Watch Out For These 12 Video Games Releasing In April 2023

Release date: 4 April
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Meet Your Maker is a post-apocalyptic first-person game which can be played by multiple players. The core task for every player in the game is to build their own outposts and raid those constructed by others. When building these, players can plant traps, create mazes, and deploy AI-powered adversaries to defeat invading players. Combat is fast-paced and features a variety of weapons.

Developed and published by Canadian game studio Behaviour Interactive Inc., the story of Meet Your Maker essentially follows the player character who is tasked with protecting Chimera — a living experiment designed to save life on Earth as a last resort. The battles between outposts are for acquiring pure genetic material required for the evolution of Chimera.

Image credit: Meet Your Maker

Release date: 4 April
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch

Road 96: Mile 0 is the prequel to the 2021 game Road 96, which was about a bunch of teenagers trying to escape a fictional authoritarian nation by crossing the border. The prequel tells the story of two main characters — Zoe and Kaito. The two are best friends, despite their social differences. Yet, circumstances pose a threat to their friendship and forces Zoe, who comes from a rich family, to flee her home.

The atmospheric narrative-adventure game is played from a first-person perspective. Players will assume the roles of both Zoe and Kaito and will have to clear challenges that are presented in the form of musical segments. The game has been developed by French indie studio DigixArt and comes from publisher Ravenscourt.

Image credit: Road 96 Mile 0 at PAX East/@Digixart/Twitter

Release date: 6 April
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch

The action-adventure Curse of the Sea Rats is perhaps one of the most beautiful video games releasing in April 2023. Its hand-drawn graphics, developed by Spanish indie game creator Petoons Studio, would remind players of traditional 2D animation, and its 3D environments enhance gameplay.

The fun-filled video game, published by PQube, can be played both solo and in cooperative mode. Set in the 18th century along the Irish coast, the story follows four primary characters — David Douglas, Buffalo Calf, Bussa and Akane Yamakawa. The four were once humans but were cursed by a pirate witch named Flora Burn who turned them into rats. Using the unique abilities of each of the characters and the help of an emissary named Wu Yun, a non-playable character, the players will have to find a way to defeat Flora and reverse the curse.

Image credit: Petoons Studio

Release date: 11 April
Platforms: PC, Switch

Tron Identity comes from Walt Disney and is the first game meant for PC or consoles from the company’s Tron franchise, as the 2004 game Tron 2.0 is not part of the canon.

Based on Tron, the acclaimed sci-fi action film franchise, the upcoming game has a visual-novel gameplay, meaning that it reads like a story as it progresses, and its outcomes depend on decisions made by players.

Makers Bithell Games, which is behind the likes of Thomas Was Alone and the John Wick film franchise game John Wick Hex, has kept a lot about Tron Identity under wraps.

“Something has been taken. Enter a new Grid and forge alliances via visual novel gameplay, uncovering truths through Identity Disc puzzles. Make critical decisions and plot your own course in a world without a creator,” reads a synopsis of the game.

Its multiple trailers reveal that players can expect to see the famed Light Cycles from the Tron films.

Image credit: TRON: Identity APRIL 11/@tronidentity/Twitter

Release date: 18 April
Platforms: PC, PS4, PC5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch

Minecraft Legends is the latest addition to the acclaimed Minecraft franchise. The objective of the action-strategy game is to defend the Overworld from getting corrupted by the invading piglins from the Nether. Being a strategy game, the player, whose character is an unnamed hero, is tasked with uniting all the mobs of Minecraft Legends and forming alliances to destroy the piglins.

The game has been developed by Minecraft’s original creator, Mojang Studios, along with Blackbird Interactive. Xbox Game Studios is its publisher.

Image credit: Minecraft Legends/@legends_game/Twitter

Release date: 20 April
Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S

In Stray Blade, players take control of a character simply called Adventurer, who goes about defeating foes with a claymore. The Adventurer must bring peace to a war-torn mystical place called Valley of Acrea with the help of Xhinnon wolf Boji.

Developed by Point Blank Games, the action in Stray Blade would entice fans of old-school melee combat as the Adventurer often engages with the enemies in one-on-one duels. As the game progresses, players can unlock new skills for both the Adventurer and Boji through combat and the discovery of ancient lore, respectively.

