1. Path of Exile 2

If there’s one game on this list that could’ve fooled us into thinking it was already a complete package, it’s Path of Exile 2. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Path of Exile 2 stands as the best action RPGs available right now, and it’s still early days with the full launch a year away. Between the intricate build customization, varied macabre environments, and story oozing with rich lore, we’re looking forward to just how much more jam-packed with content Path of Exile 2 will get with its full launch sometime in the coming year.

2. Hades 2

The first sequel from the beloved indie dev, Supergiant, is already amazing and it’s still only in early access. Hades 2 takes the brilliant roguelike structure of the first game and adds a whole lot of magic (literally) and added polish to the mix. The sequel expands upon the well-written Greek pantheon featured in the prequel, introducing a new protagonist in Melinoe, the sister of Hades 1’s hero. Hades 2 aims to outdo Hades in every respect, which is already evident by the sheer number of new locations and the plethora of content present in its early access state.

3. Wild Woods

This four-player co-op indie game tasks players to defend a wagon going through some dangerous woods. Sounds rather simple, right? Well, it shares some very creative elements from Kunitsu-Gami, another game that has you gathering resources during daytime to prepare for night combat. The four-player cooperation elements serve as a good foundation for added maps and challenges leading up to its full release. Though, since Wild Woods just became available for early access on December 9^th, odds are that it has a ways to go until its complete launch.

4. Palworld

With well over eight million units sold and record-breaking Steam player counts, Pocket Pair’s Palworld is doing well for itself despite the looming Nintendo lawsuit. Palworld drew in a substantial number of players disillusioned by Pokemon’s latest offerings. The base building and gun-toting Pal battles are great fun, and with the Feybreak update coming December 23^rd, players have a lot more content to look forward to.

5. Enshrouded

Enshrouded may be yet another survival crafting game, but it executes each of its components well above most of the competition. The combat is rather satisfying with its action RPG mechanics and parry-laden fights. If you’re struggling to make ends meet in this hostile open world, there are 15 other players who can help (or hinder) you in your journey. Enshrouded is notable for meeting a majority of its roadmap goals as it inches ever closer to its full 2025 release.

6. Manor Lords

What really sets Manor Lords apart from other city builder strategy games is its unwavering attention to medieval historical accuracy. There’s a laudable amount of detail regarding town expansion and resource management with historical systems like burgage plot structuring all in play. These intricate town management systems raise the stakes of the real-time strategy battles tenfold, adding a level of immersion and urgency to the genre. We’re looking forward to seeing how this one-man passion project turns out with its official launch.

7. Astrometica

This survival crafting game just released in early access on December 10^th and I’m already invested in what it offers. Unlike other endless space exploration games (like Starfield), the variety of ships within Astrometica are actually used to explore various anomalies and secrets. There’s even asteroid belts to navigate your ship through. You’ll need to settle down in a base to survive the cold hostility of space, though, and Astrometica delivers with its compelling tech tree and outpost crafting.

8. The Rogue Prince of Persia

Made by the studio that put out the acclaimed Dead Cells DLCs, this roguelite Prince of Persia title is in a quite the polished state half a year after its early access debut. As the title suggests, The Rogue Prince of Persia features procedurally generated levels filled with the kind of acrobatic platforming and action that the genre has been known for. Players who enjoyed Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown or classic 2D platforming titles will find a lot to love with The Rogue Prince of Persia.

9. Rogue Command

Rogue Command is another roguelike game on this list, yet in the form of a classic RTS title. I don’t know if I’ve seen a classic RTS in this roguelike format before. It’s an intriguing gameplay conceit to have entirely different builds and units with every run, but Rogue Command does a good job keeping runs approachable and fun thanks to convenience features like a 10% time slow-down. Despite its early access status, there’s quite a lot of content here already, including 100s of units and over 20 map types.

10. Finnish Cottage Simulator

Consider me surprised to see Finnish Cottage Sim achieving an overwhelmingly positive rating on Steam with thousands of reviews as of its November 15^th early access launch. The charming graphics and quant atmosphere help it stand out among the more budget-minded ‘simulator’ games. But it’s really the variety of quests and dynamic 6-player multiplayer that have hooked players into this fun and relaxing take on cottage living.

