Best New PC Games on Steam

The PC Master Race congregates in pixelated power to prove there’s superior strength in binary numbers. There’s no better way for gamers frustrated by console hardware limitations to let off some steam than playing the best new PC games on Steam.

Dredge (Windows, macOS, Linux)

Team17

Read the GameCrate Review

Nothing screams spring like faithful fishermen dropping a bobber into pitch-black waters in search of lethal Lovecraftian largemouths that weigh thousans of pounds and consider casters the food and boats bait. Locals chomp at the bit to share tales of catching cosmic torpedo sharks before speeding away from ominous ghost ships.

White knuckles on the controller outnumber white caps on the water in Dredge. Psychological horror masquerades as an innocent fishing outing. Unique fishing mechanics unseen in any other game set the hook. lore as deep as the aquatic nightmares prowling the depths of the virtual seas reels in gamers from all angles and angler levels that stay for hours.

Dredge PC / Newegg

Vampire Survivors (Windows, macOS, available on PC Pass)

Poncle

Current artform games radiate the beauty of a Picasso painting compared to the simplistic premise of Vampire Survivors — which ironically doesn’t have the player facing any vampires. A lack of grandiose systems and fanged foes fails to keep this addictive game from selling like silver bullets in Transylvanian.

Simplicity rules the dark day. The game only costs $5, compared to $70 next-gen AAAs. Vampire Survivors is as easy on brain activity as it is bank accounts. Play as a vampire and wander through seemingly millions of enemies while seemingly a slot machine chimes. Sounds like a typical Vegas trip, right? Unlike the casinos, you don’t even have to do anything to control your weapon, just survive with Lightning Guy, Garlic Dude, pizzeria manager Antonio, and the host of other characters that will suck your blood and free time.

Vampire Survivors / Steam

Cult of the Lamb

Devolver Digital

Cult recruitment has never looked so cute! The adorable animations mix with cutthroat gameplay where players-turned-pagans manage minions and scour demonic dungeons to beat intimidating non-believers into submission. Indie developer blurs the line between Cult of the Lamb and Silence of the Lambs. A diamond resides in that rough mix of smiles and sadism.

Organized religion skeptics draw both from the game’s steadfast satire down to the name. Lambs refer to young sheep, which doubles as someone who blindly follows others without critical thinking. Sacrificial rituals increase the all-important faith meter among followers and are crucial to key upgrades. Busy base management and fun, quick dungeons befit Steam sprints or gaming marathons.

Cult of the Lamb / Steam

Neon White (Windows)

Annapurna Interactive

Neon White’s gameplay appropriately flashes before your eyes. So do the lives of demons you are supposed to slay at record speeds. Level designs encourage speed-running to the point of repeating stages in quicker completion.

Soul cards add a twist to the typical torrid platformers. Players decide whether to use them for a powerful attack to clear more enemies or discard the potent weapon to gain a special movement that navigates the areas faster. The unusual mechanic delivers a satisfying payoff when gamers memorize a level well enough to make the perfect play.

Neon White / Steam

Stardew Valley (Windows, macOS, Linux, available on PC Pass)

ConcernedApe

Stardew Valley proves farming isn’t as boring as watching crops grow. This popular simulator comparable to Animal Crossing takes you from rakes to riches. Players start by inheriting Grandpa’s farm. Staying loyal to the soil yields a hotspot where you can eventually party like it's 1899.

Mods renew the vitality of this popular-yet-aging experience. New villages, towns, cooking options, and even romantic activities liven gameplay perfect for passing time while traveling. Few games exist that are as suitable for the portability the Steam Deck prides itself on, for those with Valve’s handheld.

Stardew Valley / Steam

Ravenbound (Windows)

Systemic Reaction

A vessel fights against an unjust god that got power-hungry and imprisoned other deities. Premises recalling God of War are never a bad thing. Can Kratos turn into a Raven? He’d grunt at the notion while gamers grin at the chance to glide through Ravenbound’s neat architecture housed in Scandinavian environments.

Combat suffers from an infestation of annoying bugs, but the fights are challenging and reflexes. Cards introduce interesting perks, such as a suit of armor that causes opponents to bleed with every hit. The card system grants high rewards for high risks, which can make for a highly intense game worth exploring for its aesthetics and action.

Ravenbound

Aperture Desk Job (Windows, Linux)

Valve Corporation

Nobody needs to be familiar with Six Sigma to appreciate the methodology of the tutorial game made to familiarize gamers with Steam Deck controls. Valve’s signature sense of brilliantly banal humor returns from Portal to advertise a product inspection job that won’t drive workers nuts.

A Valve game containing robots, shooting, strong voice acting, and off-the-wall humor might confuse players over why Valve hasn’t released Portal 3 yet. If Half-Life 3 is anything to go by, Steam Deck players should take what they can get. Aperture Desk Job offers far more than other tutorials bargain for.

Aperture Desk Job / Steam

Hi-Fi RUSH (Windows, available on PC Pass)

Bethesda Softworks

High energy harmonizes with upbeat music to hit the right notes for Hi-Fi RUSH. Musical melee marches to the beat of its own drum. Rewarding players for attacking in rhythm with a battle’s ensuing music remixes the same old beat ‘em up song and dance the genre’s overplayed for years.

Crisp animations tell the story of a disabled, wannabe rockstar looking for a new arm. The protagonist Chai receives a music player instead that connects with his insides and syncs to all music around him. The results sound and look like a stoner anime or rejected Jack Black film. Therein lies the composition’s charm.

Hi-Fi RUSH / Newegg

Pizza Tower (Windows)

Tour De Pizza

Pizza Tower fills the empty stomach of retro gamers nostalgic for the days when Burger Time and side scrollers were popular items on the gaming world’s menu. Mix in a 1990s animation aesthetic indulgers find a recipe for success.

The heaping helping of virtual craziness holds the health bar and lives. Players cannot die; they can only perform poorly. That said, nobody wishes to receive an “F” grade when the assignment is protecting your pizzeria from nuclear demolition.

Pizza Tower / Steam

The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog

(Windows)

Sega

Sonic the Hedgehog victimized in a murder matches the ridiculousness of the investigation into who killed Hannibal on the Eric Andre Show. While there’s no smoking gun in Sonic’s case, there are just as many laughs to be had in this playful point-and-click adventure game.

The freeware stands on its own without straying too far from what’s made Sega’s popular franchise iconic. It holds the esteemed distinction of being the only game in history released on April Fool’s Day teasing hedgehog suicide. That alone is worth the price of admission: nothing!

The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog / Steam

Final Thoughts

Whether catching killer fish, Sonic killers, Sonic Youth-esque rhythms, or trying not to waste youthful years as a vampire hunter, the best new PC games on Steam cast a wide net beyond Drudge.