Image credit: Stray Blade Game/@straybladegame/Twitter

Release date: 20 April
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch

Developer Rogue Sun and publisher Wired Productions connected a deeply emotional story to a fantastical world where mischievous toy soldiers hold the key to unlocking secrets of the past. The immersive narrative puzzle game requires players to create contraptions and carve paths for the tin soldiers to follow, as they march to the resolution of a specific goal — unravelling the story of a genius inventor named Albert J. Butterworth in an alternate Victorian era.

The trailers of the video game reveal a fun-filled and magical world, hidden in which are the mysteries surrounding the past of the inventor as well as the tin soldiers. Players are required to connect objects and build a path for the tin soldiers to safely follow through 40 levels. They can control objects such as woodblocks, toy trains and drums to assist the soldiers in their march.  A unique feature of the game is the ability to pause, fast-forward or rewind time to see how a decision affects the outcome and change it if needed.

Tin Hearts was awarded the Most Wanted Nintendo Switch Game prize at Gamescom 2022. The game also has a VR version for an immersive experience for players.

Image credit: Wired Productions

Release date: 21 April
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Dead Island 2 is one of the most-anticipated video games of 2023. After all, it took 12 years to develop it. It is a direct sequel to the 2011 game Dead Island but unlike the original, which was set on a fictional island, this is set in Los Angeles.

The first-person action RPG is packed with elements of horror and dark humour. The objective for the players is to escape a zombie outbreak even more deadly than the one that hit the island and find out the truth behind its outbreak.

Built on Unreal Engine 4, the game boasts some of the best graphics in any modern game and a detailed open-world environment. Players can use almost any kind of weapon and even craft their own using in-game do-it-yourself techniques. A trailer of the game hints that the player character might even gain extraordinary physical powers if bitten by a zombie.

Image credit: Dead Island

Release date: 27 April
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Benedict Fox is a detective who is bound to a demon companion. Using this connection, he goes inside the minds of those who are no more to look for clues. In his last case, Benedict tries to solve the mystery behind the deaths of a young couple and the disappearance of their child in a decrepit mansion with the help of the demon.

Developed by Plot Twist and published by Rogue Games, Inc., the 2D side-scroller title is full of action and puzzles that would see the player, in their role as Benedict Fox, take on a multitude of demons and find their way out of the bewildering problems inside the minds of those who are no more.

Image credit: The Last Case of Benedict Fox/@BenFoxGame/Twitter

Release date: 27 April
Platforms: PC, Switch, iOS, Android

Odyssey Interactive, the game’s creator, describes Omega Strikers as a “footbrawl.” In other words, the game merges the fun of playing football with the thrill of arcade brawling. Players have to score goals as well as smash opponents outside of the playing arena in this free-to-play video game.

One of the most exciting iOS and Android games to look forward to, Omega Strikers pits two teams consisting of three players each. Players can choose from a wide range of unique characters, each with their special set of skills, ranging from slime slinging to rocket boost. The game includes in-app purchases for additional content and battle passes, among other items.

Image credit: Odyssey Interactive

Release date: 27 April
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch

Inspired by Nordic fables, Bramble: The Mountain King is an adventure-horror game set in a mythical place. The game comes from Swedish developer Dimfrost Studio and was published by independent creator Merge Games.

The protagonist is a young boy named Olle who has to rescue his sister from a monstrous troll. However, the task isn’t an easy one as Olle has to chart the hauntingly beautiful land of Bamble, hiding in which are many dangerous creatures. Thankfully, the boy can summon the powers of the Spark of Courage fragment to take on the enemies.

Image credit: Bramble: The Mountain King/@bramble_game/Twitter

Release date: 28 April
Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has been making waves on social media and gaming forums ever since its announcement in 2022. It is, after all, set in the acclaimed Star Wars universe, comprising several movies, shows and books that are loved by millions around the world.

Created by Respawn and Electronic Arts in association with Lucasfilm Games, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor serves as a sequel to 2019’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and continues the story of the Jedi named Cal Kestis.

The game is set five years after the events of its predecessor. The stranglehold of the Empire on the galaxy has become even tighter. Cal, one of the last surviving Jedi Knights, faces dangerous foes sent to hunt him down. In order to survive as one of the last hopes of the Jedi Order, Cal must go to the edges of the galaxy on a discovery that could change his fate.

Image credit: Star Wars | #TheMandalorian is Now Streaming/@starwars/Twitter