On April 27, Toll Booth Simulator debuts on PC. Developed by a one-man studio, the game puts the player in charge of a toll booth on a desert highway. Routine work is part of the fun, as you can also grow strange fruits, sell drinks, take care of your base, and do much more. Everything in Toll Booth Simulator is packed with absurdity and crazy action. Plans include releasing the game on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Toll Booth Simulator is a game by the one-man studio SifDev from Azerbaijan. Ultimate Games S.A. is the publisher.

Barriers, Mutants, Cocktails, and Total Absurdity!

In Toll Booth Simulator, the player manages a toll booth on a desert highway. This job requires checking passports, collecting tolls, and deciding who may pass and who may not. However, routine work is only part of the fun. This unconventional simulator blends various genres, creating a mix of simulation, chaos, humor, and survival.

On one hand, it is a standard job simulator, but it also includes farming and survival elements where you can mix drinks and join many funny and absurd events.

Steam Store- https://store.steampowered.com/app/3896300/Toll_Booth_Simulator/

The gameplay combines routine gate work with escalating madness and absurd situations. In Toll Booth Simulator, the player can do many different things. In desert conditions, you can grow bizarre fruits, then mix and sell intriguing cocktails with surprising effects. Riskier actions of a less legal nature are also possible.

The world in Toll Booth Simulator is full of diverse characters with their own stories and behaviors. You can participate in additional events with some of them. The game also lets you hire employees, drive a car, explore the surroundings, go on dates, or adopt pets. Resources gathered during gameplay are best spent on buying and furnishing your base.

Toll Booth Simulator – Key Features:

• Work at a highway toll booth;
• Grow strange fruits and sell drinks;
• Face total chaos and absurdity;
• Take part in crazy actions;
• Drive a car and explore the surroundings;
• Take care of your base.

The PC (Steam) release date for Toll Booth Simulator is April 27, 2026. The game will also release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S later.

One of 2026’s top-rated games now specially adapted for controllers

PHILADELPHIA – April 23, 2026 – Perfect Tides: Station to Station, the coming-of-age narrative adventure from developer Three Bees’ and winner of the 2026 IGF Award for Excellence in Narrative, arrives on Nintendo Switch on Monday, May 14, 2026, as revealed during the Second Wind Showcase.

Meredith Gran, creator of the hit webcomic Octopus Pie and the award winning Perfect Tides, fills each chapter of Perfect Tides: Station to Station with unforgettable characters and authentic life. Join fledgling writer Mara Whitefish as she begins her college years in the big city, where her competing desires to become a successful writer and be loved by others propels her into a series of tumultuous experiences and encounters that shape who she becomes as a person.

Navigate Mara’s newfound independence to balance education, relationships, and personal development as she struggles to find her footing as a young adult. Talk with new friends, lovers, and mentors to deepen relationships, and use the city’s mass transit system to explore more than 60 environments. 

Keep track of names in Mara’s early 2000s’ brick-style cell phone, and collect important books and reading assignments to broaden her knowledge of new topics to discuss up with everyone she encounters. Each experience, assignment, and conversation present new opportunities for Mara to grow into the writer she dreams of becoming – or languish in mediocre obscurity.

“I wanted to make sure that players have a smooth and seamless experience playing Perfect Tides: Station to Station on Switch, so we worked with Clickpulp to get the Switch controls just right,” said Three Bees founder Meredith Gran. “They’ve done a great job, and Mara feels right at home on the Nintendo Switch.”

Perfect Tides: Station to Station launches Monday, May 14 on Nintendo Switch. It is available now on PC and Mac via Steam. For more information, please visit the official website, follow the team on Bluesky and Twitter/X, join the community on Discord, and search #PerfectTides on all social media platforms.

About Three Bees

Three Bees is an independent game development studio founded by cartoonist and animator Meredith Gran. From 2007-2017, Meredith wrote and illustrated the webcomic popular Octopus Pie, amassing more than 100,000 readers over its 10-year run. 

