On an average day, about a dozen new games are released on Steam. And while we think that’s a good thing, it can understandably be hard to keep up. Potentially exciting gems are bound to get lost in the deluge of new things to play unless you dig through every single game released on Steam. So that’s exactly what we’ve done. If you’re not into anything this week, we’ve rounded up the best PC games (opens in new tab) you can play now and a running list of the 2022 games (opens in new tab) which will start this year.
Choo Choo Charles
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: December 10
Developer: Two Star Games
Introductory price: $20 | £16.75 | AU$29.50
Choo-Choo Charles is a survival horror about a nasty train. A train, I should add, with giant spider legs. I’ll bet it was inspired by the countless Thomas the Tank Engine mods available for games ranging from Elden Ring (opens in new tab) until Kingdom Hearts 3 (opens in new tab), and while Choo-Choo Charles is kind of funny as a concept, it also looks pretty damn creepy. Set in a grim open world, you’ll mostly navigate your own bike (a peaceful, non-creepy looking one) most of the time, but you’ll also spend some time on foot as you upgrade your bike to be better prepared for a final showdown with the bastard Charles. As far as I know, no other horror game about a frantic, murderous train exists, so full marks for originality. The early Steam reviews are also “very positive”.
Turbo sloths
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: December 9
Developer: RainStyle Games
Introductory price: $18 | £16.87 | AU$26.55
Turbo Sloths is a post-apocalyptic arcade racer with vehicular combat, extensive customization and sloths. Yes, for some reason all the characters in this fast-paced racing game are sloths, but far be it from me to complain: sloths are awesome. The wasteland tracks are full of obstacles and opportunities to catch air, but there are also Arena and Survival modes that seem to have a lot in common with the classic Twisted Metal forays. Judging by the gameplay footage I’ve seen, this is one terribly fast game indeed, which reminds me a bit of the very underrated Onrush. This one has sloths though, so comes out of the gate with a clear advantage.
NecroBouncer
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: December 9
Developer: Alchemy Sheep
Introductory price: $11.89 | £10.19 | AU$16.95
We’ve had angry trains and running sloths, now it’s time for a necromancer guard. NecroBouncer is a roguelite dungeon crawler about meting out vigilante discipline to wasted monsters in an underground nightclub. New narrative dressing aside, NecroBouncer is a fairly orthodox top-down action game: you kill bad guys, level up skills, chain them together, and inevitably die a lot. Since this is a roguelite, there is a macro progression system that allows you to transfer certain powers and weapons. File next to Enter the Gungeon, Binding of Isaac and games about magical guards.
To pull
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: December 8
Developer: Regular Studio
Introductory price: $18 | £15.29 | AU$26.05
The most striking thing about this 3D platformer is the art style. Sure, bright and colorful cartoon landscapes aren’t new to the genre, but Togges has a certain special flair that looks gorgeous in action. Regular Studio developers describe it as a “non-linear classic Collect-A-Thon 3D platformer”, but it also has some light puzzle elements, mostly involving stacking and manipulating blocks (the playable character looks a bit like a hockey puck). There are seven major levels to explore and master, as well as 30 bonus levels. Better yet, there’s a demo.
Surrealidade – Definitive Edition
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: December 9
Developer: Dimitri Kozma, Orbe Filmes
Introductory price: $6.39 | £5.35 | AU$9.43
Here’s a bizarre point-and-click adventure originally released in 1999. As the name implies, it’s about the surreal art movement, tasking you with exploring a world heavily inspired by famous works in that tradition. “Your mission in search of the Supra-Reality will be tough,” reads the Steam description. “You will have to follow the path that the artists and philosophers of the surreal universe have walked. Be careful, you can get into places that are not so welcoming.” Sounds ominous! Well worth checking out if you like weird video games.
