As we approach the start of fall and the beginning of the holiday season, the number of high-profile games released begins to go up. The AAA games that want to beat other fall titles to the punch oftentimes come out in August, while several indie games launch as it’s their last chance to get some time in the limelight before a crowded fall. Last year, August even brought us the release of eventual Game of the Year winner Baldur’s Gate 3.
In 2024, plenty of noteworthy games are coming out as well. Seven in particular stand out to me as ones everyone should be keeping an eye on. I’ve included a more comprehensive list of the games launching this month at the end of the article as well.
Recommended if you like: Ghosts ‘n Goblins
There are a lot of standout indies launching throughout the month, but none feel as old-school as Volgarr the Viking 2. A sequel to a beloved 2013 platformer inspired by classics like Ghosts ‘n Goblins and Rastan, Volgarr the Viking 2 is a tough-as-nails platformer where players must try their hardest to survive in levels where enemies are constantly out to kill the titular Viking. Developers Crazy Viking Studios and Digital Eclipse made a concerted effort to make Volgarr the Viking 2 more approachable with a zombified mode that prevents Volgarr from taking damage if players use enough continues, so you should give this a shot even if you don’t traditionally like difficult games.
Volgarr the Viking 2 launches for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch on August 6.
The SteamWorld series of games has always been a reliable source of some of the most creative and enjoyable smaller-scale games out there. Its latest entry is SteamWorld Heist 2, a sequel to a 2D strategy game set in the SteamWorld universe that was released in 2015. The most fun part of this strategy game is bouncing bullets around the walls of the arenas that you’re fighting enemies in. Proper positioning and keen aim will be necessary if you want to make it through this pirate-themed adventure. We liked what we played of it at Summer Game Fest this year, so you should keep an eye on it.
SteamWorld Heist 2 launches for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch on August 8.
Recommended if you like: Dark Souls
If you’re looking for a new Soulslike, you’ll want to keep an eye on Black Myth: Wukong. This game went viral several years ago due to a very impressive gameplay clip; fortunately, the game didn’t disappoint once we finally got the chance to go hands-on with it. It’s faster-paced than your typical Soulslike, with an emphasis on transforming into different creatures as you’re fighting. Black Myth: Wukong has a chance of being one of the biggest Western launches of a game from a Chinese developer yet, so it’s the breakout game to pay attention to this month.
Black Myth: Wukong launches for PC and PS5 on August 20. It is also in development for Xbox Series X/S.
Recommended if you like: Overwatch 2
PlayStation is attempting to stake its claim in the ever-crowded hero shooter multiplayer game space this month with Concord. Developed by Firewalk Studios, Concord doesn’t have many original gameplay ideas to its name but hopes its sci-fi universe of “Freegunner” characters with distinct designs and abilities is enough to attract people to this $40 multiplayer game. If you ever wondered what Destiny’s gunplay would feel like in a hero shooter, Concord provides that experience. I’m personally skeptical of how successful this game will be, but it’s definitely the most notable release of the month for PlayStation fans.
Concord launches for PC and PS5 on August 23.
Recommended if you like: Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Hier
Nintendo caught people’s attention in July with the creepy teaser trailer for Emio — The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club. This is the first new entry in that Famicom Detective Club series in 30 years and follows remakes of the original two games that hit Nintendo Switch in 2021. The game is about the titular killer, Emio, who puts paper bags with smiles drawn on them on the heads of his victims, and it’s up to players to solve the case as a detective. Nintendo is already teasing that this game’s ending will be divisive, so I’m excited to see where its story goes.
Emio — The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club launches exclusively for Nintendo Switch on August 29.
Recommended if you like: Trials of Mana
August continues to be a great month reviving older series with the latest Mana RPG from Square Enix. Titled Visions of Mana, this RPG follows a new character named Val, who is a Soul Guard fighting to protect the Tree of Mana. Visions of Mana features action combat with a party of characters and several vibrant, open-ended areas for players to explore. It definitely seems like the most ambitious Mana game yet.
Visions of Mana launches for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on August 29.
Recommended if you like: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
The final major game launch of August is also its headliner. Star Wars Outlaws is a AAA open-world Star Wars video game. Players control a smuggler named Kay Vess and have to navigate their relationships with six different criminal syndicates while doing missions on several different Star Wars planets. I had a chance to play Star Wars Outlaws early and enjoyed all of the side activities, like Sabacc and an Atari Star Wars-inspired arcade game. It should provide a Star Wars sandbox that’s very fun to just hang out in.
Star Wars Outlaws launches for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on August 30.
Imagine tapping a Zelda icon on your iPhone and jumping straight into Hyrule. A new open-source project called nxnative makes that possible by repackaging Switch games you’ve bought into apps for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with no emulator in the middle.
Why does this run so well on Apple devices?
The Call of Duty franchise has held a special place in my heart ever since I played my first Black Ops game back in 2010. That game's campaign was something else, with twists and turns that culminated in a mind-blowing finale. We can all admit that compared to those older campaigns, the recent CODs have been lackluster at best, and a complete and utter disappointment at worst. The reboot of Modern Warfare did give me some hope, as the first two installments were actually quite good, but the third game left such a bad taste in my mouth that I wasn’t exactly expecting much from Modern Warfare 4.
After recently finishing the campaign, I can say that this installment is nothing like the recent releases and instead feels closer to the franchise’s roots. For the first time in a long while, the campaign comes across as well-crafted rather than rushed to hit a release date. It arrives three years after MW3, and you can see exactly where all that time went. It seems the studio finally made listening to player feedback a priority.
Epic Games has just announced the 2026 Epic AI MegaJam, which is looking to see how much game development can be squeezed into a very short window. This is running from November 12 through November 15.
Participants can work alone or in teams of up to five people, build in Unreal Engine or Unreal Editor for Fortnite, and bring along “as many AI agents as you want.” Epic explicitly encourages coding agents, AI-generated assets, audio tools, writing tools, and other AI systems. The official event page literally says "Vibe your way to $50k.”