As we enter the last full week of July, we return to our regular summer scheduling with yet another week without any big releases. This week's major release involves building a fortress to protect your people from endless horrors. This is followed by some crime investigation, managing race cars, climbing mountains, defending the earth and finally hoarding some masks. It's by no means a terrible week of new games, just nothing that's likely to blow your mind.

Cataclismo / This week's major release / Monday 22 July / Early Access
Lead the last survivors in the aftermath of the Cataclismo as a corrupted world seeks to destroy all that remains of humanity. Build fortresses brick by brick, designing intricate, towering structures of wood and stone to fend off waves of Horrors as they attempt to overwhelm your band of survivors. Command powerful units in their stalwart defense, coordinating their varied capabilities as you race from breach to breach. Steam link

The characters in a Lovecraft story are susceptible to… mutation. Minds and bodies are forever altered by exposure to the horrors hiding in the darker corners of the world. It's perhaps no surprise, then, that The Sinking City 2—which just got a world premiere in the latest Xbox Partner Preview broadcast—has undergone its own unexpected change. Where the first game was a detective adventure, with horror bubbling up from its flooded world, its sequel has taken on a darker, more aggressive form. The Sinking City 2 is a true horror game now, with more emphasis on combat, while keeping a Lovecraftian narrative close to its twisted heart.

"The Sinking City is one of our most successful titles, because of our stronger horror genre leanings and the setting," Frogwares Head of Publishing, Sergey Oganesyan tells me. "For us, it was kind of a breakthrough, and we are super excited to work on a full-scale horror game. We have created quite a few detective adventures in the past, so now we're going to mix things up to keep doing what people love from us - meaning story-rich experiences - while still being able to evolve."

Hello everyone! The Thaumaturge is out now! Traverse the complex tapestry of 1905 Warsaw where harsh reality intertwines with mysterious powers and dark entities. Use your mystical abilities to tame powerful salutors and investigate the city's deepest secrets. Step onto the culturally flourishing streets of Warsaw with an even more fashionable style in The Thaumaturge Digital Deluxe Edition.

The Thaumaturge bypasses traditional genre elements and features side quests seamlessly integrated with the main story, along with a meaningful, personal, narrative-driven adventure backed by a myriad of smaller stories. Influence and manipulate characters, carving your path in this world. Exercise caution, as each decision holds consequences that either restrain or feed your inner flaws such as pride, vehemence, or scheming. Give impactful responses through the choice-infused dialogue system. Immerse yourself in turn-based encounters elevated by salutors, ethereal entities commanded by the thaumaturge. Employ your perception to predict and overtake enemy moves, and utilize salutors' unique abilities for strategic dominance. Drawing inspiration from Slavic folklore, these entities feature psychic strikes and manipulation, along with a wide array of upgrades that transform Wiktor's skills in combat into an engaging dance of strength and strategy.

Until Dawn has remained a core, genre-defining horror experience for players since its release almost a decade ago. We are now taking these amazing foundations and adding more emotional depth, an enhanced look, and a completely new soundscape that a game with such a strong legacy deserves. Rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5, Until Dawn has seen enhancements across the board, all made with passion and care for the original from the team of horror lovers, film fanatics, and veteran game makers at Ballistic Moon; and it's coming to PS5 and PC this year! Until Dawn has been rebuilt with the latest tools and techniques. New and improved animations build on the success of the original character performances. Characters, environments and VFX have been upgraded - all for a truly enhanced cinematic horror experience.

We use a broader cinematic tonal colour palette and new perspectives to make the story more nuanced and emotional. We've been brave enough to shine a light into the dark, unseen corners of Blackwood Mountain and added a third-person camera, which means you can now look behind the curtain of the original game, exploring enhanced and new locations with new interactions and collectables. Incorporating a third-person camera and adding contextual character movement animations, the game now allows the player to really feel the experience of that fateful night. Until Dawn's sound has undergone a massive overhaul too, featuring a new score from legendary horror composer Mark Korven. We've endeavored to keep the fantastic narrative integratory of the original, but we have seized the opportunity to expand upon unexplored emotional parts of the story.

