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.
The Change Architect
Steam page
Release: November 25
Developer: Chard, de Fault, Richard Campbell
Price: Free
The Change Architect is a free narrative-driven game that'll take you around 15 minutes to complete. You take the role of a protest organiser, who must instruct nearby protesters based on incoming information. Do you advise the protesters to disperse with the imminent arrival of police, or do you insist that they stay? Natalie described it as a "10-minute protest management vignette" and that pretty much nails it. It's a fascinating and timely concept for a game, and it won't be a strain on either your time or your bank account.
Sky Haven
Steam page
Release: November 25
Developer: Real Welders
Price: $24.99 | £19.49 | AU$34.99
There's something inherently satisfying about building, finetuning and maintaining infrastructure, so it's little wonder Sky Haven has proven so popular since its Early Access launch last week. It's an airport tycoon and management game about, yeah, building an airport. But don't let the relative simplicity of that endeavour fool you, because the real meat on the bone is keeping it afloat. First Kickstarter-funded as far back as 2017, the game is expected to launch into 1.0 some time in 2021.
Axe Cop
Steam page
Release: November 26
Developer: Red Triangle Games
Price: $9.99 | £7.19 | AU$42.95
The game is called Axe Cop because its protagonist, a cop, wields an axe. This 8-bit styled RPG is based on the comic book of the same name, which was co-written by five-year old Malachai Nicolle with his older brother Ethan. Those comics have something of a cult following nowadays, but this game adaptation looks interesting whether you've read them or not. The combat is turn-based, the pixels are chunky, and the cop has an axe. Looks like heaps of fun.
Legend Bowl
Steam page
Release: November 28
Developer: Level Ready
Price: $19.99 | £15.49 | AU$28.95
If modern sport games are too shiny (and too microtransaction laden) for you, Legend Bowl may appeal: it's a retro-styled gridiron game that aims for a more sim-like experience than its 16-bit graphics at first suggest. In addition to actually playing gridiron, you'll be managing your players and teams. There are four main modes and some fairly granular customization tools, as well as "realistic weather". The game is in Early Access and will likely stay there for between 6-12 months.
DOOR: Inner Child
Steam page
Release: November 26
Developer: PLAY Mephistowaltz
Price: $14.99 | £11.39 | AU$21.50
Here's a beautiful third-person puzzle game with an art style reminiscent of Sable (which itself is reminiscent of Jean 'Moebius' Giraud). The protagonist is Nia, who inhabits a Soul World from where she can help "heal emotional scars" for sufferers in the real world. This is does via puzzle solving, of course, but the graphical style and the music is what creates the game's comfortable and ethereal mood. It's in Early Access, and at the time of writing incomplete: it'll receive new levels over the course of the EA period and will cost more at launch.
These games were released between November 23 and 30 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.
