The Biggest May 2023 Video Game Releases

For all the heads out there that get a ton of mileage out of 4X strategy and turn-based tactical combat experiences, Age of Wonders 4 will appeal to you the most this month. This fantastical take on the genre will allow you to run headlong into battle with the faction of your choice and upgrade them over time as you begin to assert your dominance against the invading "Wizard Kings." You'll need to employ the abilities and extra power granted by the prized "Tomes of Magic" in order to push your army to greatness. Explore new magical realms, make crucial decisions that impact the world and people around you, and attain victory against your units' opposing forces.

The previously comfy island town of Redfall, Massachusetts is going through its own personal hell due to a failed scientific experiment. The effect of that unfortunate cause is a vampire legion infestation that makes the town and its human community have to live in deep isolation with their new demonic overlords. On your own or with co-op buddies at the ready, you'll rise up against those bloodsuckers with your guns, stakes, and signature abilities in tow., Redfall looks to be an intense FPS that'll pit you against major supernatural threats with the powers granted by the survivor of your choice. Arkane Studios (Dishonored, Prey, Deathloop) is behind this one, so it should be worth giving this one a try.

Be sure to check out our review for this game right here.

What was once known as Stuntfest: World Tour has now been rechristened Jected: Rivals. And to give players a hands-on feel for its chaotic car-based competitions, publisher THQ Nordic and developer Pow Wow Entertainment will release the game's still-in-development build via Early Access as a free-to-play game. What's on offer here is a colorful, bombastic stunt royale driving game where you'll hit the track with 18 other players online. Crash Derby challenges and races come into play as you break the speed limit with your chosen ride and get to exit your car to glide in the air then hop back into your car to continue vying for first place. The wild rides you'll find yourself in here are all meant to push you to the promised land of the champion for the "Jected" tournament.

If you've been on the lookout for a brand new action-adventure RPG to get sucked into, we'd like to steer you toward Ravenlok. The fairytale vibes are pretty strong here as you adventure through bright and lively realms that are highly picturesque and full of fantastical beats to vanquish. From a third-person perspective, you'll play as the young heroine this game is named after and utilize her sword and shield to confront enemies small and large. This coming-of-age story totally looks, sounds, and feels like a more action-packed rendition of the idolized Alice in Wonderland mythos.

The first Darkest Dungeon caught the attention of the gaming community at large since it offered three crucial elements - a high level of difficulty, riveting turn-based combat, and traditional roguelike elements that presented a fresh challenge during every playthrough. Now Darkest Dungeon II is leaving its "Early Access" state to give everyone who has been playing it since 2021 the most refined version to invest even more time into. Some of the new features brought into this sequel include a "Token System" that factors into major decision-making and a stagecoach hub where players can prepare their roster of four heroes for their next deadly dungeon run. KEEP AN EYE ON THEIR STRESS LEVELS, BY THE WAY!

Japanese development studio CyberConnect2 stepped away from its usual gamut of anime-based fighters and action RPGs to deliver a wholly original tactical-based RPG with a deeply effective storyline about child soldiers. Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2 serves as a prequel to its predecessor in the line of games that are a part of the Little Bronx IP and a prequel to the Tail Concerto and Solatorobo: Red the Hunter franchises. Once again, you'll command a crew of child soldiers as they head deeper into the explosive conflicts surrounding an ongoing war. Their trusty tank will throw them into more epic battles supplemented by new mechanics and deeper plot developments via a newly implemented events system.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild amazed fans of the long-running Nintendo franchise with a fully open-world experience within the troubled kingdom of Hyrule. Now the same enjoyable format established by that predecessor is looking like it'll be even better in the long-awaited sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Link makes his heroic return once again to Hyrule and navigates mysterious floating islands in the clouds above. With the power to combine random objects to create new weapons and vehicles, Link obtains new ways to combat his foes, maneuver around the game's vast environment, and ultimately take down Ganondorf for good. Building, battling, and exploring Link's massive kingdom was a delightful endeavor in Breath of the Wild - that feeling of amazement looks to be staying intact for Tears of the Kingdom.

