Grab your crew and party it up your way, from becoming a bitrot-smashing champ to building your dream base in Pulse Avenue, the fun never ends

[May 7th, 2026] — It’s finally time, are you ready to dive into the chaotic world of Totopia? The Totopia Mic Check Steam Playtest launches today, marking the first time party champs from all around the world can link up in this F2P do-it-all party hub. But the real question is, what will you do first? Will you climb the ranks across 100+ unique maps and become a competitive champ, live the chill life as you grow your stylish Pulse Avenue, or even do a mix of both? Your Atomon pals are waiting for you!

Key Features:

• Grab Your Crew! Be Whoever, do Whatever! – Your do-it-all party hub has arrived! Whether you’re a party-game champ, a Bitrot-smashing hero, a master barista, or just a chill fisher, the stage is yours. Link up with the squad for chaotic game nights or rule the streets of Pulse Avenue—there are zero limits to your digital life!
• Dress Up! Flex Your Style! – Main character energy only! From drip that hits different to wild, custom fits, express your unique aesthetic and show the whole world your signature look.
• Pick Your Party! 100+ Maps to Play! – Rise to stardom and become the GOAT! Drop into chaotic brawls, epic races, or team up with the squad to catch that W. From solo trials to co-op madness, every map is a new chance to hit peak performance.
• Tiny Kit, Big Trick! – Power up with a twist! Use the Soulsync mechanic to bond with your companions, unlocking cracked abilities and secret tricks to outplay the challenge levels and competitions in style.
• Cozy Up with Atomons! – Live your best life on Pulse Avenue! Strike up a convo with quirky Atomons, go fishing, farm your heart out, or build a dream base that’s 100% you. It’s all about the chill vibes!

Dive into the colorful world of Totopia in the Mic Check Playtest from May 7–18! Designed for all ages, it’s the perfect time to jump in. Wishlist Totopia on Steam, join the official Discord to join the community, and follow the team on X for the latest updates. 

About JNG Studio

Totopia is a flagship title developed by JNG Studio. Founded in early 2019, JNG Studio is dedicated to delivering high-quality gaming experiences to a global audience. The studio specializes in the development and operation of titles in shooter, science fiction, and party games. Our mission is to create engaging and inspiring experiences that resonate with players and fans around the world.    

D-BOX – a global leader in haptic technology – joins the SimRacing Expo as the headline sponsor for the first-ever North American expo

CHARLOTTE, USA, May 7, 2026  – The SimRacing Expo, the world’s largest consumer and trade show dedicated to virtual motorsport, is now fuelled by D-BOX, a global leader in haptic and immersive entertainment technology joining as the expo’s headline sponsor. D-BOX products will also be showcased by several partner exhibitors throughout the event, including NASCAR and Trak Racer. The SimRacing Expo will run May 22-24 in the Convention Center, Charlotte, NC. 

About D-BOX
For 25 years, D-BOX has been a haptic technology expert, combining precision motion systems with dedicated haptic design that translate digital content into physical sensations – allowing users to feel movement, weight transfer, vibrations, and texture in real time with high-fidelity, durable, performance-driven systems. 

D-BOX’s technology combines high-precision motion hardware (actuators) that reproduce movement in real time and control software that translates telemetry data and haptic effects into precise motion cues. It is deployed in more than 1,100 theater screens in over 40 countries, is used in simulation and training for professional environments, and turns simracing simulators into physical driving experiences where drivers can feel how the car behaves in real time. 

At the SimRacing Expo in Charlotte, D-BOX will collaborate with eNASCAR, Trak Racer, VRX and FIA X Advanced Sim Racing. These partners will showcase simulators equipped with D-BOX G5 1.5-inch actuator systems and D-BOX G3 3-inch actuator systems.

“Sim racing has gotten incredibly advanced over the last few years,” said President and Chief Executive Officer of D-BOX, Naveen Prasad. “At this level, it’s not just about what you see anymore – it’s about what you feel, and that’s where things really start to change. What we’re seeing today is a shift in how simulation is experienced. Motion is no longer an enhancement – it’s becoming a fundamental part of delivering credible, high-performance simulation.”

