From cute, yarn-based platformers to some old favorites, these are the games you won’t have to wait years for.
When a game is announced at E3 it’s usually one of two things: it’s several years from being released, or worse it’s vaporware and never sees the light of day. But at E3 2018 there were a handful games that got stage time that you can play right now.
Most of them are PC-based, and yes, some of them had already been announced or even been on sale, but all of them have some significant changes that makes them fresh and new(ish).
Quake Champions has been available in beta for Steam for some time, but Bethesda announced it’s now free to play if you sign up before June 17. If you ever played the original Quake 3 Arena, you’ll know what you’re getting: intense death-match maps, rocket jumps and plenty of gory gibs. Quake Champions received a lukewarm reception when it first appeared, perhaps because it followed too closely behind Doom without adding any significant gameplay improvements. But you should get it now because it’s much better, and hey, it’s free!
Being the only truly unseen game on this list, the sequel to Unravel adds a second character to the mix. The original was adorable, and it will be interesting to see how this yarn-based play translates to the new co-op mode. Will it become more LittleBigPlanet than LittleBigPlanet? Get Unravel 2 at the Microsoft Store.
Knights, vikings and samurai. Fighting each other. It’s like Westworld, only with less existential angst. For Honor ’s been available for a year, but previously it cost you actual cash money. If that sounds like your thing, the game is free on UPlay this week.
An old favorite, Fallout Shelter originally debuted as a teaser for Fallout 4, but as testament to the game’s evergreen nature it’s now available on the PS4 and Nintendo Switch. You can also find it on iOS, Android, Xbox One and Windows.
Mooncrash is less a full game and more free DLC for owners of last year’s creepy sci-fi shooter Prey. The new update adds three new modes: Story Mode for casual players; Survival Mode, for a more hardcore experience; and New Game Plus, which gives all players „a whole new reason to return to Prey after they complete the game.“
Gravity-based shooter Lawbreakers was first announced at E3 2016, and it is now a free-to-play game for Steam and PS4. If Black Ops III with a bit of Angry Birds Space thrown in sounds appealing, you can get Lawbreakers here.
Another PC game now coming to consoles, Vermintide 2 is Warhammer’s answer to four-player co-op games such as Payday and Left 4 Dead. Instead of zombies or cops, however, you fight evil sewer-dwelling ratmen. The screams for help you make over your headset will sound much the same. Play on Steam, or sign up for the Xbox beta and PS4 beta.
In addition, the following games have announced a forthcoming beta program:
Editors‘ note: This is a developing story. Look out for more games to be announced as E3 2018 continues.
E3 2018 so far: Fallout 76, Cyberpunk 2077, Halo and a new Xbox (kinda).
Ubisoft E3 2018: Star Fox in Starlink, Beyond Good and Evil 2, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and more.
