Topping the list for player engagement in the US on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S for the week ending on April 19 is Call of Duty, which has been dominating the charts since its release. This is followed by other big games, like Fortnite, Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto 5 (Remastered), Roblox, Marvel Rivals, NBA 2K25, and Madden NFL 25. The list is largely dominated by major live-service releases and sports titles, with a few premium titles here and there.

Interestingly, Xbox Series X/S player charts saw the rise of indie game Crime Scene Cleaner this week. South of Midnight and Assassin’s Creed Shadows also make their presence known in terms of player engagement. On the PlayStation side of things, RoboCop: Rogue City and Hogwarts Legacy are still on the charts despite having come out quite some time ago.

On PC, Marvel Rivals, Counter-Strike 2, R.E.P.O., and Schedule I are dominating the charts across Canada, the US, and Mexico. One of the bigger newcomers to the player engagement charts this week is the recent survival crafting game RuneScape Dragonwilds. Monster Hunter Wilds is also present on the list, albeit slipping down the ranks in the US and Canada.

The Steam player data indicates that, while live service games like Counter-Strike 2 and Marvel Rivals are still incredibly popular, there has also been an appetite for indie co-op games, with titles like Schedule I and R.E.P.O..

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle being missing from the lists on PS5 is quite interesting, since Piscatella reported earlier this week that the PS5 version of game was the best-selling releases for the same week in the US. It sold well enough to hit #1 on the weekly charts as well.

Data by Alinea Analytics has indicated that the PS5 version of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is currently on track to beat the PC and Xbox Series X/S versions of the game in terms of pace of sales. When compared to the game’s launch week on PC and Xbox, the PS5 version has been selling around 28 percent more copies in the same period of time.

Our own analysis of the PS5 release praised the game for being an outstanding port from the Xbox Series X/S and PC versions. The difference between the console versions has been negligent, with frame rates staying at a near-constant 60 FPS during gameplay. When compared to the PC version, however, the PS5 release falls behind in terms of both quality and performance.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. For more details, check out our review of the recent PS5 version.

Circana Player Engagement Tracker – Top 15 Titles by Total Weekly Active Users (Not Concurrent) – W/E Apr 19, 2025- RuneScape: Dragonwilds debuts in top 10 on both Steam US and CAN- Crime Scene Cleaner ranks 11th on XBX with Game Pass launch- Hogwarts Legacy jumps from 32nd on 13th with PS+ add

— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2025-04-28T15:31:29.519Z

Several other titles will become available for Standard on consoles starting February 5th, including Another Crab’s Treasure, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, and, surprisingly, Starfield (Xbox Series X/S). On February 6th, Madden NFL 25 will become playable through EA Play for Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

February 13th sees the debut of Kingdom Two Crowns on Ultimate/Standard for cloud and console. Then there’s arguably the biggest release for the service – Obsidian Entertainment’s Avowed. It’s available on February 18th for Ultimate and PC Game Pass on cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/S (with reviews going live on February 13th).

Several titles will also leave the service on February 15th, and it’s a significant list. Of course, Game Pass subscribers get a 20 percent discount if they want to keep any of them permanently. Check out the titles below:

• A Little to the Left (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Bloodstained Ritual of the Night (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• EA Sports UFC 3 (Console) EA Play
• Indivisible (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Merge and Blade (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Return to Grace (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Tales of Arise (Cloud, Console, and PC)

As per Insider Gaming, February will also see Microsoft continuing its rollout of Activision Blizzard titles for the Game Pass catalog. Allegedly joining the service’s library next month are acclaimed platformer Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time and Blizzard Entertainment’s MOBA Heroes of the Storm. The two will also be joined by Madden NFL 25, which will be available to Game Pass Ultimate subscribers via EA Play, it’s claimed.

Presumably, Microsoft will officially announce this in the final days of January. February will also see the Game Pass launch of Obsidian Entertainment’s fantasy action RPG Avowed for Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown

Developer KT Racing’s most ambitious title to date has landed Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown a place on this rundown despite an onslaught of issues resulting predominantly from it’s always-online requirement. First, the good: Solar Crown’s Hong Kong open world is consistently complex and interesting, and the car feel – whilst not perfect – is a step up from Test Drive Unlimited 2. The bad however outweighs the good: time wasting bugs, server issues even when racing solely against AI, and inconsistent, non-adjustable difficulty settings makes Solar Crown a racer steeped in promise but with much to fix.

