Sorting through every new game on Steam so you don't have to.
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 2022 games that are launching this year.
Steam page
Release: March 2
Developer: Flying Squirrel Entertainment
Launch price: $16 | £12 | AU$20
This hugely ambitious real-time war simulator has been in development for at least 10 years, and is the work of the team responsible for Mount & Blade: Warband's popular Napoleonic Wars expansion. In Battle Cry of Freedom, Flying Squirrel Entertainment stays in the 19th century, but turns its attention to the American Civil War. As either the Union or the Confederacy, you'll take part in online battles that can accommodate up to 500 players, which is bonkers, though there are 'Commander Battles' too that can host up to 800 bots per server. Infantry, artillery and specialists are the main army branches, and there are over 120 weapons to learn and use. Overall, this looks like a massive achievement, and is well worth a look for war sim fans and history buffs alike.
Steam page
Release: March 1
Developer: D&A Studios, LLC
Launch price: $9 | £6.19 | AU$12.95
Here's a neat set up for a horror game: you're a supernatural private investigator tasked with discovering ghosts in your clients' houses. A first-person "ghost hunting simulation", you'll use equipment like an EMF meter, camera, thermometer and audio recorder to gather evidence of pesky ghosts or other supernatural phenomena. Set in the town of New Eidolon, successful investigations lead to new clients and locations, and ghosts are spawned randomly with new behaviours, so you'll always need to keep your P.I. hat on. Conrad Stevenson's Paranormal P.I. is an Early Access affair, and is expected to launch by early 2023 at the latest, with 10 new locations and new ghosts added during that period.
Steam page
Release: March 5
Developer: Glee-Cheese Studio
Launch price: $13.49 | £10.25 | AU$19.35
Most rhythm games have fairly genre-agnostic presentation, but A Musical Story throws all its weight behind channelling the 1970s. It's there in the art style and fashion sense, but also in the soundtrack, which comprises 26 original songs. The narrative backdrop is fascinating: protagonist Gabriel is "trying to come to terms with his situation through the connections to his musical memory," but what his "situation" is appears to be something that ought not be spoiled. Whatever the case, this looks like a gorgeous and unique take on the rhythm genre.
Steam page
Release: March 5
Developer: Alexander Taylor
Launch price: $14.39 | £11.15 | AU$20.65
Here's a sweet puzzle game about programming robots in order to "create infinitely-looping assembly lines", or in more familiar gaming argot, to solve puzzles. Across 50 stages, you'll place robots on grids and then use a series of commands to determine their behavior, and while each stage needs to be solved to move to the next, there are "no preordained solutions". There are leaderboards and "histograms" (basically, a record of what commands you used to solve a puzzle), and there's even a .gif exporter to show off your genius approach to robot management.
Steam page
Release: March 1
Developer: Strudio Company
Launch price: $7 | £5.89 | AU$10
Here's a "turn-based global strategy game" where you found a nation, grow it, control it, and inevitably, go to war against other states. Time spans from the middle ages until now, and there are 160 "unique laws" to impose on your population, as well as more than 100 technologies to develop. Sure, there's warmongering, but you'll also be making alliances and diplomatic advances, as well as the usual resource acquisition, city building, and more. This looks like a fascinating take on the global strategy game, not least because of its simple but attractive pixel art style.
