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Steam News
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All the latest news and updates from your favorite gaming platform, Steam. Stay informed about new features, sales, and more.
Some Of Our Favorite Hidden Indie Gems Are In The Big Steam Sale
Some Of Our Favorite Hidden Indie Gems Are In The Big Steam SaleThe Steam summer sale is an annual opportunity to add vast numbers to the teetering pile of games you’ll get around to playing someday. With bonkers 90-percent-off deals, you can grab recent big-name games for under $5, all of which you’ll definitely remember to load up someday. But it’s not just the AAA blockbusters… Read more...
KotakuJul 1
Monster Hunter Wilds' Next Big Update Promises New Content And More Fixes As Steam Rating Tanks
Monster Hunter Wilds' Next Big Update Promises New Content And More Fixes As Steam Rating TanksIt’s been roughly five months since Monster Hunter Wilds launched and things are rougher than ever on PC. The loot-based boss rush adventure never ran particularly great there but managed to break franchise records on Steam despite the terrible user reviews. But issues have persisted, and alongside complaints about an… Read more...
KotakuJun 27
2025 Steam Summer Sale Begins
2025 Steam Summer Sale BeginsThe 2025 Steam Summer Sale is live on PC games throughout the early July 2025, with lots of games drastically reduced.
SiliconeraJun 26
Steam Summer Sale Includes A Lot Of Great Games Marked Down To $15 Or Less
Steam Summer Sale Includes A Lot Of Great Games Marked Down To $15 Or LessSteam’s annual and massive summer sale is live! If you’ve been waiting to buy a copy of Schedule I, RoboCop: Rogue City, Borderlands 3, Anno 1800, Metro Exodus, or Dead By Daylight, this sale is for you. And if you wanted some other games instead, well, odds are they are on sale as well. It’s a pretty big sale. Read more...
KotakuJun 26
MindsEye Maker Facing Mass Layoff As Players Seek Refunds
MindsEye Maker Facing Mass Layoff As Players Seek RefundsThings are going from bad to worse for Build A Rocket Boy. The studio founded by former Grand Theft Auto producer Leslie Benzies is reportedly facing a mass layoff of over 100 employees after MindsEye launched to become the worst-rated game of 2025 . Despite rushed hotfixes to address performance issues, some players… Read more...
KotakuJun 23
Vending Dokan: Kozy Kiosk Is a Chill Business Management Sim
Vending Dokan: Kozy Kiosk Is a Chill Business Management Sim Among the Wholesome Direct 2025 shadowdrops was Vending Dokan: Kozy Kiosk, an idle simulation about managing vending machines. While there is a game here, it also is a bit like Spirit City: Lofi Sessions in its execution. Yes, we’re running a series of vending machines in a city. However, we’re also maintaining a scenic vista we can look at and listen to when we aren’t actively “playing.” In Vending Dokan: Kozy Kiosk , we own a vending machine company. That means placing units in spots around the city, hiring staff who can handle things like maintenance, inventory, and repairs. Each one has their own salary, schedule, and you choose if they clean, handle inventory, or repair machines. When at a machine, we choose what it stocks, manage those items, and can clean it up. Our warehouses hold containers of the drinks and snacks we’ve acquired.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw0j3xnNnp0 But a lot of it seems to be about the vibe. So much that the overall ratings for locations, which are generally based on cleanliness and the vibe, take priority. While there were times when I was stocking and making business decisions, the bulk of the time I would be watching. We aren't constantly needed in-game. We can step in to more directly decorate and influence things, but the staff seemed confident in the build I played and it does take time for machines to get dirty or need replenishing. Which was, in general, fine. I played Vending Dokan: Kozy Kiosk on a Lenovo Legion Go handheld gaming PC. It had no problem running it. It generally worked well on there too. This also meant it was an ideal situation to set up a street and let the app run while I took part in other activities. When I would play Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma ahead of the review, I’d have it in the background when resource gathering or doing minor relationship building, and it ended up being a good companion for that. The general street scenes look fine, and are sort of like an urban screensaver.  Image via Aftabi Games I think what’s important to know going in to it is to know that Vending Dokan: Kozy Kiosk is more of a casual vending machine management experience. You’re supposed to do some light decorating and set up, then leave the business to its own devices. When I played, I found I could get more involved, but I didn’t need to. Which is fine, as sometimes a more casual sim is exactly what we need. Vending Dokan: Kozy Kiosk is in early access for the PC via Steam . The post Vending Dokan: Kozy Kiosk Is a Chill Business Management Sim appeared first on Siliconera .