“We’re proud to partner with D-BOX for the first-ever North American SimRacing Expo,” said Michael Wamser, CEO of SimRacing Expo organisers, South West Vision USA. “We’ve worked together for many years on the European expo, where D-BOX’s technology has impressed attendees and media guests. Our partnership continues in Charlotte, where guests will get to experience D-BOX’s simulator technology first-hand.”

About the SimRacing Expo
The SimRacing Expo has grown into the world’s largest consumer and trade show dedicated to virtual motorsport, uniting fans, developers, and hardware innovators under one roof. Over 11 years the event has evolved into a global meeting point for the entire SimRacing industry with over 24,000 visitors attending its 2025 Dortmund expo. 

In 2026, the SimRacing Expo comes to North America for the first time, featuring industry-leading exhibitors and a multi-day stage show filled with activities, reveals and announcements. Visitors will:

• Test the latest SimRacing hardware and software.
• Experience the full range of simulators, from entry-level to professional-grade racing simulators and setups.
• Discover legendary race cars up close.
• Meet real-world racing drivers and teams.
• Connect with top SimRacing content creators and the global community.

Visitors can also enjoy special access to the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Charlotte Motor Speedway via the Golden Ticket, launched today. This limited ticket offers a full weekend at the expo, entry to the NASCAR Hall of Fame on a chosen day, plus a pre-race Track Pass and Turn 4 seating for the iconic Coca-Cola 600 on the Sunday. The number of Golden Tickets is strictly limited to 500, with a small number still available.

Golden Tickets are available now for $299. Standard tickets are available for $29 with concessions available for students, senior citizens and people with disabilities. Visit the ticketing page at ticket.simracingexpo.com.

Fans at home can follow the SimRacing Expo events and panels on YouTube (day one, two, three).

Keep up to date with all things SimRacing Expo at SimRacingExpo.com

About SimRacing Expo
The SimRacing Expo has grown into the world’s largest consumer and trade show dedicated to virtual motorsport, uniting fans, developers, and hardware innovators under one roof. What began as a niche event with just a few thousand visitors has evolved into a global meeting point for the entire simracing industry. The SimRacing Expo perfectly reflects the growth of the simracing industry. By 2025, the event welcomed over 24,371 visitors and reached more than 155 million people on social media, proving its status as the central hub for the global simracing community.

Discover an eccentric cast of misfits, a reluctant sentient book companion, and the cosmic mystery of a missing God in a world inspired by the adventure games of the ’90s

NICOSIA, Cyprus –May 7, 2026 –The ‘90s are back, baby! Publisher CRITICAL REFLEX and indie developer IODINE are thrilled to announce that the surreal, narrative adventure game Burden Street Station is coming to Steam on May 21. Watch the eccentric new trailer, dripping with nostalgia for the unique look and feel of ’90s adventure gaming, to get a closer look at the shapeshifting mechanics, quirky and precarious dialogues, and abstract yet… oddly familiar areas players can explore in this offbeat cosmic opera.

Burden Street Station is a story-driven adventure about memory, grief, and community. Enter a surreal universe where memories are harvested from mortals and sold as sentient books to celestial consumers.  But when God goes missing and production stops, it’s up to a lowly librarian and his reluctant sidekick Memo to investigate. Shapeshift during conversations, collect different personalities through talking and exploration, and use them to unlock dialogue options and advance multiple stories in search of answers.

Key Features

• Explore a retro-reminiscent world full of impossible architecture, dubious rules and liminal atmosphere

• Discover and learn the quirks of the eccentric misfits of Lotown, Pipelines and Hitown
• Choose your words carefully to unlock unique dialogues and advance the story
• Consult with your companion Memo to track the places, personas, and secrets you encounter
• Try to find out what happened to the God overseeing and molding the world of Burden Street Station

Download the free Burden Street Stationdemo on Steam today, and wishlist the game to follow the latest news and updates as it releases on May 21.

To dive deeper into all things CRITICAL REFLEX, visit www.criticalreflex.com.

