August is here and that means we have another list of upcoming game releases for the month. Back in July, we had some interesting titles released with mostly positive reactions. We had quite a few different multiplayer experiences to sink our grinding teeth in. First, we had The First Descendant which combined slick gameplay with an interesting Sci-Fi world. Hoyoverse released their newest multiplayer experience with Zenless Zone Zero unleashing even more unique characters into their community.
We also had some very unique games like Once Human, an open-world survival game that has some very creative enemies. Then we got interesting narrative games like Nobody Wants To Die, where you play as a detective in a Bladerunner-esque world populated by immortals. Then near the end of July, we got Capcom’s newest creation, Kunintsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. This game combined real-time strategy and hack-and-slash combat.
Now it’s August and we’re starting to get more into the big AAA releases for the year. We’ll be seeing some games that have been highly anticipated, some good-looking indies, a new multiplayer experience and another game set in a galaxy far far away. Well let’s not delay any further, here are eight games to look out for in August (2024)
Thank Goodness You’re Here
Starting our list for August is a peculiar puzzle game, Thank Goodness You’re Here. Developers Coal Supper have created an absurd comedy game that they call a slapformer, set in the north of England. In this game, you will explore a town while solving light puzzles and meet the zany locals. Thank Goodness You’re Here releases on August 1st for PC, PS4, PS5, and Switch.
Explore the town and meet all the lovely English residents in need of help
In this cartoon-style puzzle game, you’ll play as a travelling salesman described as a jack of all trades. The game takes your colourful character to the Northern English town of Barnsworth. In this town, you’ll meet peculiar locals who all need your help. Accept jobs from each resident and take part in light puzzles based on what they need help with. With each job completed, new parts of the town will be made available with even stranger tasks to complete. Thank Goodness You’re Here features a bold, beautiful visual design that blends side-scrolling action vignettes with top-down exploration in a chock-a-block world. The town’s colourful residents come to life with vibrant hand-drawn animation alongside a fully-voiced dialogue.
Cat Quest 3
Next, we have the third instalment in the Cat Quest series that continues the journey of our feline hero. Developed by The Gentlebros, Cat Quest 3 takes players on a swashbuckling adventure as you search for treasure on the high seas. Hack-and-slash on land, while traversing the seven seas via your pirate ship. Cat Quest 3 releases on August 8th for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Become a pirate in the third adventure starring everyone’s favorite feline explorer
It’s the return of the cutest action RPG around with Cat Quest 3, this time it’s all about pirates. You’ll play as a swashbuckling privateer, exploring the 2.5D open-world set in the Purribean. In this adventure, you’ll sail the seven seas searching for the Northern Star, a long-lost mythical treasure. This won’t be a peaceful endeavour, the Purribean is swarming with Pi-rats searching for the treasure under the orders of the Pirate King. Cat Quest 3 provides complete freedom within the story, whether you explore the map’s deepest corners or relax with the quirky cast of characters and aid them in their quests. This tale is yours to make, so weigh anchor and let’s go!
For the first time in the series, you can sail the seas and battle in your very own ship. You can zip to shore and explore the land, then return to your ship seamlessly. Delve into a gorgeous new world containing varied dungeons and biomes to explore. Take part in fierce battles on land and sea with the newly refined combat system featuring tighter attack combos and weapon swapping. Speaking of combat, Cat Quest 3 has some new additions like the blunderbuss, alongside ferocious spells to use on enemies. If you want to play with a friend Cat Quest 3 is fully playable either solo or in local co-op.
The Crush House
For fans of reality TV, romance, and mystery, our next pick may interest you. The Crush House developed by Nerial, has you take control of the hottest reality TV show. You’ll select a cast, satisfy your audience and try everything to keep the show on air. Navigate the cesspool of fake drama when The Crush House releases on August 9th for PC.