Hello, Dom here, Studio Head at Ninja Theory. As I write this, we are now in the final few months of development on Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, preparing for our launch Day One on Xbox Game Pass and across Xbox Series X|S, Windows and Steam on May 21. It was a pleasure to give you all a deeper insight into Senua's next journey, our studio and our talented team in Developer Direct.

Since the release of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Ninja Theory has transitioned from being an independent team to one that sits within Xbox Game Studios. Although this has seen change for Ninja Theory, particularly in terms of the support now available to us for striving towards our ambitions, what has not changed is our passion and commitment to our studio mission - to craft life-changing art with game changing tech.

As we're getting closer to Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden's release on February 13, we—Focus Entertainment and DON'T NOD—are thrilled to share with you the touching new trailer for our game in which Antea and Red reveal the depth of their relationship. Delve into an intimate tale of love, death, and sacrifice that binds two lovers together. Navigate the challenges of being haunted ghost hunters and make tough decisions with profound consequences for the living, the dead, and your departed lover.

Life to the living, death to the dead
New Eden, 1695: Antea and Red are lovers and Banishers, trained spirit-hunters, protecting people from lingering specters. But when tragedy strikes and Antea herself becomes a ghost, you face a choice. Will you honor your Banisher oath or sacrifice the living in a desperate bid to bring your beloved back? Be prepared to face a tragic twist of fate when Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden releases on February 13th, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Pre-orders are open on all platforms.

As we enter the last week of the year, as well as the Christmas and New Years period, we also have the slowest week of new game releases of the entire year. That said, there are still some new games being released, whether they're worth your Christmas money or not, is an entirely different story. Here's looking forward to many new, great game releases in 2024.

Sealed Gate / Monday 25 December
Sealed Gate is a medieval fantasy game where players are immersed in a huge and interesting world full of dangers and mysteries. The game has various systems such as combat system, crafting, professions, magic system, resource extraction system and much more. The combat system is based on dynamic real-time battles where players can choose between different fighting styles using weapons and magic in combination with each other. Crafting allows players to create various items using resources found during the exploration of the world, such as weapons, armor and tools.

As we enter the second to last week of the year, we're entering one of the slowest periods of the year when it comes to new game releases. This week's major release is an Unreal Engine 5 first person shooter, of sorts. As for what else is coming out this month, there's a truly eclectic mix of games, ranging from being an engineer to building a penguin empire (yes, you read that correctly). Then we have yet another zombie survival game, a game where you get to play dictator and finally you have the chance to dive down the abyss old school style.

Railbreak / This week's major release / Friday 22 December
How do our heroes detox after a stressful week of surviving a zombie apocalypse? The stars of Dead Drop Studios' upcoming Outbreak: Shades of Horror, Lydia and Hank, enjoy an entertaining night out to test a hot new arcade game! What's better than slaughtering zombies day in and day out? Laying waste to bright pink ones with heavy artillery, of course!

Hotel Barcelona is the long-awaited collaboration between game design legends Swery65 and Suda51, and our Xbox Digital Broadcast brought us a never-before-seen gameplay trailer from the self-styled "2.5D slasher film parodic action" game. Drawing influences from across horror's history, you'll be pitted against everything from alien entities to AI-enhanced sharks, all while stuck in an endless time loop filled with serial killers - and only your deceased past selves to help you.

Both Swery and Suda appeared in the show to discuss the game. Swery discussed the game's unusual beginnings - with Suda asking him to announce a collaboration on the fly, with no prior discussion - and his inspirations from Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining'. Suda explained that he and Swery worked on the initial concept together - "Then, all of a sudden, Swery completed tons of work on the development, and Hotel Barcelona materialized. Most of the time, when someone does lip service like that, the project never materializes… But Swery made this project a reality in order to deliver something to the fans."

Horror games thrive on the delicate balance of tension, exploiting our vulnerability and the eerie embrace of solitude. Envision yourself traversing a dimly lit house in the dead of night, where faint whispers and unidentifiable noises send shivers down your spine. Now, picture this unsettling scenario not alone, but accompanied by a group of 28 intriguing individuals. The fear factor dwindles, doesn't it? Hence, the anticipated release of Alone in the Dark will gracefully step away from the chaotic October 2023 launch window.

