Guide

May’s gaming highlights

1.5.2026

Translation: Megan Cornish

Coming up this month: a spooky space adventure, a spin through Tokyo and a certain agent with a weakness for dry cocktails.

Ten years ago, Overwatch inspired a whole host of hero shooters and was the highlight of May 2016. Whether a new genre will take off in the same month this year remains to be seen. Either way, there’s no shortage of brave heroes.

Wax Heads – a love letter to vinyl

Vinyl records have been enjoying a renaissance for some years now. In Wax Heads, you fill your record store with them. There are over 80 hand-drawn covers by fictitious bands on offer. Just as creative as the covers are the quirky customers who come into your shop and entertain you with their stories. This sounds like the perfect game for anyone who grew up with films such as High Fidelity or Empire Record

Release date: 5 May
Available on: PC, Mac and Linux
Multiplayer? No

Dead As Disco – where headbanging’s meant literally

The music theme continues in Dead As Disco. You play as Charlie Disco, who fights his way through music videos to reunite his band. If you don’t like the soundtrack, you can even upload your own tracks.

Release date: 5 May (early access)
Available on: PC
Multiplayer? No

Huntdown: Overtime – pixels are flying

The fact that I played the predecessor but can’t remember it doesn’t exactly bode well. But that’s probably due to my fuzzy memory. Maybe I can get myself a cybernetic upgrade like bounty hunter John Sawyer. He blasts his way through neon streets in this brutal 2D pixel shooter. Every time he dies, his body becomes more like a machine.

Release date: 7 May
Available on: PC, Mac and Linux
Multiplayer? No

Mixtape – the soundtrack to life

In the third music game of this edit, you play through a mixtape of memories belonging to a group of high school friends. The game’s accompanied by a best of the 80s and 90s soundtrack featuring The Smashing Pumpkins, Iggy Pop and Joy Division. It looks visually stunning, and I wouldn’t expect anything less from the studio behind the brilliant The Artful Escape.

Release date: 7 May
Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch 2
Multiplayer? No

Will: Follow The Light – journeying through ice and cold

As a lighthouse keeper on a remote island in the North Sea, you have to make your way back to your hometown. You’ll go from sailing across stormy seas to being pulled through rugged landscapes on a dog sled. Postponed from late April until mid-May.

Release date: 7 May
Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Multiplayer? No

Pax Autocratica – Helldivers meets Satisfactory

In this satirical blend of first-person shooter and base-building simulation, you rule a space colony with an iron fist. You’re constantly expanding and optimising it, and a good way to do this is by indoctrinating your subordinates. Propaganda, watchtowers and a few whippings here and a couple of executions there have never killed anyone – well, almost. You also get hands-on in the fight against enemy regimes and blast away to your heart’s content.

Release date: 14 May
Available on: PC
Multiplayer? No

Directive 8020: A Dark Pictures Game – a lot of decisions and even more deaths

The next spin-off from Supermassive Games puts you in charge of a crew facing tough decisions as they navigate an interactive horror movie. Set in the distant future light-years from Earth, you crash-land on an alien planet, where an extraterrestrial organism’s lurking, capable of assuming the form of its prey. My colleague Domagoj has already played it and was thoroughly creeped out.

Release date: 12 May
Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Multiplayer? No

Call of the Elder Gods – puzzling to the point of madness

After the puzzle-solving adventure on a tropical island in Call of the Sea, its sequel keeps things going with cosmic horror. Professor Harry Everhart and student Evangeline Drayton are plagued by dreams and eerie shadows linked to a mysterious artefact. The secret behind it leads them from English manor houses to the Australian Outback and on to underwater temple complexes. Everywhere they go, intricate puzzles await.

Release date: 12 May
Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch 2
Multiplayer? No

Better Than Dead – through the fisheye

Here’s another example of the emerging body-cam shooter genre, where you blast your way through a photorealistic recreation of Hong Kong. The game’s inspired by high-octane Asian action cinema.

Release date: 12 May
Available on: PC
Multiplayer? No

Outbound – Hippie Bus

After all that violence, I need something more relaxing. Outbound is ideal. Up to four people explore a cosy open world together in their van. You also gather resources to upgrade your mobile home.

Release date: 14 May
Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 1 and Switch 2
Multiplayer? Online co-op for up to four people

Subnautica 2 – under the waves

The most requested game on Steam is about to surface – or rather, disappear. In Subnautica 2, you explore a new, colourful underwater world and expand your floating base. Following disputes between developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment and publisher Krafton, there’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the game’s future. Soon we’ll be able to see for ourselves, so get your diving goggles ready.

Release date: 14 May
Available on: PC (early access)
Multiplayer? Online co-op

Forza Horizon 6 – Tokyo Drift

Japan’s one of the most requested settings for many games, including Forza Horizon. The sixth instalment finally takes us to the Land of the Rising Sun. My colleague Domagoj has already tried out the fun racing game and struggled to pull his foot back off the pedal.

Release date: 19 May, with the premium version available from 15 May
Available on: PC and Xbox Series X/S
Multiplayer? Online PvP

Thick as Thieves – pickpocket city

Legendary game developer Warren Spector’s been working on an unusual multiplayer stealth game. In a fictional metropolis in the 1910s, you try to fill your pockets with stolen goods. Besides guards and potential witnesses, you’ll have to be especially wary of other players.

