What to Play in August: 13 Notable Upcoming Games

MMORPG
Out August 31 for PC

Arriving over a year after originally expected following multiple delays—assuming this latest date sticks—New World is by far the biggest game to date developed by Amazon's on-again, off-again game studio (which has seen all of its other major projects canceled). The massively multiplayer game is set in the 17th century and asks players to explore and colonize the newly discovered Atlantic island of Aeternum (a fantastical version of the Americas) either on their own or in groups of up to five members. Instanced dungeon quests, called "Excavations" here, are a key part of the game, though you'll also engage in real-time combat with three species of non-human creatures (and another even more mysterious plant-based enemy). Though you'll join one of three factions, a key difference from similar fantasy MMOs is New World's lack of character classes, a change made to allow more versatility in gameplay without needing to start from scratch with a new character. An ongoing beta has been attracting a lot of interest (even as it has been bricking some high-end graphics cards), which could be a positive sign for the beleaguered developer.