About IODINE

IODINE is a bizarre creature from Ireland, a country famously obsessed with death, mythology and what other people think about you. Primarily a musician, they got into developing games as a vessel to carry their music. But then the vessel grew legs, and eyes, and a conscience, and we had to do something about it. Their games aim to bridge the gap between the incomprehensible and the understood, finding the minutiae between the gaps that make us all distinctly human and bringing them to the forefront via colourful, emotionally complicated finger puppets. Please alert us without delay if IODINE ever breaches containment.

About CRITICAL REFLEX

CRITICAL REFLEX is an indie game publisher obsessed with genre-blending, rule-breaking, brain-melting games. We help devs polish the weird, sharpen the wild, and launch their projects loud. Known for titles like Buckshot Roulette, Lunacid, Mouthwashing and No, I’m not a Human, we champion the unforgettable experiences. Genre is a prison and we ate the warden.

Step into the beat of a new rhythmic platform adventure coming to Steam, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch

Bologna, Italy, May 7th, 2026 | Indie developer Green Flamingo is excited to share that their debut action platformer, Spanky “Bat-a-Swing,” will be coming to Steam, Nintendo, and Xbox. The PC demo is now available, and a Kickstarter campaign will launch later this year. Enjoy a 1930s hand-animated 3D action platformer where players can fall into the rhythm of smacking enemies to the beat of an electro swing soundtrack.

A City Under Rhythmic Control
Metrognome has seized power as the new mayor of Metronopolis, and the once peaceful city now lives and breathes to the literal beat under his reign. Join Spanky, an inventive bat, on an adventure complete with a roaring electro swing original soundtrack and an art style inspired by classic 1930s cartoons. With audio-reversal cannon speakers as ears, help the determined bat rebel against this new norm. Cut through all the noise and make your way to the Metrotower to put an end to this commotion once and for all. 

Clap, Dash, Attack, Repeat!
Travel through Metronopolis’ three distinct districts: Morguetone, a graveyard district home to ghostly souls of the afterlife. Blue Vines, a jungle-themed district full of exotic animals and monkeys of all kinds. Lastly, at the center of Metronopolis, Nova Nubla, a district renowned for its state-of-the-art industrial design, technology, luxury… and undercover secrets. Each level poses a new challenge with fresh beats, tricky traps, and level-specific mechanics like echolocation and air shafts that will test your precision, sense of rhythm, and ability to adapt. Maintain a steady rhythm to perform a high-scoring attack combo, and explore for gold and hidden collectibles, such as vinyl records to play new tracks on your at-home music player.

Every Fight is a Dance
As you approach Metrognome’s headquarters for the final showdown, you will encounter bosses who guard each district, such as DJ Cobwebb, an eight-legged spider that operates his own mausoleum club. Giant howler monkey Blue Vines councilor, Maestro Bonobotti, a glittering opera star, but not the brightest politician. Lastly, district councilor and cunning secretary Owlivia, the only one in all of Metronopolis able to keep Metrognome in check. All boss battles have multiple phases that switch between music tracks. Read your enemies’ movesets carefully, and you’ll be able to turn every boss battle into the ultimate performance.

Kickstarter Coming Soon
Players ready to bop to the beat can try out the first four levels in the Steam demo: Explore the graveyard district and the opening boss showdown against DJ Cobwebb. The Kickstarter campaign will be launching soon, and followers of the pre-launch campaign can receive a free digital comic.

Game Features

• Original electro swing soundtrack that will leave your feet tapping to the beat.
• Hand-animated visuals of 1930s cartoons, beautifully reminiscent of timeless classics.
• Explore 4 distinct areas, each with its own identity, musical themes, and challenges.
• A vibrant city with plenty to uncover, from hidden collectibles and story secrets to a quirky cast of characters.
• Compete in a global leaderboard for the fastest times and the highest score.
• An in-game music player to play unlocked tracks you collect throughout your journey.

Try the demo of Spanky “Bat-a-Swing” on Steam, and wishlist the game to receive all upcoming updates. Follow the Kickstarter campaign to receive a notification when it launches and claim a free digital comic. For more information, please visit the game’s official website.

