Tag: #PCGaming

Grid-Based Tinkering: Thinky Roguelite Deckbuilder ‘Stones of Power’ Enters Closed Beta!
If you’ve ever stared at a merchant in Slay the Spire, absolute tears in your eyes because you have to fork over 100 gold just to remove a basic strike card, indie developer Pointless Games has some incredibly good news for you.

Their highly anticipated “thinky” roguelite deckbuilder, Stones of Power, has officially entered its closed beta phase. Along with a brand-new gameplay trailer, this major milestone marks the first time players can get their hands on the game’s unique grid-based tactical mechanics.

Here is why this is one indie strategy game you’ll want to keep on your radar.

What is Stones of Power?

At its core, Stones of Power is a deckbuilder, but instead of playing cards that immediately vanish into a discard pile, you are playing magical stones onto a grid-based board.
- A Living Board: Unlike traditional card games where actions are played in isolation, the stones you place in Stones of Power remain on the board.
- Tactical Grid Play: Success relies on pushing, pulling, and positioning your stones to create chain reactions, disrupt enemy plans, and outsmart your foes.
- The “Trading” Economy: Instead of paying a premium to purge bad cards, players construct and refine their decks by trading stones. You buy, sell, and manage your coins to actively manipulate your build’s synergy between encounters.
“I wanted to create a game where each turn incrementally evolved from something simple into something more complex. Every new stone the player places gives more possibilities to explore, rewarding careful planning, clever positioning, and creative thinking.” > — Mattias Selin, Creator of Stones of Power

Why Strategy Fans Should Be Excited

Stones of Power is designed specifically for players who love the “joy of tinkering.” Rather than leaving your fate entirely up to the RNG gods, the game heavily rewards clever positioning and calculated experimentation. Every run is a puzzle of your own making, where a single, well-placed stone can completely cascade into a game-breaking build.

Developed on a custom Java engine (built on top of LibGDX) for PC and Linux, the game is shaping up to be a highly polished, deep, and satisfyingly cerebral experience.

How to Get Involved

With the closed beta officially underway, Pointless Games is looking for players to jump in, test their strategic limits, and provide feedback.

If you want to secure your spot in the beta or simply keep up with development:
- Head over to the Stones of Power Steam Page to add it to your wishlist.
- Join the active community on the Pointless Games Discord to grab a beta key and share your wildest game-breaking synergies.
Find out more here

#StonesOfPower #PointlessGames #IndieGames #PCGaming #Roguelite #Deckbuilder #GamingNews #TechMash
14th July 2026
Eight Years of Undead Mayhem: MY.GAMES Celebrates Left to Survive’s 8th Anniversary with Epic Month-Long Event!
The zombie apocalypse has never looked so good—or been so incredibly successful.

MY.GAMES, the leading European video game developer and publisher, is officially popping the champagne (and loading the shotguns) to celebrate the 8th anniversary of its hit mobile zombie base-building shooter, Left to Survive.

Now in its eighth year, this powerhouse title is proving that the undead genre is livelier than ever. With a community of dedicated survivors spanning the globe, Left to Survive continues to drive massive player engagement. To date, the game has reached an astounding 85 million installs and generated over $170 million in lifetime revenue.

To thank the millions of players who have fought, built, and raided their way to the top, MY.GAMES is hosting a massive, month-long anniversary celebration packed with exclusive content, unique rewards, and game-changing events. Here is everything you need to know about joining the party.

What’s Happening in the Anniversary Celebration?

Whether you are a seasoned veteran with a heavily fortified base or a fresh recruit looking to take down your first horde, July is the perfect time to jump in. The anniversary rollout is packed with features designed to reward the community:

1. The Festive Barbecue Event Series (July 13 – July 27)

Continuing the game’s annual birthday tradition, players can dive into the Festive Barbecue event series. This two-week extravaganza features:
- Themed Missions: New tactical challenges to test your survival instincts.
- Unique Zombie Skins: Face off against some festive (and frightening) new undead variants on the battlefield.
2. The Ultimate Anniversary Weapon: Lightning Ricochet Sniper Rifle

The crown jewel of this year’s celebration is an exclusive, limited-edition anniversary sniper rifle.

The Highlight: This weapon features the game-changing Lightning Ricochet perk. This introduces charged shots and jaw-dropping chain lightning visual effects, allowing players to decimate entire zombie hordes in style with just a single trigger pull.

3. A Month of Daily Gifts: The Birthday Advent Calendar

The celebration doesn’t stop when the barbecue ends. Throughout the entire month of July, players can log in daily to access a special Birthday Advent Calendar. Each day brings a new surprise, unlocking exclusive gifts, essential resources, and premium rewards just for showing up.

Reflecting on Eight Years of Survival

Reaching nearly a decade in the highly competitive mobile gaming market is no small feat. Dmitry Lyust, Operations Director of the Whalekit studio at MY.GAMES, shared his excitement over the milestone:

“Celebrating eight years of Left to Survive is an incredible milestone for our team, and we’re excited to share this moment with our players around the world. Over the years, we’ve continued to expand the game to keep the experience fresh and engaging… We’re deeply grateful to everyone who has been part of this journey.”

