(Image credit: Larian Studios)
2024 games: Upcoming releases
Best PC games: All-time favorites
Free PC games: Freebie fest
Best FPS games: Finest gunplay
Best MMOs: Massive worlds
Best RPGs: Grand adventures
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 2024 games that are launching this year.
Shanghai Summer
Steam page
Release: February 8
Developer: FUTU Studio
Here’s a moody and meditative visual novel set in Shanghai at the beginning of the 21st century. Protagonist Baichuan receives a note from long-estranged ex-girlfriend Qiuyu, which prompts a melancholy reassessment of not only Baichuan’s life, but the lives of his closest friends. Poised between aching nostalgia and the search for optimism, Shanghai Dreaming is elevated by its gorgeously detailed anime art style, and will probably appeal to fans of Life is Strange.
Pixel Noir
Steam page
Release: February 8
Developer: SWDTech Games
As the name implies, Pixel Noir is a crime noir adventure with pixel art graphics. Set in seedy Pinnacle City and explored from an isometric perspective, the protagonist is a disgraced former cop who is now “the cheapest Private Eye” in the business, which suggests he’s probably pretty dodgy. Or, it suggests he’s not averse to taking up some pretty trifling tasks, like searching for missing pets. He will get his hands messy though because there’s turn-based combat, which pits you and your miscreant crew against the thugs of Pinnacle City. Pixel art and noir don’t seem like the best fit but this looks great.
River Town Factory
(Image credit: IFAction Studio)
Steam page
Release: February 7
Developers: iFAction Studio
River Town Factory exited Early Access into 1.0 last week, and it’s an interesting hybrid of cosy game, RPG and automation sim. I like the premise: after a meteorite disaster, the player-character is transported a thousand years into the past with all the knowledge of the modern world intact. That means you can show those antiquated bozos how to build some pretty crazy stuff. Don’t expect to pull that off without the usual fishing around for resources, which is where the combat and RPG elements come into play. It looks like iFAction Studio has thrown everything into the pot with this one; there are even mechs. You could probably sink hundreds of hours into it.
CLeM
Steam page
Release: February 7
Developer: Mango Protocol
Here’s a grim point ‘n’ click adventure the developers describe as a “puzzlevania”. The protagonist is a weird worse-for-wear doll who finds a notebook with “CLeM” emblazoned on the cover. It’s a bizarre and cryptic book, vaguely reminiscent of Codex Seraphinianus, or the Voynich Manuscript, and you’ll need to do a lot of exploration and puzzle solving to get to the bottom of it. If you’re keen to give it a shot there’s a free prologue chapter.
Sheepy: A Short Adventure
Steam page
Release: February 7
Developer: MrSuicideSheep
This free platformer comes courtesy of electronic musician SuicideSheep, who has a pretty big following on YouTube. I’m not sure if the resulting popularity of this platformer is because of that already big fanbase or just because it’s good, but it does at least look good, with an ornate art style that reminds me of Rain World by way of Ori. It does look very atmospheric, and it’s free, so if you have a spare hour or so there’s not much at stake.
