Big new video games out this week – quick links
Outbound – 11 May
Games Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
‘Outbound is a cosy open-world exploration game set in a utopian near future. Start with an empty camper van and turn it into the home of your dreams – alone or together with your friends. Build and explore at your own pace. Collect materials, craft, and build in and on top of your vehicle with modular parts. Advance in technology and efficiently use energy to power your home.’
Directive 8020 – 12 May
Games Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
‘From the creators of Until Dawn and The Quarry, an all-new cinematic sci-fi horror adventure that blends intense survival gameplay with meaningful choices and a branching storyline. Earth is dying and humanity is running out of time. 12 light years from home, Tau Ceti f offers a small sliver of hope. When the colony ship Cassiopeia crash lands on the planet, its crew soon realize they are far from being alone.’
‘Hunted by an alien organism capable of mimicking its prey, the crew of the Cassiopeia must outwit their pursuers to make it home alive. As they battle to survive, they are confronted with the hardest choice of all: to save themselves, they must risk the lives of everyone on Earth.’
Call of the Elder Gods – 12 May
Games Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2
‘All is not well at Miskatonic University. Professor Harry Everhart tries to ignore the shadows flitting at the corners of his vision, while student Evangeline Drayton is haunted with impossible dreams of an artifact uncovered a decade ago. In their search for answers, the pair will uncover revelations more ancient than anyone could have imagined.’
‘Call of the Sea’s object and observation-based puzzles return with new depth. Scour richly-rendered environments for clues. Swap between Harry and Evangeline to solve complex, multi-part problems across time and space. Choose your own difficulty level with toggle-able hints, icons and journal entries.’
Black Jacket – 12 May
Games Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
Play Black Jack against the restless souls wandering the hellish afterlife. You play for their coin, and you’ll need lots of them to bribe the ferryman and escape. But watch your bet because this isn’t your regular game of Black Jack. Stack your deck with powerful cards, control the table, bend the rules, and beat the odds.’
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – 12 May
Games Platform: Nintendo Switch 2
‘Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. The year is 1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle, and only one person can stop them – Indiana Jones.’
Feline Forensics and the Meowseum Mystery – 13 May
Games Platform: PC
‘When the phone rings in the Feline Forensics department, that can only mean one thing… it’s time to get your toe beans dirty. In this soft-boiled detective puzzler, assume the role of a crime-crushing noir tabby who’s all out of catnip, and utilise your wisest whisker to uncover the truth of this meowseum mystery.’
‘Famously known as the museum’s most valuable exhibit, the gemstone’s true worth is beyond kitten comprehension…. and now its missing! Rely on deductive reasoning skills to prove that there’s no such thing as a purrfect crime. Mismatched alibis and mistrusting motivations provide little explanation as to how this intricate heist devolved into a grizzly murder. No one is above a carnivorous suspicion, so converse with, and cross-examine them all.’
Subnautica 2 early access – 14 May
Games Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S
‘Subnautica 2 is an underwater survival adventure game set on an all-new alien world. Driven from your home by ongoing conflict, Alterra offers you the chance at a new life. But as the colony ship CICADA shepherds you and your fellow Pioneers to your new home, something goes awry. The ship’s AI insists that your mission should continue. Stranded and faced with near-insurmountable odds, you must do everything in your power to survive. The future of humanity on this world is in your hands.’