The game’s longevity is largely due to Whalekit’s commitment to constant evolution. Over the past year alone, the studio introduced:
- Two brand-new event series to shake up the meta.
- The highly destructive Rocket Launcher weapon class.
- The terrifying Chimera zombie pushing players to adapt their base defences and tactical approaches.
Join the Fight Today!

If you haven’t already built your sanctuary, recruited your band of survivors, and taken to the skies in helicopter raids, there has never been a better time to start.

Left to Survive is free-to-play and available right now across multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, Steam, and the MY.GAMES launcher.

Grab your gear, claim your daily calendar rewards, and get ready to light up the undead. Happy 8th Anniversary, Left to Survive!

Find out more here

#LeftToSurvive #MyGames #MobileGaming #ZombieShooter #GamingNews #8thAnniversary #BaseBuilder #PCGaming #SteamGames #SurvivalGames
14th July 2026
Angry Birds to Angry Battlers: Why Warena is Your Next PC Gaming Obsession
The tactical card battler genre is about to get a serious shake-up, and it’s arriving from a very unexpected, highly pedigree’d source.

If you spent any part of the 2010s flinging furious fowls at green pigs, you’re already familiar with the work of Tuomas Erikoinen—the original artist behind the iconic Angry Birds characters. After conquering the mobile world and racking up over 50 million downloads across various projects, Erikoinen and his indie studio, Part Time Monkey, are trading mobile screens for PC monitors.

Their latest creation? Warena, a real-time tactical card battler that launches on Steam today (July 14, 2026), and it looks set to steal your sleep.

Real-Time Chaos: No Turns, No Waiting

Forget everything you know about traditional card games where you politely wait for your opponent to figure out their move. Warena throws etiquette out the window in favour of simultaneous, real-time chaos.

Both players act at the exact same time. Your objective is simple but intense: manage your mana pool, deploy troops, cast devastating spells, and push down lanes to tear down the enemy base before they do the same to yours. It’s a high-stakes tug-of-war where reading your opponent’s intent and timing your counters is everything.

“I love short, round-based games like Rocket League where you always want to go for one more round,” says creator Tuomas Erikoinen. “I played a lot of Clash Royale and kept thinking: this would work on PC if you built it right. Warena is that game.”

The Ultimate Hybrid: Clash Royale Meets Traditional RTS

Warena beautifully bridges the gap between two distinct gaming worlds, offering a unique hybrid experience:
- The Speed and Immediacy of Clash Royale: Matches are fast, punchy, and instantly engaging. It’s built for that “just one more game” loop that will have you looking at the clock, suddenly realising it’s 3 AM.
- The Strategic Depth of a Classic RTS: Don’t let the quick match times fool you; there is serious tactical weight here. With mid-match deck evolution via “Runes” and unique “Hero Skills” chosen at the start of the game, the deck you finish with will look wildly different from the one you started with.
Built for Pure Competition

In a refreshing move for the modern gaming landscape, Warena is entirely built around skill. Every single card in the game is earned purely through play. There are no pay-to-win mechanics or hidden stat advantages here—just visible stats, clever strategies, and split-second decision-making.

Whether you want to test your mettle against the AI in the single-player campaign or climb the competitive ladder in ranked 1v1 PvP, victory relies entirely on your brainpower and reflexes.

If you’re looking for a competitive strategy fix that doesn’t require a hardcore, hundreds-of-hours time commitment to enjoy, Warena is calling your name. Head over to Steam, grab the deck, and prepare for battle.

Find out more here

#Warena #IndieGames #PCGaming #SteamNextFest #CardBattler #RTS #GamingNews #TechMash #PartTimeMonkey
13th July 2026
Meet Bota: SQOOL’s New Desktop Companion “Sill Sticks” Drops on Steam Next Week!
If you ever feel a little lonely staring at your monitor all day, or if you just need a reminder that it’s completely okay to do absolutely nothing sometimes, SQOOL has some great news for you.

SQOOL Co., Ltd.—the Tokyo-based powerhouse known for running video game news media and providing top-tier game marketing support—has officially announced the release date for its latest in-house project. Mark your calendars: Sill Sticks is coming to your PC desktop on July 20, 2026!

What is Sill Sticks?

Developed as the spiritual sister app to SQOOL’s popular cat desktop companion Sill Cats, Sill Sticks takes a much more laid-back approach to virtual companionship.

Instead of an energetic feline jumping across your browser tabs, this app introduces you to Bota, a delightfully lazy stickman whose entire life mission is to loaf around your desktop at his own relaxed pace.

Work hard, loaf harder. Bota won’t get in the way of your workflow or clutter your screen. He mostly keeps a low profile, occasionally muttering to himself or starting a casual, low-stakes conversation with you just to liven up your workday.

