After a massive start to the year with games like Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West, and an April that saw the huge success of Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, we are in for a slower month when it comes to new releases, but there are still some promising titles to look forward to.
Fans of Kurosawa-inspired samurai games will be treated to a new indie title, while two long-standing series based on tabletop games, Warhammer 40k and Vampire: The Masquerade, are getting new video game entries this month.
Nostalgia won’t be in short supply this month either, with a compilation title featuring one of the most iconic arcade game series in history.
Here’s our list of the biggest May 2022 video game releases.
Trek to Yomi
Trek to Yomi is a side-scrolling action game set in Edo-period Japan that takes visual cues from Akira Kurosawa samurai movies. Don’t let yourself be fooled by the game’s similarities to Ghost of Tsushima and Sifu – even though it has the same influences and setting, Trek to Yomi is very much its own thing.
Shaping up as a gorgeous black and white cinematic indie gem, the game follows the story of young warrior Hiroki who sets out on a journey to avenge the tragic fate of his home village and fulfill a vow made to his dying master.
You should read more about it in our Trek to Yomi hands-on preview. Xbox Game Pass subscribers are getting the game on day one.
Trek to Yomi releases May 5 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
Warhammer 40k: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters
The next installment in the Warhammer 40k franchise is a turn-based strategy RPG and a reboot of 1998’s Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate.
You lead a squad of Grey Knights, a secret chapter of space marines, against the evil hordes of Nurgle, the Chaos God of decay, plague, despair, disease, and a bunch of other bad things, who is determined to destroy the galaxy by means of a cosmic plague, known as the Bloom.
Warhammer 40k: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters is coming to PC on May 5.
Salt and Sacrifice
Salt and Sacrifice is another side-scrolling action-RPG platformer, but it offers a more hardcore soulslike Metroidvania experience. This sequel to 2016’s Salt and Sanctuary, throws you into a land full of powerful mages who are wreaking havoc on everything they touch. You play as a condemned Marked Inquisitor who is tasked with hunting the evil mages as you journey through the realm.
The game can be played solo or in co-op mode, and much like in FromSoftware’s titles, there’s the option to invade another player’s realm to make their life a bit more miserable.
Salt & Sacrifice releases May 10 on PC, PS4, and PS5.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising
Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is a JRPG inspired in part by Konami’s Suikoden series. The game is a spin-off to the upcoming Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, slated for a 2023 release, and serves as a prologue to its story.
Rising combines treasure hunting and town building in a beautiful side-scrolling world, letting you play with three heroes, Isha, Garoo, and CJ, each with their own abilities and playstyle.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising releases May 10 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch.
Evil Dead: The Game
This multiplayer survival game is based on the Evil Dead horror movie franchise. Evil Dead: The Game is an asymmetrical multiplayer experience. You play as the series’ protagonist Ash Williams or his friends in a team of four survivors against a fifth player who controls the Kandarian demon seeking to swallow the survivors’ souls.
Evil Dead: The Game features several maps, including the Knowby Cabin from the movies, and over 25 weapons to choose from, including Ash’s iconic chainsaw and shotgun. After each match of over-the-top slasher action, players level up to unlock new skills they can use in the next one.
Evil Dead: The Game releases May 13 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch.
Tennis Manager 2022
After a month full of sports games, with the release of MLB The Show 22, MotoGP 22, and Nintendo Switch Sports, May still has something in store for your inner sports coach.
Tennis Manager 2022 promises a more realistic experience than last year’s game, with more than 5,000 players, access to over 2,000 tournaments, and lifelike simulation both on and off the court.
Tennis Manager 2022 releases May 17 on PC.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong
The long-awaited spinoff to Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines is finally coming after several delays. The developers from Big Bad Wolf promise “lots of characters, choices, dialogues, and opportunities to decide how the story plays” in this narrative-driven RPG, set in Boston.
You unravel the story through the eyes of three vampires, Galeb, Emem, and Leysha, each with their own abilities and points of view. The characters’ upgradable vampiric disciplines allow for different player approaches to gameplay that puts the emphasis on consequence.
The game is getting a wide release on all platforms, but on PC, Swansong will be an Epic Games Store exclusive.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong releases May 19 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch.
Dolmen
Dolmen is a soulslike action RPG but with a futuristic sci-fi setting and cosmic horror elements. The game takes place in a hostile alien world known as Revion Prime, where your character is tasked with bringing back samples of a unique and powerful crystal, known as Dolmen.
The game’s combat system is modeled after FromSoftware’s Souls titles, with a variety of available weapons and moves. It features an “Energy Mode” which imbues your melee weapons with elemental status buffs, similar to using Grease on your weapons in Elden Ring.
Dolmen releases May 20 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
Sniper Elite 5
The latest entry in the Sniper Elite series once again puts you in the shoes of covert agent and elite marksman Karl Fairburne, but this time you’re fighting to uncover Project Kraken in 1944 France.
Fans of the series are in for a familiar experience with good visuals, a solid variety of weapons, and a generally pleasant stealth gameplay.
Sniper Elite 5 features a ton of customization options for your weapon, an enhanced x-ray kill cam, and the addition of Invasion Mode which enables both a PvP game of cat and mouse and co-op play. You can read more about the game in our Sniper Elite 5 hands-on preview.
Sniper Elite 5 releases May 26 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
Pac-Man Museum+
A nostalgia-packed compilation title, Pac-Man Museum+ brings 14 games from the iconic Pac-Man series. The list ranges from the classic arcade titles of the early ‘80s to more recent console releases.
The original 1980 arcade game that started it all is a part of the collection too, but there’s also the noticeable absence of Ms. Pac-Man due to an ongoing dispute between Bandai-Namco and AtGames over the rights to one of video games’ earliest female characters.
Pac-Man Museum+ releases May 27 on PC, Switch, PS4, and Xbox One.
Written by Stoyan Ovcharov on behalf of GLHF.