In 2022 Three Bees released its first title, Perfect Tides, a conduit for explorations of time, love and sexuality, creative drive, and the buried past. Its next title, Perfect Tides: Station to Station, is out now. It further meditates on the early years of adulthood, of moments both scarring and sublime.

For more information, visit the official website.

Pilot your husk, build your deck and push your luck in a roguelike where healing is impossible

LONDON (April 23, 2026) – It’s time to get in the robot and fight for survival in heated mech-on-mech card battles with Husk Protocol. Publisher Fireshine Games and developer ODD SUB laid all their cards on the table at the Second Wind Showcase with the double-whammy reveal of the deck-driven mecha game and its open playtest, available nowon Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4202270/Husk_Protocol/

This isn’t your typical giant robot power fantasy, though, because there’s no way to heal in Husk Protocol, meaning you’ll need to choose the right moment to abandon your husk, and some of the rewards you’ve gained from it, or risk dying with it.

Step into the bruto-punk world of Husk Protocol, combining deckbuilding strategy with intense mech-on-mech battles presented in delightfully grungy pixel art. View the action right from the cockpit and feel every bullet and missile wear down your hulking armor. But with no way to regain any lost health, each battle could be your last.

Each mech has its own playstyle, from brawlers that benefit from taking damage to control suits that specialize in managing crowds. Don’t get too attached to your Husk, though, because abandoning your mech for a new one isn’t a matter of if, but when. 

Combine the cards and modules you salvage from one mech and combine them with the next to make a build strong enough to survive. But be warned: every move you make raises your detection meter until you’re ambushed by the city’s mainframe and have to start the boss battle early.

Catch the latest updates on Husk Protocol and other Fireshine Games titles here: https://fireshinegames.co.uk/.

About ODD SUB

ODD SUB is an independent game studio founded by three industry vets who after years of navigating the established currents, descended into uncharted depths to pursue the projects that genuinely excite them. The odd concepts, unexplored mechanics, and untold stories, built to operate in creative pressure, crafting experiences that emerge from genuine curiosity rather than safe harbors. They like games. They like them odd. They like them fun. 

Husk Protocol is their first project.

About Fireshine Games

Fireshine Games is a global publisher of digital and physical video games based in London, England. With a passion for discovering unique indie gems and helping them reach players worldwide, Fireshine pairs hands-on support with genuine creative collaboration. Established in 2014, Fireshine has built a growing portfolio of acclaimed digital titles, including Core Keeper and Shadows of Doubt, while also partnering with leading studios to bring major digital hits to physical release, such as Lies of P from Neowiz, Balatro from Playstack, and Jurassic World Evolution 3 from Frontier Developments. Fireshine Games is part of the EG7 group of companies.

Enforce or bend the rules in this high-stakes simulation roguelike from the creators of Gas Station Simulator

KRAKÓW, Poland – Apr. 23, 2026 – The first demo for Airport Contraband, the roguelike Customs Officer simulation game, is available for business and for pleasure on PC via Steam. DRAGO Entertainment hones their experience from Gas Station Simulator, which has sold more than two million units, and brings it to a tropical paradise.

Settle into the first days on the job as a Customs Officer at Caldora Airport, a place where civic duty runs up against the wages of greed and corruption. Clear passengers for travel, check travel documents, and inspect inbound luggage, confiscating prohibited items found either in bags or hidden in clothing.

Balance the call of duty against the tempting offers from the Caldora cartels, whose methods are quite persuasive. Enforce the law or break it, juggle cartel demands, and choose between holding firm in your morality or developing a mutually beneficial relationship to earn some extra income.

Each run in Airport Contraband is distinct, ending as a result of making too many mistakes or failing to deliver on the cartel’s demands. Use the persistent progression system to unlock new perks and tools opening up additional options for screening passengers more quickly or dealing with unruly travelers more effectively.