Free-to-Play and Highly Customizable

The core app will be completely free to download on Steam. However, if you want to spice up your desktop ecosystem or give Bota a bit more flair, SQOOL is dropping two day-one DLC packs alongside the main release:
- The Partner Pack ($1.99 / ¥265): Adds a second companion character to hang out on your screen alongside Bota.
- The Dress Up Pack ($0.99 / ¥160): Allows you to customise Bota’s body colours, give him various hats (like a wizard hat or crown), and change his speech bubble aesthetics.
Launch Discount Alert! Both DLC packs will be available at a 10% discount for the first 14 days following the July 20 launch.

SQOOL has also confirmed that, just like Sill Cats, Sill Sticks will receive regular post-launch updates to bring even more content, features, and idle animations to your screen over time. If you need a tiny, low-maintenance pixel buddy to keep you company during late-night gaming sessions or tedious spreadsheets, keep an eye on Steam next Monday!

Ready to meet Bota? You can check out the official Sill Sticks trailer on YouTube and wishlist the app directly on its official Steam Page.

Find out more here

#TechNews #IndieGames #SillSticks #SteamGames #PCGaming #SQOOL #DesktopCompanion
13th July 2026

Tya Calls, Commanders! Watcher of Realms Celebrates Its 3rd Anniversary with Epic New Heroes and Rewards

Can you believe it’s been three years since we first stepped onto the mystical, chaos-ridden continent of Tya? Since its debut, Moonton’s Watcher of Realms has steadily redefined what a next-gen fantasy RPG can be, blending deep tower-defence strategy with stunning 3D visuals and immersive lore.

Now, the milestone is officially here. The 3rd Anniversary Celebration is launching with a massive wave of exclusive events, gorgeous new skins, and powerful fresh faces to add to your roster. Whether you’re a battle-hardened veteran or a newcomer looking for the perfect time to jump in, this anniversary bash is throwing the doors wide open.

Meet the New Legends: Cainan and Jezebelle Arrive

No RPG anniversary is complete without fresh blood to shake up the meta, and Moonton is delivering in spades. Two highly anticipated heroes are making their grand entrance into Tya, alongside stunning brand-new skins:

Cainan: A powerhouse limited hero who is already turning heads in the community. Commanders looking to maximise their DPS will want to keep a close eye on his arrival. You can even snag his fiery “Shadow of the Flame” skin!
Jezebelle: Radiating both grace and danger, she joins the fray with her exclusive “Perdition’s Grace” skin, ready to anchor your squad against the toughest demonic onslaughts.

137 Free Summons & Boosted Rate-Up Banners

If your summoning crystals have been burning a hole in your pocket, your patience is about to reward you handsomely. The developers are showering players with up to 137 free summons through anniversary login rewards and events.

Even better, the summoning schedule is packed with 20x drop rate-up banners, giving you the absolute best chance to secure top-tier talent:

Event Date	Banner / Summon Type	Key Featured Heroes
July 15 – July 20	Seraphic Invocation	Cainan (Guaranteed within 200 summons!)
July 16 – July 20	Special Invocation of Spirits	Raizan & Aeris
July 17 – July 20	Special Ancient Summoning	Jezebelle & Sythra

Exclusive Anniversary Rewards and Features

The generosity doesn’t stop at summons. Moonton is packing the festival table with an array of progression-boosting items and entirely new challenges to tackle:

Free New Hero & Hero Reset Book: Perfect for instantly restructuring your team composition without losing precious resources.
Fresh Content Raids: Test your upgraded squads in the brand-new Gallery of War and Final Frontier game modes.
Faction Trial Updates: Brace yourselves for new bosses and fresh mechanics in the Arbitration and Dominion stages.
Festive Customisations: Earn exclusive camp skins, avatar borders, and profile cosmetics just by participating in the anniversary events.

Time to Rally the Troops

With its approachably deep tactical gameplay, beautifully rendered 360° character models, and a vibrant community, Watcher of Realms continues to prove it’s not your average strategy RPG.

The celebrations are officially kicking off across iOS, Android, and PC. Dust off your strategy guides, claim those 137 free summons, and let’s restore order to Tya!

Are you pulling for Cainan or Jezebelle first? Let us know your squad goals in the comments below!

Find out more here

#WatcherOfRealms #WatcherOfRealms3rdAnniversary #NextGenRPG #FantasyRPG #Moonton #GamingNews #MobileGaming #PCGaming #RPGCommunity #TechMash #Gaming

13th July 2026

Double the Trouble: Circle Empires 2 Officially Exploits a Massive 24-Leader Roster!
The circle just got a whole lot bigger, tacticians. If you thought conquering neighbouring circular battlefields in Circle Empires 2 was already a chaotic test of wits, Luminous and Iceberg Interactive just blew the doors wide open.

In a massive milestone update, the fast-paced RTS has officially doubled its roster of playable leaders, skyrocketing the selection from the original 12 at launch to a staggering 24 unique leaders.

Whether you’re a micro-managing economic mastermind or a player who just wants to watch the world burn under a hail of dragon fire, this update completely reshapes the battlefield.