Release date: 20 May
Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Multiplayer? Online PvP and co-op

Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core – rock and stone

In the latest Deep Rock spin-off, you and up to three other space dwarves dig deep into the interior of planets. The difference from the original is the roguelike element. You continuously improve your equipment in each run and start again if you end up eaten by monstrous bugs. Permanent upgrades are also available.

Release date: 20 May
Available on: PC (early access)
Multiplayer? Online co-op for up to four people

Spacecraft – infinite expanses

At first glance, it looks like No Man Sky, but there’s more emphasis on base building. In Spacecraft, a vast galaxy’s waiting to be explored. You build spaceships from gathered resources, automate your base and build interplanetary logistics centres.

Release date: 20 May
Available on: PC (early access)
Multiplayer? Online co-op

Atomic Owl – big eyes and an even bigger sword

A chaotic platformer where you play a sword-wielding owl-like creature hunting a villainous crow wizard. There’s some beautiful pixel art that could have come straight from the Dreamcast.

Release date: 20 May
Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch 1 and Switch 2¹
Multiplayer? No

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book – just adorable

Yoshis are naive little guys who jump into a magic book without thinking, where they stumble across all sorts of curious creatures. If Yoshi swallows one of them, he gains its abilities and can use them to solve small puzzles. It looks so cute. Here’s a preview.

Release date: 21 May
Available on: Switch 2
Multiplayer? No

Coffee Talk Tokyo – plain talking and sipping coffee

The latest game in the Coffee Talk series is set in Tokyo. This cosy visual novel puts conversations and people at the heart of the story. Backed by a relaxed lo-fi beat, you prepare drinks and make dialogue choices to influence the narrative.

Release date: 21 May
Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 1 and Switch 2
Multiplayer? No

Zero Parades: For Dead Spies – disco’s dead, long live disco

The game’s resemblance to the highly acclaimed Disco Elysium is no coincidence. It comes from the same studio, though not the same team. Several leading figures were dismissed following internal disputes, and it remains to be seen whether the unique role-playing and adventure game atmosphere can be captured in this spy thriller.

Release date: 21 May
Available on: PC
Multiplayer? No

Luna Abyss – shaken, not stirred

A dark sci-fi world with nightmarish creatures and bullet hell-style boss fights. We’re not talking about Saros, but the parallels are undeniable. Mix in a dash of Bioshock and a touch of Nier: Automata, and you’ve got yourself an action cocktail.

Release date: 21 May
Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Multiplayer? No

Copa City – catering logistics instead of formations

This is a football manager game with a twist. It’s not about formations or proper training; instead, you organise matches for top clubs. From catering and entertainment to fan safety, the success of the event’s entirely in your hands.

Release date: 14 May
Available on: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch 1 and Switch 2¹
Multiplayer? No

Beastro – cook until the puppets dance

Talented chef Panko takes care of both his guests’ meals and the ravenous monsters that threaten his peaceful village. He won’t let them ruin his plans. He gathers ingredients and cooks delicious meals, with new ingredients unlocking cards for the protector deck. These cards then set off into the wilderness to fight the monsters in a kind of puppet show.

Release date: 21 May
Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Multiplayer? No

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight – slaps until the bricks fly

«I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am the slug that slimes your begonias!» Wait, that’s the wrong Dark Knight. Never mind, Batman’s pretty cool, too. And this open-world game promises to be a real smash hit. It looks like a simplified version of the Arkham games, only with Lego. Sounds fantastic.

Release date: 22 May
Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch 2
Multiplayer? Co-op, online and local

Bubsy 4D – the bobcats’s back

Bubsy is Mario and Sonic’s unloved cousin, who nobody ever wanted to play with. But I’m still thrilled that a new instalment of the ’90s run-and-jump series is being released. Nobody was waiting for the return of the know-it-all bobcat, but Bubsy doesn’t care. Awesome.

Release date: 22 May
Available on: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch 1 and Switch 2¹
Multiplayer? No

Paralives – live and let live

With a wide range of building options and intricately customisable Paras that you control through a living world, Paralives could become a serious competitor to The Sims. Paras are the inhabitants of this sandbox life simulation, just waiting for you to put them into impossible situations.

Release date: 25 May
Available on: PC (early access)
Multiplayer? No

007 First Light – hopefully this will be a hit, man

The last – and perhaps only – good Bond game is still Goldeneye. And it’s now almost 30 years old. With the creators of Hitman acquiring the licence for the charming special agent, it seems the perfect studio’s on the case.

Release date: 27 May
Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Multiplayer? No

Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis: Next! – TV heroes swing their rackets

If you’d rather play as SpongeBob, Invader Zim or Garfield than Mario, Yoshi, and the like, keep this fun tennis game in mind. It may have less depth than Mario Tennis Aces, but it’s definitely got enough for a few light-hearted co-op matches on the sofa.

Release date: 28 May
Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 1 and Switch 2¹
Multiplayer: Co-op and PvP

¹ The Switch 1 version’s also compatible with the Switch 2.

Game preview May

Which game are you looking forward to the most?

Teaser images: Pax Autocratia, Forza Horizon 6, 007: First Light and Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight

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Philipp Rüegg

Senior Editor

Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.ch

As a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.

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