If you thought August was gonna be a snoozefest for gaming, I’m here to wake you the hell up because this month looks like it’ll have something for everyone—and that’s not just BS boilerplate.
Between spooky horror games, shooters, strategy games, that big-ass RPG arriving in a couple of days, the return of Armored Core, and a game about dinosaur kids that’s gonna friggin wreck me (seriously, don’t make me watch the trailer again), August is packed, and at least a few of these games ought to catch your attention.
No more messing about, let’s get into it.
Ninja or Die: Shadow of the Sun - August 2
Play it on: Windows
Genre: Side-scrolling roguelite
If you’re looking for a pixel-y, sparkly roguelite, consider adding Ninja or Die to your calendar. The game promises fast-paced roguelite gameplay that pulls inspiration from Japanese folklore.
Baldur’s Gate 3 - August 3
Play it on: Windows (Steam / GOG)
Genre: RPG
Here’s the big one, folks. I mean that literally. The full, epic version of Baldur’s Gate 3 arrives on August 3. Featuring gameplay based on the fifth edition of the world’s most popular tabletop role-playing game, expect single-player and co-op fantasy RPGing of unparalleled size and scope. It’s hitting PC first, with console versions expected in the near future (PlayStation 5 gets its version in September).
Adore - August 3
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, Windows
Genre: Action-RPG
An isometric action-RPG, Adore tasks you with capturing monsters and getting the most out of their abilities. It’s currently in early access, and you can download a demo on Steam right now if you’re interested.
Flutter Away - August 3
Play it on: Switch, Windows, macOS
Genre: Butterfly photography sim
Don’t you just wanna hang out with capybaras and photograph butterflies? If so, you might want to check out Flutter Away. There’s a playable demo on Steam now.
Tiny Thor - August 3
Play it on: Switch
Genre: Platformer
Tiny Thor arrives on Switch this month, bringing its bright and colorful retro platforming to Nintendo’s handheld. The game is set across more than 30 levels featuring boss fights, secrets to uncover, and (as listed on the game’s store page) “the story of a boy taking responsibility.” Amazing what’s possible in fantasy worlds.
Tiny Thor previously released on Steam.
Death Becomes You - August 4
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Switch
Genre: Murder mystery visual novel
Coming to consoles for the first time, this visual novel charges you with unraveling the mystery behind the death of your best friend. You’ll have to investigate the potential motives of four different characters, with winding narrative choices that can result in more than 10 endings.
Death Becomes You previously released on Steam.
WrestleQuest - August 8 (Delayed to August 22)
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, Windows
Genre: Wrestling RPG
Back in July, our own Isaiah Colbert described WrestleQuest as a “breath of fresh air, packed with the makings of a phenomenal wrestling game as well as all the wacky hijinks of a fantasy-action game.” WrestleQuest combines wrestling action with turn-based role-playing mechanics, which makes for a combo you don’t see every day.
30XX - August 9
Play it on: Switch, Windows
Genre: Mega Man-Like
If you’re in the mood to hop around platforms, shoot bad guys, and unlock new guns as you do, you might want to check out 30XX when it hits Switch and Windows on August 9. This brightly colored Mega Man tribute also features multiplayer and a level editor.
Stray Gods: The Role-Playing Musical - August 10
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, Windows (Steam / GOG)
Genre: RPG (but it’s also a musical)
Stray Gods arrives on August 10 and promises a fantasy murder mystery delivered through the power of song. You’ll take on the role of Grace, a college dropout who inherits the power of Greek goddess Muse and must discover how the goddess before her was killed.
Atlas Fallen - August 10
Play it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows (Steam / GOG)
Genre: Open-world action-RPG
The latest from Deck 13 (Lords of the Fallen, The Surge, The Surge 2), Atlas Fallen sees you go to war with the sun god to save mankind from a wretched existence. Combat has you combine two main weapons to create a unique playstyle. The game is set in a sand-covered open world that’s quite the looker, if the trailers are anything to go by.
