After a somewhat dry July of game releases, Aug. is coming packed with new games to talk about, and publishers’ schedules will only be picking up the pace when the fall months arrive.
There’s something for everyone this month, from a creature collection roguelike, to one of the most anticipated RPGs based on the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role-playing system, to a spell-based first-person shooter title set in a fantasy world.
Football fans are getting the annual entry in the Madden NFL series, and a sequel in a motion-based rhythm game series is coming to the Switch at the end of the month.
The developers of Elden Ring are back with a new entry in their long-running Armored Core series of mecha-based combat games, while PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass subscribers will be treated to a turn-based RPG on day one of its release.
Plenty of titles to go over this month, so let’s have a look at the best games releasing in August 2023.
Adore
Adore is a Pokémon-like roguelike where you play as Lukha, who is an apprentice Adorer – he can bond with creatures and then summon and control them to fight alongside him. Much like in a Pokémon game, Adore will offer a variety of creatures to collect, each with very different abilities and traits.
The game’s Synergy System allows you to unlock extra abilities or modifications for your creatures by combining those that work well together. Along your path to becoming a true Adorer, you will combine creatures on your team to create synergies between them, and equip and upgrade runes and artifacts to boost their abilities.
Adore is releasing on Aug. 3 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Switch.
Baldur's Gate 3
The ridiculously long wait for a new Baldur’s Gate game is finally over as Baldur’s Gate 3 emerges from Early Access for a full PC release this month, followed by a PS5 launch in September.
It’s a sequel to Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn, which was released 23 years ago (yes, twenty-three), so to call it “long-awaited” is a massive understatement. Granted, the new game has been in Early Access on Steam since October 2020, but fans of the franchise are incredibly hyped to see it finally launch properly.
Unlike previous installments, Baldur’s Gate 3 will feature turn-based combat and will be based on Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition rulebook, with gameplay similar to developer Larian Studios’ earlier series Divinity: Original Sin.
Just like tabletop D&D, Baldur’s Gate 3 promises virtually unlimited options for character creation and unprecedented freedom to explore, experiment, and interact with the game’s fantasy world, set in Dungeons & Dragons’ Forgotten Realms.
Baldur’s Gate 3 releases Aug. 3 for PC and is coming to PS5 on Sep. 5, 2023. The game is already available as a Steam Early Access title.
WrestleQuest
As the name suggests, WrestleQuest mixes together a wrestling game with an RPG. Wrestling legends like Jake “The Snake” Roberts, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, and André the Giant, offer their advice along your journey through realms based on their careers.
The pixel art game features classic RPG combat with a twist of iconic wrestling moves and gimmicks, and lets you pick moves, style, taunts, and even your entrance as you explore worlds filled with monsters, action figure fighters, and allies that help you in your travels.
WrestleQuest arrives Aug. 8 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
Atlas Fallen
Atlas Fallen is an open-world action RPG set in a desert land, where you glide the sands as you try to free humanity from the tyranny of a corrupted god. Players have to navigate through ruins and dangerous territories to uncover the secrets of the past.
Combat looks fast-paced with lots of combos, long-range strikes, and dashing in the air, giving off strong Devil May Cry 5 and Final Fantasy 16 vibes. A key element of Atlas Fallen’s combat system is the Momentum gauge which fills up with every hit to eventually unlock powerful Essence abilities.
You can shape your own playstyle by gathering Essence Stones and equipping them to your Gauntlet to gain unique upgradable abilities. Atlas Fallen looks promising for anyone who enjoys action-packed adventure games with RPG elements and a compelling narrative.
Atlas Fallen releases on Aug. 10 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Moving Out 2
The sequel to 2020’s couch co-op moving simulator, Moving Out 2 comes with more levels, characters, and customization options, along with the big addition of online multiplayer. The whacky game has you join moving company Smooth Moves as an aspiring F.A.R.T. (Furniture Arrangement & Relocation Technician).
You’ll be able to complete moving assignments solo or in local co-op mode with friends in the same room, or via online multiplayer, as the game will feature full cross-platform play support.
Pre-orders for the game are open and come with the F.A.R.Tastic Four Pack which adds four playable characters to the base game’s roster.
Moving Out 2 is coming Aug. 15 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Switch.
Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew
A self-styled stealth strategy game, Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is set in alt-history version of the Golden Age of Piracy. Very similar to classic Commandos games, Shadow Gambit has you control a ghost ship crew of pirates to pull off sneaky heists, infiltrate fortresses, and steal mystical treasures.
Each of your pirates has unique magical skills and combining them cleverly is key to your success which requires carefully planned moves and tactics to take out enemies without being detected.
Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is releasing on Aug. 17 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is all about self-styled graffiti crews battling each other for control of the streets. The game combines skateboarding, inline skating, and BMX-style tricks, and looks like the spiritual successor of 2000’s Jet Grind Radio, known outside North America as Jet Set Radio, a cult classic for the Sega Dreamcast.
Featuring a visual style similar to that of surprise hit Hi-Fi Rush, which came out earlier this year, in Bomb Rush Cyberfunk you start your own cypher and dance, paint graffiti, collect beats, combo tricks, face off with other crews and the cops with the goal to claim more territory in New Amsterdam.
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk releases Aug. 18 for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Switch.
