The Drop: Week of July 20, 2026

Welcome to The Drop, Level Up Times' weekly release calendar where we wade through the coming week in gaming to help you decide what's worth checking out.

Last week was relatively slow and this week appears deceptively similar, with some local names sneaking out on Wednesday before a torrent of titles on Thursday, with a mix of heavy hitters and smaller titles, including a 25-year old RPG remaster.

Find a game you like? Hover over any game below and add it to your wishlist (or library if you already own it!) and you'll get notified of any news related to those games. Don't forget to head on over to your Library to manage your game list!

What's Catching our Eye

Splatoon Raiders

Thursday, July 23 - Nintendo Switch 2 (exclusive)

Nintendo decided to do something weird with this traditionally-multiplayer franchise. In this spin-off to the 4v4 paint-shootin' competitive title, players take on the role of an Inkling working as a mechanic for the idol pop band "Deep Cut", exploring islands, fighting off Salmonids and collecting loot to upgrade your character and gear.

If you liked the "Salmon Run" mode from Splatoon 2 or 3, this seems like its natural evolution. While you won't be splatting other players in Raiders, this game can be played with three other Inklings, either online or locally.

The Life and Suffering of Prince Jerian

Tuesday, July 21 - PC

This is the follow up to 2021's The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante, a choice-driven RPG with heavy consequences based on your actions. This time, you'll be playing as a crown prince, a sharp contrast to the commoner you played as in the original, and mechanics have been updated to reflect this change in role.

It's out now on Steam, and if you played the demo (which doesn't seem to be available on Steam anymore), its progress transfers over to the full game.

Tormentum II

Friday, July 24 - PC

If you're a fan of the body-horror-cross-transhumanism art of H. R. Giger or Zdzisław Beksiński, this game might be up your alley. A sequel to 2015's Tormentum: Dark Sorrow, this point-and-click horror game has 200 hand-painted scenes and a story about a simulation builder trapped in a world they built. Perhaps it's auto-biographical?

Tormentum II is out now on Steam and has a Linux-native build, and while it's not yet Steam Deck verified, it looks as though the developers are supporting it based on their community posts. A demo is also available

Hand of Fate: Hordes

Wednesday, July 22 - PC (Early Access)

A local mention here: Melbourne-based Spitfire Interactive (developers of the original Hand of Fate series of games) is back with a new bullet-heaven spin-off. In a world full of Vampire Survivor-esque games, Hand of Fate's iconic deckbuilding gameplay and narrative storytelling will have to do some heavy lifting here, but it looks like a novel take on the genre.

The game launches in Early Access on Steam, with Linux and Mac support. No word on Steam Deck compatibility, but I wouldn't be surprised if you couldn't play it on the go.

Better with Friends

Carnival Hunt

Friday, 24 July - PC, (Early Access)

For those who enjoy Dead by Daylight, there's a new spooky take on asymmetrical multiplayer in Carnival Hunt. This horror title was spawned from the maws of Kickstarter, where it raised $122k and finally launches on Friday. While it may not be a deeply original genre, the 5v1 game's twist is that five players are wind-up puppet bunnies with a limited power store who cannot fight, and they must find keys and stay hidden while the sixth player -- a Carnival Monster -- hunts them down.

This game sneaks into Early Access with a limited roster of two Hunters, and the developer says they're looking to be ambitious with their content plans: adding new gear items and rooms monthly, with new Hunters and PvE modes dropping every couple of months.

Notable Mentions

Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game

Thursday, 23 July - PC, Xbox Series, PS5

A hand-drawn 1v1 fighter set in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. This leans into a pure fighting game format versus the usual tag-team structure a lot of licensed fighters typically turn to. Previews seem to be positive on this one, with a lot of talk about the game's animation.

Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

Thursday, 23 July - Nintendo Switch 2

It's the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy X, and Square Enix seems to be celebrating with a bunch of Switch 2 releases lately. Now, the platform will be getting a port of the X/X-2 HD Remaster, arriving later this week. Some quality of life improvements have been made to the game including a high-speed mode, no random encounters, and other features to help bring the tenth main-line FF game into the modern context.

Square's being a little bit stingy on this one, though; there is no free or reduced-price upgrade for those that own the remaster on the original Switch, so if you're upgrading, be prepared to fork out full price for this one.

Doomsday Diner

Friday, 24 July - PC

Another local mention, this time we're going across the ditch to New Zealand, where developer Space Rock Games is releasing Doomsday Diner, a post-apocalyptic sim game where you'll be making hot dogs in the last diner on earth. Not only will you be cooking up tasty, rad-infested treats, you'll also have to shoot down maniacal raiders to protect what's yours, spending your coin (caps?) on upgrades for your diner.

It's an interesting, violent, take on a restaurant simulator and it's out later this week. There was a demo, but the developers have taken it offline ahead of the game's full release (not sure I'm a fan of that approach...)

Marathon - Mid-Season 2 Update

Wednesday, 22 July - PC, Xbox Series, PS5

Okay, not strictly a new game, but a fairly chunky update for the beleaguered (yet excellent!) extraction shooter for Bungie. Releasing just days after ex-director Joe Ziegler left the studio, this brings the first look in Sony's attempt to broaden the player base for the game, with the first truly PvE mode coming to the game in this patch.

Titled "Vault Breakers", this mode has some rogue-like elements and allows crews or solo players to breach the Cryo Vault -- the game's end-game map -- without worrying about no-life crews getting in your way. Bungie is referring to this mode as "experimental", with another PvE experience coming next season in September.

Some other quality of life changes are coming with this patch, including the ability to effectively "evolve" (or prestige, if you like) your Cradle, the new system introduced in Season 2, which allows you to effectively modify your runner's stats to match your playstyle.