The Knicks are one win away from their first championship in 51 years, and apparently that's enough to make an entire genre of basketball games suddenly relevant again. NBA The Run just dropped on Steam and consoles, and it's not your typical sports sim. Play by Play Studios built this one around streetball — think playground courts, not Madison Square Garden. If you've been burnt out on the usual annual sports franchise grind, this one might actually scratch that itch without requiring you to spend $200 on card packs.
But streetball isn't the only thing worth your time this weekend. There's a crafting game built around renewable energy that somehow doesn't sound tedious, a survival game where you're a sentient guitar, and about a dozen other releases that slipped through the noise of Summer Game Fest's absolute avalanche of announcements. We're in that weird window between SGF ending and Steam Next Fest kicking off Monday — which means the indie scene actually has room to breathe for once.
Before we get to the new releases, grab this: Inkle just put every single game they've ever made on Humble Bundle. Seven items for $9, or everything (including a four-part novelization of Heaven's Vault) for at least $20. That includes A Highland Song, which is genuinely excellent, plus TR-49, which only hit Steam in January and most people missed. Some proceeds go to Breakthrough T1D, a type 1 diabetes research org. It's the kind of deal that makes you wonder why you haven't bought it already.
There's also a Necrosoft Games bundle dropping in July — Brandon Sheffield's putting one together with proceeds going straight to a hardship fund for laid-off game workers. That's the kind of thing the industry should be doing more of, honestly.
If you're still looking to spend money this week, Steam's running Football Fiesta 2026 through June 25. Soccer games everywhere are discounted. Despelote (seriously, it's great) is $7.50. Rematch is half off. There's also Steam Bullet Fest ending Monday — that's all the bullet hell and bullet heaven games you can handle. Ball x Pit is on sale.
The announcement that caught everyone's attention from the fest was Slot Machine Gun from Lakeview Games. Here's the mechanic: every time you reload, a slot machine randomizes your weapons and their effects. You get some control over what can appear, so you're not completely at the mercy of RNG. Coming to Steam next year. It sounds like the kind of thing that either becomes a cult classic or gets forgotten in three months. No middle ground.
New games dropping this weekend are worth the time investment. NBA The Run is $30 across Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. If you're tired of the usual sports game formula, this one actually does something different. The renewable energy crafting game and the sentient guitar survival title are both live now. Check out our full Summer Game Fest recap too — we've got hands-on impressions from the in-person events and previews of stuff that'll matter later this year. Just go look at what's actually coming before Steam Next Fest starts Monday and you get buried in 500 new announcements again.