When it comes to gaming, there are big months and there are small months. Generally speaking, bigger months happen around Easter and the holiday season; huge AAA tentpole releases tend to occur in October or November, and late winter to early spring is another huge flashpoint for big gaming launches.
You’ll notice that July isn’t included in either of those time periods, and there’s a good reason for that. Traditionally speaking, July is a quieter month, and with the gaming industry already struggling for new content right now, this year is no different. Still, there are certainly games to look forward to if you know where to look. Here are the best PS5 games for July 2022.
Matchpoint: Tennis Championships (July 7th)
First up, we have this rather intriguing-looking tennis sim, which launches in early July. It’s promising a huge, fully-featured career mode featuring what the developers are calling a “merit-based ranking system”. The focus here is on strategic, realistic tennis; you won’t find any arcade-style controls or silly powerups here. You can, however, create and customise your very own athlete, mixing and matching accessories and clothing from major brands like Yonex and Head. Naturally, you’ll also find an online mode so you can match your skill against players from around the world, as well as lots of licensed tennis players including legends like Nick Kyrgios. Suffice it to say that non-tennis fans probably won’t get much out of this, but it looks like a great game for tennis lovers.
Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series (July 8th)
The Klonoa games are some of the most underrated 2.5D platformers out there, so it’s a good thing we’re going to get the chance to revisit them with Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series. This compilation packs in the 2008 remake of Klonoa: Door to Phantomile and the sequel Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil. The PS5 remaster will play in 4K at 60fps, so you’re getting a buttery-smooth experience as you play through these delightful platformers. You’ll also find some extra features including different difficulty levels, a “stopwatch” feature, and two-player co-op, which has been retroactively added to the first game after appearing in Klonoa 2. You should definitely check these games out if you’re a fan of platformers.
Arcadegeddon (July 8th)
Arcadegeddon is a co-op shooter from IllFonic, the creator of Friday the 13th: The Game and Predator: Hunting Grounds. This one is a little more irreverent and anarchic than those games were, though. It tells the story of Gilly, the proprietor of an arcade that’s on the brink of being taken over by a huge corporation. Said corporation discovers Gilly’s plans to oppose them and launches a virus into one of Gilly’s games, meaning he has to jump into the game and try to fix things himself. That’s the setup for a multiplayer shooter that blends PvE, PvP, and exploration gameplay, as well as plenty of loot to collect.
Endling: Extinction Is Forever (July 18th)
Endling will make you feel deeply anxious about the environment and the state of the planet, which is something we should all be very concerned about. Billed as an “eco-conscious adventure”, the game follows a family of foxes as they attempt to outwit and circumvent the human race, which is portrayed here as a rapacious, destructive force gradually annihilating the planet. As you try to survive, you’ll need to guide your cubs to safety, make “emotionally taxing decisions”, and find shelter from the elements. This doesn’t look like one for the faint of heart, but if you think you can take its devastatingly bleak tone, you should definitely give it a look.
Stray (July 19th)
It feels like we’ve been waiting for Stray to arrive for quite a while now. This cyberpunk tale of a cat wandering the streets of a city filled with robo-inhabitants looks just as intriguing as it does cute. Largely speaking, the gameplay will revolve around exploration, but you will also be able to find plenty of collectibles dotted throughout Stray’s environments. As you explore, you’ll piece together the story of the city and what’s happening throughout its streets, and you’ll see it all through the eyes of an adorable feline protagonist. Don’t worry; even though you can’t pet the cat, several of the city’s inhabitants will want to pet you.
Wayward Strand (July 21st)
Wayward Strand’s setting is enough to recommend it; the game is set on a floating hospital in 1970s Australia. You are a budding school journalist looking to write an article about the hospital, and you must wander the halls, talk to its inhabitants, and learn more about their lives. Many of the patients’ stories will interweave and overlap, and they’ll carry on in real-time regardless of whether you’re observing them or not, which means each playthrough carries the potential for seeing some entirely different stories. This game looks like a must-play if you’re looking for something chilled-out and relaxing.
Lost Epic (July 28th)
This anime 2D Souls-like makes its way to PS5 in late July, and it’s got some absolutely gorgeous art backing it. You must play as the God Slayer, whose role is to find the Pantheon of Six hiding throughout the Sanctum and defeat them. Of course, this being a Souls-like, you’ll almost certainly find out more about the story as you explore, but if you’re not particularly interested in the plot, there are bound to be lots of bosses and other beasties for you to battle. There are also extensive skill trees to help you diversify your build and figure out what best suits your play style. This one’s going to be special!
Digimon Survive (July 29th)
It feels like we’ve been waiting for this one for an absolute age. Digimon Survive was first announced back in 2018, but it’s undergone numerous delays since then, eventually arriving at this July release date. We really hope it doesn’t get delayed again, because we’re excited to pick our Digimon team and get exploring. In gameplay terms, Digimon Survive resembles a cross between Persona, dungeon-crawlers, and survival games, which should sell you on it if the fact that it contains Digimon didn’t already. If you’re a big Digimon fan, you’ve probably already got this on your radar, but even if you’re not, it looks like it’ll offer plenty of RPG fun for you to get stuck into this summer.
