Welcome to the second week of new game releases in 2024 and yet another week full of minor releases. Don't let that put you off though, as there are plenty of new games launching, some of which are not quite what you'd expect. As such, you can look forward to a week of RPG titles, a game where things go boom, a lot of beer, some bonesaws and repairing computers.

Archaelund / Monday 8 January
Explore a vast open world and crawl through dungeons in first person, then fight tactical turn-based battles from a top-down perspective. Guide your adventuring party through Archaelund, mankind's last frontier, and uncover its many secrets.

Welcome to the first week of new games of 2024, although the first week of the year isn't exactly starting with a bang. In fact, there are so few new releases that we couldn't even get one per day, but luckily there were enough new games being released on other days for a full roundup. We got everything from bootleggers to tiny cars and a point and click adventure to keep you busy this coming week.

Bootlegger's Mafia Racing Story / Monday 1 January
Step back in time to the roaring 1930s and immerse yourself in the high-stakes world of bootlegging during America's Prohibition era. Get ready to join John Hamerton, a retired car engineer and mechanic, as he embarks on a daring journey to save his house and pay off his tax debt.

Here's a sight for sore eyes if you're Mana fan - we're excited to announce an entirely new entry in the series coming in 2024: Visions of Mana! This beautiful new game is the first mainline instalment in the Mana series in over 15 years and returns to its action-RPG roots for an expansive, vibrant adventure across a semi-open field. You can get a look at what to expect in the new trailer or read on and we'll tell you all about this exciting and vibrant new adventure!

What is Visions of Mana?
You take the role of Val - a curious and carefree young man who lives in the Fire Village of Tianeea. Once every four years, the Faerie visits regions of the world to choose alms - people who are fated to travel to the Tree of Mana, which presides over the world's vital flow of mana. Val invites his childhood friend to a festival to welcome the visitor, but as the night falls, the sky lights up with sparkling lights and the Faerie chooses her as the alm. With the blessings of his village, Val sets out on a journey to accompany his friend to the Tree of Mana as her soul guard.

Paradox Interactive and The Chinese Room have announced that the Banu Haqim are a playable clan in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. Focusing on stalking, assassination, and outmaneuvering enemies, the Banu Haqim specialize in combat from the shadows with unseen maneuvers and silent takedowns. Known for keeping their bloodlust in check, the Banu Haqim are fiercely devoted to upholding a moral code, dealing with threats, and handing out consequences. They lurk in the shadows, using their vampiric Disciplines to hunt and remain hidden, dealing swift and precise strikes to enforce their sense of justice.

"Making Phyre a Banu Haqim changes how players approach combat, offering a unique perspective to the game's world," said Alex Skidmore, Project Creative Director at The Chinese Room. "Players must approach encounters carefully to make the most of this clan's gifts, timing their strikes with finesse and precision to achieve their goals. These Kindred are patient and careful, making them ideal for players looking for a strategic experience."

As we enter the last week of November and the first day of December, we might not have any AAA releases, but this week's major release does nonetheless hold a high production value and promises something a bit different when it comes to WWII RTS games. This week's other releases involve shapes, a JRPG, a retro FPS, something to do with the Sheriff of Nottingham and finally a world of steam.

Last Train Home / This week's major release / Tuesday 28 November
Embark on a desperate mission through the depths of a war-torn wasteland. Your goal is to guide Czechoslovak soldiers back home onboard an armored train, but the path ahead is fraught with peril. Caught in the middle of a brutal civil war between Russia's Red and White Armies, your unit must remain in fighting shape, managing what little resources you have and maintaining morale at all costs. Venture through the bleak and unforgiving landscape of Siberia, where the freezing cold and the merciless environment will push you to your very limit. Resources are scarce and your crew is exhausted, but you must keep pushing forward.

As it's getting darker in the northern hemisphere, we're seeing a continuing stream of new game releases and this week's AAA title appears to involve hammers and ruins of some kind. The rest of this week's releases includes tiny civilizations, rhythms, faith, flashbacks and a Japanese game. Take a gander below to see if there's something for you or maybe you're suffering from new game release overload already?

Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin / This week's AAA title / Friday 17 November
Wage a campaign of brutal conquest in this realm-shattering real-time strategy game set in the Warhammer Age of Sigmar universe. Explore the nature of war from the perspectives of righteous champions and villainous warlords. Battle for survival and dominance across a campaign featuring four major factions, including Stormcast Eternals, Orruk Kruleboyz, Nighthaunt and the Disciples of Tzeentch! Experience a cinematic plot, penned in conjunction with acclaimed Black Library author, Gavin Thorpe.

