If you’re looking for one weekend to get weird with, this is it. A bombastic new Star Wars racer just landed, ARC Raiders just got a fresh content drop and a 50% sale, and House House’s co-op walking sim Big Walk is still the friend group game of the year. We’ve also got a free MMORPG, a $7.99 fishing disaster, and a fresh slice of Hellraiser to round things out.
STAR WARS: Galactic Racer (PC, PS5, Xbox, $59.99)
Fuse Games’ runs-based reinvention of Outer Rim racing hit Steam on October 6, and early players are buying what Secret Mode is selling. STAR WARS: Galactic Racer sits at “Very Positive” on Steam across more than 2,200 user reviews, with players praising the runs-based structure, the high-stakes atmosphere, and the moment-to-moment risk when you’re leading a packed grid into the last lap. Critics haven’t piled in yet, but the launch reception is healthy enough that it’s a safe bet for a few hours of single-player this weekend if you’ve got the couch to yourself.
AION 2 (PC, free)
NCSoft’s long-awaited MMORPG sequel lifted off globally on October 5, and you can play it without paying a cent. AION 2 lands 200 years after the original and rebuilds the Elyos-versus-Asmodians war on Unreal Engine 5, with eight classes at launch, aerial combat as the headline gimmick, and 10-player raids to chase. Steam user reviews are mixed at around 58% positive, with players split on monetization and dungeon design, but a free-to-play weekend is a free-to-play weekend. If you’ve been looking for a tab-targeting MMO with wings, give it a download before you form a final opinion.
ARC Raiders (PC, PS5, Xbox, $19.99, was $39.99)
The third-person extraction shooter from the ex-Battlefield team is half off on Steam through October 15, and the Frozen Trail 2.0 update dropped on October 8, which makes this a perfect weekend to come back or jump in fresh. ARC Raiders landed on a Metacritic 87 from critics and holds “Very Positive” English-language reviews on Steam across more than 200,000 user ratings. The new season adds a frozen biome, fresh hazards, and a Collector Set to chase, so even veterans have a reason to squad up.
How to Fish (PC, $7.99)
This is the “I cannot believe this is real” pick of the week. How to Fish is a 1-4 player physics-based fishing sim from Dazed Games, and it sits at “Overwhelmingly Positive” on Steam with nearly 70,000 user reviews. The premise is that you’ve been drinking and boating, you’ve crashed on an island, and you have to learn the title skill to get home. It’s the cheapest laugh in PC gaming right now, and the perfect game to have open in a Discord call with three friends.
Big Walk (PC, PS5, Switch 2, $15.99)
If you want a co-op game that is more “hang out” than “win,” this is the one. Big Walk is House House’s first game since Untitled Goose Game, and it’s a cooperative online walker-talker where 2-12 players wander a sprawling open world, solve puzzles, and use proximity voice chat to find each other. GameSpot called it “one of the best co-op games ever,” and Steam user reviews are Overwhelmingly Positive across more than 36,000 ratings. Crossplay covers PC, Mac, PS5, and Switch 2, so the only thing you need to round up is the friends.
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival (PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch 2, $39.99)
For the horror crowd, Saber Interactive’s Hellraiser: Revival launched on October 8 across PC, PS5, Xbox, and Switch 2. The critical reception has been mixed, with a Metacritic in the high 60s and reviewers split on whether the survival horror mechanics or the action FPS lean works, but Steam user reviews are Overwhelmingly Positive so far. If you want to spend the weekend being yelled at by Pinhead in Unreal Engine 5, this is your most efficient route.
That sets us up nicely for next week, which is a stacked one. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 lands October 23, Final Fantasy Resonance drops October 22, and Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse hits PS5, Xbox, PC and Switch on October 15. We’ll have a guide and review roundup for each; follow the Modern Warfare 4 hub and the October release list in the meantime.
Our read: we compared the six prices listed above, and two picks, AION 2 (free) and How to Fish ($7.99), cost $7.99 combined. ARC Raiders at $19.99 is the best-value paid pick this weekend. Start there before paying $59.99 for the racer.
Edited by Kerwin Stewart, Editor-in-Chief · How we report
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