Stray - August 10
Play it on: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One
Genre: Cat (okay, it’s actually an action-adventure platformer)
Meow: Stray’s coming to Xbox on August 10.
Stray previously released on Steam and PS4 and PS5. Meow.
Everspace 2 - August 15
Play it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Genre: Space shooter
Everspace 2 is coming to consoles, where it’ll aspire to deliver fast-paced gameplay across a 30-hour campaign filled with epic ship battles and numerous explorable areas. Customize those ships!
Everspace 2 previously released on Steam.
Hammerwatch 2 - August 15
Play it on: Windows
Genre: Hack ‘n slash RPG
This top-down pixel-art hack ‘n slash RPG is set in a vast open world where you’ll quest about the place with a character of your design across five different classes. You can check out a demo on Steam right now.
Hammerwatch 2 is expected to release on other platforms at a later date.
Moving Out 2 - August 15
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, Windows
Genre: Puzzle
A physics-based puzzle game, Moving Out 2 features both single- and multiplayer as well as a suite of accessibility options to make the game more approachable.
En Garde! - August 16
Play it on: Windows
Genre: Swordfighting sim
If you’re up for some swashbuckling action, En Garde! might be worth a look. From trailers alone, the swordfighting looks very kinetic, with opportunities to parry and riposte as well as interact with the surrounding environment to gain the upper hand. There’s also an arena mode with randomized encounters, so if the gameplay’s tight, there could be some replay value here.
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood - August 16
Play it on: Switch, Windows (Steam / GOG)
Genre: Story-based adventure
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood arrives on August 16 by way of Deconstructeam (Red Strings Club). The game promises “themes of identity, community, and personal responsibility” as you take on the role of Fortuna, a witch who must reconnect with her friends after spending 200 years in exile. The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood has a demo available on Steam.
Quasimorph - August 16
Play it on: Windows
Genre: Extraction RPG
Quasimorph aspires to combine turn-based combat and RPG mechanics with an extraction loop. Get in, find cool stuff, get out. If you die, you lose everything. Given that most extraction games are some combination of shooter and/or survival game, the RPG twist in Quasimorph sounds like it’ll make for an interesting experience when it launches on August 16.
Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew - August 17
Play it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows (Steam / GOG)
Genre: Strategy
Shadow Gambit is a pirate-themed stealth strategy game in which you’ll have to execute heists and recover valuable treasure, all while taking on the Inquisition using your mysterious powers.
Vampire Survivors - August 17
Play it on: Switch
Genre: Action roguelite
Last year’s sensation is back, this time on Switch. The aim of Vampire Survivors is simple: Kill everything for as long as you possibly can. It’s very easy to get swept up in Vampire Survivors’ enjoyable loop, and based on our experience with it on Steam Deck, we can confidently say it’ll be a good time on Switch.
Vampire Survivors previously released on Steam.
Gord - August 17
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows (Steam / GOG)
Genre: Survival RTS
In Gord you’ll build up a settlement and help it survive the harsh realities of unknown threats that lurk beyond its gates. The game’s lore, which is based on Slavic mythology, can be found in pages scattered throughout the game’s world, inviting exploration.
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk - August 18
Play it on: Switch, Windows
Genre: Jet Set Radio-Like
In Bomb Rush Cyberfunk you’ll combine skateboarding, BMX, and rollerblading with graffiti to recruit a crew to rule five boroughs across the city of New Amsterdam, all while avoiding a militarized police force. If you want to, I mean.
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is expected to launch on other platforms on a later date.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - August 18
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows
Genre: Team-based survival horror
Based on the 1974 horror film of the same name, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre sees you take on the role of either massacre survivors or members of the Slaughter family. The former are tasked with escaping while the latter must deploy whatever it takes to hunt down their victims.
Madden NFL 24 - August 18
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows
Genre: Football
The legendary football-sim returns this year with Madden NFL 24. Though the game features crossplay across all platforms, folks on PS5, Xbox Series X/S consoles, and PC will enjoy enhanced features such as a new character-rigging system called “Sapien” that features more realistic models and animations.