11. Dunjungle

If you like The Rogue Prince of Persia, Dunjungle is another early access title worth checking out. This fast-paced action platformer roguelite distinguishes itself with customizable equipment and classes to exploit enemy weaknesses with. The gameplay loop is more frenetic and punishing than something like The Rogue Prince of Persia with its lack of checkpoints, but thankfully there’s plenty of equipment and progress that stays with you between runs. Dunjungle is one of the most instantly gratifying early access games on the list thanks to its poppy drop-in, drop-out gameplay loop.

12. Cataclismo

Strategy players with a love for Legos need to try out Cataclismo. The game’s combination of real time strategy battles with brick-built base building forms a rather unique experience. Structures are effortless to construct thanks to the clear piece-by-piece process of building them. Seriously, if you like stacking bricks together, Cataclismo satisfies with a bevy of architectural pieces to get creative with and RTS combat to test your structures against.

13. Aska

Aska isn’t just another survival game; besides careful resource management and fights against wildlife and scavengers, the game asks you to manage your own tribe. This management wrinkle really adds a lot to the game. Take the unique way you add villagers to your village; you essentially craft villagers into existence out of resources, how cool is that? This fresh perspective on the survival genre further personalizes the village management aspect of the game, making survival that much more interesting and engaging.

14. New Arc Line

This early access game is for the classic role-playing fans. New Arc Line is set in a dystopian magi-tech setting where you begin as a penny-less immigrant aboard a steam ship to ‘the new world’. Between the range of NPC companions that you can recruit and build relationships with and the blend of mechanical and magic-based combat styles, New Arc Line has been an early access favorite for those who love choice-heavy RPGs.

15. ATLYSS

ATLYSS is one of those comfy and casual online RPGs that hits the sweet spot for those pining for some old-school nostalgia. The open world is rewarding to explore and quest through and the colorful PS2-stylized graphics really make it stand out. Players will have no trouble finding others to adventure with, considering the high concurrent player counts, though ATLYSS is unique in that none of the content is locked to multiplayer and can be experienced solo.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

ASKA takes place in a setting quite obviously inspired by viking folklore and fantasy. The story kicks off with your homeland getting destroyed, and your character setting off to create a new home for themselves. Along the way, some gigantic mythical monsters and sea storms cause your ship to get wrecked on a mysterious shore, where you must now set out to build yourself a new home. As far as the story goes, that’s the most you’re going to get out of ASKA. You’re given little in the way of direction unless you enable the tutorial, and are essentially left to your own devices as you start punching down trees and rocks to start making some of your starter gear.

The core survival crafting aspects of ASKA don’t really offer anything unique. The game follows the classic template: make some simple tools with things you find lying around in order to then cut down larger trees and smash bigger boulders in order to get even more materials for fancier tools. Along the way, you’re also going to start building a shelter of some description, starting with a simple campfire and a bed. You’re also going to have to forage for food and drinkable water, since starvation or thirst also carry with them some hefty penalties.

Thankfully, ASKA doesn’t just leave you in the dark about what you’re supposed to do next in order to progress. Assuming you left the tutorials enabled, the game occasionally spawns a mysterious wisp that provides you with some direction for your next steps. At first, this will be as simple as “build a campfire and upgrade it” or “make a stone ax to cut down a tree”. These tips eventually bring you into more complex gameplay mechanics without giving away too much, and this is where we get to talk about the unique hook of ASKA’s core game loop.

"You’re given little in the way of direction unless you enable the tutorial, and are essentially left to your own devices"

While you’re going to be surviving and crafting by yourself in the beginning, soon enough, you’ll bring in villagers to your settlement. This will also eventually lead you to expanding your base of operations, and even turning it into a small town. These villagers are far from just window dressing, however. The villagers are the core method of automation in ASKA. It’s by getting these villagers and stationing them at various workstations that you start automatically getting your hands on simpler materials.

The villager system is quite clever, since once you get a few villagers in your settlement, you don’t really have to worry about getting your hands on the more basic materials like wood and stone anymore; the villagers will be more than happy to help earn their keep by setting out to cut down trees and smash up rocks. This automation goes even further. Since you often have to turn several low-level raw materials into mid-level refined materials, villagers can similarly be tasked to, for example, turning all of the fiber you find into ropes, which can then be used for more complex building recipes.

