Just when you thought the games news might be slowing ahead of the end of year, along comes the Galaxy Showcase, with another bumper crop of announcements, trailers, premieres, shadow drops, and more. This autumn celbration, which follows on from its debut showcase earlier this year, featured everything from angry cats to post-apocalyptic postman, with the likes of Nacon, Saber Interactive, and Team17 all putting in an appearance. You’ll find the full list of announcements ready for your casual perusal below.

Turnbound

If Jumanji taught us anything, it’s that board games just shouldn’t be trusted. And here we are again with another warning of their nefarious intent, courtesy of developer 1TK’s Turnbound. Here, unsuspecting players find themselves trapped in a haunted board game and forced to battle the souls of their fellow captives in order to mount an escape. That requires them, in auto-battler fashion, to take on the tiles other players have left behind, in asynchronous PvP. Turnbound is described as a game of strategy and competitive inventory management, where tiles placed on the grid have a cause-and-effect that ripples through matches – and if that’s got you intrigued, Steam early access begins on 13th November.

Vending Dokan!: Kozy Kiosk

Aftabi Games’ Vending Dokan!: Kozy Kiosk launched into Steam early access back in June, so if its name rings a bell, that’ll be why. It’s a cosy, laidback game – officially described as an “idle simulation”, which can be played both actively and passively – about managing your own vending machine empire. You can choose where your machines go, what they sell, and who you’ll hire to ensure they stay stocked, clean, and in working order. Additionally, customisation plays a big role too, and you’re free to decorate the areas surrounding your vending machines as you see fit in order to attract new customers. So why’s it on this list? That’ll be because it’s getting a spooky update to celebrate the Halloween season.

Egging On

You are an egg, born to traverse the world in an ovular tumble. That’s the basic premise of developer Egobounds’ Egging On, a game about mastering the art of egg physics in order to escape the hen house for a life of free-range freedom. It’s a journey that’ll take you from the factory to the farm shop, facing off against everything from chainsaws and angry roosters, where you’ll need to synchronize your jump with your roll-cycle in order to gain maximum upward momentum on your incessant climbs. And if you mess up, you might well find yourself back at the start with, well, egg on your face. Egging On launches for PC in Q4 this year.

Apomo District

A quick glance at Apomo District might put you in mind of ‘eerie Stardew Valley’, and while the talk of mining and bug catching suggests there might be a bit of that, what we’ve actually got here is a cheerfully weird top-down Soulslike, where you’re tasked with defeating over 50 bosses using everything from lanterns to umbrellas in order to free them from their madness. “Fallen knights, spore-covered beasts, hammer-swinging moss balls, sweaty bath demons and more,” teases developer Apomo. “Each encounter can be bizarre, terrifying, but strangely appealing.” Notably, the world changes in real-time, with each new day bringing a fresh Apomo to fight, quests to explore, characters to meet, and more. When Apomo eventually shows up it’ll be on PC.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2

Announced back in May, Warhammer 40K: Boltgun 2 is pretty much exactly what it sounds like – a follow-up to developer Auroch Digital’s acclaimed 2023 retro shooter Boltgun. Picking up immediately after the events of the first game, it’s promising another helping of old-school-inspired FPS action over the course of its branching single-player campaign, with talk of new locations – “from the colossal heights of a hive city to the impenetrable mangrove swamps of a jungle” – plus new weapons and never-before-seen foes. It’s coming to Xbox, Playstation, and PC next year, but we now have another glimpse of its action courtesy of the latest Galaxy Showcase.

Sleep Awake

Blumhouse, best known as the production company behind horror movie hits including Megan and Paranormal Activity, continues its tentative steps into video games later this year with Sleep Awake. Developed by Eyes Out, it’s a first-person psychological horror set in the last known city on Earth where people are disappearing in their sleep. In a desperate bid to stay safe, some have embarked on dangerous experiments to keep awake, and amid all this is Sleep Awake’s protagonist Katja, who must avoid the grip of the city’s death cults in order to shatter the horrors of the past. Expect puzzles, FMV sequences, and psychedelic visuals when Sleep Awake comes to PlayStation and PC on 2nd December. And if you want to get stuck in sooner, a Steam demo is available now.

Crosswind

And now the good kind of video game piracy. Crosswind is a swashbuckling survival adventure set across a procedural open world in an alternative Age of Piracy. Fundamentally, it’s familiar stuff – you’ll roam the land scavenging, building, and crafting your way to survival – but its nautical focus means you’ll also explore the high seas, with developer Crosswind Crew promising seamless ship-to-land gameplay, boss encounters, sea battles incorporating boarding actions, and a little bit of the supernatural in your fight against an ancient evil. Crosswind is set to launch on Steam soon.

