We are now in August of 2021 and there’s a handful of titles that stand out among the rest that’s worth checking out before the big triple A titles start getting most of the attention during the busy months of the year. Here are the top 5 that really stood out compared to the rest.

Back 4 Blood is a 4-player co-op first-person shooter from the creators of the Left 4 Dead franchise and they’re having an open beta session in August, giving players a chance to check out the game before it officially launches on October 12. It’s meaty beta as there are tons of content to try out, so here’s a quick rundown on what to expect.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will be a tad bigger with the release of the next expansion Siege of Paris as it’s set to release on August 12. This piece of content features the return of Infiltration Missions, a new story arc that has you travelling through the Frankish countryside, new set of weapons, abilities, gear, and skills to give more options in crafting your version of Eivor.

In light of all the Yu-Gi-Oh! video game news that Konami dropped not too long ago, now is the best time to learn how to play the game in preparation for the likes of Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel.

Konami's Yu-Gi-Oh! card game, the purveyor of the Heart of the Cards, hasn't had a proper digital version of their paper card game in a long time. But during their Yu-Gi-Oh! Digital Next livestream, that's looking to change. Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel has been announced for all platforms and a new multiplayer game called Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel is being developed for mobile.

Despite it’s short runtime, Bloodlines comes out as the better campaign, making it clear that a legion of operatives is less appealing compared to a fully fledged protagonist complete with a strong motivation and is surrounded by strong supporting characters.

Valve made quite an impression in the gaming world when they announcement the Steam Deck, a handheld device designed for player to play any game available in their Steam library either on the go or anywhere in your household. Shipping is expected to start late 2021, so if you’re keen to see know more about Valve’s latest product, here’s a breakdown of all the details you need to know if the Steam Deck is a good fit for you.

2K announced a rather packed roster of cover athletes for the upcoming NBA 2k22, which is set to launch on September 10, 2021. Luka Dončić, Candace Parker, Kevin Durant, plus NBA legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Dirk Nowitzi will grace the cover of this year’s NBA 2K game in their respective editions.

Relic Entertainment and Sega has finally giving real-time strategy fans something to look forward to by revealing Company of Heroes 3 for the PC and is planned for release sometime in 2022. Players eager to try out the game can join the Pre-Alpha Preview to provide feedback through Steam.

If you were looking forward to developer Tango Gameworks' upcoming game Ghostwire: Tokyo you’ll have to way a bit longer as the supernatural horror FPS game has been delayed to early 2022.

Anime robot fans will be pleased to know that Bandai Namco has announced the release date of Super Robot Wars 30 as it’s set to launch on October 28, 2021 for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Recent Dead Space reports were enough for me to revisit the series and remember why I love returning to the shoes of Isaac Clarke and the horrors he had to face in a span of three games, keeping the hope alive that one day we might just get another game in the future. I’m currently halfway through the first game and to my surprise it remains a solid survival horror in 2021.