“If you can’t eat it then it’s junk”

“WE’VE GONE BEHIND THE SCENES TO TEST ITS TURN-BASED CHOPS”

ROBIN VALENTINE Twitter @robinlvalentine This month Was reminded

SEX DOESN’T SELL

STEAM draws a line on steamy content in games

Highs & Lows

HIGHS Accept Cookies Final Fantasy XIV director

The Spy

BUT WHO WATCHES THE SPY?

FACE THE MUSIC

After DMCA takedowns, Twitch has to make peace with the music biz

ALTAÏR-NATE PAST

How Assassin’s Creed creator PATRICE DÉSILETS became gaming’s cool teacher

CROW’S NEST

GAMING’S LINEAGES EXPLORED

CHIVALRY 2

Tempered steel and temper tantrums on medieval battlefields

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: GOLLUM

A familiar story from a different perspective

AGE OF EMPIRES 4

Adding a new dimension to wargaming

GAMEDEC

Solve crimes as a virtual Sherlock Holmes

CHICORY: A COLORFUL TALE

An adventure that encourages you to paint outside the lines

A MUSICAL STORY

Are You Experienced (in the ways of the rhythm game)?

ICARUS

Battling a hostile planet in Dean Hall’s next survival game

GRIT

Big ideas for big sky country in this cowboy battle royale

Fights in Tight Spaces

A lack of clarity means these tight spaces have room to grow

REVITA

Much more enjoyable than a rye-based crispbread

ALIVE & KICKING

Playing my first match in BLOOD BOWL 3  – and surviving to tell the tale

Free Stellaris soundtrack with your issue

Ten discs and counting of out-of-this-world music

LET’S KILL CRUNCH

Meet the game  makers determined  to stop development  from ruining lives. 

Out now

The pandemic’s effect on the games industry has

This month’s lootin’, shootin’ reviewers…

MORGAN PARK Specialist in Gun mods Currently

RIDE AND DIE

OUTRIDERS is an inconsistent looter shooter that isn’t worth the ride

DRAGON AGED

YAKUZA 6: THE SONG OF LIFE isn’t a major departure from its predecessors, but still finds its own rhythm

SPACE MANAGEMENT

Manage a space station fuelled by nostalgia in SPACEBASE STARTOPIA

HOT DECK

TRIALS OF FIRE is an irresistible card-based roguelike

MINI-VANIA

1990s anime lives on in RECORD OF LODOSS WAR: DEEDLIT IN WONDER LABYRINTH

ANIMAL CONTROL

SHELTER 3’s nomadic wildlife adventure has majorly lost its way

STAR STRUCK

GENESIS NOIR’s adventure traverses the entire history of the universe

HONEST ABE

ODDWORLD: SOULSTORM’s beautiful presentation suffers from some gaping technical oversights

CAESAR SEIZER

TOTAL WAR: ROME REMASTERED makes an old game palatable again

MASK OFF

Turning back the platformer clock in CRASH BANDICOOT 4: IT’S ABOUT TIME

LABOUR OF LOVE

IT TAKES TWO is a brilliant co-op adventure that runs wild with variety

SEA HERE

Keeping my head above water in salty roguelike SUPER RAFT BOAT

PAPTRAP

Snapping celebs in nightclubs in ROBORAZZI

RUN, RABBIT, RUN

Grinding crystals in the athletic MISKA’S CAVE

DRAKE EXPECTATIONS

OLD GAMES REVISITED

CONQUEROR WORM

Run right and suffer: the INSIDE story

DICEY DUNGEONS

“What star sign are you? I’m a Sneezing

THE CAVE

A pithy way of describing an agonising death

THE LEGEND OF BUM-BO

Arranging cartoon poos: my life as a games

LIGHTWEIGHT GAMING MICE

The key to competitive gaming success? A lightweight mouse… maybe

THROWING SHADE

Or how to go from 50 fps to 500 fps with one click

BUYER’S GUIDE

Build the best PC for your budget

BUDGET BUILD

Enjoy 1080p gaming without breaking the bank

MID-RANGE BUILD

Our recommended build for playing the latest games

ADVANCED BUILD

Go above and beyond with a PC powerful enough to end worlds

“Forcing yourself into basic competency reframes the experience”

SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE goes down much smoother the second time around

“It’s my job to experiment and find ways to game the system in my favour”

LOOP HERO is a retro card-battling RPG that’s as obtuse as it is fascinating

“New me doesn’t worry about anything except not worrying”

Can DISCO ELYSIUM work as a tool for developing self-confidence?

WARFRAME

An overhaul for the contentious space combat. 

REDRIVER 2

Driver 2comes to PC for the first time. 

Defeat The Lich in LOOP HERO

Exact carefully-orchestrated revenge on the world-destroying first boss. By Harry Shepherd

TRYING TO STAY ALIVE IN GTA V: CHAOS MOD

We square off against the ChaosModone last time. Who will emerge victorious?

THE SOURCE ENGINE

The beautiful tension of an engine caught between eras. 

FREESPACE 2

Jumping back into the cockpit with the classic space

MUST PLAY

A PERSONAL LIST OF THE BEST GAMES YOU CAN PLAY RIGHT NOW