Red Dead Redemption 2 is also playable on the service but as a downloadable title for PS4 and PS5 until November 1st. Other titles like Nioh 2, NASCAR Heat 5, Moving Out and God of War seem to be a permanent part of PlayStation Now, though this could change down the line. It’s worth noting that Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – The Official Video Game, which released only recently, has also been added.

Regarding the future, Sony is reportedly planning a new PlayStation event and is rumored to showcase the first trailer for the next God of War. The company also recently announced Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut which adds new content in the form of the Iki Island expansion. It also brings PS5-specific features like DualSense support, dynamic 4K/60 FPS gameplay and much more.

We’re on the cusp of the weekend and, hopefully, for you that means a time to kick back and relax. For a lot of people it’s a time to unwind and play some video games and, as often is the case for Xbox users, it also means some free days of play for select titles. This weekend is no different, and it’s a mix of some childhood favorites of racing and superheroes.

This weekend for Xbox Live Gold subscribers you’ll be able to play Injustice 2, the fighting game from NetherRealm studios that sees your favorite DC character duking it out in an alternate universe. DC FanDome is next weekend, so there’s a chance Injustice 3 could be announced there, so perfect time to catch up. You also can burn some rubber with NASCAR Heat 5, the latest entry in the racing series that lets you jump into the seat of your favorite NASCAR driver in hopes of winning some races.

Both NASCAR Heat 5 and Injustice 2 will be free to play for Gold members up until August 16th. Both games are also discounted if you really enjoy what you play.  You can read full details through here.

The simulation is subtle; the game doesn’t beat you over the head with it’s difficulty, and there are ample options to modify the extent of the realism to suit your skill and playing style. If you want, it’s possible to turn NASCAR Heat 5 into a fun, almost arcade-style racing game. But it’s also possible to crank it up to a highly realistic simulation. That ability to tweak the level of difficulty in a meaningful way is much appreciated, as it allows you to ease yourself into the mechanics of the game if you need to, and to slowly take the training wheels off as you get better.

The game doesn’t offer a ton of content on the surface, but what is here is enjoyable. The crux of the game is its career mode, where you create a custom driver and guide them through their NASCAR career. You can start at any of three different levels in the career; you can choose to begin in the small stages, to start in the middle, or even to begin already in the big leagues. This makes the career mode a little less daunting of a proposition. It’s possible to invest days into a single playthrough, or to start later for a smaller-scale experience.

"The career mode doesn’t go as far into depth as some other games, but it’s still an enjoyable experience."

Interestingly, the lowest level in the career mode, the offroad circuit, is actually the most difficult, at least in my experience. The cars handle completely differently in dirt and mud, which is what all of these tracks consist of. You have to be a lot more precise in your speed and turning than you would on the asphalt tracks. This isn’t a knock against the game, mind you. In fact, it’s a sign of realistic simulation. But it is worth noting that if you’re brand new to the game, it may be easier to start the career mode in one of the higher circuits.

The career mode doesn’t go as far into depth as some other games, but it’s still an enjoyable experience. As you run through each of the races in a season, you’ll get offered contracts to sign with different teams, based on your standings in the season. These contracts come with additional challenges that can be completed to earn extra money. These usually require to finish a certain amount of races in a certain position before the end of the season. Of course, if you’re ambitious, you can also start your own team. This means taking on all of the responsibilities of managing it, and I’d only recommend doing this after you’ve already played through the career mode a couple of times.

Another fun feature is the ability to interact with other drivers. Your behavior on the racetrack can actually affect your reputation within the circuit. Drive aggressively, and you’ll gain a reputation as an aggressive racer. Other drivers can comment on your behavior after races in a sort of fake social media event that occurs after most races. Here, a couple of the drivers will send you messages, and you can choose to respond positively or negatively, and affect your reputation accordingly. It’s not deep, by any means. You basically just choose if you want to be a jerk or not. But still, it’s a fun little aspect of the career mode, and it helps add a small amount of role-play investment in the career mode.

"The audio department isn’t quite as great. The cars sound decent enough, but some audio clipping did pop up from time to time, and the few voice lines that are played get repetitive quickly."

