The beginning of the year is usually pretty sparse when it comes to new PC games. But we have nevertheless discovered exciting releases on Steam, Epic and Co. for you!
One twelfth of 2023 is already over. Instead of fretting about it, we”d rather occupy ourselves with the good things in life: new PC games. Even in the traditionally weak release month of January, a few exciting titles were released that are easily overlooked. We have pulled them out of the shadows of the big names for you – this time there is extra strategy in the mix.
Are you in the mood for sun, sea and treasure? Do you strive for glorious duels? Or are you looking for a melancholy adventure about the end of the world? There”s a game for you in our insider tips on Steam, Epic and GOG.
Go directly to the insider tips:
- Kandria (2D-Platformer)
- Children of Silentown (Horror-Adventure)
- Tortuga: A Pirate”s Tale (Pirate Strategy)
- Mahokenshi (Strategy / Deckbuilder)
- Undisputed (Boxing Simulation)
- Season: A letter to the future (Story-Adventure)
- Inkulinati (Medieval Strategy)
Table of Contents
Kandria
- Genre: 2D-Platformer
- Developer: Shirakumo Games
- Platforms: PC
- PC Stores: (Steam)
- Release: 11 January 2023
- Steam ratings: 96 percent positive
Kandria is huge: according to the developers, the game world is over 2.5 million square kilometres. Germany would fit into it seven times over. We hop and puzzle our way through caves and ruins of civilisation as an android – yes, Kandria joins the ranks of post-apocalypse games.
If we don”t feel like a jump & run, we turn our sword into a fishing rod and use it to fish for … Fishing. With the profit we buy new upgrades and outfits. Kandria also offers a story with around 50 quests in which we get caught between two opposing factions.
Children of Silentown
- Genre: Horror-Adventure
- Developer: Elf Games
- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch
- PC Stores: (Steam), (Epic), (GOG)
- Release: 11 January 2023
- Steam ratings: 89 percent positive
Wait a minute, doesn”t this look like a Daedalic adventure game? That”s right! However, the adventure game veterans are only on board as publishers for Children of Silentown.
The pretty storybook look is deceptive, a horror game with a story focus awaits us here. We are Lucy, a girl from a village surrounded by forest. In which monsters live. Unsurprisingly, people are constantly disappearing – but Lucy and her friends want to find out what exactly is going on.
We click our way through the world, combine items and solve puzzles just like in the good old point&click times. Just beware of the forest. And the nasty cat.
Tortuga: A Pirate”s Tale
- Genre: Turn-based Strategy / Simulation
- Developer: Gaming Minds
- Platforms: PC
- PC Stores: (Epic)
- Release: 19 January 2023
- Epic ratings: 3.7 out of 5 stars
Lift the sails, raise the anchor – or was it the other way around? Tortuga: A Pirate”s Tale also wants to teach landlubbers like us what the merry pirate life is like. We paint our own flag, under which we then cruise through the sunny Caribbean, rob colonial powers and look after the crew. Don”t let the bastards mutiny!
According to the developers, various quest lines from different governors offer around 25 hours of story. In addition, of course, the treasure hunt lures us into dangerous waters. If we encounter competition there, we”ll flatten them in turn battles on the hex sea. Harrr-harrr!
Mahokenshi
- Genre: Strategy / Deckbuilder
- Developer: Game Source
- Platforms: PC
- PC Stores: (Steam), (Epic), (GOG)
- Release: 24 January 2023
- Steam ratings: 76 percent positive
Sword or magic? Samurai or wizard? Why not both, asks the card game Mahokenshi. We have to protect the sky islands and wield not only the katana but also elemental magic. From over 200 cards, we build a deck according to our preferences, and the pieces then perform the manoeuvres we play with them.
Like the cards themselves, the world of Mahokenshi is steeped in Japanese mythology. Depending on how lucky you are with your moves, the campaign can be completed in about ten hours. You shouldn”t expect too much from the story, but the strategy system with a lot of movement is very popular among Steam players.
Undisputed
- Genre: Sports Simulation
- Developer: Steel City Interactive
- Platforms: PC
- PC Stores: (Steam)
- Steam ratings: 82 percent positive
Release: 31 January 2023 (Early Access)
For boxing fans, the gaming horizon has looked pretty bleak for a while now. But with Undisputed, a new hope enters the ring: This boxing sim wants to be particularly authentic, offering over 60 different punches and feints, many attributes and physics-based interactions. Over 50 licensed fighters are included in Early Access, such as Muhammed Ali and Katie Taylor.
No known release date for the finished version yet. But the user reviews on Steam already show enthusiasm, many praise it as a modern FightNight alternative. Important: You need a controller to play, mouse and keyboard are not supported!
Season: A letter to the future
- Genre: Adventure
- Developer: Scavengers Studio
- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5
- PC Stores: (Steam), (Epic)
- Release: January 31, 2023.
- Steam ratings: 93 percent positive
This one is for all fans of sad and beautiful stories: In Season: A letter to the future we cycle through a wonderfully pretty world on the brink of extinction. We record the chirping of crickets on tape, draw scenes and people in our sketchbook, photograph nature – because we want to capture all this beauty for those who will come after us.
The sound quality of Season is particularly impressive. Not only does the soundtrack stab straight to the heart, but the splashing of water or the rustling of the wind in the trees sounds fantastic. A Steam review sums up the special end-time atmosphere!
Inculinati
- Genre: Turn-based Strategy
- Developer: Yaza Games
- Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
- PC Stores: (Steam), (GOG)
- Release: 31 January 2023 (Early Access).
- Steam ratings: 78 percent positive
The full contrast programme to Season: Inkulinati makes us a note warrior. We draw medieval animals with swords and shields on (virtual) parchment and send them into inky battles against each other. Sounds absurd, but it is. And it”s also a lot of fun.
In Early Access, a complete solo campaign is already included, with online multiplayer to follow later. The final release should take place in about a year, if everything goes smoothly. Until then, regular updates will deliver new creatures and battlefields.
Do you have any insider tips for January 2023 that you would definitely recommend? If so, please let us know here under the article
