Welcome to our PC Gaming Show liveblog, where we’ll be bringing you some extremely live coverage of PC Gamer’s contribution to the current NotE3/Summer Game Fest proceedings. If it’s anything like last year’s, the 2023 PC Gaming Show will be a breathless barrage of PC-focused game announcements, reveals, and trailers – and myself and Liam will be on hand to relay them all, one or two lines at a time.
The PC Gaming Show 2023 kicks off at 9pm BST / 4pm EDT / 1pm PDT, and Starfield willing, we should have this liveblog live a few minutes before. By all means, come on in, follow along, and put all your drollest comments into the box below.
See you back here on Sunday the 11th, 9pm BST / 4pm EDT / 1pm PDT for our PC Gaming Show 2023 liveblog. PC Gamer? Hardly know 'er.
– James Archer
Hello everyone. Judging by the on-screen countdown, the PC Gaming Show is indeed still seven minutes away, though regular host Day9 is already hosting us in his clearly greenscreened mancave,
– James Archer
Oh wow, we're already getting announcements. Here's a lil' futuristic farming sim, I Am Future.
– James Archer
And another, a sludgy Vampire Survivors-like called Slime 3K.
– James Archer
Black Skylands, a top-down aiship combat game, is next on. Launches August 3rd.
– James Archer
Punch Club 2: Fast Foward trailer. Hang on, these aren't new games!
– James Archer
NOW we're starting.
– James Archer
Hello! Hello. I'm here. I didn't realise they'd start revealing stuff before the show. Deary me. Too many announcements!
– Liam Richardson
...I don't think even Geoff's scripted banter was this scripted.
– James Archer
Is this an AI bit. This is an AI bit, isn't it.
– Liam Richardson
Yeah it's an AI bit.
– Liam Richardson
We're kicking things off with Frostpunk 2!
– Liam Richardson
Another look at Teardown and its new creative mode, where you can almost draw 3D objects (presumably before driving a truck through them). That's coming on June 15th.
– James Archer
Huge bits of machinery. A pile of bodies. Hammers. A gruff man talking about opening the doors to hell. This is Frostpunk alright, even if it is just a CGI trailer. That's coming next year, and maybe has a more fire-based twist?
All we can say for certain is that Rachel will be very excited for that one.
– Liam Richardson
Another look at life-sim Nivalis, next. This looks properly good. Customise your apartment. Wander around a gorgeous voxel cyberpunk city. Start a noodle bar. Take photographs. Avoid a serial killer. Yes please. Yes please. It's out next year.
– Liam Richardson
A hardcore survival sim set in a post-apocylptic border zone is up now. Road To Vostok is its name, and there's a demo available to play on Steam right now. The player walked around for a bit and then died immediately.
– Liam Richardson
That was Starlight Odyssey, a starship management (with Saturday morning TV vibes). Got a Steam demo coming soon.
– James Archer
Now for a "Metroidvania based on A Christmas Carol".
– James Archer
They just announced Citizen Sleeper 2? Like it was nothing???
– Liam Richardson
It's 2D, and you play as Scrooge, who both beats up ghosts and can call upon the powers of helpful for combat and platforming.
– James Archer
Ebeneezer and the Invisible World, it's called. No release date but there's a demo on Steam right now.
– James Archer
"You will never make it through this red keycarded door unless you CHANGE YOUR WAYS"
– James Archer
Alright, that Christmas Carol thing has thrown me off a bit. Now it's time for Knights! Knights battering each other about. James thinks this was maybe shown off at Geoff Fest a few days ago?
Warhaven, coming later this year.
– Liam Richardson
A new trailer for retro-styled RTS Dorf.
– James Archer
Lars Westergren says: Dorf-war, significantly less chill than Dorfromantik.
I did have to double check it wasn't a cynical spinoff aimed at the extremely lucrative lofi RTS market.
– James Archer
Be still my beating heart, it's a colourful indie shooter. Looks like you'll be shooting (sort of cute?) demons in a series of caves and dungeons with a variety of weaponry. You'll even meet a few oddballs along the way that will provide you with enchantments for your guns as well as cool new hoodies to wear.