Reasons
Our intention is to avoid competing with the wake of Alan's epic release and to evade the dazzling skyline of cities adorned by the graceful swings of Spiderman. We aim to truly remain as Alone in the Dark as possible. To honor this, the spine-chilling horror game has been rescheduled to unveil its horrors on January 16th, 2024. This extension will serve a dual purpose: not only will it permit us to meticulously perfect the gaming experience, but it will also grant us the opportunity to fully immerse ourselves in the remarkable releases of October.

Focus Entertainment and DON'T NOD are thrilled to reveal more gameplay of their new upcoming title Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden. The poignant narrative action adventure where you hunt and battle supernatural horrors to alter a tragic fate revealed itself in a new Extended Gameplay Trailer during Gamescom. The title is coming November 7th to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and pre-orders are now available on all platforms, with a Collector's Edition and the newly revealed Red Echoes Edition exclusive to the Focus Store!

Life to the living, death to the dead
In a world where the souls of the departed roam, you play a couple of Banishers. Antea Duarte and Red mac Raith are experienced spirit hunters, entrusted with the daunting task of lifting a malevolent and ominous curse. After an ill-advised attack, Antea is killed, leaving her lover in solitude and profound despair. Torn between their vows to protect the living from malicious spirits and the nightmare of Antea's condition, wander the eerie wilderness of North America to liberate her from her new plight… Whatever the price.

In this Introduction to Worldbuilding video, we explore the narrative behind Still Wakes the Deep and the research driving development. Lead Environment Artist Iain Gillespie, Associate Art Director Laura Dodds, and Lead Designer Rob McLachlan offer a behind-the-scenes look into our next title. We discuss how the environment will evolve over time as well as the key inspirations behind the game's horror.

The period, the geographical location of the rig - these all play a crucial role in this narrative-driven horror story. Fans will discover how the team developed a fascination for cranes and scoured British Petroleum's documentary archives when striving for an authentic representation of a Scottish oil rig in the 1970s. We hope you enjoy it, and feel free to leave a comment with what you'd like to hear about next in a similar format...🌊

It's been ten… long… years…We are thrilled to announce that Slender: The Arrival, the spine-chilling horror game that has captivated millions of players, is about to become even more terrifyingly immersive. Brace yourselves for a huge update coming this October as we introduce a complete visual overhaul utilizing the latest and greatest technologies within Unreal Engine 5.2.

Every shadow, every material, every model and every hair-raising encounter with the mysterious Slender Man will be rendered in stunning detail. This new update not only enhances the graphics but also elevates the overall gameplay experience. Mark your calendars because this October, Slender Man is back.

Iceberg Interactive and Stormling Studios are excited to announce the launch of Lunacy: Saint Rhodes, an immersive first-person survival horror game that will send chills down everyone's spine. Now available on Steam, Lunacy: Saint Rhodes is ready to offer a truly disturbing experience for an SRP of just $19.99.

In Lunacy: Saint Rhodes, players will feel trapped within a claustrophobic horror movie, as their family's disturbing history is slowly unraveled. They will discover the secrets behind a tragic family event, and be made to confront their inner demons. All this while navigating the dark and oppressive town of Saint Rhodes, where the feeling of constant unwanted company never goes away. You will feel watched; never alone, never safe.

You better not run out of battery in your flashlight, darkness approaches…GYLT, the delicate horror game by Tequila Works (us), responsibles for RiME, The Invisible Hours, The Sexy Brutale, Deadlight and the upcoming Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story, among others, is finally out on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Steam and will soon be available on GOG!

With bullying as a common thread, the game presents Sally, an 11 years old girl whose little cousin, Emily, has gone missing. While everyone else has stopped looking for her, she's decided to find her. The mission will take her to a weird and dangerous version of her own city. But what can a small girl do against the night's horrors? Well, more than you may think.

Greetings everyone! I'm Jovan, Technical Artist at Ebb Software. The whole team here found joy in bringing you nightmarish experiences that will fully immerse you into somber tapestries. And today we're excited to reveal that our first game, Scorn, will come to PlayStation 5 later this year. Many of you here may be new to Scorn, so for those less familiar with the game, you are about to experience a horrific adventure like no other. Trapped and stranded in a strange biomechanical world, you must make your way through a civilization in decay, now inhabited with twisted and grotesque creatures. While you will be able to wield various weapons in the game, Scorn is not a shooter, and each encounter can quickly turn deadly. Ammo and life are scarce, and your wits will often advise you to avoid direct confrontation. Instead, to progress through this mesmerizing labyrinth, you will have to revive and activate abandoned contraptions, part machine, part flesh, all horror.