On the other hand, the same villager system also makes the design for the earlier parts of the game suffer. Getting basic materials, especially in the beginning, can be an absolute drag. Unless you’re a fan of picking up stray stones on the ground, for example, you’re going to want to smash down some of the bigger rocks in your area. And smashing down these big rocks is a surprisingly massive undertaking. Even if you have the right tool for the job, you’re going to spend several seconds—maybe even a full minute—holding down the harvest key as your character chips away at a massive boulder. This aspect makes it feel like you were never really meant to be breaking up these giant rocks by yourself; the villagers are supposed to be handling these menial tasks.

"The villagers are the core method of automation in ASKA."

ASKA doesn’t feel like it’s trying to be a meditative, desolate experience in comparison to something like Valheim. Once you start bringing them in, villagers are going to be running around all over the place in order to complete the tasks you set them on, and aside from maybe the first hour or so, you’re not really going to get the lonesome experience that single player survival crafting games often tend to engender. ASKA also features a multiplayer mode for absolute chaos as well, since each player can essentially have their own villages, with their own villagers running around and farming or cutting down trees.

The exploration is where ASKA starts to really feel like an early access title. Make no mistake; ASKA is definitely a decent looking game, and there are also times when the randomly-generated world will throw out a gorgeous vista for you to stare in awe at. Rather, the fact that there isn’t really much to do in the game when you set out to explore other than maybe find more resources or take down some new enemies. In my time with ASKA, I wasn’t able to find a boss fight to start preparing for like I would in Valheim, for example, and most of the biomes in the game are still relatively same-y, with just different variations on forests and beaches.

There does seem to be a bit of content planned for the game throughout its early access period, however, since the title also features a dynamic weather system that doesn’t really affect you that much, even in the early game, aside from perhaps making you feel slightly colder than you would have otherwise. The core pull in ASKA right now feels like it might just be the building and town management parts. The crafting and building systems on their own are generic enough where it would be difficult to identify the game by those aspects alone in a sea of other survival crafting titles, and the villager system offers up just enough of a unique identity and potential for further expansion down the line.

"The crafting and building systems on their own are generic enough"

As it currently stands, ASKA feels relatively generic when compared to other games in the genre. The title certainly has some decent foundations, and with some tweaks, could even go on to be one of the stronger survival crafting games out there. Currently, however, aside from the villager system where you can automate parts of the game by having villagers gather materials and craft tools for you, there just isn’t enough unique or interesting about the game to warrant spending too much time with it. Thankfully, it’s just an early access release, and ASKA still has plenty of time to expand on some of its more interesting ideas and gameplay mechanics.

This game was previewed on PC.

Destiny 2: The Final Shape

Say what you will about the Destiny franchise, but with all the ups and downs, shifting trends, studio problems and controversies, it’s still the top looter shooter. With The Final Shape, Bungie looks to conclude the near-decade-long Light and Darkness saga with new Light-based subclasses, Prismatic (combining many abilities into one subclass), a linear campaign and a hopefully memorable raid. It’s a tall order, and between all of the changes to Exotics, ability changes, new Exotics (including new class items) overhauling bounties in favor of the Pathfinder system and more, The Final Shape could be a memorable end leading to a promising beginning when it launches on June 4th. It will be available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC.

Monster Hunter Stories

Limited to Nintendo 3DS, iOS and Android for years, the first Monster Hunter Stories is finally coming to modern-ish platforms on June 14th. Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC players can dive into a world where humans and monsters coexist, working together as Rider and Monstie to overcome challenges. Combat is turn-based with three attack types, each overcoming the typical triangular fashion. The remaster sports all the title updates, full voice-acting, additional languages, improved character models, textures and lighting in HD, and even a Museum Mode.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin

Once PS4 players are done enjoying the original, there’s Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, launching on the same day. Players take ownership of the mysterious Razewing Ratha, an allegedly ruinous Rathalos. Journeying together and teaming up with other Riders, they seek to rid the world of raging monsters. With a more refined presentation, recognizable armor and weapons from the series, and extensive ways to cultivate and customize Monsties, Wings of Ruin promises a fun turn-based experience. It also benefits from all of the updates released to date, including a co-op quest against Fatalis.

