Well, it’s finally available on iOS, Android, and PC, but the reception on Steam is far from positive. The battle royale party hybrid has a “Mixed” rating with only 44 percent of its 1,418 user reviews approving. Much of the criticism stems from the game’s monetization, including skins costing as high as $60, a gacha mechanic, numerous battle passes, a subscription, signature moves, and everyone’s favorite – the incessant nagging to spend.

“In what world can you get a whole, fully featured, actually fun racing game for less than the price of two skins here?” asks one reviewer, referring to Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. And while some reviews point out the misinformation of skins providing pay-to-win benefits, they’re not calling the monetization anything less than predatory either.

Even if it is 100 percent playable without spending money, there are several other pressing issues, including “large round mobile game buttons that eat your screen” in the UI, Kernel-level anti-cheat, delays when picking up items, and perhaps worst of all, “Almost nothing about Sonic gameplay carried into this game, except the characters.”

Neither Sega nor Rovio has said anything about fixes or improvements. However, with a peak concurrent player count of 5,465, perhaps they’re content to focus on the mobile gaming market and quietly ignore the Steam rating.

The Midnight Walk

A claymation adventure with stop-motion visuals, unfolding in a dark fantasy world where you must protect a lantern being and its flame from monsters in the dark – say what you will, but The Midnight Walk offers a solid premise. Offering five tales of tense chases, puzzle solving, stealth and simply awe-inspiring visuals, The Midnight Walk launches on May 8th for PS5, PC, PlayStation VR2 and SteamVR.

Spirit of the North 2

Following the underrated original, Spirit of the North 2 again sees players venturing through a gorgeous open world as a fox. Your goal is to cleanse the guardians and defeat Grimnir, a dark shaman, but each biome promises extensive secrets, including powerful runes and abilities. For those seeking a more laidback adventure, Spirit of the North 2 launches on May 8th for Xbox Series X/S, PC and PS5.

The Precinct

Remember American Fugitive, which offered an old-school GTA-like experience? The Precinct is from the same studio, but this time, you’re a police officer in Averno City, upholding the law. It’s an intriguing twist, as tasks range from ticketing vehicles to pursuing suspects in high-speed chases. With extensive degrees of crime, the ability to call for backup, and a living sandbox, The Precinct may live up to its inspiration when it launches on May 13th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

DOOM: The Dark Ages

Perhaps the month’s biggest release, DOOM: The Dark Ages is id Software’s largest campaign yet, packed with new weapons, tools, enemies (including the cosmic horror variety), and mechanics. Between the sandbox nature of some levels, oodles of secrets, heavier story focus with sleek cutscenes, more extensive difficulty options, and the incredible gameplay loop, it could end up an all-timer. The Dark Ages begin on May 15th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC alongside Game Pass.

RoadCraft

After Expeditions: A MudRunner Game, Saber Interactive is taking the franchise in a different direction with RoadCraft. As part of a disaster recovery company with heavy machinery, your job is to repair bridges and roads, remove debris, and much more to effectively save the day. There are over 40 vehicles to operate and eight maps available, but best of all, you can haplessly coordinate with up to three other players. RoadCraft arrives on May 20th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Battle Destiny Remastered

Gundam games can be hit or miss, but you can’t deny the sheer thrill of not knowing what’s cooking next. Bandai Namco’s next release is actually a remaster of the Japan-only PS Vita title, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Battle Destiny, with high-res visuals, difficulty adjustments, new control settings, and a revamped UI. However, the basic gameplay remains the same as players complete missions based on the anime, partaking in high-octane battles, and unlocking new suits. It’s out on May 22nd for PC and Nintendo Switch.

Blades of Fire

With Souls-like mechanics, a massive fantasy world to explore, and in-depth blacksmithing mechanics, Blades of Fire is proving more than just a spiritual successor to Severance: Blade of Darkness. Available on May 22nd for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, players control Aran, who ventures through the world, battling the forces of Queen Nerea to end her tyranny. This requires forging one’s own weapons, carefully tempering stats to fit your preferred play style, unlocking new recipes, and using the right tools against specific enemies.

Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny

After Onimusha: Warlords returned from the dead in all its HD glory, it’s now the sequel’s turn. Jubei’s journey through Feudal Japan will retain the same level of challenge when it arrives on May 23rd for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. However, you can up the difficulty further with Hell Mode, where a single hit kills. For the more quality of life-minded, you can now access various mini-games from the beginning; auto-save is supported; and you can now control when Onimusha form is activated.

Deliver At All Costs

Even without Konami publishing it, Deliver At All Costs looks like a delightfully chaotic action title with an incredible atmosphere. You play as a delivery driver, Winston Green, transporting all kinds of bizarre packages (including a bomb) by any means necessary. Pilot various vehicles or travel on foot, tear through fully destructible streets and escape angry citizens across three Acts in 1959. Deliver At All Costs is available on May 22nd for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC and will also be free on the Epic Games Store for a week.

Elden Ring Nightreign

Few developers could pivot from an immensely successful open-world Souls-like action RPG into a spin-off with battle royale and rogue-like mechanics, but this is FromSoftware. Nightreign sees you venturing into Limveld, an alternate dimension version of Limgrave. After three days and three nights. And facing multiple bosses. And dealing with a moving ring of death. Even if it’s not an offline experience, it’s still unmistakably FromSoft and promises plenty of hardcore Souls-like action when it launches on May 30th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and PC.

