playtest Archives

AppWizard

October 4, 2026

Deadlock is the king of MOBA character designs, and it’s all thanks to Valve’s embrace of New Yorkyness

In Valve’s MOBA, Deadlock, players explore The Cursed Apple, an urban setting inspired by New York City. The game features new characters that embody the essence of city life, including Solomon, an elderly chess player, Baba, a whimsical grandmother, and the Rat King, who commands rats. Other characters include a reimagined Chinese immigrant construction worker as Sun Wukong, Vyper, a flirtatious criminal, and Seven, a pulp villain with a softer side. Deadlock distinguishes itself with character depth, contrasting with typical MOBA heroes. The game has over 100 unique names for the Rat King's rats and more than 10,000 voice lines. Recent reports indicate a peak in concurrent players, reflecting its growing popularity. The focus on New York archetypes opens possibilities for future characters, such as a ghost journalist or a witch with a hot dog cart.

AppWizard

September 28, 2026

Steam Week in Review: Great, haystack slop is a thing now

Clones are common in the gaming industry, with many games mirroring successful titles. The original game "Needle In A Haystack Simulator" is set to launch in Q4 2026 and had about 23,000 players during a recent playtest. The game features sorting and incremental mechanics where players sift through hay to find a needle while uncovering sellable items. Two other haystack-themed games have launched: "Needle In A Haystack - A Time For Goats," which sold 1,000 copies in its first week, and "A Needle In A Haystack: Sorting Game," which received poor reviews. Another title, "Story of The Needle In a Haystack," is scheduled for release on November 28. The creator of "Needle In The Haystack Simulator" humorously referred to it as a "slop game," acknowledging the trend's absurdity.

AppWizard

September 25, 2026

It’s tough to stand out in today’s games industry, but ‘sorta like Helldivers 2 except dog people’ worked on me

Gravhounds is a co-op wave shooter currently in early access on Steam, available for free during its open playtest. The game features polished gameplay, allowing players to team up against waves of enemies. It includes unique movement mechanics, enabling players to glide across buildable cables, and introduces light resource mining and tower defense elements using a gravity gun. The characters are designed as dogs with human bodies, adding a whimsical touch, and players respawn with a humorous cone of shame. Gravhounds distinguishes itself from traditional military-themed shooters through its creative design and engaging mechanics.

AppWizard

September 15, 2026

After nearly a year of silence following its last-minute delay, Kingmakers resurfaces with an extended gameplay video and new playtest

Redemption Road has released a new gameplay deep dive trailer for its upcoming game Kingmakers, which combines strategy and action. The trailer includes gameplay elements and cinematic interludes, though reactions to the latter have been mixed. Players can sign up for an upcoming playtest on the game's Steam page, with notifications sent via email once testing begins. No specific release date for Kingmakers has been announced, and it is currently listed on Steam as "coming soon."

AppWizard

September 4, 2026

LINE Games Opens Playtest Pre-Registration for Amazing Slot Survivor

Pre-registrations for the Steam playtest of Amazing Slot Survivor (A.S.S.) are open from September 9 to September 30. The game is developed by TWOMENGAMES, co-led by Hwang Gyu-min and Lee Keon-soo, and is a roguelike survival adventure with B-movie style graphics. Players will face waves of monsters and can upgrade weapons for combat. The initial demo was showcased at the Busan Indie Connect Festival 2026. The full version will be released on major PC platforms, including Steam, Epic Games Store, and STOVE.

AppWizard

September 3, 2026

The bizarre spirit of classic Elder Scrolls games is alive and well in little lo-fi RPG A Short Quest

A tree instructs the narrator to deliver a note to the King, despite the absence of a monarch in the current playtest of A Short Quest. The playtest reveals various mysteries, including a pond that offers blueberries for jumping, a hidden note about a glyph cipher, and an encounter with a ghost wizard. Players engage with the environment to discover item functions without a quest log or map, leading to potential unintended consequences. The narrator finds a broken sword that allows parrying and hints at undiscovered uses, while even a simple rock can serve as a defensive tool. The Steam page mentions upcoming tools and companions, such as axes, daggers, and a pet dog. Skill trees for weapons and spells suggest diverse combat strategies, and a bandit advises targeting enemy knees. The developer, Silent Moon, describes the experience as a brief adventure, serving as a precursor to the anticipated The Elder Scrolls 6.

