There's honestly nothing like going on a Grand Adventure or Exploring a huge open world, and that's what this article is all about, games that allow us to do just that. As the years continue to pass, we see new takes on the Adventure & Exploration genres and it's always a pleasure to see how each Game Developer puts their own unique spin on it. With hundreds of games coming out, here are a few of the best and brightest in the bunch from Steam Next Fest, 2023 in terms of all things Adventures & Exploration.
Helpful Browsing Notes:
These games are not ranked in any specific order. They're only numbered to stay organized.
If any links are broken or wrong, or you're a developer that has an updated link, please just leave a comment below and we'll fix it!
Just because we're not planning on reviewing a game does not dictate it as bad or good. We only have so much time to review games so we prioritize ones we personally want to play over others. Our tastes may differ, but that doesn't mean a game isn't quality.
1. Bilkins' Folly
🏷️ Genre: Adventure, Exploration, Puzzle
📅 Release Date: Unannounced
🗒️ Description: Percy’s on a quest to find his missing relatives, and he needs your help! Join him and his beloved dog Drayton as they adventure through a series of unusual islands, solve puzzles to uncover valuable treasure, and bring to light the foreboding family secret buried beneath it all.
📝 Reviewing?: Possibly
2. Calcium Chaos Derailed
🏷️ Genre: Twin Stick Shooter, Action-Adventure, Roguelite
📅 Release Date: Q1 2024
🗒️ Description: Go on a journey by train to stop the evil necromancer and his skeleton army. Explore, upgrade your train and fight the skeletons with your abnormal weapons in this comical Twin-Stick Roguelite.
📝 Reviewing?: Unlikely
3. Aiyana
🏷️ Genre: Indie, Action, Adventure, RPG
📅 Release Date: Unannounced
🗒️ Description: Aiyana is an open-world voxel survival game. Explore the lush world to gather enough resources and take on the creatures of the night. Once you are ready, enter their portals to fight them back and earn your place on the global leaderboards.
📝 Reviewing?: Possibly
4. Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew
🏷️ Genre: Strategy, Tactical, RPG, Stealth, Fantasy
📅 Release Date: August 17th, 2023
🗒️ Description: Welcome to the Lost Caribbean! In this stealth strategy game, join a ghost ship with a living soul and assemble a cursed pirate crew. Embrace magical powers to defy the menacing army of the Inquisition, who stands between you and the mysterious treasure of the legendary Captain Mordechai.
📝 Reviewing?: Yes
5. En Garde!
🏷️ Genre: Spectacle fighter, Swordplay, Comedy, Cartoony
📅 Release Date: August 2023
🗒️ Description: En Garde! – the swashbuckler action game! Battle graceless guards and nefarious noblemen in fast-paced fights full of spectacle. Use the environment, your wit and your blade to teach them all a lesson!
📝 Reviewing?: Possibly
6. Wanderful
🏷️ Genre: Casual, Strategy, Adventure, Board Game, 3D
📅 Release Date: 2023
🗒️ Description: Wanderful is about uncovering “what lies beyond”, tile after tile. Explore a charming and beautiful world at your own pace in this cosy mix between exploration, building and strategy.
🎮 Discord
📝 Reviewing?: Possibly
7. Wizard with a Gun
🏷️ Genre: Action, Adventure, Action-Adventure, Sandbox, Co-Op
📅 Release Date: 2023
🗒️ Description: Wizard with a Gun is an online cooperative sandbox survival game set in a magical wilderness wrought with dangerous creatures and arcane mysteries. Embark on a journey alone or with a friend to collect, craft, and outfit your wizard however you see fit as you explore the unknown.
🎮 Website
📝 Reviewing?: Possibly
8. BoF1LL: A Withering World
🏷️ Genre: Casual, Adventure, Relaxing, Local Co-Op, 3D
📅 Release Date: Unannounced
🗒️ Description: Together two companions will explore and restore their shrouded landscapes. Playable solo and in Couch Co-op!
🎮 Website
📝 Reviewing?: Possibly
9. Distant Bloom
🏷️ Genre: Crafting, Story Rich, Adventure, Casual, Aliens
📅 Release Date: Unannounced
🗒️ Description: From a world in ruins to a world in bloom. This serene management game lets you explore an alien planet where things have gone amiss. Harness the power of plants to restore the environment and build a flourishing community with your crewmates.
🎮 Discord
📝 Reviewing?: Possibly
10. Go Fight Fantastic
🏷️ Genre: Hack and Slash, Action-Adventure, Co-op, Dog
📅 Release Date: Unannounced
🗒️ Description: Bird Planet is under attack! Team up in co-op (local and online) or fight the invaders solo in this fast-paced, light-hearted and vibrantly hand-drawn hack n’ slash for 1-3 players.
🎮 Discord
📝 Reviewing?: Possibly
11. The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood
🏷️ Genre: Adventure, Interactive Fiction, Casual, Magic
📅 Release Date: 2023
🗒️ Description: Immerse yourself in an enchanting narrative experience as Fortuna, a fortune-teller Witch condemned to exile on her asteroid home. Craft your own Tarot deck, regain your freedom, and shape the fate of the cosmic Witch society.
🎮 Discord
📝 Reviewing?: Unlikely
12. Terror of the Seven Seas
🏷️ Genre: Action, Pirates, Naval Combat, Open World, 3D
📅 Release Date: Unannounced
🗒️ Description: Live a life as a mighty captain in a vast Seven Seas spanning Open World. Gather your crew, ready your ship and enter a world of swashbuckling and piracy. Whether to conquer the world for your king and glory, amass wealth beyond measure as a trader or become the very Terror of the Seven Seas itself!
🎮 Discord
📝 Reviewing?: Unlikely
13. Captain of the Wacky Waters
🏷️ Genre: Action, Roguelike, Roguelite, Pirates, Sailing
📅 Release Date: Unannounced
🗒️ Description: Sail across the Wacky Waters to reach Heaven alive. Loot, shoot and defeat other captains as you find more crew members and upgrade your ship with new cannons and crazy gadgets. Sink. Repeat.
🎮 Website
📝 Reviewing?: Possibly
That's all folks!
That's it for the best Adventure & Exploration games of the Steam Next Fest 2023 event. Click HERE to be taken back to the Master List article... but before you go, make sure to drop a like below if you're a big fan of the genre, and leave a comment telling us what games you're looking forward to most!
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