11 Great Indie PC Games You Shouldn't Miss This August
We're finding it harder and harder to boil these monthly lists of upcoming indie games down to a digestible number of entries, which we take as a sign that 2021 is gathering steam.
Triple A is still asleep getting ready for the holidays - although it's worth noting that both New World and Humankind are out this month - but there are still plenty of good games coming out on PC thanks to the indie scene.
It's easy to find variety in the August release schedule, but there are a few trends on this list that will appeal to fans of the genre. First of all, there are some downright nice games like farming RPGs, monster battles, friendship sims, and park management games. You'll also find plenty of historical games this month: Bright prospects include Mafia managers, feudal city builders and Viking brawlers.
So whether you want to fill your Steam piggy bank or just support great developers, here are 11 of the hottest indie games coming to PC in August. We've tried to briefly describe what makes each of these games stand out, but be sure to head over to their respective Steam pages and add them to the list if they're to your liking.
Here comes Nico! – August 3.
We've never seen a game described by its developer as a cozy 3D platformer for tired people, but yeah, that's us. And yes, it sounds good. In Here Comes Niko! You've just been hired as a professional friend at Tadpole Inc. and you have to travel through six pristine tropical islands, meeting and befriending strange inhabitants, solving puzzles and chasing bugs. It's a bright, charming, heart-filled game whose aesthetic speaks of jelly shoes and beach vacations - the perfect cure for summer blues. You can check Here Comes Niko!
Trash of Death – August 5
This Ganky-style isometric RPG has been on our radar for a few years now, so it's good to see it finally appearing on Steam Early Access. Set in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by hideous space horrors and intelligent AIs, you create your own outcast and embark on a journey across the land with mysterious cargo. In terms of gameplay, Death Trash combines classic Fallout RPG with combat, as you travel through a world map filled with locations that can be explored manually. The pixel art is gorgeous and evocative, the world is original, and the game has a puke button… sign up! You can check Death Trash.
Haven Park – August 5
A mix of Animal Crossing and A Short Hike, Haven Park is a game where you control a tiny chick named Flint, who is tasked with taking care of his grandmother's campsite and making it the perfect place for travelers. To do this, he will have to explore the campsite, talk to the campers and create areas that meet his needs. It is a short and very nice game designed for you to play at your own pace. You can watch the Haven Park game.
City of Gangsters – August 9
Prohibition-era mob life has long been glorified and romanticized in the media, but beneath the fast cars, guns and excessive luxury lies serious financial savvy that rarely gets its due. . City of Gangsters is a resource management game designed to correct this imbalance by putting you in charge of your very own crime syndicate. There's a bit of muscle to manage, but for the most part your job is to build wineries and distilleries and manage a complex network of competitors, crooked cops and smugglers to make sure you always make a profit. You can check the City of Gangsters game.
Black Book – August 10
A curious mix of card battles and adventure games, Black Book will have you control the young sorceress Vassilisa, who travels through the Slavic countryside and helps the villagers by fighting and expelling demons. The world of Black Book is based on North Slavic mythology, which - with the obvious exception of The Witcher series - you don't often see in games. Fortunately, the game has an encyclopedia that contains detailed information about folklore.
The combat is reminiscent of Slay the Spire and Steamworld Quest, but what caught our attention is the dark and misty art style, which combines crisp low-poly character models with the smooth textures of Slavic fields and forests. You can check the game Black Book.
Pattern – August 10
You may have seen this medieval city builder among the hundreds of demos available at the recent Steam Next Fest. However, while there are many feudal city builders on Steam, Patron differs from the rest in that it divides its population into different social groups. These groups will often react differently to the policies you implement as a benevolent city builder, so compromise and political cunning are just as important as leading the city to economic prosperity. You can get acquainted with the game Pattern.
Glitchpunk – August 11
The video game industry is still reeling from the shock of Cyberpunk 2077's failed release, but luckily there have been plenty of great alternatives since then. Glitchpunk is a top-down action game in the spirit of the original Grand Theft Auto games, where you explore four dystopian cities, collecting bounties and determining the fate of gangs, cults, and corporations. There is some light RPG to the game, but for the most part it's about speeding through the neon-lit streets and wreaking as much havoc as possible. You can check out Glitchpunk.
Highway 96 – August 16
Here is a genre that we are very excited about: hitchhiking games. In Road 96 you try to escape your home country of Petria by hitchhiking to the border, but the outcome of your journey will depend entirely on who stops to give you a ride and in what car you venture out. Each character you meet can lead to moments of chaos, reflection or comedy.
Considering that Road 96 is being created by Valiant Hearts Studios, who have managed to pack all this complexity into a game about the horrors of World War I, we can't wait to see what the game has in store. You can check the game Road 96.
Monster Harvest – August 19
In a nutshell, Monster Harvest is a mix of Pokémon with Stardew Valley. The inspiration for the latter is pretty obvious: you're a new resident of the town who's inherited a farm that desperately needs to be taken care of, there are loads of characters to meet, and even caves to fight through. However, Monster Harvest changes things up a bit by letting you farm your own monsters to battle, train, and pamper. You can get acquainted with the Monster Harvest game.
Travel Book – August 30
Forget MMOs, they've long since become the 2000s. Book of Travels developer Might & Delight is calling its upcoming game TMORPG, which stands for Tiny Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. line). Its goal is to create a stunning and scenic world that players can explore and play freely without massive quests or iconic monsters.
You can drink tea and gamble all day or become an explorer climber, and while Book of Travels has battles, they're far from the limelight. As for multiplayer, the goal of Might & Delight is to encourage fleeting and meaningful interactions with other players on those rare occasions when their paths cross. There may be skills that can be shared, or remote regions that are easier to explore with a second set of hands, but collaboration and camaraderie remain the primary goals. You can check the game Travel Book.
Iron Song – August 31
This bearded side-scrolling brawler is the work of solo developer Resting Relics Studios, which is striking when you see the quality of the animation and apparent depth of combat. Your objective in this mythical land inspired by the Norse myth is to reach the Great Temple of the Gods and save your people, fighting against any monster or human that stands in your way. To do so, you have a range of abilities at your disposal, from attacks with flaming axes and lightning-fast arrows to simpler techniques like throws and dodges, all with a palpable sense of weight and menace behind each blow. You can check Song of Iron.