Good evening Kindred, today we shared some very exciting news on our Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 news stream! We were joined by Sean Greaney (EVP of Darkness) and Ian Thomas (Narrative Director at TCR), who discussed some of the game's features relating to both narrative and roleplaying. In case you missed it, you can find it below. In the stream, we were introduced to the protagonist of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2; Phyre, an Elder vampire at odds with the voice in her head, who confronts Seattle's powerful elites at war over the City's fate.

Players choose Phyre's clan and gender and begin exploring a re-imagined Seattle filled with compelling characters while maneuvering through complex relationships. Choices and conversations (even outfits!) shape how the environment and characters react to Phyre, changing how the story unfolds.

As we're about to enter the month of November, October leaves us with a couple of final game releases. This week's AA release is a sequel to a puzzle game that was quite popular when it launched at the end of 2014. The remaining titles this coming week includes RPGs, something musical, something to do with leagues and legends, a cop that's a robot and some seasons greetings.

The Talos Principle 2 / This week's AA title / Thursday 2 November
Born into a new world where biological humanity is extinct but human culture lives on in a city of robots, you find yourself swept up in a mind-bending adventure involving a mysterious megastructure hiding enormous powers. The more you discover, the more you will be confronted with questions about the nature of the cosmos and the purpose of civilization. The broken promise of a better tomorrow, the fear of repeating humankind's mistakes, faith in reason or renouncing humanity altogether - the choices you make and the sides you take will determine the course of events.

As we enter the last full week of October, the AAA game releases are off the charts, with no less than three massive releases this coming week. Our top pick is a horror game from a Finnish developer that most of you should be familiar with. The remaining releases this week involve a bullet hell, skyscrapers, metal, a beast, a ghost and silent gods, of sorts at least. If that sounds confusing, read on to see what's being released this coming week.

Alan Wake 2 / This week's AAA title / Friday 27 October
A string of ritualistic murders threatens Bright Falls, a small-town community surrounded by Pacific Northwest wilderness. Saga Anderson, an accomplished FBI agent with a reputation for solving impossible cases arrives to investigate the murders. Anderson's case spirals into a nightmare when she discovers pages of a horror story that starts to come true around her.

Greetings Lampbearers. Today sees the launch of our biggest and most ambitious game ever, Lords of the Fallen! It's been an incredible journey for us across the company, especially for our fantastic developers at HEXWORKS, who have worked tirelessly for nearly four years to develop an incredible addition to the action-RPG genre, as well as all for our partners and everyone across CI Games who have supported driving Lords of the Fallen globally over the past few years.

Lords of the Fallen harnesses the cutting-edge power of Unreal Engine 5 - the first action-RPG to do so - to deliver what IGN describes as "An awesome soulslike with a fantastic dual-realities premise" that allows players to seamlessly transition from Axiom, the brutal and unforgiving world of the living, to Umbral, the nightmarish world of the dead.

As autumn continues, we have another week of big game releases to look forward to, hopefully with something that'll suit most gamers here. This week's AAA title involves a lot of sand, wars and monuments. As for the rest of this week's new games, you can be a tycoon, a driver of very expensive motor vehicles, craft your own stick, pretend to be a starship captain or you could be a monster slayer. Let us know if any of these tickle your fancy in the poll.

Total War: Pharaoh / This week's AAA title / Wednesday 11 October
In Total War: Pharaoh, the newest entry in the award-winning grand strategy series, immerse yourself in ancient Egypt at the zenith of its power and experience the dramatic events that threaten its destruction. With dynamic real-time battles and incredible turn-based empire management, can you rise above your adversaries to become Egypt's last great Pharaoh and stand against the collapse of an iconic civilisation?

As we're about to enter the last week of September, we have another somewhat slow week of new releases, that is unless you're a football fan, the kind with a round ball, not the oblong pig bladder kind. That said, if you're into trains, house building, hunting relics or ever wanted to know what it's like to jump between worlds, there might be something for you this week as well.

EA Sports FC 24 / This week's AAA title / Thursday 28 September
EA Sports FC 24 welcomes you to The World's Game: the most true-to-football experience ever with HyperMotionV, PlayStyles optimised by Opta, and an enhanced Frostbite. Join us in building the future of football on a foundation of innovation and authenticity with more than 19,000 fully licensed players, 700 teams, and 30 leagues.

Hey Skyfarers, it's the day we have all been waiting for—grab your ships and join us in the skies! Airship: Kingdoms Adrift is officially launching on Steam, and we—Revolution Industry—couldn't be more stoked! Before we jump into commanding our ships, we want to send a massive shoutout to all you amazing skyfarers who've been with us every step of the way. We are beyond grateful for your support - you rock!

We're incredibly excited to see how you thrive in the world we have crafted. Whether you're building up a fleet, charting trade routes, or exploring the frontier at your airship's helm, we hope you love each moment as much as we loved creating this world for you to dive into! If you encounter any bugs or have suggestions, we're all ears, and would love to hear from you.

