Alright, I know you’re high on Starfield, you’re intrigued by Guardians Of The Galaxy, and you’ve been vibrating with excitement ever since you got your first look at Elden Ring gameplay, but you might as well put all of them to the back of your mind for now. The heavy-hitters of E3 aren’t coming out any time soon, so you’re better off shifting your focus onto video games that you can play over the next four weeks.
A surface level skim of the games coming out soon might leave you a bit discouraged. July is lacking a big, standout release. But if you dig a little deeper, you can see there’s potential in the next calendar month.
But, you don’t need to waste time clicking through the new releases pages of digital storefronts; I’ve done all the hard work for you. So, here are the top 10 video games coming to PC in July, 2021.
If you like moving images set to words and music, you can have a watch of the video above. But, if you prefer text, then read on.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings Of Ruin (July 9th)
If the actual hunting part of Monster Hunter is a hurdle you struggle to get over, then perhaps you should give Wings Of Ruin a look. This sequel to the handheld-only original Monster Hunter Stories sees you take on monsties in turn-based battles. And, yes, they’re genuinely called monsties in the game. The combat is very rock, paper, scissors: you have three attacks available to you, and the idea is to select the attack that will beat your enemy’s. There’s a little more to it than that, of course, but this would be a one game list if I broke it down further. In Wings Of Ruin, monsters are both friend and foe, as you’re able to find eggs in the world, and then bring them back to your village to hatch them. As soon as the shell is cracked, you can have them fight alongside you on the cartoon battlefield. They’ll be murdering their brothers and sisters in no time. Very sweet.
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (July 27th)
After years of waiting, those in the west will finally get to play The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, this July. If you’ve played a Phoenix Wright before, you know what to expect: gather evidence at the crime scene, talk to persons of interest, and then present your case to judge and jury. Oh! I almost forgot a step: this game is set in late 19th century Japan and England, so you can also chat to your friend Herlock Shomes during the investigation phase. He’s quite good at the whole solving crimes thing, so I’d imagine that’ll help. If you’ve missed shouting “OBJECTION” in a courtroom since the Ace Attorney Trilogy came to Steam a few years ago, now’s your time to shine once more.
Last Stop (July 22nd)
Last Stop is a narrative-driven adventure game with three interweaving stories, and it promises to mix the ordinary with the extraordinary. There’s a group of teens getting up to mischief, a struggling dad trying to raise his daughter, and a woman that works at some top secret organisation. What appears to link these tales together is something supernatural. Just look at the lad in the trailer with the green eyes; I have a sneaking suspicion that all isn’t as it seems. Last Stop definitely isn’t for those that want full control over their playable characters – it’s replete with dialogue choices and mini games – but if you were a fan of Telltale’s output, Last Stop might be exactly what you’re looking for.
Chernobylite (July 28th)
After over a year and a half in Early Access, Chernobylite 1.0 launches this month. In this sci-fi, survival horror RPG, you play as a former Chernobyl Power Plant physicist that lost their fiancée in the nuclear reactor disaster of 1986. 30 years have passed, and now you’re going back into the Exclusion Zone to find the love of your life. Developer The Farm 51 have pushed the non-linear aspect of Chernobylite, stating that your decisions can impact the relationships you make, as well as the world itself. Obviously, making a game based on something as catastrophic as the Chernobyl disaster needs to be handled with care – see: HBO’s excellent 2019 drama. We’ll see if Chernobylite sticks the landing at the end of this month.
Death’s Door (July 20th)
I never thought I'd want to be a crow, reaping the souls of the dead, but Death’s Door looks great, so here we are. From the developer of Titan Souls, this is a fast-paced, action-adventure game that looks equal parts challenging and rewarding. The Manchester-based indie studio have cited Zelda as an inspiration, so you can expect some exploration, on top of all that wonderful-looking skill-based combat. This shot up my most anticipated list after seeing it at last month’s Day Of The Devs, so I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in, this July.
The Forgotten City (July 28th)
What was once one of the most celebrated Skyrim mods out there – it won awards and everything – is now launching as a proper standalone computer game. The Forgotten City is an open-world, mystery game set in an ancient Rome that’s caught in a time loop. While you’ll mainly be embodying a timeline-hopping, toga-wearing Marple by chatting to folks and investigating areas, there’s a little bit of combat in here too. But, yes, the main hook is solving puzzles and revealing the truth. This is said to be much beefier than the mod that racked up three million downloads: it has a re-written script, new endings, new mechanics, and more. This could be a real belter.
The Ascent (July 29th)
Perhaps The Ascent is the game to revive your love of all things cyberpunk. This twin-stick shooter’s setting is certainly familiar: a grim world brushed with the occasional bit of neon, and full of brightly-coloured mohawks and robotic limbs. If you take umbrage with the hairstyles of others, you can upgrade your own character and weapons, turning yourself into an outrageously devastating killing machine. And if you prefer to murder with friends, you can, as the game supports up to four-player co-op. This looks like the sort of cathartic action we could all do with right now. Fingers crossed The Ascent delivers.
Boomerang X (July 8th)
There aren’t enough first-person flingers on the market. Boomerang X is looking to rectify this. There is more to this game than just throwing and catching your sharply-edged tool, though. In fact, Boomerang X does one of my absolute favourite things in games, which is marry combat and movement together. So, after firing your weapon at a foe, you can teleport straight to it before it has a chance to come back to you. So, if you become one with your ‘rang, you’ll be flying about combat arenas with ease. If you want to try before you buy, the Steam demo will give you a decent taster of what to expect when the game comes out later this month.
Cris Tales (July 20th)
This one is a love letter to classic JRPGs. Chrono Trigger is the easy comparison, because Cris Tales also revolves around time. So, while playing the game, your screen will be split up into three sections, with each section representing a moment in time: past, present, and future. You have to use your knowledge of the timelines – as well as your top hat-wearing frog friend – to solve puzzles and save the world. Wonderfully, you can also use time to your advantage while in combat. So, if you send an enemy into a different timeline, their attacks / strength / speed might be altered. It’s not a straightforward turn-based battle system. Keep an eye on this one, because it could turn out to be the sleeper hit of this month.
Space Jam: A New Legacy The Game (July 15th)
Tamagotchis, Wolf from Gladiators, and those little green men that would stick to walls: the ‘90s had it all. I am omitting one very important thing, of course: the Good Friday Agreement… But, also, Space Jam! That movie taught us a very valuable lesson: it’s okay to be bad at one thing, as long as you’re one of the very best in the world at another thing. Space Jam 2 is out this month, and someone had the phenomenal idea of making a game to promote the film. Obviously, this tie-in is a side-scrolling beat ‘em up, seemingly without any basketball in sight. What else did you expect? Listen: in all seriousness, I’m actually mildly excited to smack some robots around as four-time NBA champion LeBron James. If you’re an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber you can play it from the 1st of July, while everyone else will have to wait until the 15th to get their hands on this.
Whatever you end up playing over July, I hope you have a lovely time with it. But, do tell: what new games, if any, are you looking forward to playing, this month? Want to hatch some eggs in Monster Hunter Stories 2? Eager to solve some crimes in The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles? Or do you have your sights set on doing whatever it is you do in the Space Jam game? Let us know in the comments.