24 Leaders, Countless Ways to Conquer

What makes this roster expansion so significant isn’t just the sheer number—it’s how wildly different each leader plays. We aren’t just talking about simple colour swaps or minor stat changes here. Every single one of the 24 leaders comes packing their own:
- Distinct Units: From disciplined infantry to bizarre cosmic entities.
- Exclusive Technologies: Game-changing upgrades tailored to specific strategies.
- Unique Buildings: Custom infrastructure to optimise your resource engine or fortify your borders.
- Specialised Playstyles: Entirely new mechanics that force you to rethink how you expand, attack, and defend.
A Flavour for Every Strategy

The diversity on display in this expanded roster is brilliantly unhinged. To give you a taste of how varied your next campaign is going to look, check out a few of the standout faces joining the fray:
- Liam Laserfang (The Laser Faction): Perfect for players who love precision defence. Liam utilises Mirror Shields that can literally reflect incoming projectiles back at attackers, alongside the legendary Laser Cat whose eyes keep firing beams even after it falls. Plus, his faction features weapons that permanently slice away an enemy’s maximum health.
- Byron the Burful (The Dragon Legions): If your answer to every problem is “more dragons,” Byron is your man. He can recruit classic, ghost, and rare dragons from the very beginning, backed by disciplined legionaries wielding massive tower shields.
- Electra Eelshock: Ready to shock the system? Electra commands an electrifying army of eels and living lightning to shock and awe opponents out of their territories.
- Woody (The Wooden Faction): For the unconventional player. Woody has zero natural workers. Instead, he uses stationary Trap Workers to siphon resources from adjacent tiles, while his weapon launchers hurl actual melee weapons (and sometimes fish) across the map.
Why This Changes the Meta

With the roster doubling in size, the combinatory chaos of Circle Empires 2 is reaching peak levels. The push-and-pull of expanding circle-by-circle feels entirely fresh when you have to account for 24 different potential setups. A strategy that easily steamrolled a goblin-hoarding Hammerfist might crumble entirely against the high-tech, maximum-health-shredding laser walls of Liam Laserfang.

Luminous has also packaged this massive milestone with a suite of balance changes, fixes, and community-driven tweaks to ensure that even with 24 distinct factions running around, the competitive integrity remains intact.

The circles are waiting. Which leader are you taking to victory first?

Find out more here

#CircleEmpires2 #IndieGames #RTS #GamingNews #StrategyGames #PCGaming #SteamUpdate #TechMash
13th July 2026
From the Ring to the Roots: Pocket Bravery Devs Unveil ‘Garden Souls’
If you like your roguelites with a heavy dose of fighting-game-level finesse, you’re going to want to put this on your radar immediately.

Statera Studio, the brilliant Brazilian indie team that turned heads globally with their Game Awards-nominated fighting game Pocket Bravery, has officially unveiled their next big project. Stepping outside the traditional 2D brawler ring, they are bringing their signature combat expertise into the roguelite realm with Garden Souls—a fast-paced action roguelite that looks absolutely spectacular.

Combat Meets Chaos: What is Garden Souls?

Unlike traditional roguelites that heavily focus on passive stat stacking, Garden Souls puts pure, unadulterated combat depth right at the centre of the experience.

Taking inspiration from heavyweights like Hades II, BlazBlue Entropy Effect, and Devil May Cry, the game blends a colourful fantasy world with explosive, high-speed action. Players take control of four resurrected Plant Princesses (Rose, Eris, Solaris, and Yuni), each featuring entirely distinct movesets, animations, and playstyles to stop a corruption spreading across the world.

Key Features to Get Excited For:
- Fighting Game Fundamentals: The game utilises an advanced combo cancel system. You can fluidly chain together ground and aerial attacks, dash-cancel, and launch enemies into walls to dictate the pace of the battle.
- Deep Build Customisation: With six elemental affinities that fundamentally change your skills, dozens of unlockable abilities, and unique “Bombogs” (floral companions), no two runs will play the same.
- Striker Summons: Borrowing a beloved mechanic from classic fighting games, you can summon powerful Strikers mid-battle to extend your combos or pull you out of a tight spot.
- Permanent Progression: Procedurally generated biomes ensure high replayability, but a robust progression hub means you’ll return stronger after every run.
Why This is a Big Deal

Statera Studio has already proven they know exactly how to make combat feel incredibly responsive, punchy, and expressive with Pocket Bravery. Seeing them apply those strict arcade-fighter mechanics to a 2D hack-and-slash roguelite framework is incredibly exciting.

It promises the perfect sweet spot for the genre: a title that offers massive mechanical depth and high-skill execution for veteran players, without sacrificing accessibility for newcomers who just want to slash through corrupted foliage.

Garden Souls has officially been revealed with a brand-new trailer and is available to wishlist on Steam right now. Stay tuned to TechMash for more updates as development progresses!

What do you think of the trailer? Are you ready to trade the fighting ring for the garden? Let us know in the comments below!