Revenge of the Savage Planet

As a sequel to Journey to the Savage Planet, your purpose is simple: Take revenge on the greedy corporate heads. There are multiple planets to explore this time with numerous locations, flora, fauna, and more, and co-op is fully supported for another player. With new gear and extensive exploration options, Revenge of the Savage Planet looks to expand on everything that made the original so great. It’s out on May 8th for Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC.

F1 25

It wouldn’t be a year without the usual slate of yearly EA titles, and F1 25 from Codemasters is no exception. The jury is out on how everything will feel, especially after last year’s divisive handling changes, but Braking Point returns with more player agency and drama, and My Team 2.0 promises new Owner Perks for greater specialization. F1 25 launches on May 30th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, so there’s plenty of time to learn more.

JDM: Japanese Drift Master

If Tokyo Xtreme Racer wasn’t enough, JDM: Japanese Drift Master may be the ticket. Launching on May 21st for PC, it depicts Japan’s street racing culture with an extensive open world to explore (dynamic weather and day/night cycles included), extensive customization of real-world brand cars, and, of course, plenty of drifting. There’s even a story depicted through manga with over 40 events.

Sonic Rumble

The good news: Sonic is getting a new game. The worrying news: It’s a party battle royale title developed with Rovio of Angry Birds fame. For now, the visuals look bright and appealing with up to 32 players partaking in modes like Co-Op Battles to fight the Death Egg Robot or Run Battles with the classic Sonic mechanics. There’s potential, but we’ll see how it pans out when it launches on May 8th for iOS, Android, and PC.

On Steam, Sega revealed that it surpassed 1.4 million pre-registrations and features like Crews, Skills for characters and Rumble Ranking (a form of league play) in a future update. To ensure a “high-quality, long-lasting title,” it’s announcing a delay to the global launch.

“We want to create a game that evolves and stays fun for months and years to come. To build the kind of high-quality, long-lasting Sonic game our players deserve, we need more time.

“We know this news may be disappointing, and it wasn’t a decision we made lightly. We at SEGA share that disappointment, especially because we’re making this call so close to the launch timing we had originally hoped for. However, we believe taking this extra time is the right choice for the future of Sonic Rumble.”

A new release date has yet to be shared, but Sega will reveal more “as we get closer.” In the meantime, fans can attend a Q&A session at 6 AM PDT, May 2nd, via Discord to discuss the new features and what’s next.

Announced last year, Sonic Rumble is developed by Sonic Team and Angry Birds studio Rovio. It’s a Fall Guys-style multiplayer game for up to 32 players with modes like Ring Survival, where you compete to collect the most rings; Co-Op Battles involving boss battles like the Death Egg Robot; more, including races.

Sega has announced that Sonic Rumble is going to launch worldwide a month from now, on May 8. Each match in the title will pit 32 players against each other, and players will compete through platforming courses inspired by Sonic titles in a battle royale experience similar to Fall Guys. 

The game’s launch will also see the addition of progression mechanics (in the form of skills and skill slots) and a crews system to allow players to band together and play together. Check out the game’s release date announcement trailer below to get more glimpses of gameplay footage. 

At launch, Sonic Rumble will be available for PC (via Steam), iOS, and Android. 

Supporting up to 32 players, Sonic Rumble features different stages from the series, repurposed for some Fall Guys-style action. Some modes are more in keeping with Sonic’s sense of speed, including Run, a race among all players, and Ring Battle, where the one with the most rings survives. There are even bosses to battle.

Playable characters include Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Shadow, Dr. Eggman, Metal Sonic, the Chaotix, Blaze, Rouge, Silver, Cream, and more. Each character has unique skins (like pirate costumes) and animation, which players can unlock by collecting rings. It’s unclear whether this ties into the game’s monetization. Stay tuned for more details and a concrete release date in the coming months.

As a new battle royale title developed in collaboration with Rovio, Sonic Rumble sees figures of the Blue Blur and his friends competing within Dr. Eggman’s “twisted toy world.” Up to 32 players can participate, including characters like Amy Rose, Shadow the Hedgehog, Rouge the Bat, Tails, Knuckles, etc. Players can also unlock cosmetic outfits to customize them.

Many challenges revolve around platforming through stages and collecting rings, though there are some twists, like a side-scrolling perspective and what seem to be bosses. Details on the overall content are still to be revealed, so stay tuned for updates.

Those craving a more traditional Sonic experience shouldn’t worry – noted leaker Midori reports that a remake of Sonic Heroes and a sequel to Sonic Frontiers are in the works.

Known Sega and Atlus leaker Midori recently took to Twitter and claimed that Sega will soon be announcing Sonic Rumble, which is a spinoff inspired by Mediatonic’s battle royale party game Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout. The game is being developed for mobile devices.

According to Midori, Sega has also registered a number of domains for the game, including sonicrumble.com, preview-sonicrumble.sega.com, and sonicrumble.sega.com, though these cannot be currently accessed.

How long it’ll be before the game is announced, or when it will come out, remains to be seen. Stay tuned for more updates in the coming days and weeks.

Recently, Midori also claimed that a sequel to Sonic Frontiers is in development. Read more on that through here.

Sonic Rumble

— みどり (@MbKKssTBhz5) May 5, 2024

This is the final title for the unannounced Sonic mobile title that is similar to Fall Guys.

— みどり (@MbKKssTBhz5) May 5, 2024

【Sonic】
【Domain Expansion】

Sega registered a web domain for Sonic Rumble on April 18.https://t.co/45Bi4PI0Jf

— みどり (@MbKKssTBhz5) May 5, 2024

Sonic Rumble Party and other names were assessed in development for the unannounced Sonic mobile title that is similar to Fall Guys.

— みどり (@MbKKssTBhz5) May 5, 2024