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6 Hidden Gems, From Free to Pricey, to Beat the Summer Drought
Major releases are thin on the ground in the middle of summer, but gaming’s quieter backstreets are still surprisingly busy this July. Here are six hand-picked new releases to make hiding indoors from the heat a little more enjoyable.
If Assassin’s Creed Origins were real, I’d keep making offerings to the sun god Ra until he banned his giant fireball from pushing temperatures on Earth toward 90°F. But “sadly,” Origins is only a video game—so here I am, typing this in temperatures well into the 80s. Yes, blaming Ubisoft for everything really is that easy. 😉
Speaking of sacrifices: since I often retreat from the summer heat myself, I dug through several storefronts in search of games worth talking about. And hard as it may be to believe, there are still developers brave enough to release something in July. Here are the six juiciest fruits of my little expedition.
Backyard Baseball
- Genre: Action, Casual, Sports
- Developer: Mega Cat Studios
- Platforms: PC, Mac
- Release date: July 9, 2026
- Price: $40
My first pick isn’t exactly an unknown name, but Backyard Baseball (Steam page) didn’t arrive with sirens blaring either. And yes, this really is a relatively new entry—one that even brings back series favorite Pablo Sanchez. All told, the arcade baseball game features 30 preteen players, 24 teams and eleven revamped “stadiums.”
The feature list includes a T-ball mode, adjustable difficulty, tutorials, collectible rewards, achievements and various accessibility options. You’ll also find special pitches and power-ups such as Fireballs, Freezeballs, Crazy Bunts and the Aluminum Bat. You can play solo or locally in either split-screen or shared-screen multiplayer. After its long absence, the series makes a pretty confident return—although $40 is still a fairly steep ask for the PC version.
Step Lightly
- Genre: Platformer, Stealth, Horror
- Developer: Water Leaks Studio
- Platforms: PC
- Release date: July 10, 2026
- Price: Free
Should you—like yours truly—count yourself among the horror crowd, you’ve probably heard of Little Nightmares. The new Step Lightly (on Steam) follows a similar trail, mixing platforming with eerie, almost cuddly horror. Since the game was created as an educational project at The Game Assembly in Malmö, it won’t cost you a penny.
At the center of it all is Rosa, a neglected girl trying to escape an abusive home together with a friend. Her mother listens for suspicious noises, her father reacts aggressively, and Rosa’s older sister watches events unfold. To get through the house, Rosa has to climb, jump, move objects and pick up or throw items such as keys, cranks and bottles.
Alek
- Genre: Action, Shooter
- Developer: Vitaly Pryadein
- Platforms: PC
- Release date: July 9, 2026
- Price: $10
At first glance, Alek (Steam page) gives off serious Max Payne gloom, though you’ll have to make do without bullet time. The story takes place in post-Soviet Tyumen in 1995. Alexei Smirnov, better known as Alek, is a major figure in the local underworld. After learning that his friends have been killed, he sets out for revenge amid an escalating gang war. But ordinary criminals aren’t the only threat waiting for him—something far more dangerous is lurking out there.
It doesn’t sound wildly original, but it does look wonderfully atmospheric, and the unusual regional setting gives it plenty of character. Like many older shooters, Alek sends you through tightly staged, linear shootouts with a variety of Soviet-influenced weapons. The locations range from grimy backyards and run-down housing blocks to restaurants and saunas. So yes, there’s a little Red Heat in the mix too.
Hyperfist
- Genre: Action, First-Person Shooter
- Developer: Chirality
- Platforms: PC
- Release date: July 10, 2026
- Price: Free
Should you enjoy boomer shooters—and I absolutely love them—Hyperfist (Steam page) could be a compact little banger. Better yet, its punch-happy chaos comes wrapped in a cartoon style reminiscent of XIII and costs absolutely nothing. The setup is appropriately ridiculous: robotics giant Khi Corporation has purchased the ownership rights to Earth and plans to turn the planet into a parking lot. One local “punk” decides to fight back against the company’s robots, punching his way through its headquarters toward the executive floor.
Combat mainly revolves around mechanical fists. Punches, grabs, combinations, special attacks and movement abilities can all be chained together to build combos and boost your style rating. The compact game features three levels, followed by a final boss fight against the corporation’s top dog. It’s a short ride, but that’s why I brought six games.
180°
- Genre: Horror, Adventure
- Developer: ABKB。
- Platforms: PC
- Release date: July 10, 2026
- Price: $3
For a measly $3, 180° offers a concept that hasn’t been completely run into the ground, even if the horror adventure essentially turns a familiar mechanic into an entire game. You know those creepy sequences where an enemy only moves toward you while you’re looking away? That is basically the whole idea behind 180°.
The formula gets an extra twist from a smartphone whose camera lets you see what’s behind you. What your three bucks won’t buy is a story or hours of entertainment. You wake up in a dark, bluish maze and need to find the exit—that’s about it. You might manage it in as little as 30 minutes, but maybe you’ll find the screenshots as appealing as I did and take a chance on a quick run.
Rat Race
- Genre: Action, Casual
- Developer: Corrupted Games
- Platforms: PC
- Release date: July 10, 2026
- Price: Free
To wrap things up, here’s one more free game: Rat Race (on Steam). Its trailer instantly took me back to the DOS and PS1 era, though not because of the visuals—those actually look pretty decent. No, it’s the concept itself: think tunnel racer, only with a motorized rat and a physics-based twist.
Your job is to deliver packages through a toxic sewer system against the clock. You travel in a vehicle that looks a bit like a tin can, but instead of simply holding down the accelerator, you propel yourself forward with carefully timed boosts. Rocket controls? Something along those lines, yes. As in other games of this type, shortcuts, obstacles and repeated attempts are meant to help you shave precious seconds off your completion times.
Want more tips? Check out 6 of the Best Dating Sims Coming Soon and 6 of the Best AI-Powered Games in 2026. And since My Summer Love: Memories is now out, you can read my review here.
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