EA Sports College Football 25 ranked second on the list, dropping one rank from its debut but remaining the best-selling title of the year (with Madden NFL 25 in 12th). Then there’s the EA Sports MVP Bundle, containing both football titles, which came in at fourth place but became the fourth best-selling game of the year thus far in dollar sales.

As for other releases during the month, Star Wars Outlaws debuted in third place, Visions of Mana ranked tenth, and Gundam Breaker 4 in 11th. Total projected spending on hardware, content, and accessories reached $4.1 billion, dropping by seven percent versus the same month last year. However, year-to-date spending topped $36.3 billion, a one percent increase.

August 2024 U.S. Video Game Market Highlights from Circana – Projected U.S. total spending on video game hardware, content and accessories fell 7% during August 2024 versus a year ago, to $4.1B. A 5% increase in Mobile content spending was offset by declines across other areas.

— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2024-10-11T13:16:33.331Z

2024 year-to-date spending is now 1% higher than a year ago, at $36.3B. 4% growth in video game content spending (driven by Mobile), and an 8% increase in accessories has thus far offset a 28% drop in video game hardware spending.

— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2024-10-11T13:16:52.412Z

August 2024 Top 20 Best-Selling Premium Games – U.S. (Dollar Sales, Physical and Digital from digital data sharing publishers, excludes add-on content)

— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2024-10-11T13:17:07.902Z

Year-to-Date Ending August 2024 Top 20 Best-Selling Premium Games – U.S. (Dollar Sales, Physical and Digital from digital data sharing publishers, excludes add-on content)

— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2024-10-11T13:17:27.712Z

Madden NFL 25 was the best-selling video game of August 2024 – the 25th consecutive year in which a new Madden NFL franchise release was the best-selling title in its release month. This streak began with the release of Madden NFL 2001 in August of 2000.

— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2024-10-11T13:17:34.210Z

The EA Sports MVP Bundle, which includes both the EA Sports College Football 25 Deluxe Edition and Madden NFL 25 Deluxe Edition, ranked 4th in August after placing 2nd in July, and finished August as the #4 best-selling game in year-to-date dollar sales.

— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2024-10-11T13:17:39.214Z

EA Sports College Football 25 remained the best-selling title of 2024 year-to-date after placing 2nd in August. Other new releases appearing among August’s top 20 best-sellers included Star Wars: Outlaws (3rd overall), Visions of Mana (10th) and Gundam Breaker 4 (11th).

— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2024-10-11T13:17:48.811Z

Quick Selling Cards

Non-platinum cards can be sold for Training Points. Once you have opened up all your Packs, and checked for Set completion, be sure to quick sell the remaining Cards for whatever Training Points you can get.

Auction House Card Flips

After you run out of free Cards to flip for Training Points, head on over to the Auction House to buy more. The trick here is to make judicious use of the filters to get the most value for your Coin spends. First filter by OVR, limiting the pool to above 80, and below 85. You can go even more granular than that to a single number instead of a range, depending on how much supply and demand exists at the time.

Next filter by position, so you can identify by either Offense or Defense Types, and then target specific positions. Finally, you can focus on those given positions and get a broad overview of acceptable price ranges.

Once you have established the Coin to Training Point value for the cheapest cards of a given OVR, you will have a sense for the exchange rate. At this time, the cheapest 80 OVR will net you 1 Training Point for ~150 Coins. A slightly higher 81 OVR costs 210 Coins per Training Point, which is clearly not as profitable. However, a cheap 82 OVR can go for just 160 Coins per Training Point. Of course, none of these values are fixed, due to the dynamic market rates in the Auction House, so you will have to do your own calculations each and every time you need to farm Training Points.

You may even find deals for very low or very high OVR cards, which is entirely dependent on the time of the day, as well as the time of the week, based on the player base being online to play the game. Weekdays at night, and weekends, as well as national holidays are the best times to snap up deals.

Mystery Packs

The availability of these Packs may fluctuate, with an active countdown timer on them, but can be purchased with Training Points. Depending on the Coin cost of the Training Points used, as well as the contents of the Mystery Pack itself, you could potentially turn a large profit by selling the resulting cards as well, or even putting them towards Set completion.

At the current rate of 150 Coins per Training Point, a Mystery Pack which sells for 90 Training Points, technically costs 13500 Coins. Even a single 80 OVR pull from the Mystery Pack would turn an instant profit of several thousand Coins, which you could then flip again into more Training Points via the Auction House.

Those are all the legitimate methods to grind for Training Points in Madden NFL 25, for a no money spent playthrough.

