There’s currently a massive heat wave sweeping through the United States. And that’s a great reason to stay inside, crank up the air conditioning, and play some new video games before the summer comes to a close.
The highlights for this month’s releases include an indie game starring a possessed lamb, a revival of an open world crime franchise, a continuation of an iconic sports series, and a comprehensive collection of every old school TMNT game. And the free games this month are some real gems, too; Playstation Plus alone includes two titles that made our Top 10 Video Games of 2020.
Here is your video game news roundup for August 2022.
Xbox Live Gold Free Games for August 2022
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Xbox One
- Calico (August 1-August 31): A sim game in soft pastel colors, you rebuild the town’s cat cafe and ride massive capybaras.
- ScourgeBringer (August 16-September 15): You play as Kyhra, a deadly warrior who must battle the post-apocalyptic machines that have enslaved humanity.
Xbox 360 (backwards compatible)
- Saints Row 2 (August 1-August 15): Reclaim your gang and dominate the fictional city of Stilwater. Saints Row 2 has humor, action, and an open world approach. The newest addition to the franchise launches later this month.
- Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine (August 16-August 31): In this game, you assemble a crew to pull off the perfect heist.
Playstation Plus Free Games for August 2022
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Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 (August 2): One of the best remakes of the past decade, this game combines two skateboarding classics, updates the graphics and controls, and sends you out to grind on railings and perform tricks in massive halfpipes. It’s everything you remember the late 90s to be.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon (August 2): A soft reboot of the Yakuza franchise, this game goes heavy on the dark humor. Playing as a disgraced mobster, you put together a team of warriors that include an aging cop, a homeless man with a deadly flock of pigeons, and a cabaret hostess who clobbers opponents with her designer handbag.
Little Nightmares (August 2): Help a little girl escape a massive prison called The Maw. It’s childish innocence juxtaposed with monstrous horror.
Google Stadia Free Games for August 2022
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Saints Row: The Third – Remastered (August 1): In the third Saints Row game, the developers leaned into absurdity; any pretense of seriousness is gone when you can beat your opponent to death with a dildo bat. Not kidding.
Monster Jam Steel Titans 2 (August 1): It’s a racing game featuring your favorite monster trucks: Gravedigger, Max-D, El Toro Loco, Zombie, and more.
Other Games (August 1): Calico, Shantae Half Genie Hero Ultimate Edition, Murder by Numbers, Welcome to Elk
Amazon Prime Gaming for August 2022
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StarCraft: Remastered (August 1): This is one of the greatest real-time strategy games ever made, with a massive graphics upgrade for a modern audience. Play as the humanoid Terrans, the insectoid Zergs, or the alienesque Protoss, and join the international cult fandom.
Recompile (August 1): You play as a computer program, who’s hacking through a computer system while trying to repair it. It’s platforming and puzzling with a high-tech twist.
Other Games (August 1): Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders, Beasts of Maravilla Island, ScourgeBringer, Family Mysteries: Poisonous Promises
GigaBash (August 5)
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If you’re into your classic kaiju monsters—think Godzilla, Rodan, Ghidorah—GigaBash might be the game for you. Select one of ten monsters and do battle in the middle of a cityscape, with tons of destructible buildings. Play by yourself in four unique story mode campaigns, or engage in free-for-all multiplayer action to determine who is King of the Monsters.
Two Point Campus (August 9)
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In the prior Two Points Hospital, you built and ran a hospital. In Two Points Campus, you build and run a college campus. Hire professors, TAs, and custodians, and guide your students to graduation. Or guide them to disaster, where they party and stay up until they eventually drop out.
Cult of the Lamb (August 11)
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In this game, you play as a possessed lamb who must convert other lambs to his cult. And after you recruit them, you indoctrinate them by assigning them menial tasks and having them worship you. The more enemies you defeat, the more your power grows. And the more your power grows, the more your cult becomes ascendant. It would be pretty spooky, if it also weren’t so damn cute.
Rumbleverse (August 11)
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It’s a battle royale game that’s free-to-play, so that’s a big win right there. In Rumbleverse, you fight with 40 other players until one emerges as the sole survivor. But unlike most battle royale games, which prioritize shooting and long-distance aiming, this game prioritizes melee combat.
Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered (August 12)
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Marvel’s Spider-Man was one of the best games of 2018: it had a great story, great visuals, entertaining mini-games and side missions, and some of the best traversal mechanics in video game history. Swinging over the streets of Manhattan was a wish fulfillment, and now, you can do it on PC, with your settings clocked to the max.
Madden NFL 23 (August 19)
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It’s Madden, which means it’s had over three decades of proven success and acclaim. This year’s incremental improvements include an increased AI awareness and responsiveness called Field Sense, which creates more accurate animations on defense, improves passing accuracy on offense, and ups your cutting ability when running the ball.
Saints Row (August 23)
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The reboot of the Saints Row franchise dials down the craziness and gets back to basics. You’re the leader of the Saints street gang in Santo Ileso, a bustling city in the American Southwest based on Las Vegas. There are nine districts to conquer and wrest control from, and once you do, you create fronts for your illegitimate businesses to expand your sphere.
Pac-Man World Re-Pac (August 26)
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A remake of the Pac-Man World PS1 platformer from 1999, Re-Pac takes the same gameplay and premise and updates it with a new coat of HD paint. It also improves the game’s responsiveness; Pac-Man no longer slips off the edges. He also has a hover jump, which allows him to conquer some of the more challenging platform puzzles.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection (August 30)
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Konami is giving longtime TMNT fans what they’ve been asking for: a comprehensive collection of every classic Turtles game from late ‘80s to mid ‘90s. So, if you want to play the arcade game, or if you want to play the NES adaptation of the arcade game, the Cowabunga Collection has you covered. It includes the following 13 games:
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Arcade)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (Arcade)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game (NES)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project (NES)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (NES)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time (SNES)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (SNES)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist (Genesis)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (Genesis)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of The Foot Clan (Game Boy)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back From The Sewers (Game Boy)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue (Game Boy)