Still Wakes the Deep

Dear Esther and Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs developer The Chinese Room is back with its latest survival horror, set on a drilling platform in 1975. The premise sees Caz McLeary struggling to survive against some unknown monster while navigating the platform’s various mechanical failures. That means navigating ruined walkways, traversing claustrophobic water-filled rooms, and much more. With The Thing, Suspiria and even the Southern Reach Trilogy as inspirations, Still Wakes the Deep promises a deeply personal and nerve-wracking horror experience when it launches on June 18th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Perhaps the biggest release of the month, Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only paid expansion for Elden Ring, launching on June 21st for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5 and PC. It sees players venturing to the Land of Shadow to pursue Miquella, discovering hidden truths (including an untold war) about the place and battling with new threats like Messmer the Impaler. With over ten new boss fights, multiple new weapon types, skills and armor, and a new region that’s larger than Limgrave with a “denser and richer level design”, it’s FromSoftware’s biggest expansion to date. Will it close the story on a high note? We’ll have to wait and find out.

Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD

Before there was the brilliance of Luigi’s Mansion 3, Dark Moon was the series’ peak. Fortunately, it’s coming to Nintendo Switch on June 27th as Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD. Featuring improved visuals in HD, Luigi must collect pieces of the Dark Moon to save Mario once more, utilizing the Poltergust 5000 to solve puzzles in more complex haunted mansions. You can also hop into the ScareScraper with up to three other players to tackle fresh challenges locally or online. Whether you’re reliving the masterpiece or playing for the first time, it should be another worthwhile addition to the Switch’s library.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble

Speaking of returns, Super Monkey Ball gets a new title on June 25th on Nintendo Switch, courtesy of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble features AiAi, MeeMee and the rest of the crew, including newcomer Palette, as they seek the Legendary Banana in Adventure Mode. Multiplayer supports up to 16 players online (or two locally), with modes like Race, Banana Hunt, Goal Rush and more. It even supports bots and offers more than 300 items to customize characters with.

Star Wars: Hunters

First announced in February 2021, Zynga’s Star Wars: Hunters actually soft-launched in late 2021 for mobiles. Multiple delays later, it’s finally getting a release on June 4th, enabling Nintendo Switch players to join the fray. As a free-to-play competitive shooter, players can choose from an array of bounty hunters divided into Tank, Support and Damage roles, with maps on Endor, and four unique modes. Whether it can survive as a hero shooter in this day and age remains to be seen, but it looks decent.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road

After bragging about offering the “equivalent of more than ten single-player games” with The Elder Scrolls Online, ZeniMax Online Studios is preparing for its next big expansion. Gold Road sees players venturing to the West Weald from Oblivion with locations like Skingrad, the Dawnwood and the Colovian Highlands to explore. Players can modify skills with the new Scribing system, which should help when embarking into new dungeons and the latest trial. The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road is out on June 3rd for PC, with the console versions launching on June 18th.

A Twisted Path to Renown

You’ve seen modern combat PvEvP extraction shooters, but Game-Labs’ A Twisted Path to Renown puts a Wild West spin on things. Entering early access on June 6th for PC, it sees players exploring the United States in 1899 with revolvers, double-barrel shotguns and even bows. Battle all kinds of threats, including hostile wildlife, while garnering reputation among vendors, earning better gear, and even engaging in some farming and mining. With realistic weapons and trading available at launch, it may very well be the freshest take on the genre yet.

ASKA

Whether you’re already done with Valheim’s new Ashlands update or just in the mood for a fresh survival crafting title, there’s Thunderful’s ASKA. Launching on June 20th for PC via Steam Early Access, the title allows up to four players to strike out as Vikings, building up their tribe, assigning jobs to villagers, customizing the layout and setting up defenses. They can also venture into the procedurally generated world with its dynamic weather system and discover various landmarks and resources. Launching in 2025, with two major updates forthcoming, ASKA may be worth checking out.

Kingdom Hearts Series (Steam)

Just when it seemed condemned to the Epic Games Store for life, the Kingdom Hearts series is finally coming to Steam on June 13th. Three titles will be available, though at least two are collections of individual games. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX contains the Final Mix versions of Kingdom Hearts 1, 2 and Birth by Sleep, Re:Chain of Memories and all the cutscenes (plus some new ones) from 358/2 Days and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded.

These are in high-definition and offer a substantial amount for first-time PC players. Kingdom HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue contains a remaster of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, a “film” of sorts based on Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover and Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage, a side story.

It all leads to Kingdom Hearts 3, the conclusion to the Dark Seeker saga, and Re Mind, with multiple new challenges and additional story content. Memory of Melody isn’t arriving, which is a bummer, but these three releases still offer the definitive Kingdom Hearts experience.