Sound clever in meetings with this concise snapshot of the new games you need to know about.
Here every Friday you’ll find big games gone global, fresh soft launches, the latest release dates and everything in between.
This week’s new games digest is sponsored by Playroom, a lightning-fast backend multiplayer toolkit for games. Build and scale games effortlessly, with zero server setup and no maintenance required.
Zenless Zone Zero (Mihoyo)
Mihoyo confirmed that its next game Zenless Zone Zero is coming in 2024 during The Game Awards last night, and released a new trailer too. Honkai: Star Rail also picked up the Mobile Game of the Year gong at the show, following on from GOTY awards from both Apple and Google.
Sonic Dream Team (SEGA)
This is the first of several notable Apple Arcade games that arrived this week – a new 3D platformer made by UK studio Sega Hardlight.
Civilization: Eras & Allies (2K Games)
According to IGN, this title was previously in soft launch under the name Conquests and Alliances – 4X Empire Builder. 2K/Firaxis is working with a specialist mobile studio on the game, though it wouldn’t tell IGN which one.
It is in soft launch on Android only across a strange mix of countries including the UK, Australia, Turkey and parts of the Nordics and Europe.
Godzilla x Kong: Titan Chasers (Tilting Point)
Announced right after the trailer for the new film Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, this new Tilting Point game is now live in pre-order, apparently on iOS only. It is developed by Hunted Cow Games, maker of Warhammer: Chaos and Conquest and Operation: New Earth, and is a squad battler/builder.
NBA Infinite (Level Infinite)
This new NBA game is from Tencent label Level Infinite, and is in development at Lightspeed Studios, maker of PUBG Mobile and Undawn. Neither the store blurb or trailer are very clear on what type of game it is exactly – and we’re pretty sure NBA 2K has the exclusive rights to the full simulation-type experience – but the blurb says there are a variety of PvP game modes, plus of course team building and upgrading.
Star Match (Peak)
This new match 3 from the maker of Toon Blast and Toy Blast is a follow-on from Star Blast, Peak’s third most popular game to date. It’s in soft launch now, but only on iOS in Turkey.
Candy Crush 3D (King)
As we reported earlier this week, King’s take on the growing ‘Match 3D’ puzzle genre is in soft launch now, but only on Android in Malaysia.
Goat Simulator 3 Mobile (Coffee Stain)
This slapstick epic is out now worldwide on iOS and Android. It’s a port of the PC and console game from 2022, and is a relatively high-priced premium game at $12.99.
Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition (Gameloft)
This licensed Sims-style builder was originally meant to be a free-to-play game but Gameloft thought better of it and released it through Arcade this week.
Puzzle & Dragons Story (GungHo)
As the title suggests, this is a more story-based edition of GungHo’s long-running puzzle-RPG, and the third of this week’s notable Apple Arcade releases.
Death’s Door (22nd Century Toys, Acid Nerve)
Meanwhile over on Netflix, this indie game is out now through the streaming service, a dungeon-crawler with a mix of combat and puzzles.
Word Trails (Playsimple)
Also new to Netflix, a word puzzler very heavily inspired by Wordscapes, complete with a word wheel and globetrotting meta.
Captain Tsubasa: Ace
This anime series is huge in Japan and has had several game spin-offs over the years. This is the latest, a football-RPG that’s out now on iOS and Android.
Roger That! (Belka Games)
This swashbuckling merge and tycoon game is out now worldwide on iOS, Android and for PC through the Microsoft Store. It’s the new game from Belka, maker of Bermuda Adventures, Solitaire Cruise and Clockmaker.
The Longing (Studio Seufz)
This indie game and IGF nominee is coming to iOS and Android on December 18 at the premium price of $4.99.
