Best Upcoming PC Games 2023 (And Beyond)

We've organized a massive list of the best upcoming PC games releasing this year. There are some hidden gems you don't want to miss out on.

From indie gems to big-budget releases, PC players continue to benefit from both sides of game development.

They also have bragging rights over things like free online multiplayer, modding capabilities, and infinite choices for games to play and ways to play them.

In this list, we’ll highlight the best upcoming PC games coming to Steam and other platforms in 2024.

This includes upcoming multiplayer PC games and upcoming PC strategy games releasing this year and beyond.

With that out of the way, let’s see what’s on the calendar for new PC game releases!

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The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games are known for getting nitty-gritty with their approach to post-apocalyptic open worlds.

While they’ve always been reminiscent of series like Metro and even Fallout RPGs to some extent, the series kind of pewtered out after three releases.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will see players venturing into “The Zone,” an irradiated wasteland surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site.

The area stands out for its high levels of radiation which causes scavengers to develop supernatural abilities.

If you like your survival games to have highly technical gameplay systems, Occupy Mars might be right up your alley.

The game sees you exploring the Red Planet in hopes of establishing a colony for future generations to inhabit.

Your job is to build and upgrade your base, research nearby regions, gather resources, grow crops, generate oxygen, and much, much more.

There’s an emphasis on realism and simulation, but not to the point of being unforgiving; that said, expect plenty of deaths early on as you come to grips with life on Mars.

Outside of movie tie-ins and the occasional mobile release, we haven’t really seen many games explore the magical world of Harry Potter.

That’s set to change when Avalanche and Warner Bros.’s upcoming open-world action RPG Hogwarts Legacy releases next year.

Set during the late 1800s, it casts the player as a new student at Hogwarts tasked with choosing their House and attending classes while exploring the school’s mysterious grounds.

Over time, they’ll learn to cast different spells, brew potions, tame magical beasts, and battle enemies while navigating a morality system based on their actions.

Originally planned to release in 2018 and then later in 2019, Atomic Heart has had one of the more interesting development stories, with rumors suggesting it may not even be the same game anymore.

Categorized as a “first-person shooter with RPG elements,” the game is well into the process of development at studio Mundfish, a Russian-based indie game studio.  

Evoking memories of sci-fi staples like BioShock and Fallout, Atomic Heart takes place in an alternate reality where the Soviet Union’s research has led to a technical revolution.

Players assume control of a Soviet KGB officer tasked with infiltrating a secret facility that’s gone radio silent.

The Forest is an ambitious survival horror game that focuses on crafting and combat with surprisingly intelligent enemy AI.

Like many survival games, the story is fairly nonlinear but there was always enough to chew on for players interested in learning about the game’s creatures and setting.

For the sequel, developer Endnight Games looks to be expanding the universe with new characters and events revolving around yet another mysterious island.

Along with better graphics and more fluid combat, Sons of the Forest will emphasize team-driven gameplay that supports online multiplayer.

The Day Before is an upcoming open-world MMO about trying to survive in a deadly post-pandemic United States overrun by flesh-hungry infected and untrustworthy survivors.

After your character awakes with amnesia, they set out to uncover the truth while scavenging for resources to stay alive.

You’ll explore a beautiful world plunged into chaos and search abandoned vehicles, houses, and buildings looking for useful items and defending yourself from enemies.

So far, the game looks surprisingly polished despite not having a confirmed release date, leaving us a bit skeptical as to whether the full game will be as consistent.

Self-described ‘ratoidvania,’ Curse of the Sea Rats will be making its way to PC via Steam sometime in early 2023.

Developed by Petoons Studio, this Metroidvania adventure game sees you guiding a crew of swashbucklin’ pirates after they’re turned into rats by a witch.

To get back to normal, they’ll have to explore a vibrant 2D world filled with platforming environments and challenging boss encounters.

Along the way, they’ll unlock new abilities that can be combined with a friend in local co-op multiplayer.

Fraymakers is an upcoming crossover game that joins the ranks of 2D platform fighters inspired by Super Smash Bros.

In it, players battle each other using a slew of fighters pulled from hit indie games like Octodad, Downwell, Rivals of Aether and Slay the Spire.

Each fighter has a dedicated move set comprised of unique attacks and abilities for a total of 80+ different animations.

Additionally, Fraymakers is set to include some sort of content creation tool that lets players craft and incorporate their own original content into the game.

Starfield is the next major release to come out of Bethesda Game Studios and looks to be the company’s most ambitious project to date.