HUMANITY is one of those puzzlers delivered by a creative game studio in Japan that's hard to wrap your head around at first glance. But after watching its gameplay in action a bit more, you'll start to come to grips with its unique concept. You'll take control of an oh-so-cuddly and cute Shiba Inu who's responsible for leading a massive wave of humans to the end goal of every stage you'll find yourself exploring. Certain stages will throw extra wrinkles into the fray and switch up the formula, which should present you with some memorable challenges that keep things fresh. Tackling HUMANITY's story mode that's supplemented by 90 levels and hopping into user-generated stages sounds like a great time for gamers looking for a new mind-bending puzzle platformer.

The cult-hit 1997 sci-fi bug blaster film based on the 1959 novel is FINALLY getting a video game adaptation. And as most folks would expect, it's a first-person shooter that's all about joining the "Deep Space Vanguard" as a "Trooper" whose duty it is to blast all those insectoid aliens on planet Valaka. Starship Troopers: Extermination gives 16 players split up into squads of four three classes to choose from as they take the fight to hordes of bugs that fall under five different enemy types. Along with all the intense shooting you'll be doing, you and your team will also need to build defenses, reclaim bases and refineries, and eliminate bug hives across a massive map with five unique zones to keep track of.

Nexon is a big-name publisher that's put out some highly addictive games within the MapleStory, Dungeon & Fighter, Sudden Attack, and KartRider franchises. Now it's ready to throw its hat into the free-to-play, third-person multiplayer shooter race with VEILED EXPERTS. Just by looking at the gameplay revealed for this new online shooter, the Rogue Company vibes are very evident. The traditional "Search and Destroy" mode you've seen and played in different first- and third-person shooters is the main focus here with a 5v5 setup. The characters at your disposal here are agents armed with their own special abilities that make a huge difference in pushing your team to victory. With tons of environmental damage and fast-paced gunplay in tow, VEILED EXPERTS looks like it'll be a good time.

The Outlast series deals with terrifying players that are put into life-threatening predicaments, such as being forced to explore an insane asylum full of escaped patients and a dilapidated rural area ruled by cultists. The Outlast Trials is the first game to go the multiplayer route for the series' third outing - you and three other survivors must band together to brave the trials of a mad scientist named Murkoff during the Cold War. This prequel to the last two Outlast games embraces co-op, four unique character classes with signature abilities, and players relying on stealth and assorted tools to stay away from creepy enemies that can kill them with ease. You're not armed here, so it's best to sneak around with your friends as you look to overcome The Outlast Trials' frightening ordeal.

So there was a cool DLC expansion for Forza Motorsport 4 that featured LEGO block-inspired cars and challenges. That idea worked so well and now it's inspired the creation of an entirely new racing game that takes place within a blocky world. LEGO 2K Drive takes place in "BrickLandia," which comes with a bunch of biomes that give you plenty of different tracks to race through. While you race, your vehicle can be on the road one minute and surfing across the water the next as it quickly transforms into a boat. Freely exploring BrickLandia can be done solo, with a friend through two-player local split-screen and six-player online. Smashing parts of the environment with a friend via co-op vehicle madness looks like it might be worth checking out in LEGO 2K Drive.

Be sure to check out our review for this game right here.

The League of Legends roster has been getting its own line of games that provide more backstory on them and place them in non-MOBA situations. The time manipulation master Ekko aka "The Boy Who Shattered Time" is getting the latest game in the A League of Legends Story spinoff line. CONVERGENCE is a side-scrolling action platformer that features a superb art style, thrilling combat, and the actual gameplay implementation of time/space travel. Development studio Double Stallion Games is behind this one and it looks to be an enticing way to learn more about Ekko and the mysterious world he's set to explore, Zaun.

The hilariously named development studio based in Sweden known as The Bearded Ladies are well versed in the creation of tactical strategy games. Those games include Corruption 2029 and Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden. And now, the studio is prepped to release another anticipated title within that genre with Miasma Chronicles. The adventure you'll embark on in this game takes place within a post-apocalyptic American wasteland ravaged by a sinister force called the "Miasma." With the main character known as Elvis and his robotic older "brother" in tow, you'll utilize his mysterious Miasma-controlling glove as you go on a quest that entails hard-fought tactical battles and explorative segments across a graphically striking overworld.