Find out more here

#GamingNews #GardenSouls #StateraStudio #PocketBravery #IndieGames #Roguelite #ActionGames #PCGaming #TechMash
13th July 2026
Boots on the Ground: War Thunder Infantry Enters Massive 128-Player Closed Beta 3!
If you thought War Thunder was just about heavy armour, soaring fighter jets, and naval broadsides, think again. Gaijin Entertainment is officially dropping players right into the mud. The highly anticipated third stage of the War Thunder Infantry Closed Beta Test (CBT) is officially kicking off this July, and it is bringing some seriously massive upgrades to the battlefield.

We are talking about a major scale-up, fresh modern hardware, and a brand-new combat zone that changes the pacing of the game entirely. Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming test phase.

Welcome to Kivu: A Massive Central African Warzone

The centrepiece of CBT Phase 3 is Kivu, an all-new map set in Central Africa that is roughly four times larger than previous infantry locations like Granitograd and Al-Massa.

Because the map is so vast, Gaijin has optimised its server infrastructure to handle true large-scale warfare. This test phase reintroduces the 64-vs-64 format, allowing up to 128 players to clash simultaneously in the same match.

To prevent this massive map from turning into a walking simulator, the developers are introducing several experimental gameplay mechanics:
- Forward Respawns: For the first time, players can spawn directly onto capture points controlled by their team, keeping the pressure right on the front lines.
- Squad Transport Vehicles: The test introduces a five-player light passenger car, allowing squads to rotate across the map together. If the driver gets sniped, any passenger can switch to the driver’s seat on the fly.
- Total Dominance: A new ticket-drain mechanic means that if your team controls all five capture points at once, the enemy’s victory points bleed away even faster.
Modern Arsenals & Distinct Soldier Classes

Both factions are getting unique, region-specific modern gear and specialised loadouts. Rather than every soldier having access to all gear, player classes have been heavily revised to encourage strategic teamwork. Special-purpose equipment like RPGs, MANPADS, and drones are now locked to specific roles.

Expect to wield top-tier small arms and operate heavy support machinery:
- USA Forces: M4A1, SCAR-L, XM5, and the M110 SDMR, backed by M1A2 SEP V2 main battle tanks, LAV-AD air defense systems, and AH-64A Apache helicopters.
- USSR Forces: AK-12, AK-15, SVDM, and the Kord 6P67, supported by T-90M tanks, 2S6 Tunguska systems, and Mi-28N Havoc attack helicopters.
Smarter Arcade Battles and Visual Tweaks

Arcade Battles are making a return, but with a major tactical overhaul to the marker display logic. To stop players from simply shooting at red UI indicators through dense foliage, markers will now only appear if you have a direct, unobstructed line of sight to the enemy model. If they duck behind smoke, walls, or trees, the marker vanishes. Furthermore, heavily equipped soldiers will now move faster in Arcade mode compared to Realistic mode to keep the match pacing snappy.

Gaijin has also listened to community feedback by adding a dedicated graphics settings tab specifically for the Infantry mode, meaning you can tune your performance for ground combat without messing up your main vehicle settings.

How to Join the Fight

If you haven’t yet experienced War Thunder from a boots-on-the-ground perspective, the doors aren’t completely shut. Players can head over to the official War Thunder website right now to apply for CBT access before the July testing window begins.

Get your squad ready—the battlefield is about to get a whole lot louder.

Find out more here

#WarThunder #WarThunderInfantry #GaijinEntertainment #GamingNews #PCGaming #Xbox #PlayStation #BetaTest #FPSGames #MilitarySim #TechMash
13th July 2026
Trust No One: North Hunt Version 1.0 Drops Today Alongside Steam Social Deduction Fest!
The ultimate game of deception just got a massive upgrade. Independent Tunisian developer NewGen Studio has officially announced that North Hunt is leaving Early Access and launching its highly anticipated Version 1.0 today, July 13.

Even better? The full launch perfectly aligns with the kickoff of the Steam Social Deduction Fest, making today the absolute best time to grab your friends, sharpen your lying skills, and dive headfirst into a living Viking village full of paranoia.

What is North Hunt?

If you haven’t yet experienced the chaos, North Hunt takes the core foundation of social deduction and turns it into a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek. Set in a vibrant Viking settlement, players are split into two teams: Thieves and Chiefs.
- The Thieves: Your job is to blend seamlessly into the environment. You’ll mimic NPC bot routines—chopping wood, fishing, praying, and playing music—all while secretly completing objectives. One wrong move, and your cover is blown.
- The Chiefs: Armed with observation skills and sheer intuition, you must examine the village for any “un-NPC-like” behaviour and eliminate the impostors hiding in plain sight.
What’s New in the Version 1.0 Launch?

NewGen Studio has poured community feedback into this build, making Version 1.0 the game’s biggest milestone yet. Here is what you can expect when you log in today:

Two Brand-New Roles
- The Gnome (Thief): Shrink down to a tiny size to pull off sneaky deceptions and escape tight situations in ways the Chiefs won’t expect.
- The Glider (Chief): Take to the skies! Patrol the Viking village from a bird’s-eye view to track down suspicious player movements from above.
AI Bots for Both Teams

No full lobby? No problem. Version 1.0 introduces smart bots for both sides, ensuring you can play complete, chaotic matches even if you’re flying solo or playing with a smaller group.

