Usually I start one of these articles with a corny little joke about how I can’t believe it’s a month in the year and then it turns out it’s actually a much later month in the year, but this time around I’m not going to do that because I genuinely wrote June at least three times today at work before realising it is, in fact, July. And worse, it’s nearly August.
Ignoring that crisis for just a moment, a new month incoming means it’s time to once again look at what there is to get excited about for the next page in everyone’s calendars. And August is a sneakily big one with a bit of a quieter start followed by a big ol’ AAA climax at the tail end.
Take a look at what’s coming in the month ahead:
THE MOST EXCITING GAME RELEASES IN AUGUST 2024
Star Wars Outlaws
Release Date: August 30th
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
The Cheapest Price: $75 at MightyApe
Experience the first-ever open world Star Wars game and explore distinct planets across the galaxy, both iconic and new. Risk it all as Kay Vess, an emerging scoundrel seeking freedom and the means to start a new life. Fight, steal, & outwit your way through the galaxy’s crime syndicates as you join the galaxy’s most wanted.
If you’re willing to take the risk, the galaxy is full of opportunity.
Read our extensive coverage of the game here.
Black Myth: WuKong
Release Date: August 20th
Platforms: PS5, PC
Black Myth: Wukong is an action RPG rooted in Chinese mythology. The story is based on Journey to the West, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. You shall set out as the Destined One to venture into the challenges and marvels ahead, to uncover the obscured truth beneath the veil of a glorious legend from the past.
Visions of Mana
Release Date: August 29th
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, PC
The Cheapest Price: $94 at Amazon
Visions of Mana is a brand new title in this series revolving around the sacred sword and mana. The protagonist Val and his childhood friend Hinna, the newly appointed Alm of Fire, set off on a journey to the Mana Tree. This game’s iconic vibrant and vast semi-open field contains adorable yet ferocious monsters, allowing you to enjoy swift three-dimensional battles using the power of the Elementals.
Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club
Release Date: August 29th
Platforms: Switch
The Cheapest Price: $68 at Amazon
A student has been found dead! His head was covered with a paper bag with an eerie smiling face drawn on it—much like the victims of Emio, the Smiling Man—a killer of urban legend who is said to place such a bag over his victims’ heads.
As an assistant private investigator, you are tasked with helping police solve this crime, which is reminiscent of a series of unsolved murders from 18 years ago. Has a serial killer returned, or is this the work of a copycat? Are these crimes inspired by the Smiling Man story, or the origin of it?
Concord
Release Date: August 23rd
Platforms: PS5, PC
The Cheapest Price: $49 at Amazon
Assemble your crew of Freegunner space outlaws and team up online with friends for thrilling 5v5 PVP modes across the galaxy in Concord.
Concord is a new team-based first-person shooter for PS5® and PC*. Handpick your personal roster of Freegunners from the crew of the Northstar – a group of outlaws and adventurers working as guns-for-hire.
Thank Goodness You’re Here!
Release Date: August 1st
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Switch, PC
“Thank Goodness You’re Here!” is a comedy slapformer, which unfolds over time as the players’ exploration and antics leave their mark on the strange town of Barnsworth. With each completed odd job, new areas of the town open up, stranger and stranger tasks become available, and the clock ticks towards our salesman’s big meeting. The town’s colorful inhabitants are brought to life with vibrant hand-drawn animation, fully voiced dialogue, and wall-to-wall double entendres.
The Crush House
Release Date: August 9th (10th AEST)
Platforms: PC
The Crush House is THE reality TV sensation of 1999, and it has a new producer: you! Playing as new hire Jae, take your camera into the show’s iconic Malibu mansion and keep viewers glued to their screens by filming all the drama, romance, and tension that erupts. But fail to keep your audience entertained and you may suffer a fate worse than death: cancellation. Choose between twelve eccentric personalities and find your four-person cast for each season’s run. Mix and match conflicting personalities or complementary attractions and watch as tensions run and sparks fly. Catch the best stuff on camera and watch your ratings soar.
World of Warcraft: The War Within
Release Date: August 26th
Platforms: PC
Anniversary Collector’s Edition available here!
Throughout the ages, mighty heroes have risen to defend Azeroth. Now, at the dawn of a new saga, the darkness calls from the very heart of the world.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter
Release Date: August 1st
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, PC
In this classic third-person action-adventure, you’ll become Jango Fett, Prime Clone of the Grand Army of the Republic, hired to capture a deranged Dark Jedi. Experience the legendary Bounty Hunter fantasy set before the events of Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Face off against foes and maneuver through acrobatic battles in this adaption optimised for today’s consoles and hardware.