Capture entertaining drama to fulfill the audience’s needs
Play as Jae on the day she landed her dream job, being the producer of The Crush House, the most buzzed-about reality TV show in the 1999’s. She’s tasked with casting, filming, and producing each season of the show. Set at the iconic Malibu mansion, Jae will have to navigate the budding romances and explosive drama to ensure audience satisfaction. The longer the show stays on the air, the more mysteries begin to emerge. Why are the cast members so hooked on Crush Juice? Where does the Success Slide lead?
Each season is unique due to the chosen cast and the ever-changing demands of your audience. Choose between twelve eccentric personalities and find your four-person cast for each season’s run. Mix and match conflicting or complementary attractions and watch as tensions run and sparks fly. Making a TV show isn’t cheap, you’ll need some ad revenue to keep it all moving along. Spend the money each night on new furnishings to mix things up for the audience and the cast. When night falls break the rules and engage in forbidden conversations with the cast to figure out the dark secrets of The Crush House.
Sam & Max The Devil’s Playhouse
If you enjoy old games getting a new coat of paint, then the third remaster for Sam & Max might be for you. The remaster is developed by Skunkape Games, Sam & Max The Devil’s Playhouse is the last game in the episodic Sam & Max trilogy. The duo will delve more into the supernatural, trying to stop a new batch of villains up to no good. Sam & Max The Devil’s Playhouse releases on August 14th for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
Sam & Max are back for their third remaster and their final adventure from Telltale’s archives
From the archive of Telltale Games, the third season of Sam & Max’s adventures will put them to the test. In this adventure, the freelance police will tackle the supernatural. It all starts when Max stumbles upon a toy that allows him to glimpse into the future. This has aroused the attention of intergalactic villains who are hellbent on obtaining the Devil’s Toy Box. Can Sam & Max foil their plans or will the forces of evil triumph?
Like the last two games, Sam & Max The Devil’s Playhouse is an interactive story game similar to Telltale’s other works. You’ll explore odd locales, meet eccentric characters, and solve brain-tickling puzzles. In this adventure, Max has some unique abilities players can use to progress through each episode. He can use the Toys of Power to see the future, teleport, read minds, and more. Like the other two remasters, the lighting, lip-sync, cinematography, music, and more have been updated and enhanced, bringing the 2010 episodic season up to modern standards.
Dustborn
Can’t get enough of captivating story-driven games, then Dustborn should be on your radar. Developed by Red Thread Games, Dustborn is a single-player action-adventure game centred around themes of hope, love, friendships, robots, and the transformative power of words. Embark on a road trip with a ragtag crew across a divided America while being pursued by the authoritarian government. Sounds like a blast right? Get the band ready when Dustborn releases on August 20th for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Go on the road and pose as a band while outrunning the corrupt government pursuing them
Step into the shoes of Pax an exile, a con artist, and an Anomal with the unique ability to weaponize language. Looking for a new life, Pax accepts a job to transport an important package from Pacifica to Nova Scotia. She sets out with a ragtag crew, all with unique abilities on a road trip through a breathtaking Neo-Western setting. However, they’ll need to be careful because the original owners of the package are desperate to retrieve it. Remember to bring your baseball bat for protection!
Journey through the breathtaking Neo-Western settings of an alternate history America in a robot-operated tour bus. Visit a variety of locations on your journey while expanding your crew. You can develop relationships from your experience undertaking different missions with increasingly challenging obstacles. See beautiful sights along the highway, rendered in a style similar to graphic novels that bring 2D illustrations to life in 3D. Use your Anomal abilities to fight with shouts and manipulate people in conversations to get out of hairy situations. Craft new words, and learn to wield a lingual arsenal against enemies and friends.
Black Myth: Wukong
Next on our list is something I’ve been looking forward to for quite some time, Black Myth: Wukong. Developed by Game Science, this action RPG is based on Chinese mythology. Though the developers claim it’s not part of that genre, it has hints of being a Souls-like. Regardless, the game will be full of intense boss fights and some cool-looking combat. Black Myth: Wukong releases on August 20th for PC and PS5.