Shroom and Gloom

It’s a fungus-themed first-person, roguelike double-deckbuilding you’re after, Shroom and Gloom from developer Team Lazerbeam and Devolver Digital is precisely that. It sees players assembling a twin deck of cards – one focused on exploration, the other on combat – to battle their way through dungeons packed with evil mushrooms and other assorted abominations. There’s talk of card modification as you unlock new weapons and abilities, plus “mountains of mega-combos”, but really it’s chunky artstyle that’s drawing me in right now. Shroom and Gloom launches. There’s no release date, but you can play a demo on Steam now.

Sagas of Lumin

Fantasy fans looking for a bit of solo RPG action (or more accurately, solo action-RPG action) might want to direct their faces toward developer Elos Games and Arts’ Sagas of Lumin. It’s described as a “story rich” adventure – where your choices and actions supposedly shape the world – that places a heavy focus on your dragon. You can ride it through the skies, taking in the sights, or unleash its fury in aerial battles. And when skirmishes move down to ground level, adventurers can deploy melee weapons, spells, and steampunk firearms in combat built around “precision and timing”. Sagas of Lumin comes to Steam next year, and a demo’s available right now.

Defect

Here’s another one set in the last city of mankind, and – would you believe it – it’s all gone to shit here too. In developer Emptyvessel’s Defect everything is ruled by an authoritarian AI known as The System and the last dregs of humanity have little choice but to try and survive day by day. Defect, then, is a cyberpunk, squad-based “immersive objective shooter” where players pick a side – either The System’s Rogue Police Elements or one of the many gangs vying for power – then complete battle it out to complete smuggling missions, assassinations, and more. There’s single-player, plus multiplayer PvP and co-op, and it’s coming to Steam and Epic at some unannounced future time.

Bylina

Bylina’s one for the folklore fans, setting its isometric action-RPG adventure in a “vibrant and extraordinary world” inspired by Slavic myths and legends. You play as Falconet, a young adventurer traversing the Far Kingdom in order to reclaim his immortal soul from Koschei the Deathless. Oh, and there’s an apocalypse to thwart too. It’s a journey that’ll take you through sunlit forests, gloomy dungeons, and towering castles; each new area promising challenges, treasures, puzzles, and its own peculiar inhabitants. Expect battles against everything from bandits to imposing, boss-like beasts, all built around a slowly expanding arsenal of swords, shields, spears, bows, magic, and more. Bylina is heading to Xbox, PlayStation, and PC before the end of this year.

Edenfall: Legacy of the First Wardens

Edenfall: Legacy of the First Wardens is the debut title from Austrian developer Everflux Games and is described as a mystical action-adventure set across Eden, a world falling into chaos. You play as Venya, a young woman capable of switching seamlessly between different animal forms. As a raven, you can glide through the air; as a wolf, you can pounce across the landscape; your racoon form can slip into tight spaces, while your human form can strike with precision. Each metamorphosis also has a role in Edenfall’s multi-form combat, and helps open new paths, solve puzzles, and unlock secrets as you traverse the vibrant world with your spirit fox companion in an effort to awaken the land’s lost beauty. Edenfall launches on PC in 2026 and a demo’s out now.

Long Drive North

If American Truck Simulator has taught me anything, it’s that I’m easily swayed by some rumbling tarmac and a scenic vista, so Long Drive North immediately appeals. This “immersive driving-exploration-survival experience” from Mindflair Game sets players loose in the harsh American wilderness with nothing but their trusty old RV – and up to three friends – for company. You’ll hunt, scavenge, cook, and explore Long Drive North’s open world sandbox in your quest for survival, all while trying to keep your vehicle in good enough shape to push on. I’ll have my eye on it when it launches into Steam early access next month.

Pacific Drive

Which brings us nicely to Ironwood Studio’s acclaimed – and equally vehicular – first-person survival game Pacific Drive. Set in the Olympic Exclusion Zone, an area of the beautiful Pacific Northwest blighted with surreal anomalies, it’s a game of wilderness exploration where you’re attempting to unravel a long-forgotten mystery, all while trying to keep your suddenly sentient station wagon in working condition. Pacific Drive launched for PC and PlayStation last year and Ironwood has been beavering away on a new DLC expansion since then. It’s called Whispers in the Woods and takes players into a new area of the Zone for an 8-12 hour story full of new dangers and mysteries. And best of all, thanks to a sneaky shadow drop, it’s available now.