SiliconeraJun 22
Kill the Clock Offers an Early Peek at a Time Loop Mystery
Kill the Clock Offers an Early Peek at a Time Loop Mystery What if your motivation for solving a crime is because you wanted to be the person to kill someone? But now you’re also trapped constantly reliving that scenario. That’s the premise for the upcoming adventure Kill the Clock and, while it’s only in early access at the moment, the concept seems sound. Part of what grabbed my attention about Kill the Clock immediately is the concept. Our character intended to kill William Meyer. However, when we go to do so, we find he’s already dead. His wife Linda happens upon the scene and, given the evidence, thinks that we did it. We’re arrested, but get a chance to clear our name. This means investigating the crime scene and places of interest and talking to people, perhaps gifting and bribing them while there. Stats influence our capabilities, and we can assess individuals with minigames and psychic abilities. However, since this is also a time loop situation, each “loop” will play out differently with possibly a different murderer and outcome.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uld7-1e3HsU The story is generally good. I think I like the premise more than the actual Kill the Clock script at the moment. There are issues with tenses and grammar, and some of the writing comes across a bit flat or out of character. However, this is a work in progress. Since it only did just enter early access and is from a Korean developer, we need to expect a learning curve. I suspect by the time the third chapter is included, we’ll start to see the results of editing.  I do feel like, at the moment, it’s difficult to assess how well certain gameplay elements work. This is going to be a four chapter game, and two are present. Relationships with characters, influenced by gifts and bribes, will determine the end we see, as will our actions. I didn’t always see exact results from such interactions at the moment, probably because this isn’t complete yet. For example, it seems like sometimes I saw people acting pretty favorable or tolerant toward us even without earning/buying their trust, and I’m curious if the bonds’ effects will be more noticeable in the 1.0 release.  Images via Happy Slugs It is also at a point where some quality of life elements aren’t there yet. However, Happy Slugs did already address that. In the time since I started playing and then wrote this initial playtest up, the team already confirmed it would be adding a chapter select option that lets us jump to any of the four chapters and more save file slots.  Kill the Clock seems ambitious, to be sure, and I’m eager to see if the finished game can match the scope Happy Slugs set for it. The protagonist’s motive is unconventional for a detective game, and the general time loop concept is promising too. We’ll have to see if some script adjustments, the relationship system, the last two chapters, and bug fixes will make it all worth while in the end.  Kill the Clock is available in Early Access on Steam for the PC, and a demo is available.  The post Kill the Clock Offers an Early Peek at a Time Loop Mystery appeared first on Siliconera .
SiliconeraJun 21
Doronko Wanko Switch Version Adds 5 Dogs in July
Doronko Wanko Switch Version Adds 5 Dogs in July Phoenixx and Bandai Namco Studio confirmed the release date for the Nintendo Switch version of Doronko Wanko , which involves a full version of the game with additional dogs to use. The exact date the dirty dog action game will be available on the popular console will be July 24, 2025. As a reminder, Doronko Wanko was made as one of the training projects for Bandai Namco's new recruits in 2023. This game lets players control a dog, which aims to cause as much mess as possible in its owner's house. The initial PC release has been available for free since March 2024 , but it only features the Pomeranian. The upcoming Nintendo Switch release of Doronko Wanko will be a paid game that costs 500 yen (~$3.45), but it will add five more playable dogs: Shiba Inu, Corgi, Jack Russell Terrier, Toy Poodle, and Bulldog. These dogs will also be available for the PC version via a DLC pack at the same price tag. Images via Bandai Namco As a side note, Bandai Namco Studio had previously announced in December 2024 that the Switch release and the DLC set for PC would be available in Spring 2025. The studio ended up missing the promised window, since July 24, 2025, falls in the Summer season instead. However, it compensated for the delay by adding five new dogs instead of just three. Doronko Wanko will be available as a paid game for Nintendo Switch at 500 yen on July 24, 2025. The game is also readily available for free on PC via Steam . The post Doronko Wanko Switch Version Adds 5 Dogs in July appeared first on Siliconera .
