In a world drowning in cheap jump scares, Static Dread: The Lighthouse is the shot of intelligent, atmospheric horror I've been craving. It's a game about the terror of paperwork and the whispers from the deep. Let's talk about why it's so damn good.

We were all geared up for the next chapter of Mafia to land us in the era of bell-bottoms and disco. Instead, Hangar 13 ripped up the timeline and threw us back to the very beginning: 1900s Sicily, where the mob was still just a handful of tough bastards with knives and a code. This is a trip to the old country in every sense, trading the glamour of American gangster life for the sun-scorched, bloody soil of its origin. It’s a stunningly atmospheric journey with a story that sinks its teeth in, even if the gameplay sometimes feels as old and clunky as the sputtering motorcars you'll be driving.

I’m so tired. Tired of broken launches, half-finished battle passes, and hundred-hour open worlds with the creative soul of a spreadsheet. So when a game from a brand-new studio slides across my desk, my expectations are usually somewhere below the floorboards. But every once in a while, a game comes along that doesn’t just raise the bar; it reminds you why you fell in love with this medium in the first place. Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is that game. It’s a stunning, polished, and fiercely intelligent work of art that has absolutely no business being this good.

Some games give you a gun and tell you to shoot the monster. s.p.l.i.t. gives you a command line, a blinking cursor, and a palpable sense of impending doom that’s more terrifying than any creature. This is a game that gets its hooks in you deep and fast, a retrofuturist nightmare that perfectly captures the paranoid fantasy of being a hacker in some grimy, rain-slicked dystopia. It’s a potent, brain-melting experience that hurts in the best possible way. And then, just as you’re fully mainlining its particular brand of dread, it ends.

Ever wondered what would happen if the most mundane part of an Amazon warehouse job was turned into a surprisingly addictive, cozy, and aesthetically pleasing video game, but it also came with a free, invisible wrist brace because you're gonna fucking need it? Welcome to Ship, Inc., the game that has perfected the art of the zen-like grind.

Ever wondered what would happen if the legendary creator of Counter-Strike emerged from a time capsule, decided to build a spiritual successor to SWAT 4 and Payday, but constructed it using spare parts from 2005 and a whole lot of raw, unfiltered ambition? Say hello to Alpha Response, a game that is simultaneously a glimpse of tactical brilliance and a janky, glorious, hot mess.

Ever wondered what would happen if you lost your job to an AI, got gifted a pair of magical horny sunglasses, and then immediately tried to fuck your liquor cabinet? Date Everything answers that question with a resounding "Yes," but what's truly insane is that after the initial wave of laughter, you might actually catch feelings.

Ever wondered what would happen if you poured your heart and soul into opening your dream restaurant, only to discover you have a crippling gambling addiction and your freeloading uncle, who has taken up permanent residence in the bathroom, keeps "borrowing" money for the bus? Well, Wrap House Simulator is here to serve you that exact, soul-crushing experience on a sizzling hot platter.