Today, after 1.3 million wishlists and 2 million demo plays, the checkpoint finally opens.
Developed by Brigada Games, Quarantine Zone: The Last Check is an apocalyptic admin simulator set against the backdrop of a zombie outbreak.
Take on the role of a government agent stationed at a critical checkpoint in the midst of the chaos, screening survivors, managing scarce resources, and making impossible moral decisions that determine who gets in – and who doesn’t.
Between juggling food, fuel, and defence systems, or fending off the zombie hordes – by deploying an armed drone to take them out safely from afar or getting up close and personal with your sidearm – you’ll also face the human side of survival: trust, desperation, and the haunting consequences of every call you make.
Played the demo to death? Don’t worry, the full version of Quarantine Zone: The Last Check includes a whole host of infectious new features including:
Use the new portable X-ray to scan a person’s internal organs for signs of infection, or check whether they’re hiding contraband where the sun don’t shine
With the new metiascope you can inspect peoples’ eyes for signs of the virus, or test if they have healthy reflexes with the new medical reflex hammer
Examine survivors with unknown symptoms in the laboratory to discover dangerous new signs of the virus
Send zombies to a cage and feed them corpses. Not just for the fun of it: the government will pay handsomely for them
With the new base management interface, oversee things from a bird’s eye perspective and manage all resources from a single interface.
And many other improvements to defence and the overall experience
Since its reveal last year, Brigada’s zombie checkpoint sim has become one of the most anticipated games on PC – and the wait is finally over.
Quarantine Zone: The Last Check is available now on Steam with a 10% launch discount, or via PC Xbox Game Pass.
LEIPZIG, Germany – 13 Jan. 2026 – Confidential Killings – A Detective Game, a gritty thriller set in Hollywood’s twisted world of stars from developers BRANE and Lorenzo Boni, as well as publisher Surefire.Games, tells a tense tale brimming with sinister secrets on PC via Steam today.
Key Features:
True Detective Work – Unlike standard hidden object games, Confidential Killings demands expert deduction skills. Sleuths will:
Build the String Board: Analyze every piece of evidence and add elements to a string board to make connections and drive the narrative forward.
Employ True Deduction: Interrogate witnesses and suspects in dressing rooms and crime scenes. Use your deduction skills to identify inconsistencies and catch them in their lies.
Analyze Multiple Cases, Discover One Truth: Connect the dots between seemingly unrelated killings to uncover what’s really happening behind the glamour.
Enjoy a Noir Graphic-Novel Presentation: A striking noir art style paired with a dark, thematic soundtrack pulls you into Hollywood’s underbelly.
“Confidential Killings presents a chilling and captivating narrative wrapped in a beautiful graphic novel style,” said Henry Zeng, Director, Surefire.Games. “The developers did a great job crafting an immersive experience, and aspiring detectives will need to activate their best deduction skills to uncover the unexpected secrets hidden within this thrilling story!”
Confidential Killings – A Detective Gameis now available on PC via Steam for $14.99, with support for English, Simplified Chinese, French, German, Russian, Korean, and Japanese.
The “Must-Play” Detective Bundle: To celebrate the launch, the game is available in a special Steam bundle featuring notable genre contemporaries. Players can pick up Confidential Killings alongside the critically acclaimed The Rise of the Golden Idol and The Roottrees are Dead.
BRABE and Lorenzo Boni are a small team of talented developers best known for their high-quality indie web and itch.io titles with their special noir-graphic style, including Let Sleeping Dogs Lie and We Suspect Foul Play. The team is currently working on their commercial debut title, Confidential Killings – A Detective Game, a gritty thriller set in Hollywood’s twisted world of stars.
About Surefire.Games
Surefire.Games is a video game publisher dedicated to connecting global games with the expansive Chinese market while helping indie developers reach a worldwide audience. Leveraging its expertise gained from collaborating with industry giants like Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox, Ubisoft, CD Projekt Red, and Koei Tecmo, Surefire serves as a bridge to expand the reach of games across borders. Its mission is to provide a seamless, one-stop publishing experience, empowering indie developers with the knowledge and resources needed to succeed globally.