Madden NFL 24
The upcoming Madden NFL game promises more control and realism than ever, with tweaks to its FieldSense system and an all-new Sapien character technology. New contested-catch tackles, wraps, and scoops will add more control and variety on defense, while a revamped catching system will make receiving look more authentic.
The Sapien technology completely rebuilds player models to achieve smoother animations and realistic moves. Madden NFL 24 will also have improved AI across offense, defense, and blocking, and it will finally bring crossplay between players on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
We already know that Josh Allen is the Madden 24 cover star, EA Sports has officially unveiled the Madden NFL 24 top player ratings, and Lamar Jackson wasn’t happy with his score.
Madden NFL 24 will be available on Aug. 18 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Based on the iconic 1974 movie of the same title, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre video game offers an asymmetrical horror experience where you can play either as the victims or the family.
Five killers will be featured in the game: Leatherface, played by stuntman Kane Hodder, the Hitchhiker with Edwin Neal reprising his role from the original movie, the Cook (Troy Burgess), and two new family members, Johnny and Sissy.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is also coming to Xbox Game Pass as a day-one release at no additional cost to subscribers.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is happening on Aug. 18 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
Fort Solis
Fort Solis is a story-driven thriller set on Mars that is so cinematic it feels more like a Netflix show than a game, and it’s structured in chapters you can binge just like a streaming series.
You play as Jack Leary who is tasked with investigating a distress call coming from a remote mining station on The Red Planet, called Fort Solis. The game seems to be all about the story, exploration, and atmosphere than action, with the exception of the occasional quick-time event.
Supporting the Fort Solis’ core narrative are audio logs, and surveillance footage of past or present events, that help puzzle together what happened before and after the alarm at the station was set off.
Fort Solis is coming Aug. 22 for PS5 and PC.
Immortals of Aveum
Immortals of Aveum is shaping up as one of the big releases this month. Dubbed “Call of Duty but with magic”, the single-player first-person shooter has you play as Jak who joins an elite order of battlemages trying to save the world.
The game will feature fast-paced spell-based combat and promises to be “easy to learn and satisfying to master”, with chain attacks and timely counters that give bonuses.
Players will have more than 25 spells to unlock and upgrade with more than 80 special abilities called talents. Hundreds of items will also let you customize your character’s gear to fit your playstyle.
Immortals of Aveum is coming on Aug. 22 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon
It’s the month of long-awaited games, as Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is coming over a decade after the last mainline Armored Core game released, and it will be a shake-up for the mecha combat series.
Despite coming from Elden Ring developer FromSoftware, Fires of Rubicon is a very different game, as you’ll be piloting huge mechs called Armored Cores in fast-paced multidirectional battles against other big machines. FromSoftware’s challenging gameplay will still be there though, we promise.
Each mech will have four weapon slots and will be customizable with parts that upgrade your attacks but also change your movement and battle style. The battles take place on arena stages taking advantage of the mechs’ mobility and adding a lot of verticality to combat.
Armored Core 6 will also feature a “versus” multiplayer where you can fight against other players’ mechs, but there won’t be co-op mode.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon releases on Aug. 25 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC.
Sea of Stars
Sea of Stars is a turn-based RPG and a prequel to 2018’s The Messenger, which won for best debut indie game at The Game Awards that year.
Sea of Stars tells the story of Valere and Zale who use the powers of the sun and moon to fight against an evil alchemist known as The Fleshmancer. You control a party of up to six characters in a top-down pixelated world, reminiscent of classic early Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger games.
Gameplay in Sea of Stars is a mix of puzzle-solving and turn-based combat which focuses on exploiting enemy weaknesses to a specific element. A playable demo of the game is already available to download across all platforms.
Sea of Stars will release on every modern platform and will be a very rare day-one addition to both PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass subscription services.
Sea of Stars launches Aug. 29 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Switch.
Samba de Amigo: Party Central
Another sequel coming almost 25 years after the original game, Samba de Amigo: Party Central is a rhythm game with motion controls.
Just like in its 1999 arcade predecessor, in Samba de Amigo: Party Central, you shake your controllers which represent a pair of virtual maracas. Tilting your maracas at different angles following on-screen visual prompts to the rhythm of songs earns you points to complete levels.
Each song can be completed at several difficulty levels, and the game features both competitive and co-op two-player modes. Four players can also play together online, and there’s an eight-player World Party in which players compete along with 12 computer-controlled ones in a tournament-like event. Fittingly enough, Mr. Worldwide has teamed up with Sega and one of his upcoming singles is coming to the game.
Samba de Amigo: Party Central is coming on Aug. 29 as a Nintendo Switch exclusive.
Under the Waves
Under the Waves is a narrative-driven adventure exploring serious themes like overcoming grief and self-imposed solitude. Set in the depths of the North Sea, the game has you play as Stan, a deep sea diver who is coping with a life-changing loss during a long underwater mission.
Under the Waves promises a fascinating story as it lets you guide Stan through a series of unexpected events that will bring him deeper into the abyss that represents his own mind. As you explore the ocean, you’ll be puzzling together memories of Stan’s tragic past and helping him find a way back to the surface.
Under the Waves releases Aug. 29 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
Written by Stoyan Ovcharov on behalf of GLHF.