About Green Flamingo
Green Flamingo is an Italian indie game studio founded in 2019. We are a group of passionate freelancers striving to break through the rigid mold of the video game market with ideas and projects we love, and think that you will too. We aim to become a full-time game development team and are currently working on our first commercial project, Spanky “Bat-a-Swing,” which is developed for PC and consoles.

May 7th 2026, – Team17 Digital and Mopeful Games have released the rhythmic tactical turn-based  Wardrum on Steam.  Play it now for £19.99/$19.99/€19.99  with a special launch discount of 20% and attune to your warband as you face intense battles across an unforgiving land. 

Wardrum is a tactical turn-based game where you must tune your rhythm with your inner warrior to plan and execute flawless battle tactics to defeat rival tribes from across an unforgiving fantasy inspired land.  

Off-beat magic has infected the lands, neighbouring settlements have fallen and it’s up to you and a band of five warriors to keep the beat. Venture out into a harsh fantasy world filled with rhythm magic and stop the source of this off-beat threat once and for all.   

Features: 

• Activate abilities in time to the beat to deal devastating attacks or powerful buffs. 
• Forge a path across a harsh fantasy world full of rhythm magic, face death and strengthen your warriors until you have the power to destroy the dark sorcery infecting the lands.
• Make use of the battlefield by comboing attacks and hazards: push enemies off cliffs, activate deadly traps, and pull foes into kill zones set by your archer.
• Trek across six distinctive biomes with randomizing map paths, navigating through battles, sanctuaries and other events to go toe to toe against dangerous bosses.
• All biomes come with their own formidable enemies and environmental dangers
• Encounter a range of over 35 menacing enemies that require careful tactical planning to overcome.
• Roguelite replayability: Death is temporary! Face death, learn from your mistakes, upgrade your warband and venture forth again. 
• Adjust rhythm difficulty – If you choose to set this to Easy, the game will compensate for the timings of the beat inputs, making it easier for you to hit those perfect notes and perform abilities more effectively! Easy mode will also make it less punishing to your units when you miss a beat too. 

Play the Wardrum today for £19.99/$19.99/€19.99 with a speciallaunch discount of 20%.     

About Mopeful Games  

Mopeful Games is a small 3 man studio from Helsinki, Finland. Our first game was a humorous fashion-FPS called Fashion Police Squad that was received well for its gameplay & uniqueness. Our goal as a studio is to make creative & fun indie games without crunch. Our games are designed gameplay first and we don’t use AI  

About Team17 Digital     

Founded in 1990, Team17 is a leading developer, video games label, and creative partner for developers around the world. Part of the everplay Group plc with an extensive portfolio of over 140 titles and fully encapsulates the spirit of independent games. Team17’s portfolio of multi-award-winning and award-nominated in-house brands include Hell Let Loose, Golf With Your Friends, The Escapists, and the iconic Worms franchise, alongside its games label partner titles, including the award-winning games Date Everything, Dredge, and Overcooked! franchise.

For people who love butlers by people who love butlers!

TOKYO – May 7th, 2026 – MangaGamer has opened pre-orders for the long-awaited sequel to the notorious indie butler-bullying visual novel, Hadaka Shitsuji – Naked Butlers, Hadaka Shitsuji – Spice & Sugar! The title is set to release on June 11th with a 10% discount for customers who decide to pre-order.

Promotional Website
Store Page

On the Spice side everything’s coming up Tomoaki!

Somehow or other, Tomoaki became the true master of the Kamishiro estate, rather than just serving in the role as a part-time job. Bit by bit, he’s been learning how to conduct himself and perform his duties as head of house. It’s been a very busy time for him, but finally he gets one precious week off. Who will he spend it with and how?

It’s a return to the spicy do-whatever-you-want life of master!

On the Sugar side enjoy a sweet life with a former butler.

Rather than returning to his old life when his time as part-time master ends, the time he spent at the estate drastically changed the course of his life and that of one of his butlers. Enjoy these bitter-sweet “what if” tales of former master and former butler as they’ve developed a relationship that’s more than friendship, but not quite love, continuing each of the butlers’ “romantic” endings from the original game.

