The last time I did this was in 2017, but I’m in some mood to do it once again. With Summer Games Fest, Next Fest, the PC Gaming Show, the Future Games Show, Fan Fest, and so, so many more shows, even a hardcore fan of gaming would be hard pressed to keep up with all the games that are coming out soon.

It’s not a bad thing either, after going through an event drought and remembering times when E3 was the only place to get a glimpse of upcoming games, it’s nice to see so many events happening again. But on the other hand, it’s also overwhelming and even - dare I say - tiresome. What’s bothering me the most is that most events boil down to a rapid fire of trailers with the vast majority of them being “UE5 slop“, or simply non-inspired gameplay, with a sprinkle of indie-hope mixed in between which goes too fast for one to be able to write down the name, hoping they’ll one day be able to stumble upon it.

In any case, this is what I have noted down so far (alphabetically):

• Anno 117: Pax Romana – First Anno set in Ancient Rome. I played it during a recent preview event and enjoyed it. Same systems, but cool new setting.
• Bernband – An alien-city walking simulator with zero objectives that immerses you in its atmosphere. And more chill Peripeteia does sounds cool.
• Demonschool – Turn-based tactics with school‑life sim and teen horror. Related: the Person 4 remake looks good to but after playing Golden recently (meaning years ago), I’m not sure I’m ready for it. Also when is the remake of Catherine coming? That’s something I am ready to replay.
• Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition – Classic RPG fully remastered. I have more nostalgia towards the first one, but that one (including its remake) is kinda hard to play nowadays.
• End of Abyss – A tense sci‑fi horror‑action adventure mixing Souls‑like melee with unsettling monster design in a derelict complex. Not sure if it’s for me but looked interesting.
• Fractured Blooms – A psychological life‑sim in a time‑loop, combining house restoration, cooking, gardening, and horror elements. Again not sure with all the busy-work but we will see.
• Hollow Knight: Silksong – It’s been delayed for so long one basically has to play it.
• Keeper – Play as a living lighthouse and wordlessly explore surreal environments in a poetic puzzle‑adventure. I love lighthouses and this looks simply beautiful.
• Lego Voyagers – Cozy co‑op adventure where tiny bricks build, explore, and pilot contraptions together. Something to play with the kid.
• Mina the Hollower – A GameBoy‑Color‑styled gothic Zelda‑like, built under strict 4‑color hardware constraints for authentic retro flair. I like self-imposed constraints in game dev so this looked cool.
• Neverway – After quitting her dead-end job, Fiona starts over on a farm and becomes the immortal herald. Cool retro art style.
• No, I’m Not a Human – Stay inside. Lock your doors. Close the blinds. Weird horror.
• Please, Watch the Artwork – Night surveillance at the museum but the paintings are alive. Watch, listen and report all changes. Yes, that’s a trope at this point, but the visual style is cool.
• Pocket Boss – This is so “corporately” genius that this will probably be the must play of the list for me, if not only because it seems that it will only take a couple of hours to finish.
• Ritual Tides – Ritualistic horror by ex‑GTA/Red Dead devs, with cult‑infused pencil‑style art on a mysterious island.
• SacriFire – An RPG boasting a unique combat system, and elaborate pixel art.
• Silent Hill Remake – Seems to be coming… To be seen if I actually play it or just finally play through the original instead.
• Suikoden I & II HD Remaster – Enhanced visual fidelity and quality‑of‑life updates to classic JRPG duology.
• Suikoden Star Leap – Is similar, if I ever find time to actually play all these RPGs.
• Titan Quest 2 – Evolves the beloved mythic‑action‑RPG formula. And I’m kinda in the mood for some hack ‘n’ slash again.

A couple of additional demos from Steam Next I enjoyed:

• Dead as Disco
• THYSIASTERY
• MIO: Memories in Orbit
• Ball x Pit

And a couple more indies I found (these look very interesting):

• Night of the Consumers
• Beta Decay
• HALLOW BLADE
• Fractal Sailor
• Forbidden Solitaire
• OMUT
• Haunted Lands
• Lady Dracula
• Dust Front RTS
• Kriegsfront Tactics
• Winnie’s Hole
• Darkenstein 3D
• Moros Protocol
• Deep State
• CYBRLICH and the Death Cult of Labor
• Easy Delivery Co.
• Cleared Hot
• Over The Hill
• Nightrunners
• SSR Wives: The Murder Of My Winter Crush
• Dreams of Another
• Neo junk City
• Queen’s Domain
• The Backworld
• CARIMARA: Beneath the forlorn limbs
• Effulgence
• Kingdoms of the Dump
• Whisper Mountain Outbreak
• 散歩 WALK