The first few months of 2026 were a little slow for new game releases, but I find myself saddled with a bit of indecision anxiety as I look at the schedule for May. While I’m not much of a Forza or Hitman player myself, those are the two big releases that have my colleagues really talking.
But there are still plenty of new games that’ve caught my eye (and hopefully yours too), like the weird musical adventures in Dead as Disco and the next proper Sims 4 competitor, Paralives. I’m also quite excited for Shift at Midnight, which will finally allow me to live out my lifelong dream of owning and operating a gas station from hell with two of my closest friends.
It’s also a month of nonstop early access releases, including Steam’s most wishlisted game right now, Subnautica 2. Sure, it seems like we see more and more of these spring up every month, but I swear this May has an inordinary abundance of them. And if none of those manage to get their hooks in you, maybe return to some old haunts like Phasmophobia or Path of Exile 2—both of which have big updates planned for the month.
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The new PC releases we’re watching in May
Dead as Disco (Steam) is one of two early access games we’re highlighting in May (told you they’re bountiful this month), but the funky, rhythmic beat ’em up has me absolutely jazzed. As Charlie Disco, you’ll lay the smackdown on other musical legends through combat that syncs with the soundtrack. Sounds groovy.
Outbound (Steam) missed its April release date, so the adorable camping-life adventure found its way back into our games-to-watch list for May. The mobile base building game is one I’ve had my eye on for almost two years now, so I reckon waiting a few extra weeks for May 11 to roll around won’t kill me.
Forza Horizon 6 (Steam) races through Tokyo later this month, and while I may not be a Forza girlie, I understand the appeal. I once sat in the driver’s seat of a friend’s fancy racing setup for a test drive in Horizon 4 and didn’t want to get up. If I ever get hold of a setup like that for myself, y’all will never hear from me again.
Paralives (Steam) is the third early access game on our radar this month, and one I’ve been watching for what feels like a million years now. After bouncing off Inzoi last year, I’ve got high hopes for Paralives as a proper Sims 4 competitor. The sandbox life sim easily claims the title for ‘most distinct art style’ of the three. Now I just hope the build mode is as fun as it looks.
007 First Light (Steam) goes back in time for baby Bond’s first big adventure, and who better to helm that project than the Hitman devs? IO Interactive’s next stealth game puts Agent 47 on a brief hiatus and instead follows James Bond when he was just starting his career with MI6. That’s cool and all, but someone call me if they get to the Daniel Craig or Sean Connery era.
Shift at Midnight (Steam) is a co-op horror gas station sim where you’ll have to sus out the monsters hiding among your real customers. It first caught my eye last year when I played the demo with friends and couldn’t stop repeating its same few sample rounds. Running a convenience store with the world’s most hellish patrons was the perfect recipe for nervous fits of laughter and screaming. Lots of screaming.
May gaming events and sales
Watch On
- Valve’s Steam Controller (Site) goes on sale for $99 at 10 am PT on May 4
- The Playism Game Show shares a sneak peak at 11 of Playism’s upcoming games on May 10
- BitSummit returns to Kyoto for its next 2-day long celebration of Japan’s indie game scene on May 22
- Steam sales continue through the month with a couple of themed weeks, including:
- May 4 – 11: Deckbuilders Fest
- May 18 – 25: Ocean Fest
Early access games and 1.0 launches in May 2026
Early access
In The Black
In The Black (Steam) Nitty gritty, immersive sim space exploration and dogfights
Farever (Steam) A multiplayer, Zelda-inspired action RPG from the Northgard devs
Early access
Alabaster Dawn
Alabaster Dawn (Steam) The new 2.5D pixel RPG from the team that brought you CrossCode
Besmirch (Steam) Take the traditional farming sim formula and make it spooky
Early access
Farm to Table
Farm to Table (Steam) Grow, cook, and serve made-from-scratch meals
Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core (Steam) 4-player co-op FPS as sci-fi dwarves
SpaceCraft (Steam) Interplanetary logistics and survival
Romestead (Steam) 2D fall of Rome restoration RPG for 1-8 players
Major game updates and events in May
Player Character Update
Phasmophobia
Phasmophobia (Steam) receives its long-awaited player character overhaul with new customization options and models on May 5
Crownless King
Songs of Silence
Songs of Silence (Steam) adds new chapters, hero classes, and more when the Crownless King expansion launches on May 7
Yue Fei’s Legacy
Age of Empires 4
Age of Empires 4 (Steam) kicks off another era when the Song and Jin Dynasties clash in the Yue Fei’s Legacy DLC on May 7
Return of the Ancients
Path of Exile 2
Path of Exile 2 (Steam) revamps its endgame and promises major new content drops with its Return of the Ancients update on May 29
More games releasing in May 2026
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May 1 |
Gambonanza (Steam) |
Teeny tiny chess roguelike |
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May 1 |
Gamble With Your Friends (Steam) |
Co-op ‘casino crawler’ for making terrible financial decisions |
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May 4 |
World of Warships: Legends (Steam) |
Big naval battles with PvP and PvE modes |
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May 5 |
Wax Heads (Steam) |
Run a struggling record store and recommend music |
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May 7 |
Dread Neighbor (Steam) |
Bad neighbor psychological horror |
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May 7 |
Mixtape (Steam) |
Music-fueled narrative adventure |
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May 7 |
Will: Follow the Light (Steam) |
Exploration and adventure in dangerous wilderness |
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May 11 |
Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes (Steam) |
Sci-fi fleet manager |
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May 12 |
Call of the Elder Gods (Steam) |
Lovecraftian narrative puzzler sequel |
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May 12 |
Directive 8020 (Steam) |
Supermassive’s horror story in space |
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May 13 |
Vultures – Scavengers of Death (Steam) |
Turn-based survival horror inspired by ’90s classics |
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May 18 |
Thrifty Business (Steam) |
Adorable thrift shop business sim |
Project: Mist (early access) (Steam) Co-op survival horror with eerie whales
Phonopolis (Steam) An adorably dystopian hand-drawn puzzler
Thick As Thieves (Steam) Warren Spector’s Thief successor
Coffee Talk Tokyo (Steam) A chatty spin-off with new customers and coffee
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May 21 |
Copa City (Steam) |
Manage and organize major football events |
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May 21 |
Luna Abyss (Steam) |
Platforming through a sci-fi bullet hell |
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May 21 |
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies (Steam) |
Espionage RPG from remains of ZA/UM |
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May 22 |
Bubsy 4D (Steam) |
Atari revives the platformer |
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May 22 |
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight (Steam) |
Batman gets the Lego treatment again |
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May 26 |
Life Below (Steam) |
Underwater, coral reef city builder |
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May 26 |
LumenTale (Steam) |
2.5D Creature-collecting RPG |
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May 27 |
Starminer (early access) (Steam) |
Mining in an interstellar sandbox |
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May 28 |
Crashout Crew (Steam) |
The Peak devs’ next co-op adventure in a chaotic warehouse |
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May 28 |
Remake of End of the Greatest RPG of All Time (Steam) |
Meta puzzle JRPG |
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