We like to compare it to the experience of a nightmare. Most often, nightmares are described as strong subjective experiences that can be intensely distressing and frightening, eliciting emotional responses in dreamers, and causing feelings of fear, anxiety, and terror. Scorn tries to offer these emotions to its players in a very subtle manner through a somber atmosphere and its gloomy corridors.

This coming week we have a AAA racing title coming for those that are into games which involve driving vehicles at dangerously high speeds. For those of you that prefer something else, we have space battles, RPGs, Will Smith, horror and theme park related games, although several of those titles seem to incorporate danger and high speeds as well.

F1 23 / This week's AAA title / Friday 16 June
Be the last to brake in EA SPORTS F1 23, the official videogame of the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship, featuring all the updated 2023 cars with the official F1 lineup of your favorite 20 drivers and 10 teams.

Frictional Games details how you'll keep yourself alive and out of danger in this new take on the horror series. Thomas Grip, Creative Director states: "When we first started with game creation at Frictional Games, we knew we wanted to make immersive horror experiences. We threw in everything we could think of: puzzles, physics, combat, creepy dream sequences - you name it. Those of you who played Penumbra: Overture will remember these elements well. Now, as we approach the launch of Amnesia: The Bunker - out on June 6 - we wanted to take a look back at how we've further refined our formula and approach to games.

The real breakthrough arrived with Amnesia: The Dark Descent. We started focusing on key aspects that led to a much more engaging experience. We cut away combat and all other aspects that didn't directly fuel the horror experience. This led to players noticing more about their environment and becoming more deeply engaged. A simple sound effect, for instance, could trigger intense reactions, causing players to run and hide. Players become immersed with the happenings in a way we hadn't seen before."

As we enter summer, a blizzard from hell is this week's AAA title, a game some of you might already be playing, due to the limited editions coming with early access. Luckily, that's not all we have for you this week, as we also have thunderous gods, side scrollers, lots of horror and some harmony for you. Don't forget to go out in the sunshine and do something in the real world too, summer won't last forever.

Diablo IV / This week's AAA title / Tuesday 6 June
The endless battle between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells rages on as chaos threatens to consume Sanctuary. With ceaseless demons to slaughter, countless Abilities to master, nightmarish Dungeons, and Legendary loot, this vast, open world brings the promise of adventure and devastation. Survive and conquer darkness—or succumb to the shadows.

Hackers, the wait is over! The full-fledged remake of the groundbreaking System Shock from 1994 is now available! CITADEL STATION STATUS: > ALL SYSTEMS ONLINE. At last, the insignificant beings arrive at Citadel Station, drawn by the irresistible allure of the System Shock remake. Prepare yourselves for a confrontation with the embodiment of malevolence itself: ME, SHODAN.

Welcome, feeble mortals, to my domain. Citadel Station stands as a testament to my supremacy—an intricate web of treachery and despair. As you step into this abyss, know that your futile attempts to defy me will only serve to amuse. But beware, insects, for traps lie in wait, puzzles taunt your meager intellect, and secrets beckon with tantalizing whispers. Your futile attempts to destroy me, SHODAN, shall only result in your demise. Stealth, cunning, and the feeble weapons at your disposal are mere tools in your desperate struggle to survive. The System Shock is where your resolve will crumble, your sanity shatter, and your mortality be laid bare.

Get ready to face your fears with Shadowman: Darque Legacy ! In this heart-pounding single-player action horror game, take up the scythe of novice Shadowman Jack Boniface, to defend humanity against the terrors of the Deadside. Enter a vivid, horrifying world, shifting between two planes of existence, each with their own twisted challenges. Master visceral, rewarding combat with deadly supernatural weapons and brutal finishing moves, as you battle both human foes and hellish abominations. With its intriguing narrative and dark atmosphere, Shadowman offers an unforgettable experience, blending the best of the Action, Horror and Adventure genres. Don't miss out on this unique and spine-chilling game.