Key Features:

• Two flavors of story: spicy and sweet: The “spicy” story continues from the “true” ending of the original game where Tomoaki has inherited the Kamishiro estate, and follows the same format of selecting events on the mansion map.
  On the sugary “sweet” side, follow the romantic endings with the butlers from the original game, but this time from the butlers’ perspectives. How will they navigate their new and complicated relationships with Tomoaki? Or their lives outside the comfort of the estate?
• Includes the bonus “Reminiscence” short story: Unlock the Reminiscence short story and retrace the steps of a certain mysterious young member of the Kamishiro family in the 1950s—what destiny awaits him?
• A variety of quality of life features: Including the updated interface from the Double Edition release of the game, scene replay, and new for the English release a toggle to enable or disable mosaics during adult scenes.

For more information on Hadaka Shitsuji — Spice & Sugar, and other titles from MangaGamer, be sure to join the discussion on Discord or follow MangaGamer on Bluesky, Twitter and Facebook. You can also check out their blog for comments from the staff and other featured articles!

ABOUT MANGAGAMER.COM
MangaGamer.com is the world’s biggest publisher of English translated Visual Novels. Since its launch in July 2008, it has offered services where fans can download and enjoy popular Visual Novels such as 07th Expansion’s Higurashi When They Cry series,Alicesoft’s infamous Rance series, and Novectacle’s critically acclaimed The House in Fata Morgana right from their homes.

Today, 2K and Firaxis Games announced that the much-anticipated Sid Meier’s Civilization VII’s Test of Time Update is launching free for all players on May 19. Soon players will have the option to play as one civilisation throughout the game, and explore the new Triumphs and reworked Victories systems.

Key changes introduced in the Test of Time Update include:

• Time-Tested Civs – Start a game with any civ from any Age. During the Age transition process, players can select a new civ, or continue playing as the same civilization into the next Age. AI opponents will follow the player’s lead, either remaining as a single civ or switching to a new one in corresponding fashion.
• A New Victories System – Achieving Victories has been completely reworked. This new design puts Victories front and center from the start, requiring players to establish clear, undeniable dominance in one of four categories: Military, Economy, Culture, or Science. Players can make progress toward any victory starting in the Antiquity Age, and even win as early as the Exploration Age.
• Triumphs – The team listened to feedback and have completely removed Legacy Paths, replacing them with an entirely new system called Triumphs. Triumphs offer a wide range of optional, challenging objectives to help each game feel unique. Triumphs are tied to each of the six Attributes: Militaristic, Cultural, Scientific, Economic, Diplomatic, and Expansionist.

Read the full details on what’s coming in the Test of Time update in the announcement article here.

Jackbox Games brings the jokes everywhere with latest Party Pack as Jackbox furthers expansion in 2026 with new publishing label and partnership with Netflix for fan-favorite Party Pack games

CHICAGO (May 6, 2026) – Developer, publisher and the purveyors of your favorite party game pastimes, Jackbox Games, are keeping the jokes rolling with the latest iteration of their beloved Party Pack series which has been joined by players over 826 million times since December 2022: The Jackbox Party Pack 12. Launching this year on PC (Steam/Epic Games Store) Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Apple TV, iPad and the Mac App Store, this year’s Party Pack promises to give you more opportunities to brand yourself “the funny one” of your friend group with five new games. Wishlist The Jackbox Party Pack 12 on Steam here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4199960/The_Jackbox_Party_Pack_12
 
Watch today’s brand-new announcement trailer for The Jackbox Party Pack 12 here:

The Jackbox Party Pack 12 will follow up on 2025’s Party Pack 11 with five different games designed to take your party to new heights. Highlight your inner artist, comedian, mind reader, debater and team captain like the life of the party you are. Is it social manipulation if you’re trying to make people laugh? That’s for your friends and loved ones to decide. More information about the games in this pack will be coming next month.
 
You can find more information on The Jackbox Party Pack 12 on Jackbox Games’ website here: https://www.jackboxgames.com/
 
Today’s announcement of The Jackbox Party Pack 12 is Jackbox Games’ latest in a year of firsts for the studio, including most recently a partnership announced with global streaming service Netflix to bring a select number Jackbox games to subscribers across the world as well as the studio’s first step into games publishing. Announced this past March, Jackbox Games is partnering with Australia-based developer Toot Games to publish their debut title, the highly anticipated, extremely irreverent and kind of discomforting stealth-comedy game My Arms Are Longer Now to mischief makers around the world.
 
