What to Play in August: 10 Notable Upcoming Games whiich are fully graphically designed

1 of 10- LEMNIS GATE

Lemnis Gate FPS/Strategy Out August 3 for PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One A long-in-development indie from Ratloop Games Canada, Lemnis Gate is a sci-fi turn-based combat strategy shooter. It's also yet another entry in the increasingly crowded field of time loop games, though the mechanic has the potential to be fresh here. Each 1v1 (or 2v2) game takes place within a 25-second time loop, played out in a series of five rounds in which you have to make your move quickly by inserting a new operative into the mix. Every move made by both sides persists as the loop replays (and the number of combatants mounts), forcing you to think four dimensionally as you plot a strategy to achieve that game's particular objective. Gate will also be available on Xbox Game Pass on launch day.

2of 10- lawn moving simulator

Lawn Mowing Simulator Simulation/Management Out August 10 for PC and Xbox Series X/S What's better than watching paint dry? How about watching the grass grow—or, better yet, stopping it from doing so. Actually, games based on quotidian tasks (think PowerWash Simulator and House Flipper) have been surprisingly popular in recent years—think of it as a more active form of meditation—and Lawn Mowing Simulator aims to cash in on that trend with what developer Skyhook Games bills as a "physically authentic lawn mowing experience." Choose from a wide range of officially licensed lawn mowers (no knockoffs here!) and go to work in various settings in the English countryside, including the grounds of a castle, an equestrian center, and the garden of a modern house. And there's more than mere mowing; the game also works as a business management sim, allowing you to build your own lawncare business through hiring, marketing, upgrades, and more.

3 of 10- NARAKA BLADE POINTS

Battle royale
On August 12 for PC

Following a popular beta release this spring, the gaming world's latest battle royale title arrives in finished form in August for PC (with a console release—on the PS5, at least—to come shortly). Created by Chinese developer 24 Entertainment, Naraka: Bladepoint features 60-player battles focusing on martial arts and melee combat (though you'll be able to use ranged weapons if you prefer). IGN has already likened the game to "a battle royale version of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." but what truly sets the new game apart from its battle royale competition are its grappling hook/parkour mechanics (you'll definitely want to start thinking vertically) and its profound character customization tools.

4of10- HADES

Hades Action/RPG Out August 13 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One Supergiant's follow-up to Pyre uses the world of Greek mythology as the setting for an isometric roguelike action-RPG, which tasks you with guiding the prince of the Underworld to Mount Olympus, where he can finally escape from his father, Hades. Hack-and-slash combat combines with procedurally-generated narrative and ample dialogue to provide a unique gaming experience. When it was released last year for Switch and PC, Hades scored big with critics and gamers alike, becoming the best-reviewed game of 2020 on the former and recently collecting the Game of the Year trophy from the Game Developers Choice Awards. This month, Xbox and PlayStation owners can finally get in on the fun (and Xbox Game Pass subscribers will get it for free).

5 of10- HUMANKIND

Humankind 4X strategy Out August 17 for PC Delayed from the spring to respond to player feedback following an early access period, Humankind is Amplitude Studios' attempt to beat Civilization at its own game. While the developer's previous games, Endless Legend and Endless Space (and its sequel), borrowed heavily from the Sid Meier-created Civ franchise (albeit with fantasy and sci-fi settings, respectively), Humankind is a direct competitor to the now 5-year-old Civilization VI, similarly following the development of civilizations around the globe from pre-ancient times to the present day and beyond. One key difference between the competitors: In Civ 6, you pick a civilization and stick with it the entire game, enjoying that civ's unique abilities. But in Humankind, you are prompted to select your civilization type each time you begin one of the six historical eras, allowing you to mix and match traits of multiple real-world cultures over time. In addition, Civ's multiple victory conditions are reduced to just one in Humankind (a metric called "Fame"). At the same time, combat is more detailed than the simplified version in Civ (and is more akin to a tactical RPG—or, for that matter, Endless Space 2).

