The July 2024 games lineup is filled to the brim with RPG action, but there are a few other standouts like the return of college football to consoles and PCs. We’ll also be getting a retro throwback with Nintendo this month.
Dungeons of Hinterberg (Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC)
Publisher: Curve Games
Developer: Microbird Games
Price: $29.99
Release Date: July 18
Trailer
Dungeons of Hinterberg could be the next indie RPG to take the world by storm. In this Zelda-inspired adventure, you’ll be exploring the mythical Austrian town of Hinterberg. Dungeons await you with monsters to defeat with sword and magic skills and intriguing puzzles. “This dungeon-crawler mixes narrative elements with some interesting locales, satisfying combat encounters, and more than enough puzzles,” Destructoid said about its Steam Next Fest demo.
In between your daring exploits, there are locals to meet around the town, who will give you new tricks for your adventuring. You can take on this journey when Dungeons of Hinterberg launches on July 18.
EA Sports College Football 25 (PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S)
Publisher: EA
Developer: EA Orlando
Price: $69.99
Release Date: July 19
Trailer
After many years, college football returns to the gaming space, thanks to EA. EA Sports College Football 25 will be taking inspiration from the lively atmosphere of stadiums across the U.S. “With traditional team run-outs, rivalry rituals, synchronized crowd-chants, loudness meters as well as real game-day audio, fight songs and, of course, mascots, it’ll feel like home everywhere you look.” said the official website.
EA is also touting its Wear & Tear system, which has you managing each player’s health and limit fatigue. According to the publisher, this allows you to “assess risk of injury and avoid on-field mistakes by using strategic substitutions.” EA College Football 25 touches down onto the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S on July 19. Three-day early access is also provided through the Deluxe Edition.
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC)
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix
Price: $39.99
Release Date: July 2
Trailer
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail is the latest expansion for Square Enix’s huge MMO. The game gets a fantastic graphical facelift with this update. “Dawntrail is gorgeous, no doubt,” said our preview. “It’s perhaps the most visually stunning expansion yet, and there’s a lot riding on 7.0’s drastic makeover.”
After the Final Days era of the storyline, you find yourself in Tural, a stunning new landscape. Throughout this part of the adventure, you’ll be involved with who rules over the nation of Tuliyollal. In addition, Square Enix has implemented two new tasks into the game: the two-handed Viper and the paintbrush-focused Pictomancer.
Unfortunately, since the launch of Dawntrail, it’s been getting a mixed response from Steam users (via TheGamer). Some have disliked Wuk Lamat, a new character featured in this content, who is voiced by a trans voice actor Sena Bryer. There have been reports of transphobic comments, unfortunately. They’ve also criticized the slow start to the story.
Nintendo World Championship: NES Edition (Switch)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Price: $29.99 ($59.99 for physical edition)
Release Date: July 18
Trailer
Based on the classic tournament of yesteryear, Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition challenges you to over 150 speedrun-style tasks. They’re based on 13 classic games, such as The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros, and Balloon Fight. You’ll be competing with your friends offline and online, in addition to players around the world, through ranked leaderboards. In fact, you could make this a party game with up to 8 player support.
As you play the game, you’ll also earn coins that let you unlock player icons along the way. The game launches on July 18 for the Nintendo Switch. The physical version (The Deluxe Set) comes with a gold replica pak, a set of five pins, and 13 cards based on every title featured in the Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition.
Zenless Zone Zero (PC, PS5, iOS, Android)
Publisher: MiHoYo
Developer: MiHoYo
Price: Free to play with microtransactions
Release Date: July 4
Trailer
The studio behind Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail is back with another gacha title Zenless Zone Zero. This much-anticipated game has a deeper focus on combat that’s been compared to the Devil May Cry series. You can dodge and parry your way to victory with each character’s unique play style. “I still found combat exceptionally entertaining, primarily with the Agent’s distinct Attributes and Fighting Styles,” said our review. “The system works like any other RPG, using different elemental attacks and certain roles, such as Support.”
Calling itself an urban fantasy action RPG, Zenless Zone Zero explores a futuristic city called New Eridu with pocket dimensions (called Hollows) filled with challenges. While dangerous, your party steps inside to get valuable resources and other rewards. It isn’t open-world, but there’s an intriguing rogue-lite element to the game that may become addicting for some.
Honorable Mentions
There are some other major July 2024 games to release this month. Anger Foot, for example, is a promising Devolver Digital indie that seems chaotically engaging. Here are all of the honorable mentions for July this year.
- The First Ascendant (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC) – July 2
- Anger Foot (PC) – July 11
- Gestalt: Steam & Cinder (PC) – July 16
- Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus (PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Switch, PC) – July 17
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate (Switch) – July 17
- Schim (PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – July 18
- Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn (PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC) – July 18
- Kunitsu: Path of the Goddess (PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC) – July 19
- F1 Manager 2024 (PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC) – July 23
- Été (PC) – July 23
- The Star Named EOS (PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Switch, PC) – July 23
- Frostpunk 2 (PC) – July 25
- Tokyo Xanadu eX+ (Switch) – July 25
