Guide
These are the game highlights in May
by Philipp Rüegg
These are the game highlights in May
1.5.2023
Translation: Eva Francis
Looking for a new game? Here are the most exciting games that will be released on PC and consoles in May.
May will be a hot month. Not because of the weather, but because of the new Zelda, the vampire shooter Redfall, the racing game Lego 2K Drive or the gruelling rogue-like Darkest Dungeon 2. The mere act of listing them makes me sweat.
Showgunners
Participate in a brutal reality TV game show, facing armed psychopaths and deadly traps. The game is set – of course – in a dystopian future. It’s turn-based. Choose your moves wisely and don’t rush into battle blindly! Similar to XCOM.
Release date: 2 May
Platform: PC
Age of Wonders 4
Age of Wonders 4 belongs in the 4X genre. The four Xs stand for explore, expand, exploit and exterminate. You lead your armies into battle in a colourful fantasy world. This game is also turn-based. You get to choose between a range of factions and can craft followers by combining bodily forms, societal traits and arcane powers. Looks pretty and promises a lot of variety.
Release date: 2 May
Platform: PC
Tape to Tape
Tape to Tape has that retro charm of 2000s Flash Games era. You don’t just play on ice, but explore an entire ice hockey world in rogue-like style. In other words, if you lose, you start from square one again. Improvements such as new sticks, which the local hockey blacksmith forges for you, help to prevent this. Sounds absurd and refreshingly different.
Release date: 3 May
Platform: PC
Redfall
Nobody really knows what to expect from Redfall. It’s a vampire shooter that you play alone or with friends. Various bloodsuckers try to stop you while you kill them with a eclectic arsenal of firearms and superpowers. Should be fun – especially in co-op mode.
Release date: 2 May
Platform: Xbox Series X/S, PC
Hogwarts Legacy
After a small delay, the open-world fantasy adventure will soon be released for PS4 and Xbox One. Is it worth playing? By now, everyone probably knows the answer to this question. If you don’t, check out our first impression.
Release date: 5 May
Platform: PS4, Xbox One
Hometopia
No need to deal with annoying building applications and noisy craftspeople. Just go ahead and design or renovate your own house as you please. Ugly wall? Away with it! Kitchen with eight hobs in the middle of your bedroom? Why not!? There are no limits to your creativity in Hometopia.
Release date: 5 May
Platform: PC
Darkest Dungeon 2
Darkest Dungeon 2 is a dark rogue-like that has you leading a group of adventurers through dungeons. There are turn-based battles in which your comrades-in-arms suffer physical as well as mental wounds. Crucial decisions have to be taken throughout the game. But no matter how clever you are, at some point the last warrior will bite the dust – and then the adventure starts all over again. Sounds just as frustrating and rewarding as the first part.
Release date: May 8
Platform: PC
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Perhaps the most anticipated game of the year comes from Nintendo. The direct sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is set in the same world, but expands it with numerous floating islands. Link will therefore spend a lot of time at airy heights. Another highlight will be the Fuse system, which makes it possible to combine objects and thus build things like a raft or even robots. Combining things is also possible with weapons, allowing you to freeze opponents or control them in other ways. Everything suggests Tears of the Kingdom will be an epic adventure.
Release date: 12 May
Platform: Switch
Humanity
In Humanity, you play a dog that guides a huge crowd of people through tricky levels to the finishing line. Sounds a bit like Lemmings. People follow you blindly and it’s your task to take this brain-dead crowd to the finishing line as completely as possible. The people behind Humanity also created Rez and Tetris Effect: Connected.
Release date: 16 May
Platform: PC, PS5, PS4, PSVR2, PSVR
Amnesia: The Bunker
The latest part of the horror series is set in a bunker during the First World War. Once again, the goal is to save the character – in this case French soldier Henri Clément – from terrors in the dark lurking in every corner. Better make sure your tiny torch doesn’t run out of battery. You’ll need strong nerves for this one.
Release date: 16 May
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series
The Outlast Trials
Another new part of a horror series – this time not as subtle as in Amnesia: The Bunker. The trailers to The Outlast Trials are full of explicit scenes. What’s it about? As a human guinea pig, you undergo lethal tests. Looks like a mixture of the Saw movies and a stealth game. The special thing about this part is that you can team up with up to three other imprisoned people in your attempt to escape death together.
Release date: May 18
Platform: PC
Lego 2K Drive
Publisher 2K is sticking to the tradition of including its own name in the game title. Lego 2K Drive is developed by Visual Concepts. The studio has worked almost exclusively on the two sports game series NBA 2K and WWE 2K over the last twenty years. The developers’ lack of genre experience isn't evident in Lego 2K Drive. Build your own cars, planes or boats with blocks in this colourful, creative and fun game. Could even compete with Mario Kart.
Release date: 19 May
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series
After Us
In a destroyed world, you try to restore the planet as Gaia – the spirit of life. You jump and slide through surreal areas and save the souls of extinct animals. Looks like a quiet but atmospheric game.
Release date: on 23 May
Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Miasma Chronicles
Miasma Chronicles offers more action. In this turn-based tactics game set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, you play Triff Elvis, who was raised by a robot. Your mother has left you a mysterious glove that allows you to control the Miasma. The Miasma is the reason why the world is in a dystopian state. Together with your robot brother, you travel around on a quest to find the secret behind the mysterious power.
Not only your powerful robot brother will help you fight battles, but also your glove, which allows you to unleash whirlwinds of destruction on your enemies. This game comes from the same studio as Mutant Year Zero and is aimed at all fans of the XCOM series.
Release date: on 23 May
Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum
Postponed several times, mixed previews – I remain sceptical as to whether Deadalic will get its act together. Yet it sounds quite interesting to assume the role of the devious Gollum or the shy Smeagol and find his Precious. The world of Middle-earth is charming, for sure, but I don't expect too much from the stealth sections that have been announced. But why not cast Sauron’s Eye on this game.
Release date: 25 May
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series
Hello Neighbor: Search and Rescue
Find out what your mysterious neighbour is hiding in his house. This is the first time you can sneak around Mr. Peterson’s house, solve puzzles and find clues in VR. What makes Search and Rescue exciting is that Mr. Peterson behaves unpredictably, so every game is a bit different. And there are various characters to choose from – each one with their own items and skills.
Release date: 26 May
Platform: PSVR2, later also PC
System Shock
Later than expected, but now with an exact date. The System Shock remake was supposed to be released in March. Now we’ll get to play the reinterpretation of the 1994 classic at the end of May – hopefully. In addition to the graphics, the music and gameplay have also been updated. Let’s hope that threatening feeling in the space station, which the soulless cyborgs and especially the crazy AI Shodan triggered back then, will be recreated almost 30 years later. I might just be able to squeeze it in between the new Zelda and Diablo IV.
Release date: 30 May
Platform: PC
Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.
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