Ultimate Team Settings

Navigate to Game Options using the relevant button prompt at the bottom of the screen to tweak some settings that are specific to Ultimate Team.

• Default Star Difficulty

Set this slider to On. This will max out the difficulty in order to receive the correspondingly higher reward for any given game.

• Event Type

Set to Quick Presentation. This will shorten your session times, ensuring that you spend as much time as possible actually playing the game. Very helpful during Coin farming runs.

• Accelerated Clock

Set to On. Another setting that maximizes your time.

• Minimum Play Clock Time

The shorter the better for the same purpose of speeding up wait times between plays.

Open Packs

Do not neglect to open all of your starter packs. Even if the contents are not worth holding on to, their trade value will help build your currency pool towards better alternatives from the Auction House or the store. However, first ensure that none of these items can be put towards completion of a Set.

OVR Band

This new system gives you some indication of what you can expect from a given pack in terms of OVR, before spending Coins on it. This is useful if you are seeking specific OVR players while building your dream team. Naturally, the higher the OVR, the lower the chance of successfully getting the card from a Pack.

Set Completion

Themed sets are a great way to net high-value card rewards that you can then populate your team with. Simply check and see if you have any sets that are close to completion, and then acquire the remaining items from the Auction House to complete the set and claim your reward. Some sets involve nothing more than completion of certain easy Challenges.

Generate Best Lineup

Once you have gathered a collection of diverse cards, it can be difficult and time-consuming to sift through them and make the right choices for player roles. Instead, rely on Generate Best Lineup to perform a variety of functions from assembling the entire team to only filling the empty slots.

Solo Challenges

These ever-evolving Challenges will test your patience with a variety of objectives and difficulties. Begin with Training Camp to test the waters and earn the initial Milestone tiers for rewards. Once done, you can graduate to Epic Challenges for much better rewards for correspondingly harder missions.

Solo Seasons

Another offline mode, this is the CPU counterpart to online multiplayer matches. While nowhere near as rewarding as Head 2 Head games, or even Solo Challenges, this is a reliable mode for learning the ropes while farming Coins and card Packs.

Solo Battles

This mode has you face-off against a daily rotating succession of CPU opponents. Playing and winning games raises your Battle Score, contributing to a progression track starting at Rookie, and going all the way to Legend. Each rank up bestows rewards in the form of Packs.

Head 2 Head

The most challenging among modes has you take on real players in a full season of games. Progression through the tiers and Divisions is made by winning games, and can net large Coin rewards in the multiple thousands.

Ranked Games

Both offline and online modes offer ranked play, ensuring that you always match up against teams of similar skill and challenge. There are 100 Ranks to rise through in order to claim bragging rights online.

Field Pass

These passes can be found under the Live tab and work just like Battle Passes. The progression track for each unlocks rewards ranging from Coins to Packs to Items. The most important pass is expectedly the Season Pass, of which there will be eight rotating over the course of the next year. Gameplay in the various modes earns the Points that go towards these various passes.

Those are all the basics covering Ultimate Team in Madden NFL 25.

Solo Battles

The easiest method to grind for Coins is Solo Battles. As you level up through the rankings in Solo Battles, beginning at Rookie all the way through Legend, you will reap both Coins, as well as Packs which can be traded away for more Coins. This progression system resets every Friday, offering up a perennial source of Coins and Packs. Battle Score difficulty multiplier will determine how many or few games you will have to actually play each week to reach Legend, with the hardest difficulty requiring a mere 12 games won over the course of a week.

Challenges

Grinding through Challenges is another easy method to farm Coins in Madden NFL 25. With a variety of objectives and difficulties to select from, the best payouts are obviously from the hardest Challenges. Time-limited and special events are another great source of high payout Challenges.

Solo Seasons

While the standard Solo Seasons may not be worth the effort, with just 300 Coins to be gained from the first Division, but only if all three games are won. Successive Divisions increase the payout, but not significantly.

Ultimate Solo Seasons are much harder, but the payouts are correspondingly far more lucrative with Coin payouts in the multiple thousands, as well as Packs. Going 30-0 can net 13.5K in Coins and 14 Packs.

Head 2 Head Seasons

Online games are the best source for Coins, but offer some variety to previous methods which are all versus the CPU. Weekends are the best time to find a greater selection of opponents, including those that might be closer to your skill level.

Selling Sets

Completing Item Sets and flipping them for the reward card, whether standard or Vintage, can be a source for a large amount of Coins in profit margin. Remember to factor in the 10% tax deducted from all card sales when calculating exactly how much your profit potential will be.

