Some Great Games to Play Before GTA VI and Zelda Release

It's fair to say we are currently in the eye of the storm. The storm, of course, is the fall and winter release calendar for new video games. It all started with a few exciting weeks full of major titles like Control Resonant, Marvel's Wolverine, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, and Gears of War: E-Day. […]

It can be said that we are currently in the eye of the storm. Storm is, of course, the fall and winter release calendar for new video games. It all started with an exciting few weeks filled with major titles like Control Resonant, Marvel's Wolverine, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave and Gears of War: E-Day. Meanwhile, next month will be almost entirely devoted to two giant games: Nintendo's remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI.

But even though things are relatively quiet right now, there are still a handful of great games that have been released recently. Even better: many of them are short enough that you can easily squeeze them in before your life is taken over by Hyrule and Vice City. Here are eight titles to check out before things get boring again.

Available on PS5, Xbox, Switch and Steam.

This new Castlevania game from the studios that worked on Dead Cells has everything I could hope for: complex levels, challenging platforming, tough bosses, and secrets to uncover. At times, the game was a bit too hard, but thanks to some generous assistant settings, I was able to tweak the experience to be exactly what I wanted. Belmont whips.-JP

South African developer Free Lives — known for downright cozy games like Broforce and GenitalJousting — is getting into the "cozy" space with Dressmaker, a game about designing and sewing clothes, via a small in-house team called Cozy Lives. From your small village shop, you take orders, design designs, choose fabrics and accessories, cut out clothing patterns, pin them to a mannequin, and sew it all together. There is a lot of creative freedom. Sure, you can spend dozens of hours painstakingly designing and decorating your costumes—I definitely did—but you can play in leisurely half-hour sessions that inspire, making it a flexible option in a busy gaming season.-KP

Available on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and PC.

Resident Evil and Silent Hill are as big as they've ever been, but if you're looking for a good old fashioned survival horror atmosphere, Heartworm is the game to play. It looks and plays like a lost PlayStation classic - you even have a limited inventory - albeit with some optional perks for modern players, like getting rid of the dreaded tank controls. It also has an interesting twist as your character carries a camera that doubles as a flashlight as well as a weapon, giving the game its distinct yet familiar feel.-AW

As far as cooperative puzzle solving goes, Orbitals isn't reinventing the wheel. But it nails the basics, and does so in a 90s anime package that makes it more than just a great anime. A stock puzzle adventure. The world and character designs are reminiscent of Toonami's heyday — the timeless art of Akira Toriyama or the stylish sci-fi of Cowboy Bebop — and they're gorgeous even if you don't particularly miss that era. It's short enough to finish in a few sessions, and because Orbitals comes with a "friend pass" that lets someone else play with you without buying their own copy, it's easy to have a friend join you for the ride.—KP

Available on PS5, Xbox, Switch 2 and PC.

It's a game best explained in terms of things that already exist. Metroid's 2D exploration, point-and-click adventure-like controls, the slow-paced survival horror of Silent Hill and Resident Evil, and an Americana vibe clearly inspired by Twin Peaks. This might sound derivative, but Silver Pines is like nothing I've ever played, a detective story that combines straight-up horror with deliberate, methodical exploration. It even makes you spend (imaginary) money to save your game and you can relax with a cup of coffee to increase your stamina.-AW

For those interested in video game history, any game with the name Digital Eclipse on it is worth a look. Even still, the Toy Story collection doesn't seem as interesting as, for example, the history of Karateka or Tetris. But through some fascinating archival material alongside the actual games, the series makes it clear just how ambitious these games were, from cramming 3D sprites on the Sega Genesis to an adventure with a surprise ending in A Bug's Life. Just as importantly, their game is still fun.-AW

Available on PS5, Xbox, Switch and PC.

In Well Dweller, the indie Metroidvania from developer Kyle Thompson, you play as an adorable bird in a world full of cute characters and scary bosses. These areas are odd and memorable, like the dock level where you jump from dead fish hanging in nets, but they're a lot of fun to explore, especially since Glimmer's matchstick weapon cleverly doubles as a springboard that you can stick to walls. Well Dweller came out of nowhere for me and easily became one of my favorites of the year.-JP