Build By Day, Defend By Night. A God Game Reimagined – Watch the Action Unfold in the New Release Date Trailer
Guildford, UK – January 12, 2026 – 22cans, led by legendary game creator Peter Molyneux, today announced that Masters of Albion will launch on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 18:00 BST, exclusively on PC via Steam. A brand-new release date trailer showcases the game’s unique blend of cosy creativity by day and brutal survival by night. Built by a team that includes legends of the industry, Mark Healey, Russell Shaw, Iain Wright and Kareem Ettouney, who were key in developing Dungeon Keeper, Black & White, and Fable, Masters of Albion reimagines the god game for today. Blending strategy, simulation, town management, and real-time defence, the game gives players extraordinary freedom to play the game the way they want to play it.Taking inspiration from some of Peter’s classic titles, Masters of Albion is a return to form, blending gameplay mechanics from multiple genres, strategy with simulation, town management with defence, to reinvigorate the god game, and give players the power and freedom to create.
Or destroy… Said Peter Molyneux:
“Masters of Albion is the culmination of my life’s work, a game that owes so much to titles like Dungeon Keeper, Black & White, and Fable. It’s a totally unique game that we hope will delight players, a game that brings God Games into the modern gaming landscape and puts the genre firmly back on the map.”
Albion, a land shaped by the hands of heroes, is at a great turning point in its history. Its lords and luminaries have pulled Albion’s society into a new age of manufacturing and production, a golden era, an industrial revolution. But behind this modernisation lurks a painful past of magic and mayhem, one that threatens to drag Albion back into a dark age of mysticism.
Shape the world from above as a god or step directly into it by possessing heroes, workers, animals and more.
Masters of Albion mixes strategy, simulation, town management, and real-time defence, all woven into a rich narrative-driven world.
“Some are born with power, some achieve power, and some have great power thrust upon them.”
Build, Create, and Customise
As a god, you have absolute freedom over your towns and villages:
• Design and build every structure • Hire, house and manage your workforce • Customise buildings with paint, patterns and embellishments • Combine building types into unique multi-purpose structures • No timers or waiting, build instantly and iterate freely
From small workshops to sprawling towns, Albion grows exactly how you decide.
Wield the Power of the God Hand Command the world with ancient powers:
• Manipulate buildings and objects freely • Possess and control the living • Inspire, reward, insult, or punish your people • Throw giant boulders, spiked balls, exploding barrels or just plain old-fashioned people • Rain lightning, fire and destruction down upon your enemies • Shape Albion with absolute authority
Enjoy the freedom that being a god brings, but with great freedom comes great responsibility.
Roam Freely Across Albion Experience the world from multiple perspectives:
• View Albion from the heavens or possess living beings to explore on foot • Control heroes, dogs, workers and even chickens • Complete quests to unlock treasures and secrets • Delve into dangerous underground cave networks • Craft weapons and armour for your heroes • Design the clothes that your workers wear (however bizarre) • Explore, experiment and uncover the forgotten history of Albion
Defend the Night When night falls, Albion is no longer safe. Malevolent creatures emerge from the darkness, attacking towns and killing indiscriminately. Survival depends on preparation and decisive action:
• Design, build and arm powerful defensive turrets • Hire heroes to protect the people • Escort the vulnerable through the terrors of the night • Construct walls, choke points, and deadly defences • Channel enemies into carefully planned kill zones • Use god powers to strike fear into the undead • Possess heroes and fight enemies directly in real-time combat
Each night tests your planning, creativity, and resolve.
Key Themes • Power and responsibility • Industry versus ancient magic • Freedom of choice and consequence • Cosy creativity contrasted with chaos and danger
Players can enjoy the freedom that comes with being a God by Wishlisting the game now via Steam ahead of its release on Wednesday, April 22, 2026.
About 22cans
22cans was founded in 2012 by industry legend and creator of the god game genre, Peter Molyneux. It’s a proudly independent company, driven by true innovation and creativity, and passionate about creating the next generation of innovative digital entertainment.
Brought together to test out new high-tech combat equipment as an excuse, Van, Rean, Kevin, and their numerous allies have all been witness humanity’s first steps into space only for dangerous forces to be moving in the background in NIS America’s The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails beyond the Horizon – Gameplay
The Legend of Heroes: Trails beyond the Horizon continues the long-running, interconnected JRPG saga with a bold new chapter that pushes the world of Zemuria toward an uncertain future. Set after the events that reshaped the continent, the story follows returning and new protagonists as political tensions rise, hidden truths surface, and the limits of humanity’s progress are tested. Deep world-building, layered storytelling, and character-driven drama remain at the core, rewarding longtime fans while remaining approachable for newcomers.
