Now that all the pre-show E3 2018 press events are out of the way, what games revealed by Microsoft, Electronic Arts, Sony, and the other big players can you play right now? Glad you asked. We threw together a list of games spanning all four platforms, including a few surprises you may have missed outside the individual press events.
‘Fallout Shelter’ (Switch, PS4)
First launched in June 2015, Bethesda’s free-to-play Vault building simulator is now available on the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. Your task: Create the perfect Vault buried 2,000 feet under the surface and oversee a thriving community of Dwellers. Give them jobs or send them out to explore the ruined wasteland: It’s your call, boss. You can even earn “lunchboxes” that contain rewards such as items or resources, or simply purchase lunchboxes with real cash within the game. Ka-ching!
‘For Honor Starter Edition’ (PC)
Ubisoft is offering the Starter Edition of For Honor free of charge on Uplay until June 18, 2018. And if you grab the Starter Edition now, it’s yours to keep forever and ever. This version fully unlocks three vanguard heroes (Kensei, Raider, and Warden) and makes three additional heroes playable (but not customizable), depending on your chosen faction. To unlock all heroes, you’re required to spend 8,000 steel, For Honor‘s in-game currency, on each.
‘Fortnite’ (Switch)
Epic Games’ crazy third-person shooter Fortnite arrives on the Nintendo Switch for free. This is the Battle Royale edition where you drop into a 50-vs.-50 multiplayer battle until the last team or player is standing. There’s currently no means for purchasing the “save the world” campaign and player-vs-environment mode, but you can spend your hard-earned cash on outfits, harvesting tools, emotes, and the Wingman Starter Pack. You can purchase in-game content using V-Bucks you buy with real money.
‘Hollow Knight’ (Switch)
First released for Windows 10 and MacOS, Hollow Knight is now available on the Nintendo Switch. It’s a side-scrolling action-adventure platformer set in the fictional world of Hollownest. The player assumes the role of a silent, insect-like knight as he explores the world, taking you through ruined cities, overgrown fields, twisting caverns, and more. The unnamed knight is on a quest to discover the dark secrets of an ancient ruined kingdom laying deep below Dirtmouth.
‘LawBreakers’ (PC)
If you wanted to see what this arena-style first-person shooter is all about, now is the time to catch a glimpse of LawBreakers. Developed by Cliff Bleszinski’s Boss Key Productions studio, the game arrived in August 2017 for Windows 10 and the PlayStation 4, seemingly in hopes of recapturing the brutal fun of the Unreal Tournament series — but with a twist. Yet the game didn’t sell and the studio closed its doors, pinning a death sentence on LawBreakers that will be carried out September 14, 2018. That said, you can play the game for free now until the servers are shut down forever.
‘Overwhelm’ (PC)
Available now on Steam, this 2D side-scrolling platformer has a blood-soaked horror theme where most of the colors you’ll see are red and purple. The “overwhelm” aspect stems from your inability to receive power-ups while your enemies receive power-ups from the game’s five unique bosses. The game has you exploring dark “oppressive” caverns using a limited map while fighting off enemies that can appear at any time. If you get hit, your character is dead. Three deaths mean game over, man, game over.
‘Prey: Mooncrash’ (PC, Xbox One, PS4)
Serving as the first DLC for Prey, Mooncrash is now available and sends players to the secret TranStar moonbase. Transmissions from this base ceased shortly after the events in Prey and players take the role of Peter, a hacker stationed aboard a spy satellite that kept tabs on communications with the base. He’s forced to discover what’s going on at TranStar and uncover its “lost secrets.” Meanwhile, the base Prey game received a free update as well, adding a Story Mode, a New Game+ mode, and a Survival mode.
‘Quake Champions’ (PC)
Bethesda’s arena-style multiplayer shooter, which serves as the successor to 1999’s Quake III Arena, launched as a closed beta on the PC in 2017. Those who jumped on the Early Access bandwagon can play for free with the Ranger character and unlock additional playable characters using real-world cash. You can also purchase the Champion Pack to unlock all current and future characters, custom match-making, and more. The upcoming free-to-play model will be similar to the Early Access version, only you won’t need to be on a waiting list or use a special access code. Bethesda is now serving a preview of the free-to-play now until June 17. After that, you can continue to play even after the preview period ends.
‘Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion’ (Switch)
Nintendo surprised Switch owners with the early launch of the Octo Expansion DLC for Splatoon 2. Originally slated for the end of July, the expansion pack provides a new single-player campaign packing 80 missions starring Agent 8. You take the role of an Octoling who’s lost her memory and are joined by Pearl, Marina, and Cap’n Cuttlefish. At the end of the campaign, you’ll unlock the Octolings as playable characters in Splatoon 2‘s multiplayer component.
‘Unravel Two’ (PC, XB1, PS4)
The sequel to Electronic Arts’ side-scrolling platformer, Unravel Two builds on the original by supporting two players, although you can play solo and control both yarn-based characters. The game provides puzzles designed for two Yarnys, requiring you to distract a hungry, towering bird with one Yarny while solving the current puzzle with the other. According to EA, fresh challenges and areas to explore open as you journey through Unravel Two‘s visually-rich world.
Xbox Game Pass
With the announcement of Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 and Fallout 76, these three games are now available via Microsoft’s subscription plan. They are also on sale for a limited time.
- Tom Clancy’s The Division ($15)
- The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited ($10)
- Fallout 4 ($24)
PlayStation Plus
On the PlayStation front, Activision introduced Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 during E3 2018. To celebrate, Sony added Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 to its PlayStation Plus subscription as a free game for the month. If you pre-order Black Ops 4, you’ll also get a “Back in Black” pack of remade “classic” maps that you can play on Black Ops 3. Called Firing Range, Jungle, Slums, and Summit, these four maps will be offered in Black Ops 4 as well.
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