SiliconeraJun 17
Review: Saeko: Giantess Dating Sim Is a Treat That Could Be Yummier
Review: Saeko: Giantess Dating Sim Is a Treat That Could Be Yummier Having a girlfriend is great and all, but you know what would make the experience better? If your girlfriend is a giant and can kill you like a bug at any time. Despite the almost joke-like title of the game, SAEKO: Giantess Dating Sim is a visual novel with an unconventional, dark, and Stockholm syndrome-adjacent romance that can leave the player wanting more.  SAEKO: Giantess Dating Sim puts you in the miniature shoes of Rin. He was walking home one rainy night when he mysteriously shrinks to the size of an ant. A university student named Saeko finds him and places him in her drawer for protection. In there, Rin encounters a collection of other little people. It doesn’t take long to learn that Saeko is not just the culprit behind the shrinking, but she’s also a cannibal who eats a little person every day. After Saeko kills the previous supervisor of the drawer for failing in his duties, she promotes Rin to the position. Rin’s job is simple: feed a little person every day to make them more delicious for Saeko and make sure no one’s health falls below zero, lest Saeko murders them all. The gameplay loop of SAEKO: Giantess Dating Sim revolves around three segments: Day, Night, and Midnight. During the Day segment, you can hang out with the other little people and learn about them before sentencing one to be devoured. At Night, you can have a one-on-one conversation with Saeko. These talks shed some light on Saeko’s personality and past. Saying too much or too little, or giving the wrong answers will prompt Saeko to kill Rin. Finally, at Midnight, you can use Saeko’s cellphone to read news about the outside world or play a mini-game. Screenshot by Siliconera The main emotional core of the game centers on Rin and Saeko, as well as their relationship. As someone who’s not into macrophilia, I can’t speak on how much Saeko appeals to that community. While the seeds are there for some nice ol’ “cannibalism as a metaphor for love” deliciousness, the game sadly never quite takes that route. Though Saeko makes for an interesting character, she’s not that compelling of a romantic interest. We don’t get a lot of Rin’s thoughts, and whatever attracted Rin to Saeko (and vice versa) in the first place is lost in Rin’s forgotten memories. It makes the Stockholm/Lima syndrome romance a little hard to get behind, even as someone who supports women’s rights and wrongs.  I want to clarify that I eat up a lot of the tropes and ideas that SAEKO: Giantess Dating Sim presents. That’s precisely why I wanted to see the writer do more with it. It’s easier to avoid thinking of it as an actual “dating simulator” as the title suggests; rather, it’s a story of morality, masking, and attachment. Screenshot by Siliconera Aesthetically, the game looks fantastic. It has a clean interface, and the segments of chatting with Saeko are reminiscent of those Lofi girl streams . The contrast between the calm music and Rin’s palpable fear works great. The pixel art and animations are delightful as well. Though it’s frustrating to replay conversations with Saeko, I still enjoyed watching her facial expressions and hair animations. For all her cruelty and callousness—or, perhaps, because of her sociopathy—Saeko is a charming antagonist in the same vein as Tomie, and her face card never declines. Crude, salacious, yet surprisingly beautiful, SAEKO: Giantess Dating Sim is a fun short story for those who enjoy a fantastical take on dark romance. It only took me about three and a half hours to see all three endings in the game. But, like how a part of Rin remained in that drawer even after he escapes from it, it’s easy for your mind to linger on the implications and promises the story brings. SAEKO: Giantess Dating Sim is available on Windows PC via Steam. The post Review: Saeko: Giantess Dating Sim Is a Treat That Could Be Yummier appeared first on Siliconera .