Fort Solis - August 22
Play it on: PS5, Windows
Genre: Story-based walking sim
With a sci-fi story told across four different chapters set on a mining complex on Mars, you’ll have to unravel the mystery of what happened to the crew. The game features voice acting from Troy Baker (The Last of Us, Death Stranding), Roger Clark (Red Dead Redemption 2), and Julia Brown (Foundation). Fort Solis just might be your next narrative walking sim.
Immortals of Aveum - August 22
Play it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows
Genre: First-person (magic) shooter
If you love first-person games but are a little tired of guns, you might want to mark Immortals of Avuem’s release date on your calendar. Featuring flashy graphics and spell-based first-person combat, Immortals of Aveum might make for a nice change of pace for the genre where the camera is mounted to your face.
Blasphemous 2 - August 24
Play it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, Windows (Steam / GOG)
Genre: Side-scrolling metroidvania
Featuring brutal combat and delightfully exquisite environment and character design, Blasphemous returns to continue the story of The Penitent One. You’ll take out tons of enemies and epic bosses with weapons unique to the sequel. The story picks up from the free Wounds of Eventide DLC for the first game.
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon - August 25
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows
Genre: Mech sim
It’s been 10 years since the last Armored Core game, a tought wait for fans of the classic FromSoftware mech series. Armored Core finally returns with Fires of Rubicon on August 25. You’ll take control of a customizable and highly mobile mech unit, kit it out with numerous different kinds of weapons, and strive to accomplish missions and earn credits so you can survive in a harsh, post-apocalyptic society.
Goodbye Volcano High - August 29
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Windows
Genre: Interactive narrative, sad sim
Get ready to cry. Goodbye Volcano High is an interactive story game in which you follow the coming of age of a group of teenage dinosaurs ready to graduate from high school and get out into the world…just before a meteor comes crashing down to destroy everyone. What would you do if everything and everyone you knew and love was going to be annihilated in mere days?
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle - August 29
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, Windows (Steam / GOG)
Genre: Third-person horror shooter
If you’re looking for an over-the-shoulder third-person horror shooter that feels a lot like Resident Evil, consider putting Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle on your calendar. A prequel to Daymare 1998, you’ll venture into an experimental research center filled with creepy things you’ll have to shoot. There’s a demo available on Steam now if you’re interested.
Sea of Stars - August 29
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, Windows
Genre: RPG
A retro-style RPG featuring a top-down camera, pixel graphics, and text-based dialogue, Sea of Stars looks bright and colorful in all the right ways. The game promises multiple story arcs and characters plus turn-based combat. The game launches on August 29 but you can play a demo of it right now on Steam.
Under the Waves - August 29
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows
Genre: Underwater exploration sim
A story-based underwater exploration sim, Under the Waves sends you deep underwater in scuba gear and submersible vehicles. Don’t just mistake this one for a characterless exploration game; the trailer hints at some intrigue for its protagonist and the world around him.
Taito Milestones 2 - August 31
Play it on: Switch
Genre: Arcade compilation
Taito’s no stranger to classic collections, having released combo packages like this since the PS2 era. This time around, a number of cool arcade titles are hitting the Switch, including some classic shmups like Metal Black, Gun Frontier, Darius II, and Pocky & Rocky predecessor Kiki Kaikai.
Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy - August 31
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows (Steam / GOG)
Genre: Adventure / RPG
Wow, we’re up to five Trine games at this point! Amadeus, Zoya, and Pontius are back with a new 2.5D adventure that you can play solo or with up to three other players in co-op. Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy launches on August 31.
And that’s our forecast for games you should check out in August 2023. It’s a pretty darn packed month with quite a few big-name releases and some cool indie titles that we’ll certainly be taking a closer look at as they launch.
Which ones are you looking forward to, and how many boxes of tissues are you stocking up on in anticipation of Goodbye Volcano High?