The end of the year is fast approaching, and as you'd expect, more high-profile releases have begun to appear. The biggest release this month is easily Star Wars Outlaws, as Ubisoft takes a crack at the franchise after years of EA having a near-monopoly on it. Star Wars Outlaws doesn't look like it'll deviate drastically from Ubisoft's established open-world formula, but that familiarity is being enhanced by some incredible attention to detail and an interesting storyline divorced from the Force-wielding tales of other recent Star Wars games.
Souls-like fans can explore a world of Chinese mysticism and folklore in Black Myth: Wukong this month, a game that was first revealed all the way back in 2020. Based on the ancient story Journey to the West, this adventure looks incredible in action as the legendary Sun Wukong can unleash stylish combos against the nightmarish creatures known as the Yaoguai.
Beyond that, there's the proper Bri'ish charm of Thank Goodness You're Here, spellcasting strategy in Tactical Breach Wizards, and hey look that squirrel has a gun. For more in August, you can see the rest of the highlights below, and for a broader look at the rest of the year, you can check out 2024's upcoming game release dates.
Thank Goodness You're Here!
- Release date: August 1
- Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Switch
A very weird game about a very small chap, Thank Goodness You're Here combines cartoonish visuals with a delightful sense of weirdness. Stuck in a quaint British village and with nothing better to do while the local mayor dilly-dallies about, it's up to you to explore the incredibly British town of Barnsworth and help out the locals in this quirky slapformer.
Volgarr the Viking 2
- Release date: August 6
- Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Eleven years after Volgar the Viking hacked his way through a horde of challengers, a sequel is finally arriving this month. Like the original, Volgarr the Viking 2 will push you to your limits with enemy-dense maps, challenging bosses, and gameplay that requires a keen eye for when to strike. Anyone looking for an easier time will be catered to with checkpoints and unlimited continues, and there'll even be speedrunning tools for those players looking to set a record time in this Nordic adventure.
SteamWorld Heist II
- Release date: August 8
- Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch
A ragtag crew of seafaring robots, tactical combat, and ricochet physics sounds like a fun recipe, and that's exactly what you're getting in Steamworld Heist 2. A direct sequel to the 2016 game, Steamworld Heist 2 has new crewmates to direct in combat and a job system to master as you sail the seas looking for a cure to a deadly water crisis that's having a corrosive effect on the mechanical denizens of Steamworld.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Release date: August 15
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One
While Nintendo is still being selfish with The Legend of Zelda and keeping it exclusive to its platforms, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a fine alternative. It's headed to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One this month, bringing with it a surprisingly touching story about death and closure, polished combat mechanics, and adorable companions to help you explore the land around you.
Madden NFL 25
- Release date: August 16
- Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Football fans are eating well this year, as the recent release of EA Sports College Football 25 has set the stage for a gridiron main event. Madden NFL 25 is running onto the field with a big upgrade this year in the form of a new physics-based tackling gameplay mechanic that has been in development for over two years. Called Boom Tech, this gameplay mechanic gives players a strategic new layer to the game as they have to juggle timing, speed, weight, and several other factors when they attempt to stop a rival football player in their tracks.
Black Myth: Wukong
- Release date: August 20
- Platforms: PC, PS5
Journey to the West has been the source material behind several video games, but it's amazing that it has taken this long for the 16th-century Chinese novel to get a Souls-like video game adaptation. The debut game from developer Game Science, Black Myth: Wukong looks like a fast and stylish entry in that genre: one where you'll take control of Sun Wukong as he battles ferocious demons and monsters.
Tactical Breach Wizards
- Release date: August 22
- Platforms: PC
In the mood for magical combat inspired by XCOM-like tactics? Then you'll want to check out Tactical Breach Wizards, as you'll get to command a renegade special forces team of wizards, sorcerers, and priests on black-ops missions. With classes like the Navy Seer, Storm Witch, Necro Medic, and Rebel Riot Priest, this turn-based tactics game will let you fiddle with the space-time continuum to find the best path forward so that you can boot a warlock out of a skyscraper window.
Concord
- Release date: August 23
- Platforms: PS5, PC
Concord looks and plays like a worthy contender to established team-based shooter games like Overwatch and Valorant, but the real challenge for developer Firewalk will be convincing people to give the game a chance in an already-saturated live-service market. Concord already has a diverse roster of characters, incredible visuals, and big post-launch plans to flesh out its universe with regular updates, all at no additional cost to players after they buy the $40 game.