AppWizard

September 2, 2026

Fully Playable Scream Game Found in Steam Leak [2026]

A horror game based on the Scream film franchise was discovered in the Steam data leak that occurred from August 29 to 31, 2026. The game, an unfinished multiplayer prototype created by Fatshark, was found by a Twitter user named Roly Poly Reaper, who managed to run it on their computer and enable online multiplayer. The prototype included several unfinished builds, with one featuring operational networking code that allowed players to take on the roles of survivors evading a player-controlled Ghostface. The project appears to have been a pitch build, never fully greenlit for production, and was stored in Valve’s old Steam2 backend for approximately 15 years before the leak. Roly Poly Reaper used the Goldberg Steam emulator and Radmin VPN to run the game, circumventing the need for a live connection to Valve’s servers. Fatshark, known for cooperative shooters, had reportedly built the Scream prototype around 2011, coinciding with the release of Scream 4. The prototype's existence predates the popularization of the asymmetric horror genre by several years. The Steam2 leak itself involved approximately 12 to 13 terabytes of data, including various internal builds and beta versions from Valve and third-party developers. Valve has not publicly commented on the leak.

AppWizard

August 25, 2026

How have the genres of hit PC games changed since 2021?

- The unreleased Steam game Wardogs, a 100-player FPS, is trending at #1 with a peak of 105,000 concurrent users during its playtest. - Sally Face 2 is at #2, Dear Passengers at #3, Phantom Blade Zero at #4, Rerouted at #5, Tulpa The Unseen Lover at #7, and Heatwarped at #10. - Steam is testing personalized recommendations for its Midweek Deals for logged-in users. - Silent Hill: Townfall will be a PS5 exclusive for at least six months post-release. - Valve was founded 30 years ago. - There is a decline in physical retail for games, particularly with fewer Xbox consoles in big box stores. - Indie developer Kernel Hearts announced 50,000 pre-orders on the Epic Games Store, influenced by a promotional Fortnite skin. - Steam updated its documentation for pre-orders, advising developers to enable encrypted preloads for anticipated games. - Roblox has blocked certain bots, leading to decreased concurrent users, while the game Steal an Egg set a record for reaching 500,000 concurrent users quickly. - Entity raised .8 million to develop console-quality games for web browsers. - The issue of 'keyword squatting' on consoles continues, with the release of Lethal Corporation drawing attention for its misleading title. - The PC game market has shifted from survival games, city builders, and action RPGs in 2021 to a rise in Roguelite and Roguelike genres by 2025. - Roguelite gained 39 spots, Roguelike gained 37 spots, and Life Sim games climbed 31 spots to #6. - The Idler genre rose 46 spots to #15, while Survival Horror dropped to #26. - The 2025 list of top games includes three titles priced below , compared to only one in 2021.

AppWizard

August 13, 2026

Hell Let Loose: Vietnam (PC) Review

Hell Let Loose: Vietnam has officially launched after a series of open betas and a brief delay. Expression Games has adapted the 50 vs 50 first-person combat experience from World War II to the Vietnam War, featuring dynamic firefights, strategic planning, expansive maps, and historically accurate weaponry. The game combines elements of an arcade shooter and a military simulator, with gameplay that is faster and more fluid than its predecessor. Players can swim, climb ladders, and utilize helicopters, gunboats, logistics trucks, and tanks, although vehicle controls can be clunky. The game has visual and technical challenges, including texture popping and difficulty in differentiating maps due to similar appearances. Recent improvements have been made in hit detection and overall stability. The game has received positive feedback despite its challenges, offering a unique take on the franchise.

AppWizard

August 12, 2026

Believe the hype for Wardogs, possibly the next great multiplayer FPS

Wardogs, a military simulation first-person shooter from the creators of Battalion 1944, will enter early access on September 10. The game supports up to 100 players in player-versus-player action and features a mode where three teams compete for control over a territory on a large map. Players earn account-level currency through various actions, which can be spent on gear, creating a personal stake in survival. The game encourages collaborative play and strategic loadout management, offering generous cash rewards for gameplay. Preorders are available, and players can request refunds if they find the beta unsatisfactory. The studio has committed to avoiding monetization during early access, with cosmetic skins earned through gameplay. Wardogs is designed as a PC-first FPS and will support community servers.