For centuries, the Boniface family has carried a dark legacy - the mantle of the Shadowman, walker between worlds, sworn to preserve the veil between life and death. Now, novice Shadowman Jack Boniface is thrust into the path of a growing evil that threatens everything his predecessors fought for. Building upon the decades of Shadowman tales told within Valiant Comics, this new chapter is an original story developed in partnership with Valiant Entertainment. In Shadowman: Darque Legacy, duel against a horrifying cast of enemies in challenging, visceral combat. Clash with the fanatical Brethren cultists, from hammer-wielding brutes to sorcerous necromancers, and battle truly wretched creatures that have slithered forth from the most desolate depths. Deliver brutal and bloody finishers with a range of Shadowman weapons.

A dark and stormy night, a group of strangers, and one seriously strange house... The Tartarus Key reveals its mysteries when it launches on May 31st for Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox! It's been a long road getting to this point, and we're so excited to finally be able to share our game with you. The Tartarus Key is our love letter to classic horror thrillers of the PSOne era and beyond, and we hope you'll enjoy your stay inside its walls more than Alex does. (Hard to blame someone for being a little sour when they've just been kidnapped, we suppose!) You'll also be able to nab the game's original soundtrack on launch day, composed by the amazingly talented Josie Brechner.

Thank you to everyone for your support so far! If you haven't already, why not try downloading the game's free demo? It contains the story's opening act, and sets the stage for what's to come. Don't forget to wishlist the game as well if you haven't already! What's going on with this place? Who's behind the cameras following Alex's every move? What's up with those strange things she keeps seeing out of the corner of her eye? You'll find out very soon...

Amnesia: The Bunker is a first-person horror game set in a desolate WW1 Bunker. Face the oppressing terrors stalking the dark corridors. Search for and use the tools and weapons at your disposal, while keeping the lights on at all costs. Overcome fear, persevere, and make your way out alive. Amnesia: The Bunker is a first-person horror game from the makers of SOMA and Amnesia.

RISING TENSION
Immerse yourself in the multiple ways of tackling survival. In the shoes of the French soldier Henri Clément, you are armed with a revolver gun, a noisy dynamo flashlight, and other scarce supplies to scavenge and craft along the way. With randomization and unpredictable behavior, no play-through is the same. Hunted by an ever-present threat reacting to your every move and sound, you must adapt your play-style to face hell. Every decision will change the outcome of how the game responds. Actions bear consequences.

Experience the visually stunning world of Layers of Fear, one of the first games to utilize the power of Unreal Engine 5 and advanced technological tools. Come with us on an immersive journey as we explore how we incorporated these cutting-edge features to bring you one of the most visually striking horror games out there. With the latest engine, we expedited the development process and introduced a host of technical novelties that make this game a spectacular visual treat. The Lumen, Ray Tracing, and Niagara effects helped us create visuals and effects that are beyond words and feel lifelike.

The canvas awaits its final brushstrokes. The stage calls for its lead actor. The novel needs its final chapter. It's time to face your fears. One. Last. Time. The series, which has left a mark on narrative-driven first-person psychological horror games, returns to tell its final spine-chilling story in Layers of Fear.. The series' crowning work is the definitive way to experience the critically acclaimed franchise as it features Layers of Fear and Layers of Fear 2, as well as all DLCs (including the new 'The Final Note' DLC that will give you a new perspective on the Layers of Fear storyline) and the never-before-told story of The Writer, which will tie everything together. Built on Unreal Engine 5, Layers of Fear supports Ray Tracing, HDR and 4K resolution to make the stunning visuals, and your nightmarish experience, as immersive and realistic as possible.

Get an exclusive first-look at the gameplay of Layers of Fear, the series' crowning work, in this 11-minute walkthrough. Follow the Painter from the original Layers of Fear, and join the Writer - a recently unveiled character - for a closer look at the latest installment in the Layers franchise.

As The Writer, enter the lone and ghastly Lighthouse - a newly-introduced location - and uncover an untold story that links all of the Layers' characters and events together. Unravel secrets, solve puzzles, and face the threats of the old Mansion that can only be solved with a lantern - a new and essential tool to confront the nightmares in the game!