The Fall season inches closer but there’s still plenty to look forward to in the months before, starting with August. Sequels, reboots and long-awaited ports await with something for everyone. Let’s take a look at 10 of the biggest games to play in August 2022.
Rollerdrome
OlliOlli World developer Roll7 is known for its chill skating experiences but Rollerdrome goes down a more violent route. Described as a “skating game where you’re not just skating” and a “shooting game where you’re not just shooting,” the story is set in 2030 where esports, social media, flat-screen displays and more have never been invented. Instead, the public gets its entertainment from Rollerdrome, a bloody arena sport where combatants skate and gun each other down. As Kara, players battle snipers, hooligans, armored foes, and even robots to make their mark.
The mechanics are fairly straightforward – shoot enemies to recover health, perform tricks to regenerate ammo. Each arena is a skate park with numerous possibilities, as one skillfully dodges attacks, slows down time for precise shots and chains combos together. Rollerdrome is out on August 16th for PS4, PS5 and PC. PlayStation Plus subscribers and PC players can get it at a reduced price for the first two weeks.
Two Point Campus
Two Point Studios brings its zany humor and management sim shenanigans into the world of education with Two Point Campus. Create your own university by placing various decorations, fences and vegetation, and then hire staff to teach your students. These aren’t your typical courses though as students will attend Knight School (with full medieval armor and jousting), take on Wizardry for magical duels and potion-crafting, or Spy School to root out any rival spies.
As you know more about the students and their personalities, you can organize different clubs and events to better foster their development. Two Point Campus is out on August 9th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch.
Rumbleverse
Following its work on Seasons 2 and 3 of Killer Instinct on Xbox, Iron Galaxy Studios is back with a brand new melee-focused title in Rumbleverse, which releases August 11th on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Unlike the combo-tastic 3D fighter though, this a free-to-play battle royale where 40 players are dumped into the map and must fight to the end. Close quarters brawls are the name of the game, as you unleash basic and strong attacks, and acquire magazines to learn more powerful special moves and takedowns.
Use weapons like baseball bats, climb anywhere and stay within the circle to ultimately emerge victorious. Along with a Battle Pass, it includes micro-transactions for different cosmetics to customize one’s avatar with. It may not feed the combo-breaker crowd but Rumbleverse looks intriguing, if nothing else.
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, the critically-acclaimed, multi-million selling open-world title, finally comes to PC on August 13th. It features Peter Parker as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, having battled villains for years and protected Manhattan. Things take a turn though when Mister Negative and his gang start causing an uproar. Who else but Spider-Man to stop them?
As an enhanced version of Insomniac’s 2018 title, the remaster adds new suits, ray tracing and 4K resolution support. Ben Jordan also replaces John Bubniak as the face of Peter Parker. The PC version offers a number of options and features including higher-quality ray tracing, unlocked frame rates, Ultra-wide monitor support, mouse and keyboard controls, and Nvidia DLSS and DLAA support. If Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War (2018) are any indication, then Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered should be another PC hit for Sony.
Thymesia
Though it seems like just another Souls-like, OverBorder Studio’s Thymesia embodies a horror atmosphere with its plague-ridden setting. As a mysterious character named Corvus, players explore the fallen Kingdom of Hermes, battling infected creatures that roam the streets. Corvus is capable of fixing things (hopefully) but must rediscover lost memories to learn the truth. In the meantime, one must fight their way through, wielding plague weapons and using a raven form, complete with executions, to slay foes. Thymesia releases on August 18th for PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5.
Madden NFL 23
Another year, another slate of EA Sports titles, kicking off first with Madden NFL 23 on August 19th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC. Featuring John Madden as the cover star in honor of his passing last year, features like Face of the Franchise, Ultimate Team, and more return for another run. There are plenty of changes though, like Motivations and Tags that can influence Free Agent negotiations, the new Free Agency Hub, and new Scouting features for a more “efficient” process.
Current-gen versions also get FieldSENSE, which offers new control mechanics and branching animation technology for mid-air knockouts and Skill-Based Passing. It sounds all well and good but will this year’s edition finally carry the franchise forward? We’ll have to wait and find out.
Saints Row
Saints Row marks the first mainline title in the series since 2013’s Saints Row 4. However, instead of following the 3rd Street Saints and fighting aliens, Volition’s newest open-world epic is a reboot. Set in Santa Ileso, it sees The Boss starting out as a grunt for Marshall Defense Industries. Eventually, they work with Neenah and Kevin, disgruntled members of Los Panteros and The Idols, along with entrepreneur Eli to form their own gang.
Don’t let the whole “start-up company” approach fool you though – Saints Row still features plenty of chaos, from establishing businesses to front for illegal activities like heists to sandbox rampages. Customization is more in-depth than ever, starting with The Boss and extending to your fellow gang members, weapons, cars, and much more. With nine districts to explore, tons of side activities (including old favorites like Insurance Fraud), and drop-in/drop-out co-op, Saints Row looks to be a fun time. It releases on August 23rd for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and Google Stadia.
Soul Hackers 2
If you’ve been itching for some more Shin Megami Tensei-style gameplay, then Soul Hackers 2 should fill that void. Releasing on August 26th worldwide for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC, it’s set in the future where two factions of summoners are at war and civilization as a whole is on the decline. After predicting the end of the world, the mysterious Aion sends two agents – Ringo and Figue – to stop it.
Many elements of the franchise – like fusing demons and summoning them in battle – are still a thing here. But each character relies on COMPs with different effects, exploiting enemy weaknesses for Stacks, and then using these for massively damaging attacks. In between exploring dungeons and upgrading COMPs, players will also hangout with different party members, increasing their Soul Level to unlock new abilities.
Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed
Following up on the Destroy All Humans! remake from 2020, Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed is a remake of Pandemic Studios’ 2006 sequel. Crypto returns, blasting his way through a myriad of locations like Tunguska, Takoshima, Bay City and Solaris. Weapons like the Meteor Strike for calling down meteors and the Burrow Beast which summons an underground monster to consume enemies, are available. Or you could use the flying saucer’s Quantum Deconstructor and Anti-Gravfield to wreak destruction on entire cities.
Abduct humans to upgrade your skills or hop into local split-screen co-op and play through the entire story with a friend. Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed arrives on August 30th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC.
F1 Manager 2022
A proper management simulation for Formula One has been a long time coming but Frontier Developments’ F1 Manager 2022 could be the one. Based on the 2022 Formula One, Formula 2 and Formula 3 Championships, it offers an extensive Career Mode with long-term goals and seasonal targets. As you build up your team, you’ll manage drivers, staff, finances and car design – emphasizing performance or a more balanced approach.
This is in addition to features like a strategy editor for scheduling pit stops and pace, regulation changes that can suddenly emerge, a realistic presentation, and commentators like David Croft, Martin Brundle, and Karun Chandhok. F1 Manager 2022 is out on August 30th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and PC.