On an average day, about a dozen new games are released on Steam. And while we think that's a good thing, it can be understandably hard to keep up with. Potentially exciting gems are sure to be lost in the deluge of new things to play unless you sort through every single game that is released on Steam. So that’s exactly what we’ve done. If nothing catches your fancy this week, we've gathered the best PC games you can play right now and a running list of the 2020 games that are launching this year.
Labyrinthine
Steam page
Release: October 29
Developer: Valko Game Studios
Price: $9.99 | £7.99 | AU$14.50
Labyrinthine is an online cooperative horror game about escaping a terrifying hedge maze. That's a big "nope" for me, but if you've got nerves of steel (and friends) this looks pretty fun: you'll need to collaborate with your online buds in order to solve puzzles, and also to navigate the maze itself. Of course, there are things in the hedge maze that will kill you too, this being a horror game, so don't let your guard down. Labyrinthine can also be played single player, and is currently in Early Access: it'll launch into 1.0 within 3-6 months.
Pacer
Steam page
Release: October 28
Developer: R8 Games Ltd
Price: $34.99 | £34.99 | AU$56.95
If you love WipeOut but don't own a PlayStation, here's a nice alternative. It's an anti-gravity racer with an attendant futuristic sci-fi sheen, with vehicles that can reach up to (and over) 1000 kilometres an hour. That's fast! There are 14 tracks, each with a range of variants, and five anti-gravity vehicles to burn around in. As you'd expect, there's a multiplayer component as well, which can support up to ten players across seven game modes.
TramSim
Steam page
Release: October 29
Developer: ViewApp
Price: $34.99 | £31.59 | AU$55.40
If hedge maze horror and anti-gravity racers aren't stressful enough for you, this should suffice: it's a tram system simulator. Set in Vienna, you'll need to "steer unerringly" around a 25 kilometre long tram network, picking up passengers, setting them down, and doing so while sticking to a schedule and not killing anyone. Simulators like these are an acquired taste, but just quietly, it might be worth the price of entry just to explore Vienna.
Carto
Steam page
Release: October 28
Developer: Sunhead Games
Price: $19.99 | £15.49 | AU$28.95
Carto is a gorgeous top-down adventure game with an interesting take on world building. Basically, protagonist Carto must structure the world she explores herself, by manipulating map pieces on a grid. That means traversing the world requires manipulating it in clever ways—the trailer above gives a nice summation of how it works. In addition to piecing together the world, you'll also be meeting and learning about its many and varied inhabitants. The Steam page describes the world as "peaceful-yet-mysterious" which I think is code for: there are no scary monsters in it.
House
Steam page
Release: October 30
Developer: Bark Bark Games
Price: $4.99 | £3.99 | AU$7.50
Here's a bite-sized survival horror game about a murderous house. Yes, that's why the game is called House. You play as Tabby, a girl stuck alone in this unpleasant abode, and she's wise to wish her father's quick return to the house, because according to some of the screenshots there are some pretty dangerous and blood-thirsty monstrosities lurking. If you'd prefer, you can also find House on itch.io.
These games were released between October 26 and November 2 2020. Some online stores give us a small cut if you buy something through one of our links. Read our affiliate policy for more info.