SteamWorld Heist 2
Release Date: August 8th
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, PC
All is not well on the waves, a crisis is brewing. A water crisis! Mysteriously, this precious resource has turned deadly, corroding metal limbs and mechanical hearts.
Take charge as Captain Leeway joined by his ragtag crew of Steambots to uncover the enigmatic menace threatening the Great Sea.
Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland
Release Date: August 16th
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, NES, PC
When Tommy, Chuckie, Phil and Lil see a commercial for the new Reptar video game, they pretend that they’re in a video game of their own. Through the power of imagination, the babies transform Tommy’s house into a video game world full of action, excitement, and adventure. Toggle between beautiful 8-bit and HD art and select your favorite baby in this neo-retro platformer!
Cat Quest 3
Release Date: August 8th
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Play as a swashbuckling purrivateer in this 2.5D open-world action RPG set in a fantastical pirate-themed world – the Purribean – an archipelago swarming with Pi-rats searching for the Northern Star – a long-lost mythical treasure. Alongside your trusty spirit companion, set sail through the Purribean in your very own ship! But beware, the seas are dangerous, and a meow-tiny is nigh as the hordes of Pi-rats under the order of the Pirate King hunt you down…
Madden NFL 25
Release Date: August 13th
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC
The Cheapest Price: $89 at Amazon
Hit like you mean it with FieldSENSE™ powered by BOOM Tech. Experience how the new physics-informed dynamic tackling system unlocks realistic collisions & new gameplay animations on both sides of the ball. With a reengineered Hit Stick, perfect hit indicator, a new Ball Carrier Balance System, and physics-driven dives, trucks and stiff arms, timing has never been more important as each interaction reflects true-to-life motion and physical outcomes.
Dustborn
Release Date: August 20th
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC
Dustborn is a single-player, story-driven action-adventure game about hope, love, friendships, robots…and the power of words.
You play Pax: exile, con-artist, Anomal — with the ability to weaponize language. Looking for a new life and a way out, Pax has been hired to transport an important package from Pacifica to Nova Scotia, across the Justice-controlled American Republic. Sounds like a legit reason for a road-trip, right?
World of Goo 2
Release Date: August 2nd
Platforms: Switch, PC
A powerful company has re-branded as an environmentally friendly, sustainable, green, clean, Goo processing non-profit.Help them collect as much Goo as possible. But what do they really want? Explore a new story spanning hundreds of thousands of years and watch the world change. Be careful! The world is beautiful, but it is dangerous. Guide as many Goo Balls into the exit pipe of each area as you can. …but what’s on the other end of the pipe?
Bare Butt Boxing
Release Date: August 1st
Platforms: Switch, PC
Fight in completely unregulated alien boxing bouts and punch out players online in BARE BUTT BOXING, a chaotic multiplayer brawler with physics-based characters.
Tombi!* Special Edition
Release Date: August 1st
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Switch, PC
As the titular Tombi, you leap, bite, and throw your way across stunning 2.5D landscapes on a quest to overcome a deplorable cadre of nefarious pigs. Along the way, you’ll explore ancient relics, discover fascinating characters, unlock thrilling quests, and unearth hidden treasures. It’s a platforming adventure that perfectly fuses linear and nonlinear gameplay styles.
*Tomba! if your copy was pirated from overseas.
Creatures of Ava
Release Date: August 7th
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC
Let your empathy guide you as you play an exciting action-adventure, creature-saver game. Understand and tame the creatures of Ava and let them lead you through a variety of ecosystems – all in the hopes of saving the planet from a life-consuming infection.
Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse
Release Date: August 14th
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, PC
The last game in the episodic Sam & Max trilogy, beautifully remastered! When Max stumbles upon a mysterious toy that allows him to glimpse the future, the Freelance Police unwittingly arouse the attention of a host of villains hellbent on acquiring the magical Toys of Power. To prevent the Devil’s Toybox from falling into the wrong hands, Sam & Max must face their most frightening adversary yet: the power of Max’s mind.
I Am Your Beast
Release Date: August 15th
Platforms: PC
Hunt the military-industrial complex across stylish comic book micro-sandboxes in this fast-paced covert revenge thriller FPS from the developers of El Paso, Elsewhere.
Akimbot
Release Date: August 29th
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
In this 3D, action-adventure platformer, play as Exe, an outlaw robot with his unexpected sidekick, Shipset, as you blast your way through armies of robots, control spaceships and forge your own path on a mission to save the universe from impending doom! Set in a sci-fi world where only robots exist, travel the galaxy and experience non-stop robot mayhem and explosive action!
