Five new Steam games you probably missed (December 12, 2022)

On an average day about a dozen new games are released on Steam. And while we think that's a good thing, it can be understandably hard to keep up with. Potentially exciting gems are sure to be lost in the deluge of new things to play unless you sort through every single game that is released on Steam. So that’s exactly what we’ve done. If nothing catches your fancy this week, we've gathered the best PC games you can play right now and a running list of the 2022 games that are launching this year. 

Choo-Choo Charles

Steam‌ ‌page‌ ‌
Release:‌ December 10
Developer:‌ Two Star Games
Launch price:‌ ‌$20 |‌ ‌£16.75 ‌|‌ ‌AU$29.50

Choo-Choo Charles is a survival horror about a nasty train. A train, I should add, that has giant spider legs. I'd hazard a guess that it's inspired by the numerous Thomas the Tank Engine mods available for games ranging Elden Ring through to Kingdom Hearts 3, and while Choo-Choo Charles as a concept is rather funny, it's also bloody scary looking too. Set in a grim open world, you'll navigate your own engine (a peaceful, non-scary looking one) most of the time, but you'll also spend some time on foot as you upgrade your engine to be better prepared for a final showdown with the bastard Charles. As far as I know, there is no other horror game about a hectic, murderous train, so full points for originality. The early Steam reviews are “very positive” too.

Turbo Sloths

Steam‌ ‌page‌ ‌
Release:‌ December 9
Developer:‌ RainStyle Games
Launch price:‌ ‌$18 |‌ ‌£16.87 |‌ ‌AU$26.55

Turbo Sloths is a post-apocalyptic arcade racer with vehicular combat, extensive customisation, and sloths. Yes, for some reason all the characters in this fast racing game are sloths, but far be it from me to complain: sloths are great. The wasteland circuits are rife with obstacles and opportunities to catch air, but there's also Arena and Survival modes that seem to share a lot in common with the classic Twisted Metal outings. Judging by the gameplay footage I've seen this is a very fast game indeed, reminding me a little of the very underrated Onrush. This has sloths, though, so comes out of the gate with a clear advantage.

NecroBouncer

Steam‌ ‌page‌ ‌
Release:‌ December 9
Developer:‌ Alchemy Sheep
Launch price:‌ ‌$11.89 |‌ ‌£10.19 ‌|‌ ‌AU$16.95

We've had angry trains and racing sloths, now it's time for a necromancer security guard. NecroBouncer is a roguelite dungeon crawler about doling out vigilante discipline to wasted monsters in a subterranean nightclub. Aside from the novel narrative dressing, NecroBouncer is a pretty orthodox top-down action game: you'll slay baddies, upgrade skills, chain them together, and inevitably die a lot. This being a roguelite, there is a macro-progression system that allows you to carry over certain powers and weapons. File next to Enter the Gungeon, Binding of Isaac, and games about magical security guards.

Togges

Steam‌ ‌page‌ ‌
Release:‌ ‌December 8
Developer:‌ Regular Studio
Launch price:‌ ‌$18 |‌ ‌£15.29 |‌ ‌AU$26.05

The most striking thing about this 3D platformer is its art style. Sure, bright and colorful cartoon landscapes aren't new to the genre, but there's a certain special flair to Togges that looks beautiful in action. Developers Regular Studio describe it as a “non-linear classic Collect-A-Thon 3D platformer”, but it has some light puzzle elements too, mostly involving the stacking and manipulation of blocks (the playable character kinda looks like a hockey puck). There are seven big levels to explore and master, as well as 30 bonus levels. Better still, there's a demo.

Surrealidade – Definitive Edition

Steam‌ ‌page‌ ‌
Release:‌ December 9
Developer:‌ Dimitri Kozma, Orbe Filmes
Launch price:‌ ‌$6.39 |‌ ‌£5.35 |‌ ‌AU$9.43

Here's a bizarre point and click adventure originally released in 1999. As the name implies, it's concerned with the Surrealism art movement, tasking you with exploring a world very heavily inspired by famous works in that tradition. “Your mission in search of the Supra-Reality will be arduous,” so reads the Steam description. “You will have to follow the path that the Artists and Philosophers of the Surrealist Universe have trodden. Beware, you may arrive in places that are not so welcoming.” Sounds ominous! Definitely worth checking out if you like weird videogames.