“The Airport Contraband demo introduces officers to the first few days on the job at Caldora Airport,” said Joanna Tynor, CEO at DRAGO Entertainment. “It also debuts some of the new ideas we’ve been working on, like the semi-roguelike ‘run’ structure and having to strike a balance between doing your job well and appeasing the cartels. This is a great appetizer for fans while they wait patiently for the full release.”

The Airport Contraband demo is available on Steam. Follow DRAGO on X/Twitter for more details as they become available.

About DRAGO entertainment

DRAGO entertainment began operations in 1998 in Krakow, Poland. The company initially focused on creating innovative projects for international video publishers as an external contractor while strengthening internal competencies and creating a friendly and professional team to develop their own titles. Since adopting a new strategy in 2018, their goal is to deliver high-quality productions on an international level.

The studio’s flagship title is Gas Station Simulator, which released on September 15, 2021 and immediately became a best seller on Steam. DRAGO entertainment is currently broadening their horizons with new projects and continuing to support their current titles. 

Learn more about DRAGO entertainment on the official website. 

Investigate two full cases right now in an eerie, hand-animated world of intrigue and sorcery

NICOSIA, Cyprus –April 23, 2026 –At today’s Second Wind Games Showcase, CRITICAL REFLEX (Mouthwashing, No, I’m not a human) and developer HeyBird! revealed a new trailer for the occult detective adventure game Inkblood! In addition, Inkblood has a new Steam playtest that will get you started as an Inquisitor into the mysteries of this dark and treacherous world.

Inkblood’s new Steam playtest features two bizarre ritualistic murders to solve. This strange, hand-animated world, inspired by 19th-century Eastern Europe, is home to eerie mental institutions, secret societies, uncanny masked carnivals, and even mushroomfolk in human form. Your job is somehow to keep it all in check by solving the most peculiar crimes and upholding the rule of the Inquisition. At least, while your objectives align…

About Inkblood

Wicked sorcery abounds, rotting the minds of the people and the very fabric of reality itself. You must uncover what’s really going on before the comet arrives, dooming the whole land. And that’s if it isn’t already too late.

Inkblood challenges you to solve 10 unique cases, each more mind-boggling than the last, inspired by games like The Case of the Golden Idol, Strange Horticulture, and Return of the Obra Dinn. Explore the past and present, travel the small open world in search of answers, investigate both outside and inside your carriage, and seek further insight through mushroom-induced hallucinations. But be warned: both this land and the Inquisition itself harbor secrets that are better left unsolved.

Key Features

• Uncover the Truth:As the Inquisitor, you are uniquely equipped to solve a cultist conspiracy. Deduction, observation, intuition, supernatural tools provided by the Inquisition – use everything we have trained you for.
• Home Away from Home:Your carriage is a temporary home and base of operations. There are rumors it might even contain hidden secrets of its own… Ignore those! Return the carriage exactly as it was, or face your fate.
• Explore the Land: You’re not bound to one place: the investigation will lead you to bizarre, secret locations. Poke the map on the back of the coachman to tell him where to drive, and pursue the enemies of the state across the land.
• Eradicate the Occult: Your cases may seem like random occurrences at first, but they’re all connected to a grand conspiracy that even we’re not authorized to speak of. No detail is insignificant, and sometimes even the smallest may lead to the greatest of revelations.
• Gaze into the Past: Your magnifying glass has a rather peculiar ability to see not only what is, but what once was. But be careful: don’t look into things that are none of your concern!

Inkblood will officially release later this year. Join the new playtest and wishlist now on Steam! To dive deeper into all things CRITICAL REFLEX, visit www.criticalreflex.com.

About Hey Bird!

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a fish? We honestly don’t know. We found an egg and this thing came out of it. All we know if we like making weird games and experiences.

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.

About CR Channel CR Channel is the CRITICAL REFLEX publishing label focusing exclusively on indie horror.