SiliconeraJun 15
Review: Squeakross Is a Rewarding Picross-like Game
Review: Squeakross Is a Rewarding Picross-like Game Typically in a nonogram game like Picross , completing the puzzle and seeing the finished image is all the reward we get for being diligent enough to figure things out. Albune’s Squeakross: Home Squeak Home does that, of course, but there’s a little something else to act as an incentive. Here, every solved situation adds to a catalog of customization elements for a cute little mouse’s home. It really makes the game feel special, as well as provides a reason to get through puzzles as quickly as possible. In Squeakross: Home Squeak Home , every player is a mouse. We just moved into a new home. It’s empty at the moment. However, it won’t take too long to make that hole in the wall a comfortable place to live. That’s because every puzzle we solve provides us with a new type of furniture or decorative element to enhance our living space. What follows is a nonogram puzzle game like the Jupiter Picross series that gradually gets more difficult and offers more unique furnishings as rewards for challenging ourselves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIrCpjQv8pE&ab_channel=Alblune The impression I get from Squeakross: Home Squeak Home is that it is designed to encourage completion compared to other nonogram games like Jupiter’s Picross . Now, I always do finish every Jupiter entry I pick up. However, I play them at a more leisurely pace. Two or three puzzles before bed to wind down and relax. Maybe it’ll take me a full month, or even two if its a busy time of year, to gradually beat a game. The nature of Albune’s title makes each puzzle an item in essentially a catalog of items. So if you want more to do, you need to skip around and fill out puzzles. Said puzzles are, well, standard nonograms, as Squeakross: Home Squeak Home doesn’t reinvent the wheel. A grid is placed before you. Numbers across the top and left side note how many squares need to be filled in to complete the puzzle, as well as how many are in a row. You need to use logic to do so. In a nod to this being a game filled rodents, boxes are filled in with cheese. You can also use notation to mark suspected spots with a “O” and definitively note a space shouldn’t be filled by placing an “X.” The hints at the top will use different colors to note if lines are done, could be filled in, or are almost done save for a missing “X.”  Images via Alblune After finishing a puzzle, you get the piece of furniture in your mouse’s room. In there, you can direct your mouse to go ahead and interact with anything you placed. You can also complete Nini’s Challenge for variants of items that look different and add more options. There’s quite a bit of diversity and even some themes that come up, and you get multiple rooms to decorate. Likewise, you can customize your mouse's appearance, changing how they look and what they wear. The character's personality and tendencies can even change. So it can almost feel a bit like a customizable pet you care for. The thing that gets me is, while the puzzles are fun to complete in Squeakross: Home Squeak Home , when completed they don’t always look like the furniture items or accessories they unlike like ones found in Picross games. They’ll usually be somewhat close! However, right from the very start, I saw completed designs that didn’t make sense. This happens right away with a cardboard box on the first page, as well as with a cabinet. The pile of books? It does not look anything like a stack of novels. The basic nightstand? No clue how that turned into that! So while the game is fun and we are supposed to use logic, I felt like I couldn’t also rely on my knowledge of what, say, a dresser would look like to finish that. This doesn’t apply to every puzzle, of course, but it’s often enough that it irked me. Images via Alblune While I feel like the Jupiter nonograms in Picross feature some better executed puzzles and final designs, Squeakross: Home Squeak Home offers a fresh take on a nonogram game. The character and home customization really provide an incentive to solve puzzles. The quality of life features and controls work well, so you could easily play with a controller. It’s a cute approach to a classic puzzle genre with plentiful play incentives. Squeakross: Home Squeak Home is available on the Switch and PC, and a demo is available on Steam . The post Review: Squeakross Is a Rewarding Picross-like Game appeared first on Siliconera .
SiliconeraJun 14