Combat builds on the series’ signature blend of turn-based strategy and real-time elements, introducing refined systems that emphasize positioning, synergy, and tactical decision-making. Outside of battle, players explore detailed regions, uncover side stories rich with lore, and watch the consequences of their actions ripple across nations. With its cinematic presentation, evolving mechanics, and emotional narrative weight, Trails beyond the Horizon represents a major step forward for the Trails series.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails beyond the Horizon Developer: Nihon Falcom Publisher: NIS America Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC Release Date: 15th January, 2025
Recommended – “Trails Beyond the Horizon delivers strong writing, countless returning characters, and a big narrative push, even if its largely unchanged combat keeps things familiar rather than fresh.”
20% discount available as part of Steam Detective Fest; Nintendo Switch version coming later this year
Melbourne, Australia – 13 January 2026 – Aussie indie duo Powerhoof are today thrilled to announce that their award-winning, point and click thriller The Drifter now includes official French, Italian and Spanish localisations, in addition to full support for fan-made translations.
These highly-requested localisations open the door for more players across the globe to experience this pulpy, off-the-rails thrill ride for themselves ahead of the arrival of Nintendo Switch ports, which will be launching later this year, details of which will be announced at a later date.
“By far the most requested feature for The Drifter has been localization into more languages. There’s a lot out there though, and with over 50,000 words in the game we couldn’t do them all… officially at least…” said Dave Lloyd, writer and designer at Powerhoof.
Alongside the fresh localisations, a new patch introduces a few quality-of-life updates, numerous bug-fixes, text corrections and behind-the-scenes optimisations, ensuring there has never been a better time to experience this pulse-pounding adventure – which is available at a ripping 20% discount this week as part of Steam Detective Fest, beginning later today at 10am PST / 1pm EST / 6pm GMT / 7pm CET.
The Drifter recently picked up multiple awards at the 2025 Australian Game Developer Awards: Game of the Year, Excellence in Narrative, Excellence in Visual Art, and Excellence in Sound Design. It also scooped the ANZ Indie Game Award at the Indie Game Awards last month – in addition to being featured in multiple critics ‘Best of 2025’ lists and end of year articles.
A classic 2D point and click adventure with the brake-lines cut – The Drifter propels players breathlessly into a web of shadowy corporations, conspiracy, murder, and the thousand year obsession of a madman, as they help Mick Carter solve the mystery of his own homicide.
The Drifter takes its cues from the modern revival of the adventure genre and delivers an engrossing and unpredictable edge-of-your-seat story, while logical, down-to-earth investigative puzzles act as the sinew between razor-sharp narrative beats.
The Drifter – Key Features
A Pulp Adventure Thriller from the minds that brought you Peridium and Crawl.
An engrossing roller-coaster of a story – Drawing on King, Crichton and Carpenter, with a dash of 70s Aussie grindhouse.
Point ‘n Click or Controller – Unique twin-stick controls make The Drifter as comfy to play on the couch as at your PC.
Bursting with raw crunchy pixel art and high-impact animation.
Professionally voice acted, with a brooding dark-synth cinematic score.
The Drifter is now available for Windows, macOS and Linux via Steam and GOG.com. Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 ports are now in development and will launch later this year.
About Powerhoof
Powerhoof is a Melbourne indie gamedev duo – Dave Lloyd and Barney Cumming. Crawl, Regular Human Basketball, Acid Knife, Peridium, The Drifter. Burning pixels through your retinas. Deep into your soul. After a long history in the freeware adventure game scene- Dave brings his storytelling to life with Barney’s art direction and a team of pixel artists, musicians and voice actors. Combining the duo’s history of crunchy pixel indie action titles with the long beloved genre.
The tactical RPG roguelike just unveiled a raft of improvements
El Segundo, California – January 12, 2026 | Ocean Drive Studio and Kakao Games have announced that a major new update for Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch is available now across PC and console.
Update 1.2 brings a bevy of new features and quality of life improvements to the acclaimed roguelite tactical RPG, which boasts Very Positive reviews on Steam. Leading the charge is the new Blessed Relics system, allowing players to obtain more powerful versions of Relics with added effects or removed penalties.
Watch the Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch – 1.2 Update Trailer here:
Additionally, new Talent Skills have been added to the game, with each character getting two new skills to boost them in combat – one to boost their key attributes, and another to increase the chance of activating their Partnership effect.
