Guess what — it’s Monday, which means a new batch of games to look forward to checking out.
Last week was filled with a lot of excitement, wild moments and a lot of drama. The main thing for me is that ALGS ended(technically that week but the day prior but I didn’t watch it then) and boy, it was such a rollercoaster.
Congrats to Oblivion on winning it and team Falcons on the second place. I was never a fan of how they held the finals, I just feel like the whole point system and winning games after you reach a certain point in order to win a tournament is lacking something. But I couldn’t tell you what and frankly it’s not my job to do that.
On the other side, the regional split in LOL is slowly but surely starting to heat up. In its true fashion people already started making preconceptions based on only one game. Don’t be one of those guys, be better. It only started and this shows nothing.
Anyways, this is the last week of January and it’s only fitting that we end it up on a high note.This time I’ve prepared a great list for you to check out.
Highguard – 26 Jan, 2026
Highguard is a new free FPS hero game developed and published by Wildlight Entertainment, Inc. By now you already know that it’s the game made by the creators of Apex Legends and Titanfall. The game was announced in December during the Game Awards and it wasn’t received as they hoped for. And since the announcement there wasn’t any official talk from the devs. Not sure that it’s the right thing to do in this situation but I guess we’ll see after the launch.
Currently the game sits around 10k followers, definitely I expected this number to be higher for this caliber of the game. I still have hopes for it and who knows it might prove everyone wrong and end up being bigger than Apex itself. You can expect my thoughts about the game somewhere during the week.
As for the actual gameplay, like I said before, there’s not much that we know besides what we saw in the trailer. It will feature fights with different abilities, weapons, terrains, and various mounts that you’ll be able to use during fights or just to traverse from one point to another.
The Perfect Pencil – 29 Jan, 2026
The Perfect Pencil is a story-driven action platformer developed and published by Studio Cima. It’s the game that follows the main protagonist John that awakens in a hand-drawn world where he’ll have to face all sorts of difficulties that will include personal development and the psychology of fear. I absolutely can’t get enough of these types of games. It’s always a beautifully designed game that has a deep story that will leave you thinking for a while. People who make these types of games deserve all the praise.
The Perfect Pencil is verified on Steam Deck. Which is another selling point. I can’t recommend it enough. Make sure to check it out.
Earth Must Die – 27 Jan, 2026
Earth Must Die is a new RPG developed by Size Five Games and published by No More Robots. It follows the story of VValak Lizardtongue, Grand Shepherd of the Tyrythian Empire as he goes on a quest for revenge against Earth and everything it stands for. It’s a story focused game where “you click a bunch and things happen”. The voice-overs are done by some of the best British Comedians. You can expect a lot of funny moments in the game. I’ve played a free demo and I couldn’t stop laughing. I can’t wait for the full release, you should definitely check it out.
Echoes of Elysium – 27 Jan, 2026
Echoes of Elysium is a new co-op airship survival RPG developed by Loric Games, Inc. and published by Snail Games USA. You can play solo or with up to 6 players in online co-op. The gameplay revolves around exploring, gathering resources, and upgrading airships. It’s coming in early access so don’t expect a finished product. Half a year ago, I saw the gameplay of it and it was interesting enough for me to put it on my wishlist. I have no doubt that they’ve improved it massively since then. There’s no free demo for the game but there’s a few gameplays on youtube that you can check out before buying it.
Cairn – 29 Jan, 2026
Cairn is a new survival-climber developed and published by The Game Bakers, the people who were behind Furi and Haven. The gameplay is focused on climbing Mount Kami. You’ll have to pick where you should climb and plan your route carefully. One wrong step and you’ll have to start over. To be perfectly honest, these types of games always test my patience but I can’t resist playing them. In case you’re interested, there’s a free demo that you can check out.
Final Words of Wisdom
This week is going to be very interesting, I definitely plan to play all of them but there’s also a slight chance that I’ll start playing Highguard and get hooked on it. And what will happen is that I’ll end up only playing for the rest of the month and nothing else. Damn it all and my addictive nature, I have to get control of it.
What are the games you are looking forward to? Do you think Highguard will succeed or will it end up like Concord?
Pavle is the founder of PlayForge and its lead writer and reviewer, covering PC, PS5, and mobile games, a with a focus on RPGs, MMOs, FPS games, and more. He’s been gaming since the PS2 days and now writes in-depth reviews and guides to help players find their next obsession and get gaming insights from real players, not just critics. His reviews are honest and transparent, but he always tries to stay positive, because in his opinion, almost any game can be fun if you look at it the right way.
In his free time, he likes to (obviously) play more games, spend time with his family, theorycraft about various media with his wife, and watch anime. So yes, he’s a complete nerd, even if he’ll never admit it.