Greetings, Lord Captain! A grand voidship is ready to pierce the depths of space. Your companions await your orders. Dangers and adventures, terrors and treasures lie ahead. And now you finally know when you will take the first step on your glorious path. Your journey starts on December 7, 2023. Made in a close partnership with Games Workshop, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is a story-rich classical RPG from Owlcat Games, developers of the critically acclaimed game, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous.

Plan your actions carefully
Slaughter the enemies of Mankind in a fully-fledged isometric turn-based tactical combat. Take advantage of cover, the environment, and careful positioning to overpower your enemies. When that is not enough - use your companions' powerful abilities to turn the tide of battle and achieve victory even in the direst of situations. Our video game adaption of the classic Rogue Trader ruleset allows an enormous number of possibilities for you to explore.

The Drop Bear Bytes team is excited to announce that Broken Roads is coming to PC, Xbox One & Series X/S on November 14, 2023! Embark on an unforgettable journey across a post-apocalyptic Australia full of danger and tough decisions. Stay tuned for release date information on other platforms coming soon! Broken Roads is a narrative-driven RPG that brings exploration, strategic turn-based combat and meaningful philosophical choices to an all-new Australian post-apocalyptic setting.

BROKEN ROADS IS A NARRATIVE-DRIVEN RPG FOR PC AND CONSOLE COMING 14 NOVEMBER 2023
Bringing exploration, strategic turn-based combat and meaningful philosophical choices to an all-new Australian post-apocalyptic setting.
Broken Roads was born of a love for traditional isometric computer role-playing, and will provide a rich, engaging narrative in which players make their way across a desolated Australia. Blending together traditional and all-new role-playing elements on top of a classless system offering near-unlimited character development options, Broken Roads presents players with an original morality system: the Moral Compass. This novel design sees dialogue options and questing decisions influence, and be influenced by, a character's philosophical leaning.

As we enter the second week of September the release of new games is taking a bit of an autumn break. As such, we have no huge releases to look forward to this coming week, but it doesn't mean there aren't any new game releases. Expect a rather eclectic mix of games this week, ranging from co-op tavern defence to mythical forces and umbrellas to deceit, bombs and swords.

Tavernacle! / Monday 11 September
Grab your hammers and start to craft in this co-op Tavern Defense for one to four players. As a team of Dwarves, you must gather supplies and build towers to protect your beloved brewery. Learn to cooperate to achieve victory in this chaotic multiplayer game!

Long presumed dead, Anton Sabbados, a veteran returns from a 10-year-long Ottoman slavery. His Carpathian homeland is feebly reigned by the demented prophet-king, its lands ruined by raiders and cursed with a hellish plague. Everything he loved and cherished is either gone or has changed beyond recognition. All he has left is his soldiers' loyalty - and a holy quest to end the plague. Facing hordes of enemies as well as his inner demons, you must help him see it through no matter the cost!

BEAST is a dynamic and brutal gridless tactical turn-based RPG where moral choices during battle influence the gameplay. In a grimdark medieval world, torn by plague and military conflicts, you decide if you should exercise or exorcise your inner beast with dire consequences for you and your allies!

Michael Douse, the director of publishing at Larian Studios, has confirmed to Eurogamer that cross-play functionality is being worked on, although the team was not able to get it ready in time for release day code on PC (August 5) and PlayStation 5 (out today!): "It was always in the planning, but we knew it wouldn't be for launch. It's in the roadmap, and though we have an idea of when we'd like to get it ready for, we don't want to put a date on it until we're sure." Larian and the BG3 fan base are hoping to see players united in online multiplayer across PC and console platforms in the near future, with the Xbox version due to arrive at some point before the end of the year.

Technical and performance issues are present in the PlayStation 5 version—reviewers have noted that split-screen performance on Sony's console is choppy, with local multiplayer sessions forcing a 30 frames per second "Quality" visual mode. This perhaps provides a small insight into the problems encountered when developing split-screen mode for Xbox Series X and S platforms, with the latter proving to be the largest headache. Eurogamer's journalists were also privy to Larian highlighting: "in a pre-launch note to PS5 reviewers, problems with performance in the game's climactic final act in the city of Baldur's Gate. It said it was working hard to fix it. Remember, the studio has had issues with this area on PC too."

This coming week, one of the most hyped AAA games of the year will launch and early previews of the game suggests it might just manage to mostly live up to the hype. However, the rest of this week is rather slow, maybe because all of the other publishers know most people will be busy playing their fancy new space game and won't be interested in what else might launch this week, although some appear to be riding on the wave of said space game. That said, there are still some minor releases this week, with at least a couple that might appeal to some of you.

Starfield / This week's AAA title / Wednesday 6 September
Starfield is the first new universe in over 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity's greatest mystery. In the year 2330, humanity has ventured beyond our solar system, settling new planets, and living as a spacefaring people. You will join Constellation - the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy - and navigate the vast expanse of space in Bethesda Game Studios' biggest and most ambitious game.