Sulfur. No release date, but I can't wait to see more of that.
– Liam Richardson
Here's Saleblazers, an "open world survival shopkeeping" game.
– James Archer
Oh this looks delightful actually. Lots of physics-based silliness like sliding down a cliff on a chair then clattering into a foe at the bottom. Out September 24th!
– James Archer
Dave L. says: Pretty sure this got announced last year?
Look mate, I'm just the hardware guy.
– James Archer
Though to be fair, most of the games so far have been either a long time coming or were shown during Geoff Fest/Day of the Devs a few days ago.
– James Archer
OK. So. Eternights is a third person action game that features gorgeous anime visuals. A lad got his arm cut off, but also got a nice kiss? Who's to say what's happening there. Looked good, though.
Out in September.
– Liam Richardson
Dave L. says: I was referring to the anime dating sim brawler thing.
...look mate, I'm just-
– James Archer
Here are the Pax Dei devs, in a forest, talking about how studying real plants informed its verdant sandbox.
– James Archer
Pax Dei does sound like an interesting experiment: a functioning guild will require both adventurous dungeon-diving and manual labour like chopping down trees. Will it work if everyone just wants the 'fun' jobs?
– James Archer
Stampede Racing Royale promises to bring Mario Kart antics to PC, eh? Let's see about that.
– Liam Richardson
Created by Sumo Digital, the folks behind the most recent Sonic racing game. It looked... fine?
– Liam Richardson
Quick look at Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life. They have a playable alpha "on the horizon".
– James Archer
Path of Exile 2 time. We're being shown a character with a staff battering some proper horrible looking flesh monsters. Combat looks a little snappier than it does in Diablo 4?
You can find out more on July 28th.
– Liam Richardson
Here's Ferocious, which if you haven't seen it before is a dinosaur-shootin' FPS with a bunch of fancy Unreal Engine graffix.
– James Archer
Not much new from Ferocious there, I don't think? Some of the footage is on its Steam page in gif form.
– James Archer
Islands of Insight is an "epic shared world puzzle adventure game". I guess it's like The Witness, but you share the world with other players? Solving puzzles together? It looks lovely, but I'm curious how it works. If a puzzle is solved by another player, can you no longer solve it? An intriguing idea.
– Liam Richardson
A very speedy check-in on Lords of the Fallen. It's still a Soulslike. The end, apparently!
– James Archer
Ah, mate. I'm a sucker for a management game where you build bases for horrible goblins. Not entirely convinced by the tone of this trailer, but I am absolutely on board with anything that's clearly inspired by Dungeon Keeper. Naheulbeuk's Dungeon Master is out this summer. That's soon! It's hot outside right now!
– Liam Richardson
Time for a reveal: Mariachi Legends. Seems to be a pixelly, 2D action-adventure with detective elements - no other details.
– James Archer
Unless the combat was just a cutscene (it was very quick). It COULD be a point and click. It's mysterious!
– James Archer
Something for Citizen Sleeper now!
– James Archer
Citizen Sleeper 2, no less.
– James Archer
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin looks properly good. A real-time strategy title, similar to Relic's excellent Dawn of War series, but set in Warhammer's fantasy universe.
– Liam Richardson
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin looks properly good. A real-time strategy title, similar to Relic's excellent Dawn of War series, but set in Warhammer's fantasy universe.
– Liam Richardson
No in-game footage but looks like you'll have a sharp-dressed crim on your tail from the off.
– James Archer
Well, this looks charming. A cute looking crafting game all about building boats and exploring tropical islands. You can make friends with a humanoid cat! The mayor is a rat! Your character has frosted tips! You can build stuff!
Critter Cove. Looks lovely.
– Liam Richardson
Oh okay. We're actually going to look at an AI game now. Okay. Okay.
– James Archer
Hmm, it's like a tabletop-style group RPG with an AI gamesmaster. Hmmmmm.
– James Archer
Dave L. says: "Right now we have this public domain work. Expect more public domain works to be fed into the maw of the AI in the future"
Hahaha
– Liam Richardson
It's called Hidden Door btw.
– James Archer
I would say more about Hidden Door but the knowledge of it relying on feeding classic works of literature in an AI plagiarismo-bot has withered my body and brain.