Windblown

Dead Cells developer Motion Twin’s Windblown – a “lightning-fast action roguelite” for up to three players – celebrates a year in Steam early access this month, and the studio is celebrating the occasion with news of its next major update. This one – as per the Galaxies Showcase – promises to be a “significant content expansion” reshaping the roguelite’s landscape, and nudging development just a little bit closer to its full release.

Dark Hours

Just in time for spooky season, developer Piece of Cake Studios is unleashing Dark Hours, a co-op survival horror game for up to four players. Together, you’re a crack team of robbers who thought they’d pulled off the perfect heist at an action house, until a supernatural event left them trapped in its cavernous confines with an evil entity on their trail. You’ll need to stay close, solve co-op minigames, pick locks, hack equipment, and many even pick up a few valuable keepsakes as you hunt for a way out or, failing that, try and survive until sunrise. Dark Hours launches into Steam early access on 24th October, and a demo’s out now.

Town to City

I had a very pleasant time with Town to City when it launched into Steam early access last month, losing quite a few hours to its laidback city building rhythms. You can read my first impressions elsewhere on Eurogamer, but the important bit in all of this is that developer Galaxy Grove is currently putting the finishing touches to the game’s first update. It’s all about animals, bringing additional life to Town to City’s already pretty lovely dioramas, and there’s more in today’s showcase.

Edge of Memories

There’s a fair bit of big-name talent attached to French-made action-RPG Edge of Memories. Developed by the Montpellier-based Midgar Studio, it casts players as a young nomad, who, along with their adventurer pals, must traverse the Corrosion-ravaged kingdom of Avaris. The ensuing action is said to draw inspiration from classic Japanese RPGs, while wrapping it all up in a package inspired by French animation. To bring Edge of Memories to fruition, though, Midgar is also calling on the skills of Xenoxblade X character designer Raita Kazama, Nier writer Sawako Natori, Nier singer Emi Evans, plus Chrono Trigger composer Yasunori Mitsuda and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 composer Mariam Abounnasr. It’s due to launch for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC sometime next year.

Instruments of Destruction

Regrettably not about exploding trumpets, Instruments of Destruction is instead a game of physics-based vehicular demolition. Developed by Radiangames, it casts players as Sharpe Industries test pilots and sets them loose across a series of “highly-interactive sandbox worlds” designed for destruction, where they can take on challenges and build their own deadly machines, maps, and structures. It’s got two campaigns, a sandbox mode, and over 130 vehicles, and if that sort of carnage appeals, Instruments of Destruction jumps from PC to consoles today.

The Bureau of Fantastical & Arcane Affairs

If nothing else, developer Hip Flask Games’ The Bureau of Fantastical & Arcane Affairs has a fun premise. In this “comedic, first-person, exploration-driven narrative sandbox”, you take on the role of a Bureau inspector, charged with ensuring stories don’t fall into narrative chaos. And this time, you’re assigned a case in a glorious, semi-open-world fairytale valley, besieged by villainy. It’s up to your scour the surroundings and grill the locals in order to get things back on track. Or perhaps you’ll have a little bit of fun and let the narrative slide off its rails. Either way, once you’re done you then get to take on the role of the story’ hero and experience whatever mess you’ve made of things firsthand. There’s no release date for this one yet but it’s coming to PC.

Ground Zero

Meteors! Once the bane of the dinosaur, now getting South Korea in a spot of bother. Following a devastating meteor strike, the country is in turmoil, every living organism now turned into terrifying monstrosities. All of which sets the scene for a retro-inspired survival horror trek across a decimated landscape, as players take control of an elite Korean operative and their Canadian partner, who make up Ground Zero’s team of dual protagonists. Developer Malformation Games is promising a mix of puzzles and action where you’ll need to “make every bullet count” when Ground Zero launches for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox “soon”. In the meantime, a demo’s available on Steam.

Escape The Backrooms

For anyone whose fascination with the inescapable (in all sense of the word) Backrooms continues unabated, developer Fancy Games is mounting another expedition into this anomalous realm. In Escape the Backrooms, a co-operative “horror exploration game” for one to four players, there are 30+ levels to navigate, all while you attempt to avoid the entities within. There’s proximity voice chat to assist in your strategising, but you’ll need to deploy it sparingly given enemies can hear you too. Oh, and if all members of your group don’t manage to make it to each level’s exit, then the whole lot of you are screwed. Escape the Backrooms launches on Steam today, 23rd October.

Denshattack!