Behind-the-scenes episode highlights the cross-disciplinary approach to building immersion in a decopunk noir setting

Issaquah, WA, USA – April 23rd, 2026 – Seismic Squirrel today released the seventh behind-the-scenes developer diary for Aether & Iron during the Second Wind Games Showcase. Titled “Creating Immersion”, the episode features Narrative Director Tyler Whitney, who explores how the team builds a cohesive world by aligning narrative, design, art, and sound to support a unified player experience.

Rather than treating immersion as a feature, the team approaches it as a shared foundation across development – where every department contributes to reinforcing a cohesive alternate 1930s New York. From grounded character writing and internally consistent world-building, to environmental storytelling and systems designed around player identity, each element is shaped to support a single goal: making the world feel lived-in and reactive.

The episode highlights how this philosophy extends into both visual and gameplay design, ensuring that tone, mechanics, and presentation all work in service of the player’s role as a smuggler navigating a vertical, decopunk city.

Aether & Iron is now available on Steam for Windows and MacOS, featuring full English voice acting and text localization support for English, Spanish (Spain & Latin America), French, German, Polish, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, and Simplified Chinese – Players can purchase Aether & Iron and try the demo today on Steam!  

About Aether & Iron: 
Set in an alternate 1930s New York transformed into a vertical city by the discovery of “aether”, a key component to newfound anti-gravitational technology, Aether & Iron follows Gia, a smuggler navigating crime syndicates, political conspiracies, and fragile alliances. Players shape Gia’s story through meaningful decisions, with every choice influencing relationships, outcomes and the fate of the city itself. The game features writing talent with credits on Mass Effect, Far Cry, and Sovereign Syndicate, with an original score composed by two-time Grammy Award winner Christopher Tin and Grammy nominee Alex Williamson, best known for their work on the Civilization series. 

About Seismic Squirrel
Seismic Squirrel is a talented and passionate team of both industry veterans and enthusiastic newcomers. We share a strong desire to tell fascinating stories supporting engaging gameplay mechanics. 

Use puny humans to manage your spaceship and fend off alien assaults in Hull Rupture’s first Steam playtest, going on now!

SEATTLE –April 23, 2026 –Earth is gone. But revenge can still be yours! At today’s Second Wind Games Showcase, developer Konfa Games (Despot’s Game, Despotism 3k) and indie publisher tinyBuild revealed Hull Rupture, a new base management-meets-tower defense roguelite fueled by the power of the human spirit (and other human parts). As the rogue AI Despot, you’ll use puny humans as a renewable resource to defend your spaceship from relentless hordes of aliens in this strategic action game where every decision has lasting consequences.

Don’t let those humans go to waste! Experience Hull Rupture for yourself by signing up for the game’s new playtest, live now on Steam.

Hull Rupture is the ultimate base and resource management game, pitting you against increasingly deadly onslaughts of aliens as you fly across the galaxy in humanity’s last weapon, a living vessel of destruction commanded by the AI Despot with a crew of meatbag personnel to assist. Explore the cosmos, manage your spaceship, and repel increasingly lethal alien assaults while maximizing every resource at your disposal. Even the humans. Especially the humans. While supplies last.

“We loved the reception our previous games got, but Hull Rupture is us swinging for something bigger. More depth, more ambition, and honestly, we think it’s the most engaging thing we’ve made so far,” said Nikolay Kuznetsov, Game Director at Konfa Games. “While our past games explored different perspectives of Despot, the AI that enslaved humanity, he is finally leaving his cramped ‘childhood home,’ Earth, to take on the Galactic Union in deep space! It’s also a bit of a personal milestone for us as a studio. We’ve grown a lot, and this game reflects that.”

Key Features

• Humans Are A Resource:Earth is gone. Your ship is one of humanity’s last weapons, a living projectile racing toward the alien homeworld to deliver its final vengeance. To survive the journey, you must keep the ship moving and defend it at all costs. Use all your resources, yes, even the humans, to keep your vessel intact and fulfill your mission. 
• Relentless Tower Defense Warfare: Aliens don’t knock – they rip holes straight through your hull! You know exactly when and where they’ll arrive, but that’s still not enough. Place turrets, traps, barricades and automated defenses to funnel enemies into carefully planned kill zones, and adapt your layout on the fly to counter their ever-growing threat. 
• Choose Your Consequences:Where you go and what you decide shapes your run, from risks to rewards. Trade safety for power, accepting harsher waves for better gains, but be careful not to lock yourself into choices you live to regret. Different ship models with varying layouts and systems can further impact how each situation unfolds (or unravels).

