Main Releases of April
REPLACED (PC, Xbox Series X|S) — April 14
REPLACED is one of the most notable releases of the month, offering a story-driven cyberpunk action game with platformer elements. The action unfolds in an alternate America of the 1980s that has survived a nuclear catastrophe. The main character, R.E.A.C.H., is an artificial intelligence that, against its will, finds itself trapped in a human body.
Instead of focusing on inflated scales, the creators from Belarusian Sad Cat Studios focus on a carefully crafted atmosphere and manual world-building. Dark neon streets, corporate conspiracies, and aesthetics in the spirit of William Gibson's works create a dense mood. The narrative focuses not only on action scenes but also on themes of humanity, identity, and control.
From a gameplay perspective, it's a stylish 2D action game, not a large-scale role-playing game. The project attracts precisely with its focus: the authors promise a slow immersion into the world and the unfolding of the plot through the prism of morally ambiguous characters, making the game an excellent choice even for those who are indifferent to platformers.
However, don't raise your expectations too high. For more details, it's better to refer to Victor Zaitsev's preview.
PRAGMATA (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2) — April 17
PRAGMATA has been attracting attention since its announcement as one of Capcom's most intriguing science fiction projects. The story centers around two characters: astronaut Hugh and a mysterious android girl named Diana. This contrasting duo relies on classic Japanese pop culture tropes about protecting a fragile, innocent creature.
In terms of gameplay, the game tries to rethink the third-person action genre, turning it into a shooter-puzzle. The main feature is that both heroes are functional: while the main character engages in firefights and distracts enemies, Diana hacks systems and influences the battlefield.
This approach makes PRAGMATA a bold experiment, striving to go beyond the usual genre clichés. The success of the project will directly depend on how organically the developers manage to weave together action, spatial problem-solving, and the emotional connection between the characters.
You can read more about the game in Victor Zaitsev's preview.
Neverness to Everness (PC, PlayStation 5, iOS, Android) — April 29
Neverness to Everness is an open-world role-playing action game set in an urban fantasy setting. Developers from Chinese Hotta Studio have combined anime aesthetics, elements of exploring a modern metropolis, car racing, and gacha mechanics. The game has already been dubbed a kind of hybrid of GTA and modern Chinese RPGs.
The project places a strong emphasis on life simulation and freedom of action. Players will not only be able to fight bosses but also spend time in coffee shops, socialize, buy real estate, or start their own business. Visually, the city promises to be large-scale and detailed, offering many activities for peaceful exploration.
The main challenge for the creators is to maintain the quality bar at a distance. Given the studio's past experience with Tower of Fantasy, they will have to prove that the new mechanics of competitors were not simply copied but also competently rethought for long-term audience retention.
Worth Paying Attention To
Darwin's Paradox! (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2) — April 2
Darwin's Paradox! stands out from the usual 2.5D platformers thanks to its original premise and stealth elements. The main character is a smart octopus named Darwin, who, by fate, finds himself not in a cozy aquarium but in a huge industrial UFOOD factory.
The game is built on an unusual combination of genres and constant interaction with the environment. The protagonist's tentacles are used both for moving around levels and for solving puzzles, pulling levers, and eliminating obstacles. The natural ability of octopuses to camouflage themselves fits perfectly into stealth mechanics.
The game's industrial setting has its own charisma and is full of funny cultural references, including allusions to the Metal Gear Solid series and classic cartoons. The developers' inventive approach to platforming makes the project a potentially intriguing adventure.
ALL WILL FALL (PC) — April 3
ALL WILL FALL is an unusual colony-building simulator in a world almost entirely covered by the ocean. The player has to build a vertical floating city out of rusty metal, monitor its development and the survival of the settlers, which evokes conceptual associations with projects like Frostpunk.
The game's strength lies in its uncompromising physics engine and engineering mechanics. Construction requires an understanding of Archimedes' laws, weight distribution, stability, and wind loads. If you ignore the resistance of materials, the ambitious city will simply collapse into the water.
At the start, the developers offer eight well-developed scenarios with unique challenges, designed for more than a hundred hours of gameplay. The presence of a powerful editor and Steam Workshop support guarantee the project a long life thanks to user-generated content.
People of Note (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2) — April 7
People of Note is positioned as a bold turn-based role-playing game where battles are inextricably linked to musical performances. The plot tells the story of pop singer Cadence, who sets out in search of fame, but finds loyal comrades in a bright and musical world.
The key feature of the combat system is musical mashups. Changing genres, which are the responsibility of different members of your group, changes not only the visual design of the arena, but also the rhythm of turn-based clashes, turning routine battles into interactive concerts.