– James Archer
Turn-based action RPG Miasma Chronicles is on now. Uh, isn't that already on sale?
– James Archer
Oh, it's getting a physical edition for consoles.
– James Archer
Oh, the new game from Klei is up next! A grungy sci-fi adventure about flying your space truck through hositle environments.
Dread Pilots is coming in 2024. Looks intriguing!
– Liam Richardson
Not entirely sure what exactly Undead Inc. is, but that trailer was a lot of fun. An enigmatic CEO shooting zombies in the basement of his research facility. Hoping this is some kind of Resident Evil inspired management sim, but I suspect it might be a shooter?
– Liam Richardson
Apologies to commenter Eulrich, but we have a good-looking Metroidvania. Altered Alma, s'called. Very sci-fi and slashy.
– James Archer
Invector Rhythm Galaxy looks cool. Flying around in a spaceship, hitting notes in time to the beat. Like a cross between Audiosurf and Amplitude?
Out July 14th.
– Liam Richardson
Eulrich says: combination of management sim and arpg/twinstick shooter? i wish some of the announcement trailers were a tad less vague on the concepts
Same.
– Liam Richardson
Here's a new look that Firewatch-y walking sim, The Invincible. Lots of glimpses at the dusty planet you'll be stranded on.
– James Archer
Some fresh footage for Park Beyond, which is out very soon. It's a theme park sim that lets you create wild rides like a bunch of ferris wheels stacked on top of one another.
Out on June 16th.
– Liam Richardson
Another VampSurv-like, Pathfinder: Gallowspire Survivors. As first reported by WarderDragon a few minutes ago!
– James Archer
This looks interesting. Diesel Legacy: The Blazing Age is a 2v2 fighting game set in a steampunk world. You can play as a gangly plague doctor.
There's an open beta available to play on Steam right now.
– Liam Richardson
Questionable live action aspect to this ParcelCorp reveal, but it looks maybe kinda fun? Extreme bike-courier shenanigans - THPS meets Deliveroo.
– James Archer
Ah, a look at Fabledom! This is a fairytale city builder that's out now in early access. I've had my eye on this for ages. Looks grand.
– Liam Richardson
There are meant to be 55 games in this show, by the by. I wonder how many we've had.
– James Archer
After a Game Pass ad, it's time for 30XX to make an appearance. This 2D shooter has been in early access for a while but it's launching for real on August 9th.
– James Archer
A new sci-fi survival game by the creators of Green Hell is up next. The CGI trailer shows a sun exploding, destorying a human colony on a nearby planet. But from the ashes, rebirth! It's called Chimera and is coming soon.
– Liam Richardson
The next game from the creators of Exo One is a brutal sci-fi rally game which sounds (and looks) brilliant. Exo Rally Championship.
– Liam Richardson
Bit of in-game footage for strategy RPG Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew. I like the concept behind this: you command a hexed pirate ship and its all its undead pirates, collecting magic pearls to restore their souls.
– James Archer
Out on August 17th!
– James Archer
himaji says: Wait, what was the scifi game with the blue lava called again? I didn't catch the name
Whoops, forgot to add it to my post. Chimera!
– Liam Richardson
Time for an extended look at Stormgate, Frost Giant Studios' Starcraft spiritual successor. Pre-alpha footage coming up.
– James Archer
This looks like an APM-y RTS alright - both players building bases before venturing out for some small skirmishes. Maps will have light forests that allow small units to pass through while blocking off larger armies.
– James Archer
Closed beta signups for Stormgate are available now, with the beta itself starting in July.
– James Archer
Fortune's Run next - there's an update for the demo ahead of its early access launch on September 1st.
– James Archer
Hell Let Loose is getting a new update - titled Devotion To Duty - on July 18th.
– Liam Richardson
Atomic Picnic! Anime 3rd-person bug shooter! Okay moving on.
– James Archer
I am so excited for Mullet Mad Jack, a retro-inspired FPS with slick anime vibes. I want that game immediately. Cheers.
– Liam Richardson
Vampire Survivors is getting a fresh update that seemingly introduces a randomiser as well as twitch chat integration. Looks fun. Out tomorrow.
