The impending release of the next Zelda game is like a massive warship cruising into battle and ramming everything else out of its way. It’s no surprise that Tears of the Kingdom is the only big triple-A game launching this month, despite the fact that every other month is packed with overlapping releases all throughout 2023. When Nintendo planted its Zelda flag in May, I suspect the rest of the industry decided to give it as wide a berth as possible. No one wants to compete with the sequel to Breath of the Wild, and I don’t blame them.
May might belong to Tears of the Kingdom, but there’s a surprising number of games still launching alongside the de facto GOTY. There’s some highly anticipated indie games on the way in May, as well as some DLC expansions, big live-service events, and some ports of exceptional games you may have missed when they first came out. Zelda might be the only thing on your mind right now, but there’s a lot of other things happening that you won’t want to miss out on.
Voidtrain
There’s a handful of interesting indies I’ve had my eye on for awhile. On May 9, Voidtrain leaves early access on EGS and comes to Steam for the first time. I previewed this Lovecraftian solo survival game during Steam Next Fest earlier this year, and compared it favorably to the likes of Subnautica and Breathedge. Voidtrain takes place in a void (go figure) where you construct and conduct a train (also go figure) that runs along an infinite track through empty space. It has an intriguing storyline, unique gathering and crafting mechanics, and fantastically imaginative monsters. Check out our preview if you’re into this kind of survival crafting game.
Lego 2K Drive
Lego 2K Drive is an open-world racing game that we’re really excited about. A pseudo-spin off to Lego’s Forza Horizon 4 DLC, 2K Drive gives you full control over every brick in your vehicle and the power to transform instantly for track, off-road, and even aquatic races. Our full preview has plenty of nice things to say about Lego 2K Drive, which launches May 19.
Miasma Chronicles
Tactical RPG fans will want to check out Miasma Chronicles, a team-based tactics game from the team that created Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden. We’ve done two previews of this one and were impressed both times. As a big fan of Mutant Year Zero, it’s cool to see the team branching out and creating its own world and characters. Miasma Chronicles is coming to PC and PS5 on May 23.
Star Trek: Resurgence
The newly reformed Telltale Games (or the reanimated corpse of Telltale, depending on how generous you want to be) is bringing us The Expanse later this year, but a group of former developers formed a new studio called Dramatic Labs to create Star Trek: Resurgence. This has all the hallmarks of a Telltale game and features many fan favorite Star Trek characters, including Riker and Spock. It launches May 23.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum
The twice-delayed Gollum prequel is finally launching May 25. We’ve had the opportunity to preview this one several times, and while its stealth-adventure gameplay isn’t anything groundbreaking, we think Lord of the Rings fans will enjoy the attention to detail here - even if they have to pay extra to get it.
Starship Troopers: Extermination
I’m cautiously optimistic about Starship Troopers: Extermination, a new co-op first-person shooter from Offworld Industries, the studio behind tactical FPS behemoth Squad. Extermination looks like it has some great Earth Defense Force-style wave-based action, but only time will tell if it's able to become a breakout hit in this crowded and often underwhelming genre. Early access for Starship Troopers: Extermination starts May 17.
Inkbound
Another early access launch, Inkbound is a co-op roguelike tactics game from Shiny Shoe, the team behind the exceptional deck builder Monster Train. In my preview, I noted that Inkbound has a unique approach to co-op tactics that sets it apart from the rest of the genre, but long runs and out-of-balance encounters made me feel like it still needs some time to develop. Check this one out when early access begins May 22.
All The Rest
Marvel’s Midnight Suns final DLC Blood Storm launches May 11 to coincide with the PS4 and Xbox One release of the game. For The King 2 is having a closed beta event starting May 10, which I’m looking forward to as a huge fan of the original. The Last Labyrinth is coming to Xbox consoles May 15 if you’re looking for some creepy anime puzzle solving - or if you want to see a teenager get her head cut off over and over. Vampire MMORPG V Rising is getting a free expansion called Secrets of Gloomrot on May 17, if you need to wash the taste of Redfall out of your mouth.
Destiny’s Season of the Deep starts May 22, which I’ve argued will be the most important season for Destiny this year. There’s also a Forspoken expansion coming May 23 called In Tanta We Trust, a retro boomer shooter in the Warhammer universe called Boltgun that we quite liked, and a sequel to the bizarrely compulsive surveillance game Do Not Feed the Monkeys, called Do Not Feed the Monkeys 2099. Finally, check out Sunshine Shuffle, a narrative poker game inspired by Telltale’s Poker Night at the Inventory.
It may be Zelda’s month, but there’s plenty of other great games coming out too.