The developers have wisely approached accessibility issues: the game allows you to flexibly adjust the difficulty to suit your needs. Users can simplify battles or completely disable puzzles in dungeons in order to focus exclusively on the plot and exploration of colorful locations.
Samson (PC) — April 8
Samson gives the impression of a brutal and down-to-earth crime action game inspired by the atmosphere of the northeastern US metropolises of the 1990s. The main character returns to his native Tindalston, where local bandits take his sister hostage due to old debts.
The project focuses on the mechanics of "decisions with consequences" and elements of a simplified roguelike. Samson is put on a timer and descends to the bottom of the city every day to complete missions. Any choice of the hero is reflected in the world: the further he goes in his cruelty, the harsher the city responds.
The development is handled by Liquid Swords studio, founded by the creator of the Just Cause series, Christopher Sandberg. The gameplay combines contact hand-to-hand combat and racing without rules, creating a local but extremely tense drama.
The Occultist (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S) — April 8
The Occultist is a single-player first-person adventure horror game dedicated to the study of paranormal phenomena. The main character, Alan Rebels, arrives on the sinister island of Godstone, where an occult sect conducted terrible experiments in the middle of the last century. All in order to find his missing father.
The game deliberately abandons the classic combat system in favor of a oppressive atmosphere, stealth and cunning puzzles. The hero's most important tool becomes a mystical pendulum, which opens access to four unique mechanics for interacting with the environment and its changes.
For the Spanish studio DALOAR, this is a debut release, but the project has already managed to collect several industry awards at the development stage. The use of modern graphic technologies and a well-developed soundtrack are designed to provide a deep immersion in a frightening story.
We Gotta Go (PC) — April 14
We Gotta Go continues the trend for cooperative sandboxes, where social interaction and joint chaos prevail over technological graphics. The game offers a company of friends to get out of a confusing quest room, while coping with increasing anxiety and very down-to-earth problems.
The gameplay cycle is built around a funny and absurd concept: the consequences of eating spoiled burritos force the heroes to act in conditions of severe time pressure. Mistakes in solving spatial problems are inevitable here, and it is they that generate the lion's share of the fun.
The project frankly relies on black and "toilet" humor, but does it consciously. The success of the game will depend on how well its mechanics can consistently create comical and unpredictable situations for players gathered in a voice chat.
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Switch 2) — 16 April
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is one of the most stylistically original releases of the year. This is a retro first-person shooter whose visual design meticulously recreates the aesthetics of classic American animation of the 1930s with its monochrome picture and characteristic character design.
Behind the attractive cartoon shell lies a classic noir detective with a corresponding soundtrack and colorful characters. Players will not only have to participate in dynamic shootouts, but also conduct an investigation using a special evidence board.
The game promises a lot of content: from 12 to 20 hours of gameplay, 10 unique biomes and an extensive weapon modification system. This release has long been on the lists of expected players, and now the authors have to prove that there is an equally strong shooter behind the stunning visuals.
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S) — April 16
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss offers a fresh look at the work of Howard Lovecraft, transferring cosmic horror to a science fiction setting. In 2053, corporations mining resources at the bottom of the oceans accidentally awaken an ancient evil, which the main character is sent to investigate.
The game is being created by Big Bad Wolf studio, which already has experience with the genre — in the game Call of Cthulhu 2018. In the new project, they focus on a single narrative, the claustrophobic atmosphere of an underwater station and the mechanics of gradually losing their mind from encountering the unknown.
An interesting innovation is an AI companion that helps the protagonist cling to reality during Cthulhu's mental attacks. The project is being developed on Unreal Engine 5, which guarantees an excellent picture, but leaves the question of optimization open.
Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, iOS, Android) — April 21
Vampire Crawlers is an unexpected development of the hyper-popular Vampire Survivors, which transfers the familiar universe to the genre of a first-person card roguelike. The project is trying to occupy a niche where Slay the Spire currently reigns supreme, offering its own signature fast-paced gameplay.
Players will travel to recognizable locations from the original game, meet familiar characters and familiar monsters. However, now, instead of automatically shooting hordes of enemies, you will have to thoughtfully (but quickly) collect a deck of cards and build destructive synergies.
Special emphasis is placed on the "turbo" mode, which is designed to maintain the dynamics of the original source in a turn-based format.
Outbound (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Switch 2) — April 23
Outbound is a cozy exploration sandbox that romanticizes life on the road and eco-friendly living. The player has to travel through picturesque biomes in an electric minibus, stylized as an iconic hippie van, turning it into a full-fledged mobile home.
