As the year ahead starts preparing for the usual glut of madness that is the Q4 period, July is here to ease you into a cadence of high-profile releases and indie gems. From Wolfenstein: Youngblood to Sea of Solitude, here’s a look at what’s to come.

Life Is Strange 2: Episode 3 still has a problem with pacing and may put off players who aren’t diehard fans of this series. But for those willing to forgive some of its more mundane passages, this episode delivers a pretty compelling denouement and hints at better things to come.

Maybe you have some of them on your Spotify playlist, maybe you’ve gone and actually bought a limited edition LP to help support developers. It’s safe to say though, that over the last couple of years that indie games have been responsible for some of the best video game soundtracks around. No longer content to pump out generic jams, but rather scores of albums which create auditory magic across a wide variety of themes and genres. Here’s a look then, at ten soundtracks that deserve to be left on shuffle.

I am not a creator. I’m no good at conceptualising things and even worse at putting them together, so on the surface, Super Mario Maker 2 doesn’t seem like something I’d enjoy. And, if we’re honest, when it comes to the game’s creation suite, it’s not. I’ve tried my hand at using the game’s ridiculously robust, easy-to-use toolset, but I’m …

Golden Handshake once again shows how IO Interactive is the best in the business at creating sandboxes that feel alive, and even if this new DLC doesn’t have enough opportunity within to satiate my bloodlust against the 1%, it’s still a welcome new chapter in the saga of Hitman 2.

Much like the games that influenced it, the latest Bloodstained game also has plenty of secrets up its sleeves. Hidden rooms, mystical mysteries and powerful bosses who hide items of great power within the walls of your current locale. Some are obvious, whereas others require you to do a little bit of digging to get to the good stuff. Here’s how you can lay your hands on the keys needed to open these locked rooms, if you’re brave enough to take down the monsters waiting inside that is.

Hubble bubble, toil and trouble! Potion class is in session, and unless you want to see House Slytherin (THE BEST HOUSE) docked some points, you better pay attention! Making a potion in Harry Potter Wizards Unite isn’t difficult, but much like many of the game’s rich features, it’s something that isn’t explained in real detail when you first start playing.

A beautifully designed love letter to the heyday of video game arcades, 198X uses its passion for a bygone era to tell a touching story that is also a reminder of just how powerful video games really are.