- Armoured Mewtwo will be appearing in Pokémon Go raids over the weekend, drawing a crowd of players.
- Xbox may be pushing to be the temporary physical media saviour, causing PlayStation to rethink their strategy.
- Catherine Dellosa is prepping early access games for a work trip and will be playing Backpack Stars, a backpack management game.
- Shaun Walton will be playing Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links with his Blue-Eyes deck.
- Iwan Morris will be recovering from Gamescom and playing No More Room in Hell 2 and looking for a good zombie game.
- Stephen Gregson-Wood is enjoying playing Rust Mobile's second closed beta.
- 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.
Survival games often involve repetitive tasks like gathering resources and building bases. Palworld, released on Steam's early access, differentiates itself by allowing players to capture "Pals" that perform laborious tasks, reducing the grind typical of the genre. Players initially engage in standard survival activities but can later assign Pals to chop wood, water crops, gather resources, and manage planting and harvesting. This transforms the player's base into a self-sustaining entity, enabling them to explore without the anxiety of leaving their base unattended. The game encourages players to consider the utility of Pals in addition to their combat abilities, allowing for a more dynamic gameplay experience. Palworld retains core survival mechanics while minimizing repetitive tasks, focusing on adventure and exploration.
KeepUp Survival is currently available for free on the Epic Games Store until 5 PM BST on July 19. The game, developed by Witte Studio, features a narrative that begins with a global pandemic and involves players as the sole survivor of a crash on a remote island. Players engage in resource gathering, crafting, and base building in an open-world environment with no strict objectives. The game includes voice recordings from a character named Jill, hinting at sinister occurrences related to a research facility. A free beta for a zombie expansion is available on Steam. KeepUp Survival is typically priced at .99 / £12.79. Players can tame dogs, manage hunger, thirst, and exhaustion, and explore using various vehicles, with a dynamic day and night cycle enhancing the experience.
Witchspire is a survival crafting game released into early access, where players take on the role of a witch in a whimsical world filled with magical tools and familiars. Players can track down fellow witches, build a base, and engage in tree chopping using wands and spells. Familiars can be captured and serve as combat companions or enhance productivity at the player's base. The game features a fluid combat system with a dodge mechanic and multiple double-jumps, as well as gridless building mechanics. Exploration rewards players with chests, mini-puzzles, and experience points for a skill tree. Some quality-of-life features are still in development, such as viewing crafting recipes and switching consumables during combat. The game is developed by Envar Games.
Haex is the first title from developer Dead Astronauts, featuring a mysterious cube that alters the game environment and is a sentient entity providing skills like double-jumping. The game is a cooperative survival shooter for 1 to 4 players, focusing on managing temperature and hunger in an open world. Players will find "alien seeds" that unlock new regions and share gadgets and crafting recipes. Haex emphasizes narrative depth with procedural generation and unique storytelling, though it lacks a specific release date and showcases limited gameplay footage.
The initial task in Outward 2 involves locating a medicinal flower in the wilderness west of the city and delivering it to a doctor. The game features significant challenges and dangers, with death resulting in impactful consequences rather than a simple respawn. Players are advised to understand their environment, prepare for unexpected encounters, plan their routes strategically, and consider teaming up with others for support.
The average PC player has logged 101 hours and 18 minutes in Terraria, according to a blog post by developer Re-Logic. The game has been captivating audiences for 15 years and has received praise from critics, including an 83% rating from Luke Winkie in 2018. Terraria currently has over 35,000 concurrent players, as reported by SteamDB. Its success is attributed to engaging gameplay, regular updates, and a dedicated player base, allowing it to remain relevant in a competitive market.