Expanded Progression & Cosmetics

Show off your status with 10 new player levels and 10 exclusive Chief skins to unlock. There are also Twitch Drops active starting today, giving players a chance to snag two exclusive cosmetic skins just by watching their favourite streamers play.

Quality of Life & Polish

The update brings vastly improved in-room communication, UI polish, better matchmaking algorithms, and an official community wiki accessible right from the main menu.

“By launching during Steam Social Deduction Fest, NewGen Studio hopes to introduce more players to a different take on social deduction, one where success isn’t about hiding in the shadows, but convincing everyone you’re simply another villager.”

Join the Hunt Today

Whether you want to ruin lifelong friendships or build new ones through masterclass bluffing, North Hunt Version 1.0 is officially live on Steam. Don’t miss out on the launch day hype and the festive discounts running during Steam’s Social Deduction Fest!

Have you played North Hunt yet? Are you going to be gliding through the skies or shrinking down as a gnome today? Let us know in the comments below!

Find out more here

#GamingNews #NorthHunt #SocialDeduction #IndieGames #SteamFest #NewGenStudio #VikingGaming #PCGaming #TechMash
13th July 2026
Meet the Minister of Flesh: Starfinder: Afterlight Drops Sinister New Villain Details at Tacticon!
The Pact Worlds are about to get a lot more dangerous. At Tacticon, developer Epictellers Entertainment pulled back the curtain on Starfinder: Afterlight, giving fans a spine-chilling look at one of the game’s primary antagonists.

If you thought exploring neon-lit space stations and undead worlds was going to be a walk in the park, think again. Say hello to Velkan Droth—though you’ll likely come to fear him by his much more sinister moniker: The Minister of Flesh.

A Villain Born of Cosmic Horror

Described by Epictellers’ CEO Ricard Pillosu as a twisted cross between the Joker and Ted Bundy, the Minister of Flesh is an Azrinaran Elf hailing from the notorious planet of Apostae. Voiced by the incredibly talented Christopher Tester (whom tactical RPG fans will immediately recognise as Heinrix from Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader), Velkan Droth serves as a key antagonist across the game’s first two acts.

Droth isn’t just your run-of-the-mill space pirate or galactic warlord. He is a highly unpredictable, deeply charming, and completely sadistic hired gun. Driven by a traumatic past and guided by a mysterious voice only he can hear, he treats his assassinations not as mere jobs, but as elaborate, gruesome works of art.

Worse yet? He has a deeply personal, unsettling obsession with one of your core companions, a Borai named Sterling.

“We still have much to reveal about his past and true intentions, and we can’t wait to see our community dig into our very first villain.” > — Ricard Pillosu, CEO and Co-Founder of Epictellers Entertainment

What is Starfinder: Afterlight?

For the uninitiated, Starfinder: Afterlight is a highly anticipated, single-player party-based CRPG that brings Paizo’s beloved sci-fi fantasy universe to life using the Starfinder 2e ruleset.

When your captain vanishes and the galaxy faces total annihilation, it’s up to you to assemble a crew of six unique companions—ranging from mystic prophets to android assassins—and navigate a massive 40-to-60-hour branching narrative where choices carry heavy consequences.

Key Features to Get Excited For:
- Tactical Turn-Based Combat: Utilise Paizo’s critically acclaimed three-action system with iconic classes like the Soldier, Operative, Mystic, and Solarian.
- Deep Companionship: Forge bonds, navigate moral dilemmas, and even romance your crew.
- A Galaxy of Variety: Battle through everything from Hellknights to holographic viruses across the star system.
Demo and Early Access Timelines

You won’t have to wait until the distant future to face the Minister of Flesh yourself. Epictellers Entertainment confirmed that a public demo is dropping this summer, allowing players to get their first hands-on experience with the tactical combat and encounter Velkan Droth ahead of schedule.

Following the demo, Starfinder: Afterlight is officially tracking to launch into Steam Early Access later this year.

Want to keep a close eye on how this stellar sci-fi RPG is shaping up? You can wishlist the game on Steam right now and dive deep into more details about the development here.

#StarfinderAfterlight #CRPG #IndieGames #GamingNews #Tacticon #SciFiRPG #Epictellers #PCGaming
13th July 2026
Every Knight Needs a Sword: God of War Veterans Unveil ‘Swordcery’ This August!
Every knight needs a trusty blade. But what happens when your sword is made of literal lightning, ancient magic, or… something entirely unimaginable?

Mark your calendars for August 11th, because the world of Armorial is opening its gates. Swordcery, the highly anticipated hack-and-slash roguelite ARPG, is officially slicing its way into Early Access!

From the Minds Behind God of War (2018)

If you’re wondering whether the combat is going to feel absolutely spectacular, you can rest easy. Temple Door Games was founded by two brilliant cinematic artists who helped bring Kratos’ legendary 2018 Norse journey to life. They are bringing that same epic, cinematic weight and fluid combat expertise straight into the indie scene.