Flipping Cards

The Auction House provides a lucrative opportunity for players with good knowledge of both the market and the football season as it unfolds. Buying up cards at a reasonable market value with the intention of selling them later in anticipation of price hikes is known as flipping, and requires some degree of long-term foresight.

Sniping Cards

Another opportunity requires an eagle eye and quick thinking in order to snap up cards for less than their market value in order to sell them in the near term for a fast Coin profit. Judicious use of the Auction House filters can lead to some great deals while both buying and selling.

Those are all the legitimate methods to grind for Coins in Madden NFL 25, for a no money spent playthrough.

For all intents and purposes, Madden has been streamlined into three modes: Franchise, Ultimate Team, and Superstar. The three modes are broadly the same as they’ve always been, but they finally feel both mutually exclusive and exhaustive of the foundational modes I’d like to see in an NFL game. No more confusion about where various content lies; rather, it’s purely a franchise manager, deck-based team builder, and create-a-player, respectively. It’s definitely disappointing to see modes like The Yard still absent, but it’s certainly a refreshing change of pace to see the franchise rethink how different types of football gameplay are presented.

"Sure, it’s still the same old game, but with upgrades in key spots and a refined presentation that make minute-to-minute action feel as modern as it ever has, this version of Madden is a lot like a team with a high overall draft pick: rejuvenated, forward-looking, and ready to continue improving for years to come."

Of the three main modes, Franchise has finally and noticeably been reworked and despite some quirks, definitely feels more consistent and enjoyable over a longer period of time than past entries. The weekly off-the-field activities have become more prominent and important, as your actions as coach and general manager have more concrete, direct impacts on the field. You may be asked by a disgruntled player to receive a certain number of touches in the next game, or you may be asked by the press how you reacted to your team’s performance in the last game. Both of these can have positive and negative effects based on how you respond and how you play the next game. Even longer-term decisions can have an impact, such as that same player asking for a season touch total or your fans asking you to trade for an upgrade at a certain position.

On top of the off-field upgrades, the use of ubiquitous minigames throughout Franchise and the rest of this year’s Madden make the on-field gameplay more diverse. Though they don’t have huge impacts on player progression, short passing drills with the quarterback or tackling drills with a defender allow you opportunities to show your skills in non-game environments. I appreciate how many minigames are offered and how much freedom you have to play as many or as few as you’d like, giving you freedom to truly take control of progression or leave it to the computer.  With these, alongside familiar but refreshed and slightly faster menus and navigation, Franchise feels like it’s finally taken multiple steps forward. I’d still like to see it perform a bit more smoothly and provide more complex sets of decisions off the field, but I can say I thoroughly enjoyed my Franchise this year and plan to return to it over the coming months.

The other key mode that’s seen meaningful upgrades is Superstar, the player builder that allows you to create a player in one of five positions across offense or defense, get drafted, and lead or support your team in their quest for a Super Bowl. Taking cues from games like MLB The Show, your Superstar can be upgraded across multiple different modes, including Showdown against online opponents and The League as an offline, classic player builder mode. While playing and upgrading your Superstar, you will have decisions to make and questions to answer that determine certain player boosts for the coming game, but you also have Quests that provide longer-term goals and rewards for your accomplishments, like getting a certain number of passing yards in a game or touchdowns in a season. It can definitely take a bit to get used to, as my highly-ranked quarterback prospect was top 5 in both passing yards and interceptions in his rookie year, but the progression opportunities and wider range of gameplay possibilities make Superstar a great create-a-player mode, about as much as you can expect for a mode like this without a true story.

"On top of the off-field upgrades, the use of ubiquitous minigames throughout Franchise and the rest of this year’s Madden make the on-field gameplay more diverse."

Finally, Ultimate Team has seen fewer upgrades over past installments and, given the improvements in other modes this year, really sticks out as a broadly underdeveloped mode littered with unnecessary microtransactions. Progression continues to move at as slow a pace as exists within Madden, encouraging you to purchase in-game currency with real money to expedite the process, but the actual game tends to be less fun than the other modes, as you begin with and will have to use subpar players for an extended period of time. In addition, while the overall game has more polish than past years, the vast majority of the technical bugs I encountered were in Ultimate Team, particularly one recurring bug where my quarterback would be subbed in on defense and repeatedly called for offsides. Overall, if you’ve played an Ultimate Team in the past, this one will be no different, but the mode is itching for an overhaul like the ones the rest of the modes have been given.