The gameplay is based on peaceful crafting, pet care, and gathering. The developers emphasize green technologies: to provide the base with energy, you need to use solar panels, and to feed yourself, you need to grow natural vegetables right on the roof of your van.
The phenomenal interest in the project from the audience is easily explained. The game offers excellent virtual escapism for tired city dwellers, combining meditative base management with the aesthetics of continuous travel in nature.
Tides of Tomorrow (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S) — April 22
Tides of Tomorrow stands out from other adventures with its unique concept of asymmetric multiplayer. Instead of being responsible for their own decisions, the player faces the consequences of choices made before them by friends, streamers, or random users.
The action takes place in a world of aquatic post-apocalypse with the aesthetics of "plasticpunk." This ecological dystopia is destroyed not only by global pollution, but also by a mysterious disease. The player has to survive in a distorted reality and try to correct the mistakes of their predecessors.
The plot offers high variability and several endings. How you solve the local and global problems of this world will directly affect the starting conditions and storyline of those players who start the campaign after you.
WILL: Follow The Light (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S) — April 28
WILL: Follow The Light is a cinematic adventure game that focuses on the harsh realism of the northern nature. The main character, a lighthouse keeper named Will, embarks on a dangerous journey across a stormy sea and icy wastelands to save his missing son.
The gameplay consists of a chain of realistic spatial puzzles and survival simulation. The player will have to manually control the sails of the yacht, tune radio stations for communication, and control a dog sled on thin ice, relying on logic and the physics of the environment.
This is the debut work of the TomorrowHead Studio team, created on the Unreal Engine 5. The authors strive to combine advanced graphic technologies with grounded, tactile gameplay and a touching story about family ties.
Early access
Road to Vostok (PC) — April 7, 2026
Road to Vostok is a hardcore single-player looter-shooter set in the post-apocalyptic border zone between Finland and Russia. The player has to survive in the exclusion zone and make dangerous raids into the territory of the mysterious "East" in search of valuable loot.
Unlike popular multiplayer counterparts, here the danger comes from a well-developed artificial intelligence: bandits and military factions. The game has a strict permadeath system — death means complete loss of collected equipment, and the economy is based exclusively on barter.
Finnish developers directly warn that the project is being released in early access in a basic state, and it will take two to four years to complete. In addition, the game will not support the Russian language at the start, which will require a basic knowledge of English.
Additions, reissues
Starfield: Terran Armada (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S) — April 7
Terran Armada is a large content addition for Starfield, the release of which is timed to coincide with the release of the game on new platforms. The former console exclusive will reach a new audience in its best technical form, with fixed bugs and improved balance.
The technical side of the updated version includes full 4K at 60 frames per second, accelerated loading and integration of tactile functions of the DualSense controller. This should ensure the most comfortable immersion in the space RPG from Bethesda.
The addition itself offers a storyline dedicated to the threat from the mysterious Terran Armada fleet and robotic soldiers. This is a great reason to return to Starfield for those who have already completed the main campaign and the Shattered Space addition.
On the same day, the free Free Lances update will be released: with seamless movement on ships through space, new points of interest, the development of endgame mechanics, and many other improvements.
Atomic Heart: Blood on Crystal (PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S) — April 16
Blood on Crystal is the fourth and final DLC for Atomic Heart, which aims to put an end to the story of Enterprise 3826. The authors abandon the experimental mechanics of past DLCs and return to the classic formula: familiar heroes, a trusty AK, and dialogues with HRAZ.
The events will unfold on the mysterious "Wave" platform and in the "Crystal" complex. Players will face polymorphs - new opponents capable of manipulating the polymer and changing their shapes right during the battle, which will require quick adaptation to the situation.
In addition to challenging bosses, the DLC should reveal the main intrigue - the true intentions of HRAZ. For the studio, this is the most important release, which should beautifully and grandly complete the post-release support of the successful shooter.
Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred (PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S) — April 28
Lord of Hatred is the second story expansion for Diablo IV, developing the events after the finale of Vessel of Hatred. The main content innovation will be two new playable classes at once: the classic defender of the faith Paladin and the dark warlock Warlock.
The story campaign will send players to the completely new region of Scosglen, where a confrontation with Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred, will unfold. The developers promise to significantly expand the lore of the universe and offer new dark dungeons to explore.
In addition to global innovations, Blizzard is introducing a number of important system improvements. The maximum character level will increase from 60 to 70, and the fishing mechanic, previously limited to one zone, will become available throughout Sanctuary, adding peaceful activities in between clearing demons.