These are our eight favorite games from the PC Gaming Show

Another Summer Game Fest weekend has been and gone, and, for me, this has been the best year for a hot minute. Showcase after showcase we were treated to banger after banger, and our gaming backlogs are undoubtedly going to balloon as a result. The Xbox Games Showcase was supposed to be Sunday's highlight, but the PC Gaming Show may have topped it, and I'm not the only one on the PCGamesN team who thinks so.

The PC Gaming Show's sprawl brought with it a slew of upcoming PC games that are sure to find their way onto your wishlist. Whether you're an OG Serious Sam enjoyer looking forward to Shatterverse, or an indie head looking for something super off-piste like Pipes.exe, the annual SGF Sunday showcase didn't disappoint.

Below, you'll find our PC Gaming Show highlights, which probably says a lot about us as individuals. Lauren, PK, and I have all chipped in our top picks, and you can come and read us for filth over in our community Discord once you've finished perusing them.

Aaron

About Fishing

As a '90s kid, I'm absolutely loving the uptick in games utilizing that low-poly, PS1-era aesthetic. If you loved frying bullets and cigarettes sunny side up in Arctic Eggs, then you'll want to keep an eye out for The Water Museum's latest: About Fishing. This looks to blend the coziness of angling with the tension of its underlying mystery. There appears to be more to its mac-wearing protagonist than her prowess with a fishing rod, and I'm intrigued to see what sorts of secrets she'll dredge up.

Videogame fishing is not just a feature: it's a lifestyle. From Genshin Impact to Stardew Valley, to Diablo 4, I am always on the lookout for that next big catch - call that chronically on-line. Combined with those iconic visuals and a sharp narrative hook, I'm already well and truly reeled in.

Into the Wind

Ever since I played Ni No Kuni all those years ago, I've been hankering for more Studio Ghibli videogame magic. While I doubt we'll see anything of the sort from the iconic filmmaker anytime soon, you could fool me if you told me it was making some sort of Porco Rosso adaptation with Into the Wind. If I had a nickel for every piece of media that features a vibrant red plane fighting off air pirates over the Adriatic sea, I'd have two.

Bloom & Gloom Games' upcomer is so much more than that, though. Into the Wind lets you explore the islands of Santa Rosa while making deliveries on your sentient bike-plane, Ermes. Your uncle Umberto has gone missing, too, so you'll probably want to spend some time figuring out what happened to him - or not, I'm not your dad. Into the Wind absolutely oozes charm, and I cannot wait to soar through its Italianate open world.

2 Fights in 2 Tight Spaces

I've had a soft spot for developer Ground Shatter ever since I got to sit down with James Parker at WASD a few years ago, and it helps that the studio's Tight Spaces games are generally very good. If you're after a John Wick-style experience, powered by turn-based deckbuilding mechanics, then you won't be disappointed.

2 Fights in 2 Tight Spaces is the series' latest evolution, bringing with it a fresh coat of paint, a fancy-sounding polymorphic card system that essentially lets you maim people more creatively, and you can even play with your pals online. It's just hit Steam Early Access, so expect the odd foible if you buy in now.

Lauren

Vampire: The Masquerade - Eternal Whispers

The Disco Elysium format and Vampire: The Masquerade go hand-in-hand. I've been dreaming of a VTM CRPG for a very long time, and now, finally, we have one. The Sabbat angle is certainly unique - we've fought them many times, but never quite played as them - and, aesthetically, the vibes are immaculate. It's going to be a good couple of years for World of Darkness fans, and, from this trailer alone, Eternal Whispers has skyrocketed to the top of my must-play list, perhaps second-only to Oaths and Ashes.

Red Kiss

Speaking of vampires, Red Kiss was another PC Gaming Show standout - I (Lauren) have fully embraced (ha ha) my status as PCGamesN's resident vampire fanatic, and I'm proud of it. Set in Cold War Berlin, Red Kiss is aptly described as "a narrative RPG about hot vampire spies," and I can neither confirm nor deny whether I do, indeed, find our protagonists attractive.

You'll have to navigate complex relationships, send your roster of agents out into the Berlin night Dispatch-style, and unlock new abilities to enhance your espionage. Utilizing the Live2D that V-Tubers use, characters are brought to life in stunning detail, and as a visual novel enthusiast I love seeing the genre continue to innovate. Red Kiss looks exquisite, and I can't wait to take a bite.

PK

There Are No Ghosts At The Grand

I've got a feeling that there are, in fact, ghosts at the Grand - weirdly, though, they aren't the stand-out from this trailer. This game feels like it defies explanation, so leaving that trailer with more questions than answers seems perfectly reasonable. Am I a secret agent? Why is the cat talking? Did those arcade machines just come to life? Why am I cleaning a cop car? I don't know, but I want to find out.

Star Trek: Outposts Unkown

I'm so angry at myself. I see Star Trek, I like Star Trek. I'm so basic. A side effect of being raised by my television, no doubt. Outposts Unknown takes its aesthetic from TOS, which will have the side-effect of this colony builder being whimsical as all hell. We're talking garish uniforms, angular spaceships, and a lot of bleeps and bloops. Looks a bit simplistic, but I wouldn't mind sinking into comfort for a while.

Total War: Warhammer 40k

From whimsy to, well, whatever the opposite of whimsy is. Warhammer 40k is all grimdark futures, a forever war, and oh my God, did you see that orbital space laser? Total War does scale and spectacle like nothing else, and seeing hundreds of little Space Marines fighting hundreds of really angry Orks scratches an itch deep inside my brain. Cannot wait for this.

Of course, that's only a modicum of the gaming goodness that we were treated to. You can check out the full PC Gaming Show here. Considering the variety of our own small cross-section, it's clear that it won't take long to pluck out your own faves. That and the fact that Lauren might actually be part-vampire.