Ready for vengeance? WishlistHull Rupture on Steam and jump into the game’s first playtest now! For the latest on Hull Rupture, follow Konfa Games on X/Twitter and TikTok, and join the Discord!

This year features the first-ever US Wonder Festival, the legendary figure and model expo

ATLANTA — April 14, 2026 — MomoCon, the largest celebration of anime and gaming in the Southeast United States, returns to the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta from Thursday, May 21, to Sunday, May 24, 2026. This year’s event features several new attractions and special guests, including Tekken icon Katsuhiro Harada, popular YouTuber and Monsters We Make creator CoryxKenshin, and the North American debut of Japan’s world-renowned Wonder Festival.

Katsuhiro Harada first became involved in Tekken as the voice behind characters Marshall Law, Yoshimitsu, and Kunimitsu, before taking the reins as director of Tekken 3. He has since worked as director, project supervisor, and executive producer for the franchise, contributed to the Soulcalibur series, and eventually served as the head of publisher Bandai Namco’s esports division, before leaving the company at the end of 2025.

Debuting this year in the US at MomoCon, Wonder Festival is Japan’s fabled celebration of figure and model craftsmanship. The event features the work of dedicated artists, from “garage” kits and unique hand-sculpted pieces to limited-run creations, and it’s a chance for fans and collectors to meet independent artists as well as industry professionals. Admission to Wonder Festival US is included for all MomoCon 2026 attendees.

Popular YouTuber, writer, and actor Cory “CoryxKenshin” DeVante Williams, who rose to fame for his hilarious playthroughs of horror games, will be at the show promoting the original manga series Monsters We Make with a dedicated showfloor booth.

This year’s MomoCon will also feature activations from Hoyoverse and Regal Cinemas, which will recreate Castle Grayskull from the forthcoming summer blockbuster, Masters of the Universe. 

Gamers can look forward to a jam-packed schedule filled with panels and workshops, a dedicated gaming area open 24/7, the return of MomoCon’s Indie Game Awards program, a fully outfitted racing sim area on the expo floor, and much more.

For more information on the event, check out the official MomoCon site and follow MomoCon on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Tumblr, Discord, and Instagram for updates. 

About MomoCon

Founded in 2004 by Jessica Merriman and Chris Stuckey, then students at Georgia Tech, MomoCon has grown from a 700-person on-campus event to the largest event in the southeast United States for fans of video games, animation, cosplay, comics, and tabletop games.

Listen to an assortment of additional energetic soundtracks with the day one song pack DLCs

TOKYO — April 23, 2026 — Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis, the insane rhythm adventure from publisher Alliance Arts and developer WHO YOU, uploads deranged slop posts on PC via Steam today at 9:00 PM PDT for $16.99 with a limited-time 10% launch discount until Friday, May 8, 2026.

Tap to the music and move to the beat, as the social recluse Qtie. Escape annoying human interactions and dive into the digital realm. Type out endless degenerate posts to express Qtie’s excessive devotion for the adorable online persona Yunyun, and drown out the Yunyun haters with downvotes on their negative comments!

Who is Yunyun?? Well, she could be an angelic devil sent to save poor souls from a world full of nonsense, or perhaps she’s merely a fictional character that only exists in Qtie’s imagination… Anyyyyyway, throw those headphones on and tap to the sounds of over 30 energetic tracks to praise Yunyun’s divine cuteness!

No one can stop this chaotic mess, even Qtie herself… or could she? Embrace chaos to reach a complete mental breakdown and become Yunyun-obsessed! Can’t wait to witness Yunyun’s unhinged charm? Focus on the rhythm of a psychotic shut-in’s online adventure, and collect multiple endings to uncover Qtie’s true finale and her sweet sweet love for Yunyun!

