1. Death Stranding walks on to PC
PC owners will finally get to cast judgment on Hideo Kojima’s divisive walking game, while also throwing in V-sync and FOVs into the discussion. Sony’s post-apocalyptic, ‘ghosts killed the world’ adventure mixes deliveries, Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, jar babies and more in an adventurous and experimental trot-em-up where Reedus’s character, Sam Porter, has to save the world by carrying boxes places. It’s as artistic as it is weird, obtuse as it is inventive, and something that has to be played to really understand. This new version brings over everything from the PS4 along with PC standards, like higher frame rates, wide monitor support, and a bunch of Valve and Half-Life inspired cosmetics. If nothing else it is going to look stunning on a maxed out machine.
What: Death Stranding
Where: PC
When: July 14
2. Rocket Arena blasts off onto PC and consoles
Rocket launchers are always the best weapon in shooter games. The extra skill and patience required to line up a (relatively) slow projectile shot, the versatility of blowing yourself up a little bit to go soaring into the air, the satisfying series of booms as your rockets detonate across the map. Rocket Arena makes that the entire game - everything's rockets, but nobody ever dies. Think of it like a third-person arena combat game with a modified Super Smash Bros. health system: instead of blowing your opponents into tiny giblets, you physically knock them around and build up their meter. The higher their meter gets and the closer they are to the edge of the stage, the easier it is to send them flying out of bounds, earning you a point and knocking them out of the game until they automatically fly back in ready to fight again.
What: Rocket Arena
Where: PC, PS4, Xbox One
When: July 14
3. Ooblets is finally here to make your life cuter
Finally, Shrumbo will be mine. The world's cutest game enters Early Access on July 15, giving us a huge dose of wholesome. Part Pokemon, part Stardew Valley, Ooblets is all about farming, creature collection, and dance-offs. The game was first shown off in 2016 - when it was called Moblets - and has had aspiring mushroom botherers desperate for a release date ever since. The work of a small team called Glumberland, every GIF and trailer since has been an explosion of adorable, and we can't wait to jump in.
What: Ooblets
Where: PC and Xbox One
When: July 15
4. Ghost of Tsushima is ready to whisk you away to feudal Japan
From comic book capers to a massive Japanese epic is quite the leap, but it's one that Sucker Punch has made with the grace of a samurai sword master. The studio is best known for the Infamous series, but Ghost of Tsushima will take us back to feudal Japan and the island of Tsushima, as lone samurai Jin Sakai takes on the invading Mongol horde. With friendly foxes, katana combat and a Kurosawa Mode for Yojimbo fans, you can open this love letter to Japanese culture on July 17.
What: Ghost of Tsushima
Where: PS4
When: July 17
5. Katherine Langford is legendary in new Netflix series, Cursed
File this one under ‘How was this not a TV show already?’ Cursed turns the Arthurian myth and the world of Camelot on its head and transforms it into a female-centric prequel featuring Katherine Langford looking really fucking cool while swinging a sword.
Langford plays Nimue, better known later on as the Lady in the Lake. Here, she’s less pond-dweller, more all-action hero, and tasked with delivering a certain (cursed) sword to a young mercenary named Arthur. The odyssey she undertakes, as glimpsed in the trailer above, gives it a Lord of the Rings-lite vibe, which sounds just fine to us. Plus: Katherine Langford. Swords. Hello? This is going to be brilliant.
What: Cursed
Where: Netflix
When: July 17
Release Radar picks the best games, movies, and shows of the next seven days every Monday at 11am GMT.