– Liam Richardson
Vampire Survivors is getting a fresh update that seemingly introduces a randomiser as well as twitch chat integration. Looks fun. Out tomorrow.
– Liam Richardson
Okay so a bunch of games just went by so quickly that we literally did not have time to type them up. So, retroactively, we've just seen cartoon comedy Jorel's Brother and the Most Important Game of the Galaxy (out June 15th), ranch sim Gaucho and the Grasslands, sci-fi 4X Revival: Recolonization, and cutely pixellated managment/builder Nova Lands (out June 22nd),.
– James Archer
Baldur's Gate 3 time. We're kicking things off with an animated sketch.
– Liam Richardson
Now here's the actual Baldur's Gate 3.
– James Archer
Nice busyness to this city. Lots going on.
– James Archer
Did that man just incinerate a child?
– James Archer
If he did, we're not dwelling on it. That's that for BG3 - a mostly chill section with lots of dev talking heads.
– James Archer
More fantasy now with Ember Knights, a co-op roguelike. It features properly lovely visuals and some delightfully goofy enemy designs. 1.0 launches July 18th.
– Liam Richardson
TerraTech gets a sequel: TerraTech Worlds. Lots more, even more complex-looking vehicle and base building on alien planets.
– James Archer
Macabre is next, a "stealth extraction horror". It looks very interesting, although I can't tell if it's multiplayer or not? Either way you'll have to explore creepy, shifting buildings while avoiding vicious monsters.
A demo will be available soon.
– Liam Richardson
A reveal for Blackbird Interactive's Earthless. Nothing on how it'll play, but you'll be helping a fleet of spaceships find a new home after the Sun melts our current ball of rock.
– James Archer
Like Interstellar, perhaps, with less organ.
– James Archer
The next game by the developers of Kingdoms and Castles is a city builder set in ancient Rome. Build colosseums! Be smited by the gods! It looks lovely, and it's called Nova Roma.
– Liam Richardson
New from Ashborne Games: Last Train Home. It's a snowy RTS set just after WW1, centered around a group of Czech soldiers using an armoured train as a mobile base.
– James Archer
Ah, My Friendly Neighbourhood. I've been excited for this for a while. A horror shooter about avoiding felt monstrosities inspired by characters from Sesame Street.
It's out on July 18th! That's soon!
– Liam Richardson
New trailer for F1 Manager 23, which is out on July 31st.
– James Archer
Breathedge 2. Spaceships! Fixing a car! Explosions! A chicken!
– Liam Richardson
That was BloomTown: A Different Story. Gives us the ol' bait and switch, setting up a cheerful life sim before switching to semi-spooky JPG battling in a netherworld.
– James Archer
Dave L. says: Was that a corgi werewolf?
A werecorgi, yes.
– James Archer
SAND. The Game.
– James Archer
The CGI trailer for Sand showed off a bunch of fellas having a laugh on the back of an enormous steam powered mech.
– Liam Richardson
Oop, nearly the end of the show. For a finale we're visiting the Funcom team making Dune: Awakening.
– James Archer
*Chanting*
WORM! WORM! WORM! WORM!
– Liam Richardson
Seen a bit of sandbiking in the desert, though the promised sandworms have only been shown in concept art.
– James Archer
Desert sands will shift every week, revealing new places to visit and/or exploit.
– James Archer
Some more Dune: Awakening concept art, and we're done!
– James Archer
Right. That's it. Five (ish) solid hours of gaming coverage DONE. But James, I have to ask, what was your favourite game from this specific stream? I'm gonna have to go with Mullet Mad Jack, which looks rad as hell.
– Liam Richardson
Eulrich says: well, have a good nights rest *waves*
You too! Thanks to everyone for stopping by!
– Liam Richardson
Y'know, it might just be ParcelCorp? I've never harboured any secret desires to deliver food to middle class people but bouncing around on an apparently spring-loaded bicycle looked like heaps of fun.
– James Archer
Well, that's that for the PC Gaming Show 2023. There's plenty still to come as part of this year's summer of gaming, so make sure to check out our E3 2023 hub for all the latest announcements. Sleep well, folks!