Regardless of your mode, the on-field gameplay feels refined from last year and overall feels about as good as a recent football game has felt. The new “Boom Tech” makes a real difference in how ball handlers are controlled and tackled. Especially as skills improve, the ability to juke and break tackles, or alternatively to lay out opponents with a well-timed hit stick, feels fantastic to perform. Someone like Christian McCaffery, a sure outlier but a great showcase of the best of the best, can turn on a dime and stay on his feet through contact in ways unheard of in past games or with most other players, and in the end zone can use his new signature celebration to cap it all off.

Madden prides itself on its presentation, too, and this year has one of the largest jumps in presentation in a long while. Of course, menus are slightly refined with the streamlined modes, but visuals look truly gorgeous on the PS5. Character models can certainly feel wonky or occasionally unrepresentative of their real-life counterparts, but gameday atmospheres are undeniable, and the work to bring true-to-life stadiums into the game is apparent. Plus, there are two new broadcasting duos, including the great Mike Tirico and Greg Olsen, plus the first female play-by-play announcer in the series in Kate Scott. All three teams are fantastic with seemingly more analysis than normal, and while there are the expected lines that play at the wrong moments, the three broadcast duos successfully translate their real-world expertise and quality commentary into game form, often making you forget it’s not a real-life football game.

"Regardless of your mode, the on-field gameplay feels refined from last year and overall feels about as good as a recent football game has felt."

Madden NFL 25 surprised me. With so many mediocre or underwhelming entries in recent years, it’s hard to have high expectations for a Madden game, but like a high draft pick, this year’s entry gives the franchise some hope for continued improvements in coming years. The streamlined approach to modes makes it much easier to ground yourself in just a couple of places for the most refined gameplay, and while Ultimate Team still has a long way to go, Franchise and Superstar feel like they’re headed in the right direction. The additional inclusion of the “Boom Tech” ball carrier adjustments and the phenomenal new broadcast duos make on-field gameplay that much better as well. While it’s not a perfect game and there are still certainly major changes needed to improve various features or remove microtransactions altogether, Madden NFL 25 has put a lot of effort to improve some of the most-needed systems and modes in Madden, and this could very well be the start of a new era for the franchise.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Star Wars Outlaws

As the first open-world single-player Star Wars title (Star Wars Galaxies – never forget), Star Wars Outlaws launches on August 30th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, it follows Kay Vess and her companion, Nix, as they prepare for the biggest heist the Outer Rim has ever seen. Between building – and breaking – loyalties with various syndicates, traversing through different locations, hiring experts, and engaging with space battles, there’s a lot to do, and hopefully enough compelling reasons to do them.

SteamWorld Heist 2

Turn-based side-scrolling real-time aiming strategy returns with SteamWorld Heist 2. As Captain Quincy Leeway, players recruit other Steambots to solve a rampant water crisis, as pirates do. This means breaking into restricted bases and fighting against the oppressive navy, among other threats. Alongside real-time naval combat in the overworld, there’s a new Job system, allowing each Steambot to equip different weapons to change their class and abilities. Level up, and you can mix and match skills for potent combinations. SteamWorld Heist 2 launches on August 8th for PS4, PS5, PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Sam and Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Remastered

After what seems like forever, Sam and Max are back again, once again, this time in a remaster of Telltale’s 2010 adventure. The adventure sees the Freelance Police dealing with a galaxy-trotting group of villains after Max gains psychic powers that quickly spiral out of control. The latter allows for all kinds of techniques, like mind-reading and clairvoyance, but there’s still the usual range of unorthodox characters and baffling puzzles (now with a new hint system) to experience. With updated lighting, lip-syncing, music and more, the remaster is a great way to visit the duo’s last video game adventure when it launches on August 14th for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Xbox)

Ember Lab’s acclaimed 3D action adventure finally comes to Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One on August 15th. It includes the Anniversary DLC for new outfits, Spirit Guide Trials, and New Game Plus, which offers more challenging battles. Xbox players also get pirate hats for their Rot (a likely nod to Sea of Thieves), alongside a Golden Rot skin and unique staff. As insignificant as those seem, experiencing Kena’s adventure for $39.99 is a pretty decent deal.

Madden NFL 25

After College Football 25 launched and captured the hearts of millions, what does Madden NFL 25 bring to the table when it launches on August 16th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and PC? Besides new broadcast teams and a revamped Franchise mode, there’s BOOM Tech for dynamic, physics-based tackling. Carrier balance and recovery have also received some retooling, allowing you to take some hits and still push through. It sounds decent, but will it be enough to compete with College Football? We’ll find out soon.

