In January 2025, there were exciting insider tips on Steam: retro shooters, atmospheric RPGs and more are waiting to be discovered by you.
January 2025 had a lot of surprises in store again. Alongside the big blockbusters, there are also some hidden gems in the starting blocks – games that could easily be overlooked but definitely deserve your attention.
We took a look around Steam and found 10 titles for you that impress with their unique gameplay mechanics, atmosphere and charm – and are guaranteed to help you forget the cold winter.
- Beyond Citadel
- My Summer Car
- The Inn-Sanity
- CRUEL
- Threefold Recital
- The Roottrees are Dead
- ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist
- FlyKnight
- SCP: Fragmented Minds
- Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
Beyond Citadel
- Genre: Action / Shooter
- Developer: Doekuramori
- Platforms: PC (Steam)
- Steam Rating: 96 % positive (1,477 ratings)
Inspired by the classic first-person shooters of the 90s, Beyond Citadel not only gives you a touch of nostalgia, but also extremely gory action. You fight your way through a dark, mechanized fortress, using a variety of weapons – from black-powder-based old-school guns to futuristic energy beamers.
My Summer Car
- Genre:Simulation / Survival
- Developer/Publisher: Amistech Games
- Release: January 8, 2025
- Platform: PC (Steam)
- Steam Rating: 91 % positive (79,575 ratings)
My Summer Car has been considered a hardcore car sim since its early access, in which you build, maintain and improve your own unique vehicle – the Satsuma AMP – from hundreds of individual parts in rural Finland in the late 90s. Alongside the meticulous tinkering, you also have to master your survival in the chaotic open world by managing hunger, (beer) thirst, fatigue and other needs.
The Inn-Sanity
- Genre: Adventure / Horror
- Developer/Publisher: Steppe Hare Studio
- Release: January 9, 2025
- Platforms: PC (Steam)
- Steam Rating: 97 % positive (622 ratings)
In The Inn-Sanity, you enter a luxurious hotel that was originally supposed to serve as a shelter for just one night – but soon this seemingly safe refuge turns into a terrible nightmare.
While you are staying at the hotel, the city around you turns into a dark realm of deformed monsters, and the other guests in the hotel also turn into creepy creatures. In this desperate end-time atmosphere, you not only have to find out who you can still trust in the midst of all the chaos, but also maintain your own humanity.
CRUEL
- Genre: Shooter
- Developer/Publisher: James Dornan
- Release: January 9, 2025
- Platforms: PC (Steam)
- Steam Rating: 95 % positive (665 ratings)
CRUEL is a frantic first-person shooter in which you fight for survival in a nightmarish hotel. You traverse ten ever-changing levels full of enemies, collecting upgrades and unleashing devastating attacks with a shotgun, chainsaw and more. A pulsating electronic soundtrack drives you relentlessly forward.
Threefold Recital
- Genre: Adventure
- Developer: Everscape Games
- Release: January 13, 2025
- Platforms: PC (Steam)
- Steam Rating:99 % positive (370 ratings)
Threefold Recital immerses you in an oriental-inspired fantasy world, where the vibrant metropolis of Bluescales is plunged into turbulent times after a long golden era. Magic, modern technology and ancient wonders mix in a fascinating melting pot where the boundaries between humans, animal creatures and mythical dragons are increasingly blurred.
A crisis is brewing beneath the surface that can only be averted by three extraordinary heroes, whose unique skills you must master to change the fate of the metropolis for the better.
The Roottrees are Dead
- Genre: Detective Adventure
- Developer: Robin Ward
- Release: January 15, 2025
- Platforms: PC (Steam)
- Steam Rating:& 97 % positive (897 ratings)
In The Roottrees are Dead, you take on the role of an idiosyncratic detective using an old-fashioned dial-up modem to scour the depths of the early internet for clues. Your mission: to unravel the mysterious family web of the infamous Roottree Corporation.
In a downed private jet, the Roottree sisters and their parents – once billionaires – left their last secret. Now you have to use photos, articles and old documents to find out who is actually blood related and who is just an impostor who has wormed their way into the family circle.
ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist
- Genre: Metroidvania
- Developer: Adglobe, Live Wire
- Platforms: PC (Steam)
- Steam Rating: 95 % positive (8,375 ratings)
In this atmospheric Metroidvania, you take on the role of Lilac, a powerful Attuner
who holds the fate of the last surviving humans in her hands.
On your way through abandoned laboratories, ancient factories and mysterious academies, you combine precise combat moves with magical elements – the combat system with its subtleties has already made its predecessor Ender Lilies an indie hit.
FlyKnight
- Genre: Dungeon Crawler
- Developer: Wabbaboy
- Release: January 31, 2025
- Platforms: PC (Steam)
- Steam Rating: 97 % positive (1,640 ratings)
In FlyKnight, you experience an old-school first-person dungeon crawling adventure. As a prospective knight of the legendary Flyknights, you face the task of defeating the sinister witch Lunamoth and breaking her curse – a spell that prevents the inhabitants of the realm from flying.
Explore labyrinthine dungeons, face tactically demanding battles and collect a variety of weapons and equipment to take on increasingly strong enemies – optionally in online co-op with up to three friends.
And if you need a breather from time to time, you can take a short break at special fishing spots to get buffs that will give you the decisive advantage in the next battle.
SCP: Fragmented Minds
- Genre: Survival Horror
- Developer: Foundation Games
- Release: January 27, 2025
- Platforms: PC (Steam)
- Steam Rating: 93 % positive (423 ratings)
SCP: Fragmented Minds takes you into the popular sci-fi horror universe of the SCP Foundation – a place where anomalies and inexplicable creatures are part of everyday life.
In this cinematic survival horror game, you take on the role of a member of the foundation who, after a disaster on Earth, has to fight his way through the labyrinthine corridors of a mysterious Martian facility. The aim is to collect hidden clues, decipher mysterious security protocols and uncover the origin of the ominous anomalies.
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
- Genre: Role Playing
- Developer: Jump Over The Age
- Release: January 31, 2025
- Platforms: PC (Steam)
- Steam Rating: 94 % positive (350 ratings)
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector takes you back to the fascinating universe of Citizen Sleeper, but with a fresh, interstellar twist.
As an escaped android, stuck in a malfunctioning body and facing a dark past, you navigate the infamous Starward Belt
—a collection of dilapidated space stations in an asteroid field full of secrets.
Driven by a dice-based RPG system, you’ll need to upgrade your outdated ship, assemble a colorful crew, and take on risky contracts to take your destiny into your own hands. Every roll of the dice can mean the difference between victory and defeat, challenging you to use your tactical skills and resources wisely.
