If you were hoping for a laid-back summer where you could dig into your growing backlog of games – I don’t have particularly good news for you. With nearly six months of back-to-back AAA game releases, July is keeping momentum with the much-awaited release of Pikmin 4, the sequel to Oxenfree, and the PC release of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart.
Adding to the already large roster of games is Capcom with its dino-shooter, Exoprimal, and Gunfire Games with Remnant 2, a Souls-like loot-and-shoot action adventure.
Check out our list below for the best games that are releasing in July 2023 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch:
Best games July 2023
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals
Genre: Horror | Release Date: July 12, 2023 | Platforms: PC, Playstation, Xbox, Switch, Mobile
If you have never heard of Oxenfree, do yourself a favour and get the original as soon as possible. It’s a peculiar horror game mixed with a coming-of-age saga, and easily one of the genre has finest. With the sequel, Night School Studios, with the backing of Netflix Games, look to offer a polished narrative experience, with the choice-based gameplay, dynamic conversations, and environmental puzzles seeped in stunning artwork.
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals Review Roundup.
Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg
Genre: JRPG | Release Date: July 12, 2023 | Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Switch
In this “leisure” JRPG series, protagonist Marie is not on a quest to save the world but to simply pass her exams. Tasked with graduating, Marie must strive to improve her alchemy skills, earn enough money to hire adventurers, buy recipes, and more, while also enjoying life as a college student should. For the remake, players can expect updated graphics, better tutorials, improved navigation, and a new Unlimited Mode that allows players to take in the game at their own pace.
Exoprimal
Genre: Shooter | Release Date: July 14, 2023 | Platforms: PC, Playstation, Xbox
We aren’t getting a new Dino Crisis anytime soon, but publisher Capcom hopes Exoprimal might scratch that itch. This third-person shooter pits you and a couple of your friends against a never-ending horde of dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures while equipping you with a cutting-edge exosuit that should be able to take the beasts head-on.
Jagged Alliance 3
Genre: RTS | Release Date: July 14, 2023 | Platforms: PC
Sequel to 1999’s classic, Jagged Alliance 3 promises yet another engrossing tactical role-playing strategy game. You will be commanding a small army of Grand Chien, a nation rich with natural resources thrown into chaos after the elected president goes missing and a paramilitary force known as The Legion tries to seize control.
The President’s family has pooled all of their resources to hire a group of mercenaries who are tasked with finding the President and saving the nation while they are at it. As players, you will learn to master turn-based combat, upgrade your forces, control territory, train the locals to pick up arms and defend against enemy forces as they brute force their way in.
Pikmin 4
Genre: Adventure Strategy | Release Date: July 21, 2023 | Platforms: Switch
It’s hard to believe that the last Pikmin game was released almost a decade ago. But fret not because Nintendo has not abandoned the franchise. Pikmin 4 and its little critters are ready for release this month, offering another colourful world to explore, new creatures to befriend, and more frantic Dandori Battles to face.
Remnant 2
Genre: Action | Release Date: July 25, 2023 | Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Gunfire Games’ Remnant: From the Ashes was a sleeper hit by all accounts, providing fans of the Souls genre a loot-and-shoot experience, and that too in co-op. Remnant 2 looks to build on the ideas introduced in the first game while expanding the gameplay and offering highly requested quality-of-life features.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Genre: Action Adventure | Release Date: July 26, 2023 | Platforms: PC
Ratchet and Clank is making its debut on the PC platform with Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, an excellent action-adventure game that was both a commercial and critical success when released on the PS5 in 2021. Rift Apart picks up right after the events of PS4’s Ratchet and Clank, although you don’t necessarily need to play the first game to enjoy this one. All you need to know is that you will be facing all sorts of weird enemies, and you will have a distinct collection of even weirder weapons to dispatch them off. The PC port brings platform-specific features like unlocked frame rates, ray-tracing, ultrawide support, and more.
Disney Illusion island
Genre: Platformer | Release Date: July 28, 2023 | Platforms: Switch
Disney Illusion Island is a side-scrolling platformer featuring Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Goofy and Donald Duck, who are tasked with finding three magic books to save the island of Monoth from disaster. If you grew up with Disney characters, the game’s beautiful visuals and approachable adventure should be a treat!