Black Myth: Wukong

Four years after its initial announcement, Game Science’s Black Myth: Wukong will launch on August 20th for PS5 and PC. Inspired by Journey to the West, you control the Destined One, wielding an extendable staff and engaging in battles with over 100 different enemies across about 15 hours of gameplay. Between the fast-paced melee combat, dodging, and magic, it boasts some truly spectacular visuals courtesy of Unreal Engine 5.

Dustborn

From Red Thread Games, the developer of Dreamfall Chapters, Dustborn is an odd adventure game where you road-trip as Pax across a dystopian republic to deliver a package. The twist is that she’s an Anomal, who can use words to force others to obey her will. When you’re not bashing robots or navigating conversations with an eclectic cast, you’re making decisions with supposedly major ramifications on the story. Dustborn arrives on August 20th and will be available for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Concord

The Freerunner crew of Firewalk Studios’ upcoming hero shooter didn’t receive the most enthusiastic response following the open beta. Nevertheless, Concord promises 12 maps and six modes at launch with the same roster while offering hundreds of earnable customization items, several unique Variants per character, and no Battle Pass. Will it warrant a better response, especially for $39.99? Time will tell, but Concord is out on August 23rd for PS5 and PC.

World of Warcraft: The War Within

Following Dragonflight, World of Warcraft is embarking on a brand new trilogy, with The War Within as the first part. Set in Khaz Algar, with four unique zones, eight new dungeons and a brand new zone await. There are also new activities like Delves (which can be completed solo or co-op) alongside new Hero Talents, talents and abilities to go with the increased level cap. World of Warcraft: The War Within arrives on August 22nd for PC.

Core Keeper

While the year has seen several compelling sandbox titles, Pugstorm’s Core Keeper has racked up some respectable numbers (91 percent positive reviews, over 2 million players) since its early access launch in 2022. The premise is simple: Venture into a cavern with up to eight players and mine your way to the Core. Collect resources, craft better tools and weapons, automate processes, fish, explore, and battle powerful Titans across multiple biomes. With 1.0 launching on August 27th for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC, we can’t wait to see what else it offers.

Gundam Breaker 4

Gundam Evolution may be dead, but Bandai Namco Entertainment has a good substitute – the next Gundam Breaker. Launching on August 29th for PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch, the action RPG allows extensive customization using more than 250 kits. You can then take your creation into battle, breaking off more parts and further augmenting your creation. With optional online modes and a Diorama function for admiring your units, Gundam Breaker 4 promises to be an enthusiast’s dream come true (and at a far more affordable price).

Monster Jam Showdown

The month is surprisingly slim on racing titles, but Milestone’s Monster Jam Showdown may fix that when it launches on August 29th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch. As with previous titles, you’ll control various monster trucks in off-road locations, whether it’s in the non-linear Showdown Tour or optimizing tricks in Extreme Freestyle mode. With over 40 trucks and ten modes, it’s a different racing experience that may be worth dabbling with.

Squirrel with a Gun

At first, Squirrel with a Gun appears to be just that. However, Dee Dee Creations’ title is also a sandbox shooter with some puzzling and platforming. You could spend time disposing of the strange Agents out to get you with rocket launchers, grenade launchers, six-shooters, and whatnot, or ride around the neighborhood, helping or harassing its citizens. It’s out on August 29th for PC, and Xbox Series X/S and PC this Fall.

Deathbound

If you’re seeking a more traditional Souls-like experience, there’s Deathbound, set in a medieval world at odds with its sci-fi roots. The main hook is channeling fallen warriors and using their abilities in combat. Synergizing spirits and building up the sync meter for a powerful attack is key, though plenty of challenging foes await to put you down. Deathbound launches on August 8th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, and promises over 20 hours of gameplay and New Game Plus.

Level Zero: Extraction

Extraction shooters are probably the most well-worn trend that barely got started, but Level Zero: Extraction could break out with its twists. Teaming with two other players, utilizing various military weapons with extensive customization, your job is to garner loot and extract. However, all kinds of threats are present on each map, from mines to mutants. Opposing players can also control a powerful alien with cloaking abilities and an EMP. Level Zero: Extraction enters early access for PC on August 13th, with two maps and 16 weapons. As a weird combination of Escape from Tarkov, GTFO, and more, it could be a dark horse.