Revealed back in August, Denshattack was one of the highlights of this year’s Gamescom Opening Night Live, serving up a big old ‘what if Jet Set Radio but runaway trains?’. Developed by Unicoders, it sees players rail-riding across searingly cell-shaded Japan, traversing lush countryside and busy urban sprawls in a quest to defeat the sinister Miraidō corporation. The twist, though, is your train basically controls like a skateboard, meaning you get to ollie and kickflip your way to victory as you confront everything from magical mecha girls to moving castles There’s a fresh look at some gameplay in today’s new trailer, and it’s coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC next year.

PACS

PACS, or Post Apocalypse Courier Service if you’re not a fan of acronyms, is a game of scavenging and survival in a post-apocalyptic world. So far, so familiar, but PACS gives things a big old shake up by asking you to establish your own end-of-the-world courier service amid it all. Starting small in your garage and working up toward mega corp., you’ll brave the hostile landscape in your upgradable truck to ensure your packages are delivered on time – and you can even have three friends lending a hand. “MudRunner meets Euro Truck Simulator 2 meets Mad Max” is how developer Studio 316 puts it, and it’s coming to Steam early access at some currently undisclosed future point.

Talespinner

Talespinner looks a little like what happens when you slam together Slay the Spire and a story driven world inspired by Japanese mythology. It’s a deck-building roguelike adventure in which you play as one of three distinct characters, guiding them through a colourful landscape of hostile forces, yokai to battle or befriend, and 16 bosses. Adding a bit of spice to proceedings, you’re not technically the hero but rather the storyteller recounting their adventures. As such, you’ll begin each runthrough by selecting a scenario – escaping a ninja clan, perhaps, or tracking down a troublesome ghost – with each one offering additional story twists and challenges. Your actions change the way the branching story unfolds, and you can apply modifiers to your storybook to further influence encounters. Talespinner, from developer Flash Cat Games, comes to Steam soon, and a demo is available now.

Norigin

Big beasts and fragmented memories is the name of the game in developer Jugraaj S’ “emotional and gripping” adventure Norigin. Seemingly inspired by Team Ico’s legendary Shadow of the Colossus, Norigin sees you roaming a landscape of secrets and ancient wonders, battling the giant creatures you encounter along the way. Progress unlocks different memories revealing more about the world and your place in it, all leading toward the truth about your estranged father. Norigin doesn’t have a release date yet, but it’s coming to Steam.

Far Far West

Weird western is the vibe in developer Evil Raptor’s Far Far West, a co-op shooter for up to four players. As your crew of bounty-hunting robot cowboys take on bounties and go in search of your targets across cursed lands, you’ll encounter dusty saloons, haunted mines, and empty deserts, all blighted by reanimated skeletons, deadly storms and more. There’s even a giant ghost train. Luckily, you’ve got everything from six-shooters to fireballs at your disposal, and if that’s not enough, you can also customise gear and combine spells to gain the upperhand. Far Far West is set for Steam early access at some point in the future, but if you’re curious you can sign up for its first open playtest now.

AILA

It’s the near future in Pulsatrix Studios’ survival horror AILA and AI-created immersive technology is all the rage. But if you thought being force fed inaccurate AI-generated Google search results was bad, just wait till you shove your head into AILA’s world. AILA, in this specific instance, is the fictional AI in charge of creating the game you’ve been employed to test, which just happens to be designed to prey on your character’s deepest, darkest fears. As such, you’ll brave a host of scenarios inspired by different horror subgenres, outrunning a ritualistic cult, battling the medieval undead, and more. AILA launches for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC in November, but you can give yourself a bit of a virtual thrill right now courtesy of its Steam demo.

Rue Valley

In this eye-catching isometric RPG from developer Emotion Spark Studio, you play a man trapped in a mysterious time loop, doomed to spend an eternity in the rundown town of Rue Valley unless he can do something about it. To escape the anomaly, though, you’ll need to delve into the town’s enigmatic depths, encountering its cast of characters – each with their own stories and unexpected secrets – and battling with your own mental struggles along the way. The trajectory of your story, though, depends on how you choose to present yourself, with your personality – be it cold-hearted loner, for instance, or melodramatic loudmouth – impacting your dialogue options and interactions. “Experiment with different answers and timelines,” suggests Emotion Spark, “because the loop will restart from the beginning anyway, won’t it?” Rue Valley launches for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC on 11th November, and there’s a demo on Steam right now.

Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss

Announced back in March, Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss – from The Council developer Big Bad Wolf – is a “tense Lovecraftian thriller” set in 2053 and a world facing a growing occult threat. Amid all this is Noah, an agent investigating the disappearance of miners in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, whose journey eventually leads to the labyrinthine prison of R’lyeh, where Cthulhu has been contained. Accompanied by his AI companion, Key, Noah must gather leads, follow clues, and solve “complex puzzles” as he investigates branching mysteries in an attempt to crack the case, all while resisting the mind-corrupting influence of Cthulhu. Today’s showcase brought a fresh look at its action ahead of its PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S release next year.

Clawpunk

It’s all about the angry cats in developer Kittens in Timespace’s Clawpunk, a “pulse-pounding, melee-focused” 2D action game featuring roguelite elements. Feral City has fallen into chaos, and it’s up to you – or rather your amassing army of feline heroes – to reclaim it from the villainous hordes, which is about as much story justification as you need to rip through its fully destructible environments, annihilating everything as you go. Each of Clawpunk’s nine playable cats features its own stats, primary weapons, and powerful special attacks, and there’s talk of ranged weapons to wield too as you traverse the city’s five distinct zones. : Clawpunk comes to PC on 14th November, and you can take it for a whirl courtesy of its Steam demo right now.

Enginefall

Regrettably, the Earth – which hasn’t fared too well in this round-up so far – remains on its last legs in developer Red Rover Interactive’s Enginefall. Amid the ruins of the planet, the remnants of humanity have taken to the railroad, and it’s here Enginefall’s blend of high-stakes PvP, survival crafting, and cross-train extraction action unfolds. You’ll establish your own train, packing it with fellow survivors as it careens through the wasteland, and you’ll raid rival trains in order to gather the resources needed to grow it to a true colossus of the rails. Enginefall launches for PC sometime in 2026,, but its first major playtest begins on 24th October this and you can sign up to participate now on Steam.

Hark the Ghoul

In a nameless Victorian city beneath a starless sky, madness has taken hold of its citizens – including, possibly, you. And so down you go, deep below the earth, to strange lands where fantastic creatures and unimaginable horrors await. Hark the Ghoul, from developer Deep Denizens, is a retro-styled dungeon-crawler set in a low-poly, low-texture “handcrafted” world. Here, you’ll roam its strange, interconnected environments, using whatever tools you have at your disposal – swords, whips, pistols, cannons, magic, and more – to uncover its secrets. Hark the Ghoul launches for PC next year, but you can get a test of its atmospheric action in its Steam demo right now.

Shadow of the Road

Shadow of the Road catapults players back to 1868 Japan, but not the one you’ll find in the history books. Instead, this is a world where feudal Japan meets magic and machines, and where a mysterious boy with immense, uncontrollable powers must be protected at all costs. That, of course, is where you come in, taking control of a spymaster and his two ronin companions in a story-driven turn-based RPG adventure from developer Another Angle Games. You’ll take on enemies in battles said to combine turn-based combat with a samurai-tactics flare, and you’ll make decisions that send your characters on unique paths as they traverse the mortal realm and spirit world. Shadow of the Road launches for PC next year, and a demo is currently available on Steam.

Cloudheim

“Ragnarok shattered the world”, explains developer Noodle Cat Games of its upcoming action-adventure Cloudheim, “and the gods have chosen you to shape the next one.” And so begins your journey across its destructible world of diverse islands and ever-changing dungeons. You’ll battle enemies using chaotic physics-based combat, solve puzzles, and acquire valuable loot, and if you don’t want to solo, Cloudheim supports four-player online co-op. And if that isn’t enough to be getting on with, you can set up a workshop on the back of a turtle to craft new weapons, befriend helpful critters, or even run your own store where you’ll need to keep shelves stocked and fulfil requests. It all sounds pretty ambitious then, and if your appetite is sufficiently whetted, Cloudheim launches into Steam early access on 4th December this year.

Quantic River

There’ll be no lazy waterside relaxation here, I’m afraid. Quantic River is, despite the aquatic allusions in its title, a fast-paced 2.5D action game set in a fictional cyberpunk city somewhere in Japan. Featuring an eye-catching mix of neon-smeared 3D environments and 2D characters, it sees you hoisting a katana and embarking on a high-tech adventure through a dystopian world. You’ll slice through enemies using “technical” melee combat built around combos and parries; you’ll equip cyber-augmentations, and you’ll hack security systems to gain the upper-hand. There’s also talk of an overheat-based slow-motion system and dual-layered levels, designed for speedrunners and explorers alike. Quantic River doesn’t have a release date, but it’s heading to PC.

Eurogamer is a Galaxies media partner.