Following feedback from players, Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch is also making it easier to try out different unit and character combinations with a new Morale Boost system. Now, even units who don’t take part in previous expeditions will have the chance to gain buffs for your next expedition.
Other Quality of Life changes include streamlining of some combat encounters, with the number of enemies and dialogue lines adjusted; an improved Chaos Encounter system to replace Random Encounters; boosts to Unguardable Attacks; and more. You can check out the full patch notes on Steam here.
Update 1.2 for Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch is available now for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.
About Kakao Games
Kakao Games (CEO Sang-Woo Han) is the gaming subsidiary of Kakao, specializing in both publishing and development across a wide range of genres, from casual to hardcore titles on PC and mobile. Since its KOSDAQ listing in September 2020, Kakao Games has successfully developed and launched popular titles such as Odin: Valhalla Rising, Uma Musume Pretty Derby, Eversoul, Guardian Tales, and Kakao Battlegrounds, with multiple global releases on the horizon. Kakao Games remains committed to expanding its portfolio and exploring new opportunities in the evolving gaming landscape.
About Ocean Drive Studio
Ocean Drive Studio, a subsidiary of Kakao Games, is a company dedicated to developing and servicing games that resonate with global fans who love the same genres that their developers know and are passionate about. The studio gained attention with the release of its first game, the turn-based tactical RPG Lost Eidolons, on Steam, PS5, and Xbox. Building on this success, they are working on the second game in the same genre, Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch, as well as other titles including the roguelite shooter Section 13, the physics-based sandbox survival game God Save Birmingham, and an action RPG based on the IP Sword Master Youngest Son. Ocean Drive Studio aims to deliver unique and engaging gaming experiences to gamers around the world through these diverse game genres.
GungHo’s puzzle game achieves another milestone among American and Canadian players
REDONDO BEACH, Calif. – January 12, 2026 – GungHo Online Entertainment announced that its hit mobile puzzle adventure game Puzzle & Dragons achieved 16 million downloads in North America. Puzzle & Dragons has built a devoted following with its mix of accessible puzzle play, classic RPG depth, and a long line of IP collaborations with major pop-culture, anime, and video-game brands.
With more than 90 million downloads worldwide, Puzzle & Dragons combines match-three-style puzzles, monster collecting, and dungeon-crawling mechanics that have kept players hooked since its launch in 2012. The game has seen particularly strong adoption in Japan, where it has surpassed 63 million downloads, plus 3 million in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and South Korea boasting 3 million downloads as well.
In North America, Puzzle & Dragons launched in the U.S. on iOS in November 2012 and on Android in December 2012. It arrived in Canada less than two years later and has steadily grown its player base for more than a decade. As a result, total downloads across iOS and Android in the U.S. and Canada surpassed 16 million on November 28, 2025. Puzzle & Dragons is available as a free download on the App Store and on Google Play.
To celebrate this milestone, players can participate in the 16 Million Downloads Celebration Event:
From January 21 through February 6, Puzzle & Dragons will celebrate 16 million North American downloads with the special Super Godfest, bonus Login Stamps, and select dungeons available for half Stamina.
ABOUT PUZZLE & DRAGONS Puzzle & Dragons is a mobile puzzle adventure game developed and published by GungHo Online Entertainment, Inc. with over 90 million downloads worldwide. Puzzle & Dragons combines match-three-style puzzles, monster collecting, and dungeon crawling mechanics for a definitive free-to-play experience that’s kept players hooked since 2012. Regarded as a landmark release in mobile gaming, the game continues to evolve with each new update and collaboration. Puzzle & Dragons is available on the App Store and on Google Play. Visit www.puzzleanddragons.us to learn more.
ABOUT GUNGHO ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA GungHo Online Entertainment America, Inc. (GOEA) is a multi-platform developer and publisher dedicated to delivering fun & unique titles like Puzzle & Dragons, Ninjala, and LET IT DIE. GOEA is the US division of GungHo Online Entertainment (GOE), whose studios include leading developers SUPERTRICK GAMES, GAME ARTS, Acquire, and Gravity. GOEA distributes games for consoles, handhelds, mobile devices, and PC. GOEA is located in Redondo Beach, CA. For more information, visit www.gunghoonline.com.
New solo game studio UNTITLED SOFTWARE is announcing its first project, HARDCOURT BALLS, to be released later this year on Steam.