Billed as a single-player action RPG with FPS combat and open world, or rather open space exploration, Starfield has some pretty big shoes to fill.

In it, you’ll travel across the stars to visit new planets, make allies as well as enemies, upgrade your ship and weapons, and unravel humanity’s greatest mysteries.

While Bethesda has had a string of missteps over the years, we’ve got our fingers crossed on Starfield delivering an immersive new experience.

Although Amplitude is best known for a string of dedicated-strategy games released under the Endless moniker, the studio’s next project will expand into real-time action.

In Endless Dungeon, players take on the role of shipwrecked heroes forced to fight their way through abandoned space stations while protecting a sacred crystal from monsters.

Each character has a specialized kit of abilities, weapons, and tactics that can be combined with others to create new and exciting synergies.

It’s a delicious blend of MOBA, strategy, twin-stick shooter, and tower defense that has us looking forward to playing Endless Dungeon on PS5.

The announcement of Metal Slug Tactics caught many by surprise, considering the franchise is exclusively known for its retro run-n-gun games.

However, if the trailer’s any indication, developer Leikir Studio has a bonafide hit on their hands that draws heavy inspiration from games like Final Fantasy Tactics and Fire Emblem.

Additionally, the game will reportedly include some roguelike elements that are sure to keep gameplay and progression feeling fresh and exciting.

While we’ve yet to see just how well Metal Slug meshes with tactical RPG gameplay, we’re willing to take the risk and find out when it releases later this year.

Reminiscent of modern action games like Bayonetta and Devil May Cry, Stellar Blade is an upcoming game about a survivor who must fight unknown creatures on a post-apocalyptic Earth.

Combat is modeled after combo-heavy action games and sees you taking down enemies using a combination of spectacular attacks, parries, and dodge maneuvers with her blade in tow.

The game will also focus on platforming sections that force the player to master the terrain by scaling walls, sliding tactically around enemies, swinging from ropes, and much more.

On PS5, Stellar Blade will take advantage of the DualSense controller’s built-in haptic feedback but is also expected to release on Xbox consoles and PC.

While Silksong will retain many of Hollow Knight’s core Metroidvania elements, it will be using them in slightly different ways.

For one, players will be controlling Hornet, a curious bug-like creature who uses a needle to fight.

At the start of the game, Hornet gets captured and taken to an unknown, haunted kingdom.

Players will have to escape the kingdom by making their way upwards instead of downwards like in the first game, encountering over 150 new creatures along the way.

Toeing the line between weird and genuinely exciting, Palworld is an upcoming open-world game from Pocketpair Games, best known for Craftopia.

It puts its own spin on the survival crafting genre by throwing in Pokemon-inspired creature collecting, with various “Pals” for you to tame.

Monsters you collect have special powers that can come in hand during battles, farming, building, fishing, and more.

While it’s a bit jarring to see such adorable creatures appear alongside shotguns, assault rifles, and rocket launchers, there’s something so interesting about Palworld’s concept.

Crimson Desert is an upcoming open-world game that comes from developer/publisher Pearly Abyss, the same studio behind hit MMORPG Black Desert.

Originally, the game was meant to be a prequel to Black Desert but was ultimately scrapped and rebooted as a standalone experience set in a medieval fantasy world.

In it, players take on the role of a mercenary traversing a war-ravaged world where they’ll have to complete quests and recruit other mercenaries to join them in battle.

The extra help will definitely come in hand seeing as the game will reportedly feature harsh weather conditions across its open-world regions.

Ixion is an ambitious-looking game that looks to combine city building, survival elements, and unbridled exploration in one thrilling space opera package.

In it, you take control of the Administrator of the Tiqqun space station as they’re entrusted with finding a new home for humanity.

Looking to the stars, players will have to keep the station in working order while traveling across the galaxy searching for new resources and habitable planets.

Throughout your journey, you’ll come across random in-game events that will force you to adapt as well as encounter other survivors willing to aid you in your mission.

Reminiscent of cowboy games like Red Dead Redemption 2 with a survival management sim twist, Wild West Dynasty is definitely worth keeping on your radar.

In it, players are tasked with building their own ranch while surviving any obstacle the Old West throws their way.

The game includes a dedicated story mode with hundreds of missions to tackle as well as customizable town-building and even a horse you can ride.

While further details are scarce at the moment, we can count on developer Virtual Magic to provide more information early next year.

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Justin Fernandez

As a fan of both indie and triple-A games, Justin finds joy in discovering and sharing hidden gems with other passionate gamers. In addition to reporting on the latest and greatest titles, he manages GamingScan’s social media channels.

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