Go toe to toe with larger than life bosses, like this badass dragon
The tale that Black Myth Wukong is based on is one of the great classical novels of Chinese literature. That novel is Journey to the West, the story of Sun Wukong, The Monkey King. In the game you set out as the Destined One to venture into the challenges and marvels ahead, to uncover the obscured truth beneath the veil of a glorious legend from the past. As the Destined One, you will encounter ferocious foes throughout the journey. You’ll fearlessly engage them in epic battles where surrender is not on the table. While you mainly fight these opponents, you can also take the time to learn of their origins, personalities, and motivations. On the journey, you’ll see tons of different locations like snowy mountains, bizarre twisting trees, cliffs and caves, and lush forests.
In both the novel and the game, Sun Wukong will be using his signature staff that’s capable of shrinking down to the size of a needle. Mastering his staff will be a core part of Black Myth: Wukong‘s combat, with precision and speed being key. Luckily if you don’t like using a staff, there are other ways of fighting enemies. You’ll be able to use other weapons, abilities, spells, magic vessels, equipment, and transformations. All of these options can give players tons of strategies to create a play style that suits them.
Concord
For multiplayer fans, especially the hero shooter ones, our next pick might be for you. Concord, developed by Firewalk Studios is the newest hero shooter on the block. This is a space-themed multiplayer first-person shooter with a range of characters to play as, all with their unique abilities. Assemble your crew for Concord‘s release on August 23rd for PC and PS5.
Experiment with each freegunner and use their unique abilities to win the match
The general premise of Concord is that you are a crewmember of The Northstar and you are freegunner space outlaws for hire. You can play as each member of this expanding crew but it will solely be in multiplayer game modes. Concord does not have a traditional story since it is mainly multiplayer-focused. However, as your journey in Concord unfolds, you’ll learn about the crew of the Northstar in the form of cinematics. The developers are aiming to release a new cinematic each week that delivers ongoing narratives that expand the characters and their adventures.
When it comes to the main multiplayer experience, it’s essentially a few game modes that are mainly 5v5 PVP. Concord will launch with six different game modes and 12 maps focusing on objectives and battling each other. Like most hero shooters, there is an emphasis on teamplay with you mixing different character’s abilities. Speaking of the characters, Concord will launch with 16 playable freegunners that are a mix of powerful mystics, skilled gunslingers, and helpful healers. Each one with their own unique weapons, skills, personality, and abilities that cater to a wide range of playstyles. While you play, earn a wide range of customization items and learn more about the characters, worlds, and factions in the Concord Galaxy.
Star Wars: Outlaws
Finally, we have probably the biggest release of the month, Star Wars: Outlaws, developed by Massive Entertainment. This is the first open-world game based in the Star Wars universe. It seems to look familiar to Ubisoft’s other open-world games but possibly a fresher take on the formula. Explore the galaxy as a rising outlaw when Star Wars: Outlaws releases on August 30th for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Explore each planet’s gorgeous landscapes with your signature speeder bike
In this new instalment to the Star Wars universe, play as Kay Vess, a young thief with big ambitions. She’s a fellow scoundrel of the galaxy that’s searching for the biggest score to set her up for life. On this journey for fame and fortune, Kay travels with her faithful companion Nix and her robotic enforcer ND-5. Star Wars: Outlaws‘s narrative takes place in the time of the Empire hot on the heels of the Rebel Alliance. While the war wages on, the criminals of the galaxy thrive, creating numerous lucrative opportunities, especially for Kay. Though she’ll have to outwit the many different criminal syndicates that may want Kay dead if she’s wronged them in the past.
Kay will shoot, talk, and fly her way out of problems to make ends meet. Fight with your blaster in intense firefights, sneak around and perform stealth takedowns, and use gadgets to turn the tide. Of course, it wouldn’t be Star Wars without a spaceship to pilot. Take control of The Trailblazer and engage in thrilling dogfights with the Empire and other adversaries. Explore distinct planets across the galaxy, both iconic and brand new filled with bustling cities, cantinas, and grand outdoor landscapes. Each planet brings new adventures, unique challenges and enticing rewards if you’re willing to take the risk.
Have any other games you’ve got your eye on during August? Let us know in the comments below!
