New Releases: August 7-13, 2025

This week, Gradius Origins (pictured) revisits the golden age of arcades with its (mostly) side-scrolling action, while The House of the Dead 2: Remake invites players to reload and reexamine an entry from the popular light-gun shooter franchise. Meanwhile, Mafia: The Old Country depicts the early beginnings of the Sicilian mob, while Bang Bang Barrage tests reflexes and foresight. Here’s the full list of games launching across PC and consoles for the week of August 7^th through the 13th:

PlayStation 4

Arcade Archives: D-Day (digital, $7.99)
Ra Ra Boom (digital, $TBA)
Slopecrashers (digital, $17.99)

PlayStation 5

Echoes of the End (digital, $TBA)
Fresh Tracks (digital, $TBA)
Gradius Origins (digital, $39.99)
Mafia: The Old Country (physical & digital, $49.99)

Switch

Arcade Archives: D-Day (digital, $7.99)
Case Records: Fear of Abduction (digital, $9.99)
Cozy Cooking: Tiny Tastes (digital, $7.99)
Crayon Classic (digital, $6.10)
Debug Deadline (digital, $4.49)
EGGCONSOLE Xak Precious Package: The Tower of Gazzel PC-8801mkIISR (digital, $6.49)
Faye Falling (digital, $7.99)
Fitness Adventure Pro (digital, $24.99)
Fruitbus (digital, $17.99)
Gradius Origins (digital, $39.99)
Hit! Spin! Watermelon Party (digital, $8.00)
JALECOlle Famicom Ver. Saiyuuki World II – The Demon God of Heaven – & WHOMP’EM (digital, $7.19)
Korean Drone Flying Tour Sang-jog-am (digital, $1.00)
Magibrick (digital, $4.99)
Mortal Glory 2 (digital, $11.99)
Mottainai Ghost (digital, $7.33)
Mystery Hotel: Hidden Objects (digital, $12.74)
Pimp Up Dungeon (digital, $6.99)
Pro Virtual Racing (digital, $9.99)
Radiant: Guardians of Light (digital, $19.90)
Ritual of Raven (digital, $17.99)
Slopecrashers (digital, $17.99)
Sneaky Claws (digital, $9.79)
The Edge of Allegoria (digital, $24.99)
The House of the Dead 2: Remake (digital, $24.99)
Toree Saturn (digital, $4.99)
Twin Fighters X (digital, $2.70)
Where is the Culprit? (digital, $2.99)
Windborn – Wings of Fate (digital, $6.99)
Yarn Guardians (digital, $15.00)
Zooparasite (digital, $11.99)

Xbox One

Case Records: Fear of Abduction (digital, $9.99)
Mystery Hotel: Hidden Objects (digital, $12.74)
Ra Ra Boom (digital, $TBA)
Slopecrashers (digital, $17.99)

Xbox Series S/X

Echoes of the End (digital, $TBA)
Fresh Tracks (digital, $TBA)
Mafia: The Old Country (physical & digital, $49.99)
Windborn – Wings of Fate (digital, $6.99)

PC

1000 Deaths ($13.49)
Bang Bang Barrage ($TBA)
Fallen City Brawl ($TBA)
Gradius Origins ($39.99)
Is This Seat Taken? ($8.99)
Mafia: The Old Country ($49.99)
MakeRoom ($8.99)
Paper Animal Adventure ($12.74)
Ra Ra Boom ($TBA)
Ritual of Raven ($13.49)
The House of the Dead 2: Remake ($24.99)
The RPG ($13.49)
Tiny Bookshop ($17.99)
Warnament ($9.74)
Whimside ($5.26)

Rob’s pick: If you’re a fan of the genre, the Gradius franchise is essential. Here, Hiroyasu Machiguchi and his team at Konomi established many of the mechanics we continue to see in modern shooters. This week, Gradius Origins assembles seven main entries from both the Gradius and spin-off Salamander series (which added co-op play among other deviations). So, if you’re ever wondered why Konami’s franchises are beloved by STG aficionados, here’s the perfect chance to find out. While the absence of any Parodius entries is disappointing, I’m really excited by the lure of playing Salamander III for the first time.

Bang Bang Barrage ditches Gradius’ outer space stoicism for some measured, twin-stick mayhem, making it a nice companion title. The premise is simple: your boat fires bullets, but those same shots send your boat recoiling across the screen. As such, every attack is a calculation with success requiring you to think at least five seconds ahead of things. Factor in different guns, randomized power-ups, and roguelike twists and there’s a wealth of variation. Just don’t be afraid to try assist mode. Bang Bang will bust the confidence of beginners.

Ryan’s pick: Beat ‘em ups are always a welcome genre on my consoles and have been a quintessential coop experience back in the arcades, so this week’s stamp of approval goes to Fallen City Brawl. There have been countless Final Fight and Streets of Rage-esque brawlers out there as of late, but visually this game really seems to nail that esthetic and also has a small flavor of SNK’s Sengoku mixed in that helps set it apart in my mind from others. The addition of counters, parries, and air throws should bring some more variety to engaging with the sea of zako you’ll need to fight through, so count me in. The genre may not be for everyone, but it still can be pretty fun if you need a local coop game to play with a friend

Admittedly I haven’t touched the Mafia series since the first game, in which the driving sequences frequently had me giving a long sigh out of my nose as the police pulled me over for the seemingly lightest of infractions. In this game we go back to the 1900s, so I’m thinking that speed limits may not necessarily be on the docket luckily, but there’s horses so maybe there will be horse police? In general though, narrative-wise there is a lot to like about these games, and there’s an equally ample amount of gunfighting and action mixed in to move the story forward that keeps you engaged.

Matt S’ pick (editor, DigitallyDownloaded): I’m probably going to have to go with Mafia: The Old Country. I might not be the world’s biggest fan of GTA-like open world things, but the theme and historical context of Mafia does make it interesting to me, and I’ve enjoyed the last ones enough. I don’t expect this will be a favourite game of all time, but I also expect to have a good time with it and not regret the no-doubt many hours it will consume.

I’ll also pick up Gradius Origins. I’m terrible at that genre and I’ll never actually finish any of the games in the collection, but I do like retro compilations, and it does seem like a lot of work has gone into this one. So, what the hell? It’ll be good to have it there as an option for when I’m in a rare SHMUP mood, too.