In Swordcery, you’ll explore the vibrant but dangerous world of Armorial, a realm overflowing with cosmic power and deadly enemies.

“Wait… Can That Be a Sword?!”

Swordcery isn’t your average dungeon crawler. This is a game that fundamentally asks one hilarious and awesome question: what exactly can’t be a sword? As you fight your way through ever-changing roguelite runs, you will collect the most dangerous, bizarre, and reality-bending blades in gaming history. From sleek, traditional steel to cosmic anomalies that defy the laws of physics, your arsenal will be as unpredictable as it is devastating.

The Roguelite Twist: No two runs in Armorial are the same. You’ll have to adapt to the swords you find, master their unique magical properties, and hack your way through hordes of enemies to uncover the world’s secrets.

What to Expect on August 11th:
- Weighty, Cinematic Combat: Built by developers who know how to make every swing feel incredibly satisfying.
- An Unimaginable Arsenal: Dozens of unique, reality-defying swords to collect, loot, and master.
- Infinite Replayability: A true roguelite loop with shifting environments, scaling challenges, and deep ARPG progression.
Whether you’re a die-hard fan of action RPGs or just want to see how far the definition of a “sword” can be pushed, Swordcery is shaping up to be August’s must-play indie title.

Prepare your loadout, knights. Armorial is waiting.

Find out more here

#Swordcery #TempleDoorGames #IndieGames #GamingNews #GodOfWar #ARPG #Roguelite #HackAndSlash #PCGaming #EarlyAccess
10th July 2026
Dynasty on Delay: Why The Guild – Europa 1410 Pushing Its Early Access to September is the Right Move
If you were polishing your blacksmithing hammer or practising your medieval political bribes in anticipation of The Guild – Europa 1410 dropping into Early Access next week, you might want to put down the ledger. THQ Nordic and Ashborne Games have officially announced that they are moving the game’s Early Access launch from July 16 to September 2026.

While a delay right before the finish line is always a bit of a bummer, this is one of those times when a step back is actually a massive leap forward for the final product.

The Power of the Public Demo

The decision comes directly on the heels of Steam Next Fest, where The Guild – Europa 1410 absolutely crushed it. Out of more than 4,000 playable titles, it ranked as the 25th most-played demo. Tens of thousands of strategy fans flooded the historical streets of Kuttenberg to build up early businesses, and more importantly, thousands left detailed, constructive feedback.

Instead of ignoring that wave of data and pushing a flawed build into the wild, the dev team is listening. To ensure the Early Access experience is smooth, stable, and satisfying right out of the gate, they are using the extra two months to polish the core loop.

A Good Business Needs Patience: Originally, the content coming in September was planned as the game’s first major post-launch update. Instead, that content—plus a few extra community-requested features—will now be baked directly into Day 1 of the Early Access launch.

What’s Being Added to the September Build?

The extra dev time isn’t just for bug squashing; it’s bringing immediate tangible upgrades to the launch build:
- A Brand-New Tutorial Area: A dedicated city section designed to help new players learn the ropes of complex medieval economics.
- UI Improvements: Streamlining menus and data tracking to make running your criminal or mercantile empire much smoother.
- Enhanced Animations: Better visual representation of what your workers are actually doing throughout the day.
- Expanded Language Support: Adding more text options right at launch.
Is the Roadmap Still Safe?

Naturally, fans might worry that pushing the initial launch date cascades into delaying the rest of the game’s features. Thankfully, Ashborne Games has confirmed that the overall roadmap remains unchanged.

Major features like multiplayer functionality (supporting up to 12 players), additional maps, extra professions, and deeper political/dynastic mechanics are all still locked in for post-launch updates as the game marches toward its targeted Summer 2027 full release.

If you’re eager to see what they are cooking up, you won’t have to wait until autumn. The developers plan to drop an updated version of the Steam demo relatively soon, giving players a sneak peek at some of these incoming UI and animation adjustments.

It takes a lot of backbone to delay a game days before launch, but for a franchise as beloved and complex as The Guild, ensuring the economic foundation is rock-solid is just good business. Stay tuned to TechMash for more updates as we get closer to September!

Find out more here

#TheGuildEuropa1410 #MedievalStrategy #SteamNextFest #GamingNews #PCGaming #TechMash
10th July 2026
Anchors Aweigh: Hooded Horse Reveals Sci-Fi Roguelite ‘Rogue Carrier’
Strategy fans, it is time to map out a whole new set of logistical nightmares, because the indie genre-masters at Hooded Horse have just dropped an announcement that will have city-builder and roguelite enthusiasts instantly hitting that Steam wishlist button.

Partnering with developer Wild Fields, Hooded Horse has officially revealed Rogue Carrier—a unique blend of deep colony management and tense roguelite progression set across the infinite, hostile oceans of a sentient alien world.

If you have ever wanted to captain the ultimate floating megastructure while the planet itself tries to drag you into the abyss, this one is for you.