For updates on Jackbox Games, including The Jackbox Party Pack 12, My Arms Are Longer Now, and Trivia Muder Party 3 also releasing later this year.

7, May 2026 – WheelMates, the co-op adventure where two drivers guide tiny RC cars through the secret-riddled house of an eccentric missing scientist from developer FireVolt, puts the pedal to the metal plastic in its first public demo opening the garage area, available today on Steam. 

Following the first playtest earlier this year, the doors to the mysterious scientist’s house open up for a public demo, accessible to everyone without waiting. After learning the controls and using the first power-ups in the Kitchen, explore the Garage. This big, open space full of hidden paths offers new tools to use, and more secrets to discover. Unleash gear like magnet grab and rope swing to solve puzzles together, find secret areas, and discover the whereabouts of the professor.

Explore these areas together with a friend, now with split screen local co-op in addition to online play. Drift around corners, performing stunts in the air, and test reworked physics making driving more intuitive and fun. Additionally, the demo adds improved camera control, and new localization for 14 languages in total.

With no timers and no pressure to move fast, WheelMates emphasizes shared problem solving at the duo’s own preferred pace, enabling discovery of surprises and secrets. 

Play the WheelMates demo now on Steam for PC, with the full game set to launch on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

For more information, join the Discord server, visit the game’s official site, and follow WheelMates on X, TikTok, and YouTube.

About FireVolt

An independent studio FireVolt combines its experience and knowhow to make its own co-op titles that bring new approaches and shared experiences to the world. 

A Modern Take on Classic Arcade Side-Scrolling Brawlers, Featuring Four Playable Characters, Two Distinct Biomes, Boss Fights, and Encounters with the Mad King Himself!

BERLIN, GERMANY – May 7, 2026 – Secret Mission Games, an indie studio made up of industry veterans, today announced that its debut title, Mad King Redemption, will launch into Steam Early Access on Thursday, May 14. Inspired by classic beat ’em up side-scrollers like Golden Axe, and Final Fight, Mad King Redemption is an updated version designed for modern playstyles, including quick matches, strong roguelite progression, and both local and online co-op gameplay (via Steam Remote Play). The game will be available on Steam, GOG, and the Epic Game Store in Early Access for $14.99 USD.

Watch the Mad King Redemption  launch date trailer below:

“We wanted to recreate that feeling of long afternoons at the arcade with your friends, playing through an epic quest in 20-minute bursts,” said Nicolo Girotti, co-founder of Secret Mission Games. “It’s built for the busy player who still craves depth and high-quality retro action”

Mad King Redemption is a love letter to the Golden Age of beat ’em ups. Designed for both veterans and new players, the game delivers high-intensity, short-session gameplay that recaptures the thrill of classic 8-bit and 16-bit brawlers. Featuring a 2D/3D pixel art style, Steam co-op, local co-op play, and a unique feature called Corruption, that grants players special abilities that will make them stronger … but corrupted power comes at a price.

Building on the game’s strong momentum, Mad King Redemption has already earned significant industry recognition, winning the Very Big Indie Pitch award and being hand-selected by Valve for the official Steam Next Fest trailer. The title will be a featured exhibitor at Bit Summit 2026 in Kyoto, where it was chosen as part of an elite delegation of developers.

Key Gameplay Features:

• Retro-Modern Combat: Classic side-scrolling brawler mechanics updated for 2026.
• Local Co-op & Steam Remote Play: Battle through the hordes with a friend locally or online.
• High-Octane Sessions: Designed for quick iterations and pick-up-and-play accessibility.

Stay up to date with all Mad Kind Redemption news on the website.

About SECRET MISSION
Secret Mission is a team of three gaming industry veterans with Italian roots, located in Berlin, Germany. The studio has been entirely self-funded through the founders’ personal finances and is currently seeking investment partners for the Early Access launch of their game, Mad King Redemption.