The Puzzle Bobble puzzle games kicked off the craze of bubble-popping puzzlers, resulting in a wave of similar experiences across arcades, consoles, handhelds, and mobile devices. Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! looks like it'll be the latest and greatest version of that long-running franchise that'll return players to the famed "Rainbow Islands." The cutesy band of characters named Bub, Bob, Peb, and Pab is in tow for some bubble-popping fun - get ready to take on some simple stage setups that take just a few seconds to clear and some extra challenging ones that come in the form of "EX Stages."

TREKKIES, COME THROUGH! There's a big game based in the Star Trek universe coming your way this month and it's being brought by the developers behind Telltale Games' Batman, The Walking Dead, and Game of Thrones projects. This interactive narrative-based adventure game takes place shortly after the events of Star Trek: The Next Generation. A worker uprising results in a fractured level of peace between two alien colonies. Players will get caught in the middle of that conflict as two members of the Starfleet - the U.S.S. RESOLUTE’s First Officer Jara Rydek and Engineering Crewperson Carter Diaz. Ambassador Spock will also be featured in this game, so be ready to catch a hint of nostalgia in this brand-new Star Trek interactive experience.

The Warhammer IP has been adapted for video game interpretations that deal with delivering action-adventure games, tactical strategy experiences, and first-person shooters. That last genre is being revisited for the world of Warhammer once again, but this time it'll revert back to the good old days of blood-soaked mayhem popularized by DOOM. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun lets you go all guns blazing as a heroic "Space Marine" in a mission that entails defeating the dreaded "Chaos Space Marines" and vicious daemons of "Chaos." Up-close melee fatalities come courtesy of your trusty chainsaw and the exploding bloody bodies of your victims will be produced by the pain brought by your many firearms. This retro-stylized FPS is the perfect pick on this list of May 2023 video game releases for gamers that still thirst for 90s retro shooters.

Be sure to check out our review for this game right here.

Out of all The Lord of the Rings characters to get a game of their own...Gollum ends up being one of them? Yeah, we're just as shocked as you are to see this thing coming to fruition. The Lord of the Rings: Gollum sees the little gremlin-looking fellow embark on a perilous journey in order to retrieve his (YOU GUESSED IT!) "precious." Gollum isn't much of a fighter, so you'll have to rely on stealth and creative methods in order to eliminate his more fearsome foes. You can strangle an unsuspecting enemy here and there, but it might be best to stick to the shadows and find sneakier ways to clear the path to Gollum's ultimate prize.

Forspoken may not have gotten the warmest response (however, we liked it!), but it's still getting content in the form of a major story expansion. This time, Frey's journey in Athia leads to her following a mysterious voice right into the past and a time when the mystical kingdom was stricken by war. This prequel journey will place Frey right next to the equally powerful magic user Tanta Cinta, who will aid the main heroine via battle and platforming segments. Frey will acquire a new form of magic within this piece of DLC as she seeks out the answers needed to save Athia from the "Break" once and for all.

The Super Mega Baseball series differentiates itself from MLB: The Show by offering a more arcade-like experience on the baseball field. And for the fourth franchise installment, fans are getting a whole lot more to be pleased with. We're talking over 200 baseball legends to play with (Willie Mays and David Ortiz are a part of that huge roster), 20 "Super Mega Teams," a stadium for each of those squads, an improved graphical presentation, and plenty of features that have long been requested by the game's loyal player community. The implementation of cross-play between current- and last-gen consoles in multiplayer modes "Pennant Race" and "Online Leagues" means you'll have a wide variety of players to hit home runs on!

The original System Shock launched on PC back in 1994 and grabbed a ton of headlines and fan adoration for its frightening atmosphere and unforgettable main antagonist. Now in 2023, the development studio known as Nightdive Studios and publisher Prime Matter is finally ready to release its incredibly refined remake of that PC gaming classic. Fans can expect to be treated to HD visuals, updated controls, an overhauled user interface, and a whole batch of all-new audio across the board. The original voice actor of the maniacal computer A.I. called "SHODAN" is even on board, so fans of the original can be creeped out all over again as they navigate a space station full of diabolical enemies and puzzles. First-timers should expect a highly immersive FPS that inspired the likes of Deus Ex and BioShock.