6of10 -12 minutes

Adventure
Out August 19 for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One

Would you believe ... another time loop game? (It's almost like we're caught in some sort of ... well, never mind.) In this stylish, Annapurna-published (and Microsoft-exclusive) indie top-down point-and-click adventure from Luis Antonio, you'll need to replay a 12-minute period of time set within the confines of an apartment—a period that starts with a nice romantic dinner with your wife but quickly grows dark as your wife is implicated in a murder and your own life comes to a gruesome end. Can you break out of the loop and save your life? Inspired by the films of Alfred Hitchcock and Christopher Nolan, 12 Minutes features a cinema-ready voice cast of Willem Dafoe, Daisy Ridley, and James McAvoy. Sort of like an Earthbound Returnal with thinking substituting for shooting; it looks like one for gamers and non-gamers alike. (It's also for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, who will get the game on day one.)

7 of 10- Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut

Action-adventure
Out August 20 for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4

Suck Punch's well-reviewed 2020 open-world samurai game comes to the PS5 for the first time in an expanded "Director's Cut" edition, which will also be available for the PS4. The new version includes the base game and the previously released Legends expansion. It adds a second single-player expansion: Iki Island (also available separately). It adds a new story and missions and a large island setting to explore (similar in size to the base game's Izuhara). The PS5 version of Director's Cut will also boast a few new, exclusive features, including upgraded visuals, quicker load times, 3D audio, and haptic feedback.

8 of 10-MADDEN NFL22

Sports
Out August 20 for PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One

Last year's Madden was a notably lackluster entry in the venerable EA sports football franchise, introducing little new to the series other than a few glitches (and a new mode called The Yard, which returns this year). Will this year's installment be any better? Featuring both Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes on the cover, Madden 22 does offer some tweaks to the formula, especially on the PS5 and Xbox Series X, where home-field advantage becomes a bigger factor and a brand-new "momentum meter" will cause your team's momentum to swing based on your performance during the game. The AI has been refined to improve single-player competitions. The Franchise mode has graphical changes, new staff management and progression features, and the ability to set weekly practice strategies. However, all of these changes sound relatively minor, so ultimately, it will be up to the overall execution and polish to determine whether Metascores are higher this year than last.

9 of 10- Aliens: Fireteam Elite

Co-op survival shooter
Out August 24 for PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One

Emerging from a six-year development period (under newcomer Cold Iron Studios), Fireteam is the first console game based on the Alien film franchise since 2014's Alien: Isolation. Unlike that game, the emphasis here is on action rather than survival horror—so think more James Cameron, less Ridley Scott. Set aboard the USS Endeavor as it responds to a distress call that takes it to an alien-filled location, Fireteam takes place over two decades following the events of the third film; not that story is a major consideration here (though there are four campaigns to play through). Choose from five RPG-like classes for your character and over 30 weapons and team up online (with friends or with strangers via a matchmaking system) to take down waves (and waves) of Xenomorphs of varying species and behaviors. There's no cross-platform play (at least at launch), but the game supports cross-gen play in the same platform family.

10 of 10- King's Bounty 2

RPG/Strategy
Out August 24 for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Switch

The first official direct sequel to New World Computing's 1990 strategy/RPG King's Bounty—the game that launched the Heroes of Might and Magic franchise in all but name—King's Bounty 2 follows 2008's King's Bounty: The Legend, a game directly inspired by the 1990 original though more spinoff than a sequel. (The new game doesn't actually continue any storylines, so newbies can jump right in without missing anything.) The gritty tactical RPG is set in a fantastical open world—the Blight-infected land of Nostria—and incorporates multiple changes from its predecessors. Among other things, the camera angle has changed to an over-the-shoulder viewpoint, voice acting brings characters to life with spoken dialogue, and a new "Ideal" mechanic gives your character unique bonuses while also narrowing your available narrative choices based on which of the four potential alignments (order, power, finesse, anarchy) you adopt.