Games

Strategy games, like 4X and real-time strategy titles, have always been important in video game history, proving that games can be more than just following a set path. They can offer players complex and immersive experiences. While games like the Sid Meier’s Civilization series are well-known, titles such as Stronghold Crusader and The Settlers were crucial in making the genre popular. Now, Steam’s Earth of Oryn might be a great new option for fans of these classic games.

Many other role-playing games feature stories with unexpected twists that can change how players see things. These surprises can be really effective, but occasionally they become overly complex. Regardless, these games all offer something different and have been around since the days of the original PlayStation.

In ARC Raiders, you’ll face threats from both AI enemies and other players. The game blends cooperative and competitive elements, letting you team up to fight and gather items, but also encouraging more aggressive, player-versus-player combat. Like other games of this type, you’ll drop your collected items when defeated, which means other players can steal your resources. Now, some players are offering to help those who prefer to focus on the cooperative side of the game.

Buckshot Roulette is a darkly humorous game that blends the fast-paced action of roguelites with the tension of a tabletop experience. It’s a digital take on Russian Roulette, but instead of a revolver, players use a shotgun. Originally launched on Windows and Linux in late 2023 – marking its second anniversary on December 28th – Buckshot Roulette is also coming to Xbox Series X/S. A trailer announced this February that the game will be available on Xbox Game Pass from day one, with a planned release sometime in late 2025.

Even though open-world games are incredibly popular, many excellent ones don’t get the recognition they deserve. While games like Skyrim and The Witcher 3 are well-known, there are numerous other fantastic open-world titles that deserve more attention. This list highlights just a few of those hidden gems – games that offer something fresh and might be new to you.

Dream BBQ, known as ENA, is a quirky adventure game created by ENA Team, an independent group led by artist and animator Joel Guerra from Peru. The game isn’t just inspired by, but continues the story of Guerra’s popular and strange YouTube shorts. These shorts, known for their unique art style, memorable characters, and nonsensical humor, were released between May 2020 and February 2021. Instead of making a fifth short, Guerra expanded the series into a full video game, which launched on Steam on March 27th.

I don’t think any game beats Minecraft, except maybe Minecraft with mods. Instead of comparing games directly, I wanted to showcase those that really stand out in one particular creative area. These games aren’t necessarily huge survival worlds like Minecraft—some don’t even involve survival or crafting—but they offer unique creative tools and features that the base game of Minecraft doesn’t. We’ll focus on the core Minecraft experience to keep the comparison fair.

Released 18 years ago, BioShock profoundly impacted the gaming world, and is still remembered for its powerful line: “A man chooses, a slave obeys.” This quote has become iconic not just because it’s memorable, but because it’s central to the game’s shocking plot twist. That twist fundamentally changed video game storytelling and continues to resonate with players almost two decades later.

Players have noticed problems with several weapons in player-versus-player combat, not just the Kettle. Recently, concerns were raised about the power of ‘Trigger ‘Nades’ from the game ARC Raiders. Many believe these grenades are too strong because they deal a lot of damage, cover a large area, and explode almost instantly. While the Kettle is also causing issues, the problem seems different. Most players think the Kettle itself is fair, but its design is easily exploited by automated programs and other cheating software.

GOG has been focusing heavily on keeping classic games alive, working to ensure older titles still run on today’s computers. Late in 2024, they started the GOG Preservation Program to restore and re-release these games. This program has already brought back favorites like the original Resident Evil trilogy and Alpha Protocol, among many others. Now, CD Projekt is selling GOG to one of the people who originally created the platform.