Type to the tempo of 5 additional song pack DLCs available for purchase at launch. Clack along to the game’s official soundtrack, featuring arrangements by popular denpa pop musicians. Customize Qtie’s keyboard with in-game skins to match the madness in her heart. 

Check out the Standard bundle which includes the base game, soundtrack and artbook at a 10% discount, or opt for extra DLC songpacks instead with the Deluxe Edition bundle at a 20% discount. Looking to grab everything Yunyun Syndrome has to offer? Get the game, artbook, soundtrack and extra DLC songpacks at a 20% discount with the Complete Edition bundle. 

Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis is now available on PC via Steam with support for English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Russian, Portuguese (Brazil), French, German, Polish, Italian, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (LATAM), Thai, and Turkish language options, priced at $16.99 USD with a launch sale discount of 10% until Friday, May 8.

To learn more and stay up to date, visit Alliance Arts’ official website and follow them on X / Twitter. Follow the official Yunyun Syndrome X / Twitter and join the Discord community.

About Alliance Arts Inc.

Alliance Arts is a new Tokyo-based publishing company committed to the creation of captivating games, and behind titles including The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily, Touhou Danmaku Kagura Phantasia Lost, and Marisa of Liartop Mountain.

A Brand-New Gameplay Trailer Featuring Fresh Content Also Revealed at ID@Xbox Showcase

STOCKHOLM – April 23, 2026 – Today during the ID@Xbox Showcase, Swedish indie publisher Raw Fury and developer Behold Studios announced that their dungeon crawler game, Deep Dish Dungeon, will release day one on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox on PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud, as well as Steam. The game will be Xbox handheld verified and support Xbox Play Anywhere.

Deep Dish Dungeon is a dungeon crawler and exploration game that rewards curiosity and resourcefulness in an atmospheric environment, and is developed by the creators of beloved indie games Knights of Pen & Paper and Chroma Squad.   

In Deep Dish Dungeon, players explore corridors, rooms and passageways solo or with up to two friends, and gather resources to improve their campsite. Players will be able to craft tools and cook nourishing meals to bolster strength throughout the journey, and unravel the enigma that lies within the shadows.

Key Features in Deep Dish Dungeon include: 

• Build, craft and cook – Forage and scavenge while traversing through the dungeon’s bountiful depths. Between journeys, return to camp and plan next steps by the fire, and use resources to craft new tools and cook a hearty meal. Remember that food is progress: over time, unlock recipes that have different effects on stats.
• A handcrafted dungeon to discover — Fortune favors the bold. Investigate every shadow, solve every puzzle, and open every door. The dungeon will reveal its secrets only with patience and persistence. Learn how to defeat enemies with diverse behaviors, discover coveted treasures, and never take a hint for granted.
• Explore together — Any adventure is better with pals! Play with up to two friends and collaborate to unveil the secrets of the dungeon. 

Deep Dish Dungeon will launch on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox on PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud, and Steam this Fall.

About Behold Studios

Behold Studios is a small indie game studio founded in 2009 by Saulo Camarotti in Brasília, Brazil, and in 2019, moved to Toronto, Canada. The studio has received over 70 awards and nominations at several international contests. They are especially known for the 2013’s IGF award for the critically acclaimed Knights of Pen & Paper, and for the super sentai manager Chroma Squad. Behold Studios is currently working on Deep Dish Dungeon. 

About Raw Fury

Raw Fury is an indie (un)publisher dedicated to connecting games with players by creating unforgettable experiences. With over 50 games published, including the Kingdom series, Blue Prince, Cassette Beasts, Norco, and Sable, Raw Fury has been consistently recognised as a top 10 publisher in Metacritic’s annual rankings. With an unwavering commitment to being the best partner for indie developers, Raw Fury continues to champion unique games and bring exceptional experiences to players worldwide.