Aside from that, there’s also a quick race option that allows you to pick up a game and race, and a circuit mode where you complete a series of races within a specific tournament. These are fun options for when you don’t want to get into the full experience of the career mode but for the most part they’re pretty barebones. Multiplayer is similar; it’s fun, but it’s nothing particularly special. The game does offer same-screen multiplayer, however, which is rare these days and always appreciated.

The game holds up decently production-wise. The visuals, and the cars in particular, look really good. The models are crisp and the different vehicles are instantly recognizable. In the rest of the graphics, the developers have opted for an exaggerated, almost cartoonish style. Bright, vibrant colors pop out at you, and character models have large, distinct features. It’s a stark contrast to the realistic mechanics, but it kind of works here. The bright colors help the game stay visually appealing, which is important in a game where you spend most of your time driving the same circle over and over. The character models aren’t anything to write home about, but you don’t see them too often, and they get the job done.

The audio department isn’t quite as great. The cars sound decent enough, but some audio clipping did pop up from time to time, and the few voice lines that are played get repetitive quickly. The licensed music tracks do as well. The game has a handful of licensed songs, most of them indie-rock music, that play over the menus. They’re charming at first, but they quickly grow repetitive. Thankfully, you can control every facet of the audio from the options menu.

"If you’re looking for a good, solid racing experience, with the option for a deeper simulation, you could do a lot worse than NASCAR Heat 5."

NASCAR Heat 5 plays it pretty safe overall. There’s nothing here that’s particularly new or innovative, and if you’re looking for something that will blow you away, this is not the game. It doesn’t change the racing genre, and it doesn’t really do much to change up the NASCAR series formula, either. But this doesn’t make it a bad game. It knows what it sets out to do, and it does it well. The racing is fun, fast, and fluid. The career mode is engaging and replayable without becoming overly complicated, and the multiplayer offers a fun experience, especially with a friend sharing the couch with you. If you’re looking for a good, solid racing experience, with the option for a deeper simulation, you could do a lot worse than NASCAR Heat 5.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox One.

NASCAR Heat 5, the latest version of the racing sim franchise, is out tomorrow for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. 704Games has unleashed a launch trailer for the same, highlighting the game’s numerous features. However, those who own the Gold Edition can actually start playing right now.

For those on the fence, NASCAR Heat 5 includes a new track testing mode for single-player with 34 different tracks. Online multiplayer supports up to 40 players but you can also partake in two-player split-screen. A number of changes have also been made to pit stops, DNFs (aka did not finish) and so on.

While not necessarily the biggest leap forward for the franchise, NASCAR Heat 5 might be worth checking out for fans of the sport. For more details on last year’s iteration, NASCAR Heat 4, check out our review here. We’ll see how much the sequel managed to improve on its predecessor in the coming weeks and months.

TrackMania

Serving as a reboot of TrackMania Nations, TrackMania closely follows the series’ formula. You’ll race across 25 different tracks, test out track and replay editors, and even enjoy user-made course. That’s all part of free access though. Standard Access, which costs $10 per year, grants access to the full track and replay editors, the “Track of the Day” selection and all “Track of the Day” and official campaign tracks. There’s also Club Access for $30 per year which provides even more exclusive content and league participation. Honestly, we’ll have to wait and see how the gameplay and content shakes out but the game is looking good. It’s out on July 1^st for PC.

Marvel’s Iron Man VR

After a short delay, Marvel’s Iron Man VR is set to release on July 3^rd, exclusively for PlayStation VR. Based off the Marvel Comics version of the Armored Avenger, the story sees Tony Stark battling the mysterious hacktivist Ghost who’s repurposed old Stark Industries weapons. Set in various locations around the world, players will fly, fight and shoot down drones with the Iron Man suit. Though movement takes some getting used to, Camouflaj’s commitment to immersion and translating the property faithfully to VR seems to have paid. With an 8 to 10 hours of gameplay, there should be enough here to keep fans entertained.

Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing In Disguise

Agent York returns but this isn’t a straightforward sequel to Hidetaka Suehiro’s cult classic. The story alternates between FBI agent Aaliyah Davis, who re-opens a once solved case in the present, and a younger Francis York Morgan who travels to Le Carré in New Orleans in the past to investigate some strange murders. Alternating between the two characters, the sequel still offers that signature brand of bizarre humor and horror. Plus, York is capable of skate-boarding and river-riding in the middle of solving murders. Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise releases on July 10^th for Nintendo Switch.

CrossCode

Radical Fish Games’ excellent 16-bit style action RPG is finally coming to Xbox One, PS4 and Nintendo Switch on July 9^th. CrossCode takes place in a virtual playspace called CrossWorlds with the protagonist Lea trying to recover her memory. The combat is completely real-time and focuses on fast-paced combos, aided by more than 90 Combat Arts. Each console version (along with PC) will have a unique mini dungeon, boss fight and miniquest, all culminating in “something” down the line. Whatever it may be, this is an old-school tribute you shouldn’t miss.

F1 2020

The next iteration in Codemasters’ yearly F1 franchise brings Career Mode revamps, My Team mode, new tracks and much more. My Team is especially interesting since it allows for creating and managing a team, bringing in staff, hiring another driver and partaking in races to keep things afloat. As for Career Mode, players can now adjust the duration of a season, opting for either 10 races or going with the full 22 race stint. With 22 circuits and 20 drivers, F1 2020 will release on July 10^th for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Google Stadia.

NASCAR Heat 5

Though probably not the first racing sim to come to mind, the NASCAR Heat series has nonetheless been chugging along for the past few years, garnering decent critical acclaim. As the latest iteration for PC, Xbox One and PS4, NASCAR Heat 5 promises re-imagined gameplay, changes to pit stops and DNF for races, and a new track-testing mode for single-player. Otherwise, expect a faithful take on the 2020 NASCAR season (such as it is) when the game releases on July 10^th.

Death Stranding (PC)

Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding is finally coming to PC with support for higher frame rates, Ultra-widescreen support and other graphical improvements. The story of Sam “Porter” Bridges as he treks across the United Cities of America, fending off the BTs in an attempt to reconnect the country, is still every bit as weird as last year. Except now we can experience it in 60 frames per second and 1080p resolution. The gameplay is unorthodox yet familiar with systems upon systems to manage and that’s not even getting into the whole Strand multiplayer. Nonetheless, Death Stranding should be worth checking out for PC players when it launches on July 14^th.

Ghost of Tsushima

When the Mongol invasion hits Tsushima and wipes out Jin Sakai’s clan, he embarks on a quest to rid the island of the invaders. Hack and slash combat with various stances, parries and deathblows are expected but Jin can also play the Ghost, sneaking into camps and using subterfuge to stealthily assassinate foes. Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima is being touted as the developer’s biggest game till date with a variety of lush environments to explore, foes to battle and sidestories to experience. This is in addition to duels against powerful swordsmen and a black and white filter that channels classic samurai cinema. Ghost of Tsushima is out on July 17^th for PS4.

Paper Mario: The Origami King

Perhaps the bigger Switch title to look forward to in July is Paper Mario: The Origami King. As the long-awaited follow-up in the series, the story sees the Mushroom Kingdom under siege by King Olly. Everything is turned into Origami and it’s up to Mario, Bowser and Olivia to push back against the assault. Along with a variety of puzzles and a stellar origami aesthetic dotting the world – which is exploited by the new 1000-Fold Arms that can tear off parts of the environment – combat is based off of a ring system. Players will need to line up enemies within different sections and then attack. In terms of ridiculous epicness, Paper Mario: The Origami King is shaping up well en route to its July 17^th release.

Destroy All Humans!

It wouldn’t be a line-up of games without some remaster or remake coming out. To that end, Pandemic Studios’ Destroy All Humans!, which is being remade by Black Forest Games, warrants attention. It focuses on an alien named Crypto who’s come to Earth in pursuit of human DNA. Along with gliding, dashing and shooting humans, Crypto also has a flying saucer to spray laser death on unsuspecting folk. The remake features motion capture, updated character models and cutscenes, and the previously cut “Lost Mission of Area 41”. Time will tell just how good it feels but if the remake captures the original’s essence of hilarity and action, it should be a blast. Destroy All Humans! Releases on July 28^th for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Google Stadia.