The Premise: Survival on a Sentient Sea

In Rogue Carrier, an interstellar scientific expedition goes catastrophically wrong, leaving your crew stranded on an unknown planet known as Keeling-IV. With your mothership destroyed, your new home is The Behemoth—a colossal, ocean-faring science carrier that acts as the physical foundation for your mobile colony.

Your goals haven’t changed: you still need to explore the surface and analyse local anomalies. However, the stakes have drastically shifted from scientific discovery to pure, unadulterated survival.

Unlike your typical static city-builder, you will be plotting waypoints across an expansive oceanic landscape, deploying recon craft, and harvesting resources from scattered islands.

Key Gameplay Features
- Build Vertically on Limited Deck Space: Space on The Behemoth is a premium resource. You will have to manage Tetris-like placement of over 80 building options—including solar panels, factories, crew housing, and R&D labs—to create powerful layout synergies.
- Balancing the Ship (Literally): Poor layout planning doesn’t just hurt your production lines; an imbalanced ship will capsize more easily when hit by the planet’s erratic weather.
- The Planet Fights Back: The world you are exploiting is fully aware and highly reactive. As you extract resources and pollute the ecosystem, the planet escalates its counter-attacks, throwing everything from severe storms to massive aquatic leviathans at your hull.
- Die, Learn, Repeat: The destruction of your ship is not the end. Following true roguelite fashion, failed runs trigger a persistent loop. You will carry accumulated data and unlockable technologies across parallel universes, exploring 50 distinct scenarios and five potential endings.
“Will you embrace polluting the world and arming your ship to the teeth to escape quickly, or will you try to balance survival with the temperament of a living world?”

Why Strategy Fans Should Care

Hooded Horse has a stellar track record for publishing complex, deeply engaging strategy titles (think Against the Storm, Manor Lords, and Terra Invicta). Seeing them back in a game that merges the high-stakes layout planning of a colony sim with the emergent storytelling of a roguelite oceanic expedition is incredibly promising.

Rogue Carrier is slated to bring its deep production chains, tense naval combat, and multiversal progression system to PC soon.

What do you think of Rogue Carrier’s unique blend of seafaring and colony management? Let us know in the comments below!

Find out more here

#RogueCarrier #HoodedHorse #WildFields #StrategyGames #ColonySim #IndieGames #PCGaming #Roguelite #GamingNews #TechMash
10th July 2026
Silent Shadows: Raw Fury and Fool Moon Announce Wordless, Card-Based Mystery Hillthorn

Indie gaming powerhouse Raw Fury has officially teamed up with Montreal-based developer Fool Moon to unveil their latest project: Hillthorn. If you are a fan of atmospheric, mind-bending thrillers that trust your brain to do the heavy lifting, you’ll want to put this one on your radar immediately.

Following in the eerie footsteps of Blue Prince and The Seance of Blake Manor, Hillthorn is a hauntingly dark, card-based investigation game where the ultimate challenge isn’t just solving the crime—it’s doing it without a single word spoken.

The Setup: Silence on the Mountain

The premise of Hillthorn drops you straight into an unsettling, isolated alpine nightmare. A child has gone missing along the treacherous, maze-like mountain trails of a secluded town. You play an outsider tasked with unravelling the truth, but there’s a massive catch: the tight-knit local community, known as “The Flock,” has absolutely no interest in talking to you.

Instead of relying on heavy dialogue trees, text boxes, or voice-acted interrogations, the entire mystery unfolds through visual Clue cards.

A World in Cards: Every unsettling detail, hidden motive, and environmental secret is physically represented as a card. Players must use pure logic and sharp intuition to Investigate, Explore, and—in some bizarre instances—”communicate” with these cards to piece together the narrative.

Mechanics That Play with Time

Finesse is key if you want to extract information from the highly suspicious locals, but you won’t have the luxury of taking your time. In Hillthorn, time is your most scarce resource.

The clock actively ticks down with every action you take, forcing a stressful trade-off between being thorough and being fast. Interestingly, the developers have teased a mechanic that allows you to revisit untrodden paths, hinting at a loop structure where backtracking is possible—but it comes at a distinct, eerie cost.

Why We’re Excited

Raw Fury has a phenomenal track record for publishing games with distinct, unforgettable identities (Sable, Norco, Cassette Beasts), and Hillthorn fits perfectly into that curated lineup. Stripping away dialogue entirely places a massive emphasis on visual storytelling, environmental design, and player agency. It’s a bold mechanic that could make for one of the most uniquely immersive detective games in years.

Watch the Announcement Trailer

Check out the debut trailer below to get a first glimpse of the game’s striking, silent aesthetic:

Hillthorn is coming to PC via Steam, and an updated demo is already live for players who want to start testing their detective skills right away. Head over to Steam to play the demo and add it to your wishlist today!

Find out more here

#GamingNews #IndieGames #Hillthorn #RawFury #FoolMoon #PCGaming #MysteryGames #CardGames #SteamDemo #TechMash

10th July 2026