World of Warcraft: The War Within
- Release date: PC
- Platforms: August 26
The first chapter in the new Worldsoul Saga trilogy, World of Warcraft's The War Within expansion is adding quite a bit of new content to the long-running MMORPG. Alongside the new story arc, players can expect eight new dungeons, a new raid, and the debut of a "Delve" experience designed to cater specifically to smaller parties. There'll be even more post-launch content to look forward to for the game's 20th anniversary celebrations in autumn, as more quests and updates are in the pipeline.
Gundam Breaker 4
- Release date: August 29
- Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Switch
Building a Gundam model is one of life's best pleasures, but sadly, these don't have working beam-rifles, laser-swords, or missile launchers. Fortunately, Gundam Breaker 4 is offering that functionality in digital form, as you can unlock dozens of model kits and kit-bash them together. That sounds like an interesting game--and for Gunpla enthusiasts, a terrific blueprint to try mashing models together before committing to building them in real life.
Squirrel With A Gun
- Release date: August 29
- Platforms: PC
You're a squirrel with a gun; what more do you need to know? Taking control of a hyper-active rodent hellbent on robbing humans at gunpoint, Squirrel With A Gun looks like a meme come to life. Will it have any staying power beyond its hilarious elevator pitch of a title? That remains to be seen, but at the very least, the game looks like it'll be a memorable open-world shooter focused on crime, mayhem, and the pursuit of golden acorns.
Visions of Mana
- Release date: August 29
- Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PC
It only took 15 years--and a small pile of remakes and remasters--but at long last, a brand-new Mana game is on the way. Square Enix has revived the classic JRPG series for a fresh run, and Visions of Mana looks like a delightfully vibrant old-school adventure. As Val--a carefree resident of the Fire Village of Tianeea--you'll travel to the Tree of Mana to partake in an ancient festival. This journey will unfold across a semi-open world, full of secrets to discover and enemies to battle as you master the strategic skills you unlock along the way.
Star Wars Outlaws
- Release date: August 30
- Platforms: PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S
Three years after Lucasfilm revived the Lucasfilm Games label--opening the doors for more game studios to take a crack at the franchise--Ubisoft's open-world Star Wars is ready to drop from hyperspace and tell a new story in that galaxy. Unlike EA and Respawn's big Jedi Survivor games, Star Wars Outlaws is focused on a scrappy scoundrel by the name of Kay Vess who prefers to wield an inelegant blaster in an uncivilized age. With the galaxy against her, a chance to escape the underworld, and the mother of all heists to plan, developer Massive Entertainment is aiming to deliver a Star Wars adventure full of fan service.
August 2024 games schedule
- Operation: Tango (Switch) -- August 1
- Star Wars: Bounty Hunter (PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch) -- August 1
- Thank Goodness You're Here! (PC, PS5, PS4, Switch) -- August 1
- Tomba: Special Edition (PC, PS5, Switch) -- August 1
- The Mortuary Assistant (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One) -- August 2
- Fields of Mistria (PC) -- August 5
- Pepper Grinder (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One) -- August 6
- Volgarr the Viking 2 (PS5, Xbox Series X|S) -- August 6
- Creatures of Ava (Xbox Series X|S, PC) -- August 7
- Cat Quest 3 (PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch) -- August 8
- Deathbound (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S) -- August 8
- SteamWorld Heist 2 (PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch) -- August 8
- The Crush House (PC) -- August 9
- Arco (PC, Switch) -- August 15
- Elrentaros Wanderings (PC, Switch) -- August 15
- Hunt: Showdown (PS5, Xbox Series X|S) -- August 15
- I Am Your Beast (PC) -- August 15
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One) -- August 15
- Magical Delicacy (Switch) -- August 15
- Madden NFL 25 (2024) (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S) -- August 16
- Black Myth: Wukong (PS5, PC) -- August 20
- Dustborn (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC) -- August 20
- Mika and the Witch's Mountain (PC, Switch) -- August 21
- Tactical Breach Wizards (PC) -- August 22
- Concord (PS5, PC) -- August 23
- World of Warcraft: The War Within (PC) -- August 26
- Core Keeper (PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch) -- August 27
- Emio: The Smiling Man (Switch) -- August 29
- Gori: Cuddly Carnage (PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch) -- August 29
- Gundam Breaker 4 (PC, PS5, PS4, Switch) -- August 29
- Monster Jam Showdown (PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch) -- August 29
- Squirrel With A Gun (PC) -- August 29
- Visions of Mana (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PC) -- August 29
- Star Wars Outlaws (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S) -- August 30