Hardcourt Balls is a fast-paced, turn-based adaptation of the real-world game of tennis. With just a few simple rules, the roll of dice, and tactical use of skill “cards”, it attempts to capture some of the nuances and excitement that make tennis such a great sport, and professional tennis players such outstanding athletes.
Create your own avatar and play in Exhibition Matches, Tournaments, or even full Season and Career Modes. Gain experience, earn prize money, hire coaches and improve your skills and abilities.
Can you win the top tournaments against the best players in the world?!!
Become Australia’s apex predator in a retro bird simulator
[Australia] – January 12, 2026 – Monster Shop Games andindie.io are proud and only slightly terrified to announce that Pie in the Sky, a unique retro arcade adventure, will release on February 2, 2026 for PC on Steam. Players will take to the skies as one of Australia’s most dangerous airborne threats, a creature whose heart is as black as its plumage: The Magpie.
The goal of the Magpie is twofold: First, find enough food to feed its ever-hungry chicks, second, wreak havoc, cause mayhem, and terrorize humans in any way possible: Swoop in like a missile to knock over pedestrians, topple cyclists, and spill trash bins; gorge on food, then carry out bombing runs on the weird hairless apes; divebomb them with litter; find clever uses for everyday objects to teach humans the meaning of fear.
Players can be a feathered menace across six different levels inspired by iconic Australian locations, packed to the brim with secrets, interactions, and humans to terrorize. From idyllic suburbia, through picturesque beaches, to busy downtowns, there is no shortage of collectibles to find, mayhem to unleash, food to steal, while objectives only get crazier and more challenging.
While the Magpie is already a perfect organism, unclouded by delusions of morality, its perfection can be further refined and specialized: Make it fly and walk faster, swoop more often, digest more readily to carry out bombing runs. If players prefer to, they can also change the colors of its feathers to mimic other amazing examples of avian perfection – or have their beautiful bird wear a nifty pirate hat.
There is nothing quite like a magpie in a pirate hat. Or a retro-themed game that features not just high fidelity graphics of the PlayStation 2 era, but also a retro approach to progression: There are no vital parts of the game gated behind DLCs, no pay-to-win features, no lootboxes: Everything in the game can be unlocked simply by playing and introducing Aussies to the real terror of Australia…
“As an Australian, I’ve always seen magpies swooping people (including my kids) and thought, ‘It would be fun playing as a magpie in a game and turning the tables’”, says Mark Smith, the developer behind the game. “That’s where the idea began and before I knew it, I had a game on my hands that played like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater in the Sky but instead of skate tricks, you swooped people, stole their food and flew through gaps to keep your combo going. I’m a solo developer from Perth, Australia and I’m thrilled to share the terrifying reality of what Magpies are capable of with the rest of the world!”
Monster Shop Games is a solo independent game studio based in Perth, Western Australia. Led by a hybrid developer with experience across both art and programming, the studio brings a multidisciplinary approach to game development. With a passion for old-school gaming, Monster Shop Games creates nostalgic experiences that combine modern game design with retro flair.
As of January 8, Cakey’s Twisted Bakery is available on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Developed by the two-person studio TinyMindz, this stealth-based survival horror game has players fight to survive inside a twisted bakery inhabited by darkly sweet monsters. Cakey’s Twisted Bakery was previously released on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
Cakey’s Twisted Bakery was created by TinyMindz, an independent two-person studio from the United States. The title debuted on PC in 2024 and currently has 86% positive player reviews on Steam. Ultimate Games S.A. handled the preparation and console release.
Cakey’s Twisted Bakery is a stealth survival horror presented from a first-person perspective. Players take on the role of a child searching for their missing brother inside a bakery filled with living dough monsters. For these dangerous creatures: Cakey, Frostina, and Candy Bane – children are nothing more than baking ingredients.
In Cakey’s Twisted Bakery, players must sneak and hide to avoid direct encounters with monsters. Crafting and randomization play an important role in gameplay. Survival depends on collecting the right ingredients to bake cakes. Accurately throwing specific baked goods stuns and defeats enemies.
The chaotic bakery created by TinyMindz offers an intriguing mix of sweetness and darkness. A flashlight helps with navigation, and players can also search for all unique collectible notes scattered throughout the environment.
Cakey’s Twisted Bakery – Key Features:
stealth-based survival horror;
a twisted bakery setting;
ingredient gathering and cake baking;
darkly sweet bosses;
Every playthrough is different.
Cakey’s Twisted Bakery is available on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 starting January 8, 2026.
