The games of June

Street Fighter! Final Fantasy! Diablo! More!

Well, that’s May over with. Which means you’re finished with Zelda and ready to move on to something new, right? Well, probably not, if you’re anything like me (just how good is Zelda, by the way?).

Regardless of whether you’re ready or not, the games industry never stands still, and so June arrives with a brand new batch of games ready to fight for your free time. It’s a pretty good selection too, with fighters, final fantasies, farming sims and pretty much everything in between to choose from.

Here are some of June’s biggest games. Followed by a list of the rest of the month’s main releases. It’s a good’n!

Street Fighter 6

Release: June 2
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Developer: Capcom

Whether Street Fighter 5 was a disaster, an entirely competent fighter in its own right, or somewhere in between depends on who you ask. But it seems nobody is arguing about the quality of Street Fighter 6. With stellar reviews across the board, it seems safe to say that this is the return to form fans have been waiting for.

There’s little better than one of gaming’s old guard making a stunning modern comeback, and everything points to Street Fighter 6 keeping the series as relevant for the foreseeable future as it was back in the 90s. Capcom is on some hot streak at the moment - long may it continue.

Diablo IV

Release: June 6
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment

A new Zelda and a new Diablo within a few weeks of each other is just unfair, really. Two gargantuan games that promise playtime measured in months, not hours. At the time of writing the Diablo IV review embargo lifted two days ago, and many online outlets still aren’t ready to post their verdicts.

What most of the reviews-in-progress are willing to say, however, is that - should the servers survive the incoming deluge of players - this latest iteration of Blizzard’s famous series looks set to be the real deal. Fingers crossed for no launch-day tech issues with this one.

Final Fantasy XVI

Release: June 22
Platforms: PS5
Developer: Square Enix

Unlike, say, Zelda, the Final Fantasy name doesn’t always guarantee quality. But Square’s long-running series hosts its fair share of industry-defining titles, attracts legions of passionate fans, and as far as big-budget traditional RPGs go, there’s really nothing else quite like it.

Aside from a few trailers and promises of more intense, open-ended combat, not much is known about this one. But with Final Fantasy 14’s Naoki Yoshida at the helm, hopes are high that it can be the start of a new direction for the series.

Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life

Release: June 27
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series S/X, Switch PC
Developer: Marvelous

Those with fond memories of the GameCube-era Harvest Moon games (of which I am most certainly one) will no doubt have a keen eye on this one already. The name may have changed, but this looks set to be a faithful reimagining of a fan favourite that harkens back to better days for the genre.

Micro-transactions and free-to-play management games have ruined the genre for a lot of people over recent times, so fingers crossed that A Wonderful Life can take us back to happier, simpler times when farming games were designed to be enjoyable and fulfilling, rather than simply to harvest the contents of your wallet.

Main releases for June:

  • Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection (Switch, PC) – June 1

  • Killer Frequency (PlayStation, Xbox, Quest, Switch, PC) – June 1

  • SkateBIRD (PlayStation) – June 1

  • Super Mega Baseball 4 (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC) – June 2

  • We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC) – June 2

  • Harmony: The Fall of Reverie (Switch, PC) – June 8

  • Dordogne (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC) – June 13

  • Jack Jeanne (Switch) – June 15

  • Layers of Fear (2023) (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC) – June 15

  • F1 23 (PlayStation, Xbox, PC) – June 16

  • Park Beyond (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC) – June 16

  • Aliens: Dark Descent (PlayStation, Xbox, PC) – June 20

  • Crash Team Rumble (PlayStation, Xbox) – June 20

  • Harmony: The Fall of Reverie (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S) – June 22

  • Sonic Origins Plus (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC) – June 23

  • Destroy All Humans 2 - Reprobed: Single Player (PlayStation, Xbox) – June 27

  • AEW: Fight Forever (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC) – June 29

  • Crime O'Clock (Switch, PC) – June 30

  • Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC) – June 30

  • Master Detective Archives: Rain Code (Switch) – June 30

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As always, thank you so much for reading.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the issue. If you do, please tell your friends!

Have a great weekend everyone, and I’ll see you next week

Jeff

THE WEEK IN GAMES

The best news, deals and gaming content of the week

NEWS

DEALS

  • PlayStation Store’s Planet of the Discounts sale rolls on, with up to 80% off a huge number of games both big and small, and the Games Under £15 sale is also still running.

  • Over on Xbox the Assassin’s Creed Franchise sale is still going, with up to 80% off a whole load of AssCreed games and add-ons, there’s also a Family Time sale, with up to 80% off family and party games, and a Season Pass Add-on sale, with up to 80% off - you guessed it - season passes and add-ons.

  • As ever, there’s no themed sale on Nintendo's eShop, but there’s still a large selection of AAA and indie games on General Sale.

  • Humble’s Classic Games sale is now live, offering up to 75% off select PC games.

  • GOG has just launched a Neon Dreams sale, and a Chill Indie sale, with a host of dystopian games on sale and up to 90% off chill indie games.

  • On the Epic Games Store, Midnight Ghost Hunt is currently free to download.

  • Finally, over on Steam, there are plenty of games on general special offer, including Vampire Survivors for £3.19, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide for £23, and more.

MORE!

The Impact of Iwata

The Kickstarter campaign for a new book from the makers of Nintendo Force Magazine is now live. It features “over 220 pages with an in-depth look back at Satoru Iwata’s incredible career, covering all the well-known high points of his years at HAL and Nintendo”.

The campaign ends on July 13th. You can check it out here.

INDIE SPOTLIGHT

Shining a light on new and upcoming indies

“Spy on strangers through security cameras, invade their privacy and discover their secrets in this digital voyeur simulator. Welcome to the future of The Primate Observation Club.”

This sequel to the brilliant Do Not Feed The Monkeys promises a totally new story which “builds on the existing lore crafted with maestria by the original developer.” It was released on PC at the end of May and launches on Switch later this year.

You can find out more at the game’s official Steam page.

NEW RELEASES

All the major releases for this week and next

OUT NOW:

OUT NEXT WEEK:

The System Shock Remake - Out now!

SUPPORT TWiG

The Week in Games remains possible thanks to the support of members such as johnXprinter, SeánLynch, Px, and Matt.

If you value honest, independent game writing and enjoy what I do, please consider supporting my work for just £2 a month. Thank you 🙏

…and that’s it for this week!

If you have any comments or suggestions, or if you’re interested in advertising your game, product or service to more than 1k passionate gamers, please contact me at [email protected], reply to this email directly, or catch me over on Twitter. I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks again, and see you next week!

Jeff

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