All of a sudden, it's the end of August, but the month keeps delivering when it comes to games. This coming week is admittedly a bit slower than the past few weeks and we get to make do with a AA title as far as headline games goes. That said, the rest of this week's releases involve seas of all kinds, crossfires, great houses, corporations and a reimagined game from back in the day.

Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy / This week's AA title / Thursday 31 August
Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy will take Amadeus the Wizard, Zoya the Thief, and Pontius the Knight on their most action-packed journey yet! With their reputations tarnished, loved ones in danger, and their own magical powers at stake, the Heroes of Trine must reunite to push back a fearsome Clockwork army and bring peace and justice to the land! Traverse breathtaking 2.5D landscapes in Trine's deepest and visually richest chapter to date, with an all new cast of characters - some friends, some foes, but all unforgettable.

As we enter the middle of August, the month keeps delivering when it comes to new game releases and this coming week we have multiple AA titles to look forward to. There are a lot of things to look forward to, including submarines, spaceships, controlling chaos, chainsaws, oval balls and much more. Please keep voting in the poll, as it gives us an indication of what kind of games you like, as we ignore the negativity in the poll anyhow.

Everspace 2 / This week's AA title / Tuesday 15 August
Everspace 2 puts you in the pilot seat in this fast-paced single-player space shooter, where vicious encounters and brutal challenges stand between you and that next epic loot drop. Explore the war-torn star systems of the Demilitarized Zone of Cluster 34—each massive handcrafted area is packed with secrets, puzzles, and perils to encounter. Experience a thrilling sci-fi story following Adam, a clone pilot seeking his place in the universe. The events of his past tangle with clashing factions as the DMZ approaches a boiling point. Escape colonial capture, navigate the intrigues of local warlords, evade energy-maddened cultists, and fend off war-hungry aliens.

The month of August keeps delivering when it comes to new game releases and this week's AAA title appears to involve a lot of sand and dust, as well as fallen gods. The rest of the releases to look forward to include everything from wrestling to enjoying the apocalypse, to forest bandits, a musical and being a mechanic in space. Last week we managed to please 58 percent of you, which was a new record, but we don't expect to reach those kinds of numbers this week.

Atlas Fallen / This week's AAA title / Thursday 10 August
Rise from the dust and liberate mankind from the oppression of a corrupted god. Glide the sands of a timeless land, filled with ancient dangers, mysteries and fragments of the past. Hunt legendary monsters, using powerful, shape-shifting weapons and devastating sand-powered abilities in spectacular, super-powered combat. Target and gather the essence of your enemies to shape your own custom playstyle, forging a new era for humanity in a fully cooperative or solo story campaign.

An epic RPG six years in the making and more than twenty years in the waiting, Baldur's Gate 3 is out today on PC via Steam, GOG, and NVIDIA GeForce Now. The game releases at 8am PDT - see the attached map for the release time in your region. Baldur's Gate 3 is a next-generation RPG from the creators of Divinity: Original Sin 2, set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons and providing a level of breadth and depth unprecedented in a modern RPG.

More than twenty years after the release of Baldur's Gate 2, it's finally time to return to the Forgotten Realms. Your choices shape this tale of fellowship and betrayal, sacrifice and survival, and the lure of absolute power.

Happy launch week, folks! We hope you've printed out your lawyer-approved special dispensation form to explain your mysterious absence from work on August 3rd to your boss, because there are only two days to go before release. After six years in the making, Baldur's Gate 3's PC launch is right around the corner and we couldn't have gotten here without you. So let's have one last Community Update before then to wrap things up, answer some of your biggest questions, and reveal a few final surprises before you finally get stuck in.

Launch Day
So just how big is this game, anyhow? What time should you expect the game to release? And where did I put my keys? The answers to most of these questions can be found below.

A seasoned wizard who infects her foes with the irresistible urge to dance. A high-level sorcerer who sows the seeds of chaos in battle with strategically placed portals. A bard that wields the psionic powers of a mindflayer (a.k.a illithid). Who will you become at the pinnacle of your power in Baldur's Gate 3? That's completely up to you. In Baldur's Gate 3, your late-game build can be as varied as you want it to be and can be changed at any time, giving you an opportunity to experiment with different spells and discover the class that complements your playstyle best.

Introducing illithid powers
In Baldur's Gate 3, you and your companions each carry the burden of a parasite that dwells within you, a tadpole placed deep inside your brain that poses a constant looming threat of illithid transformation. But as dangerous as these creatures may be, they are also a source of great power. For those who wish to experience their power, you need only to surrender to the tadpole within you and consume the parasites you find in jars and skulls throughout the Forgotten Realms.