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 (opens in new tab) you can play right now and a running list of the 2023 games (opens in new tab) that are launching this year.
Birth
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: February 18
Developer: Madison Karrh
Launch price: $9.89 | £7.46 | AU$13.95
There are many ways to combat loneliness, but creating a buddy out of random “bare bones and organs” found around town isn’t one that has ever occurred to me. That’s what Birth is about, an adventure puzzle game about making a very unusual bestie. You’ll roam a variety of locations—libraries, cafes, markets—solving various puzzles and interacting with a gaggle of local entities, all the better to secure another piece of your slowly growing friend. It’s a fascinating premise, backed up by an art style that exquisitely matches blissful domesticity with a discomforting horror element. This weird mix is exemplified by the game’s mysterious cast, who wouldn’t look out of place in Pathologic 2 (opens in new tab), and yet, they look so nice.
Dreams in the Witch House
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: February 16
Developer: Atom Brain Games
Launch price: $11 | £9.29 | AU$16.25
Here’s a more conventional point ‘n’ click adventure, based on the H.P. Lovecraft story Dreams in the Witch House, which has also recently been adapted for TV (opens in new tab). I haven’t read the original story, but the premise is basically this: protagonist Walter Gilman has just moved to Arkham and is boarding at a hostel of ill-repute. The game follow’s Gilman’s actions in the lead up to May-Eve, and you’re basically free to do what you want with Gilman during that period: study, read weird occult texts, or even just sleep. You’ll probably spend most of the time exploring the game’s open world interpretation of Arkham, though, with a steady eye on your health and sanity meters. Sanity is a hot commodity, by the way, because as days pass things will get increasingly weird, as they are wont to do in the Lovecraft universe.
The Last Starship
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: February 16
Developer: Introversion Software
Launch price: $27 | £22.49 | AU$39.55
From the creators of Prison Architect and DEFCON comes this spaceship management game, which studio Introversion Software describes as its “most ambitious title ever”. Set in a vast procedurally generated universe, it’s your job to build, maintain and conduct missions in your own spacefaring vessel. You’ll start off humble, but it’s possible to build a whole fleet of ships, all the better to gather resources, conduct trade, and—of course—stick it to space baddies. Coming across as Elite with much more involved management elements, The Last Starship is an Early Access affair and, like earlier Introversion games, it’ll likely stay there for several years while the studio grows and iterates on it.
Corpse Keeper
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: February 15
Developer: Melancholia Studio
Launch price: $18 | £15.07 | AU$26.55
Here’s another Early Access game with a ton of potential. If you’ve ever wanted a fighting game to inherit the pace of Dark Souls’ weapon-based combat, Corpse Keeper is basically that, wrapped in a bleak fantasy roguelite package. The fighting is the highlight, with true-to-life swordplay sitting alongside hectically unrealistic skills and the usual parrying and evasion. There are “dozens” of playable characters too, though you’re not allowed to find your fave and rely on it forever thanks to the fact that they’re all corpses blighted by a tendency to decay. The Early Access period is indefinite, though it’s a fairly substantial package already, with six stages, the aforementioned dozens of playable corpses, and lots of new stages and items promised in the future.
Raid on Taihoku
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: February 16
Developer: Mizoriot Creative Company LTD, fun2studio
Launch price: $18 | £15.07 | AU$26.55
Here’s a narrative adventure game set in World War 2 Taiwan, right at the pointy end of its Japanese rule. Raid of Taihoku takes place during the American raid on that city, and the objective here is to survive in the ruins. What results is a story heavily steeped in history, as amnesiac protagonist Sayako roams the still-under fire city in search of their lost memories. If that sounds too bleak, don’t worry: there’s a dog. According to the developers, the aim of Raid on Taihoku is to help players “experience the cruelty and toughness of the war”.
