personal within the form of tabletop RPG get together sport Sunderfolkand now Wildgate.
Supervive (beforehand generally known as Challenge Loki) is a sport we've had a watch on for some time and it's now out of early entry on Steam. Theorycraft has overhauled this free-to-play MOBA/battle royale hybrid with the 1.0 replace by introducing a bigger map that has extra traversal choices, a two-seater aerial car, extra playable characters, quicker revives, an upgraded person interface and rather more.
Upcoming
Agefield Excessive: Rock the College is a story journey sport that follows a highschool senior after his mother and father transfer with him to a brand new city. Sam Tatum desires to make his previous couple of months of faculty unforgettable, and if he feels the necessity to skip class or mow lawns for a couple of dollars to make that occur, so be it.
This undertaking from Refugium Video games, which is in growth for PC and consoles and slated to debut in early 2026, already feels prefer it's dripping with nostalgia, and that's simply primarily based on the trailer and press launch. It's set in 2002 and is alleged to have a soundtrack crammed with pop-punk tunes. Agefield High: Rock the School has a branching narrative too, with a number of endings to expertise. The builders took some inspiration from Rockstar's Bully and since we’d not ever get a correct sequel to that sport, Agefield Excessive: Rock the College may fill a sure void in my millennial coronary heart.
I fairly just like the aesthetic of Oceaneers, a survival-crafting sim from Barrel Smash Studios. It appears to attract from the identical nicely as Don't Starve, however that's hardly a nasty factor. You'll hop between islands seeking assets and methods to broaden your colony. You'll additionally battle sharks and crabs, and possibly even uncover hidden bunkers — maybe there's somebody inside who has to punch a sequence right into a terminal each 108 minutes? Oceaneers is anticipated to hit Steam early entry in 2026 with a demo dropping quickly. Perhaps I'll begin a long-overdue Misplaced rewatch within the meantime.
Getting misplaced in a fictional world for dozens upon dozens of hours might be fairly interesting, and I do get pleasure from bigger video games in that vein. However so many video games are too bloated nowadays and I do love shorter, extra targeted experiences. Catto's Submit Workplace is alleged to take round an hour to finish.
On this open-world title from In Shambles Studio and writer Cult Video games, you'll play as a Postcat who delivers packages to the residents of a small city. You are able to do cat issues like disguise in bins, knock stuff over and meow everytime you like with a devoted button. It seems too dang cute. Catto's Submit Workplace will price $5 when it hits Steam on August 4, and there shall be a 20 % launch low cost.
You understand how, in Remaining Fantasy VII, Cloud has a large sword? Nicely, what in the event you might have a weapon like that in a puzzle-focused motion platformer? Enter the splendidly titled Gigasword from solo developer Studio Hybrid and writer Akupara Video games. Together with utilizing your weapon to take out unlucky baddies and beastly bosses, you'll make use of it to resolve puzzles and assist with platforming. Gigasword is coming to Steam on October 2, and there's a demo obtainable now.
Talking of video games with incredible names, The Participant Who Can't Degree Up positive has a type of. That is an motion roguelite that’s primarily based on a webtoon that debuted final yr. It has a slick, attractive trailer and — because the title suggests — you gained't be capable of degree up your character. You possibly can, nevertheless, choose perks that will help you hunt monsters. Tripearl Video games is the studio behind the undertaking, for which it's concentrating on a 2026 debut on PC and consoles.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/extreme-sports-an-fps-from-former-blizzard-devs-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out-110007013.html?src=rss